Beware of Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver | Page 12 | FerrariChat

Beware of Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver

Discussion in 'Ferrari Discussion (not model specific)' started by Dr. Lawrence Miller, Dec 20, 2013.

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  1. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Thank you for sharing your story! I'm sorry you had to go through all that with the dealership. I understand your frustration and direct approach dealing with the dealership manager, and I'm glad you were able to get him to accept responsibility! I just don't understand these dealerships that damage customer's cars, try to hide the damage, and if that doesn't work then deflect blame, or minimize the damage. I know this thinking process is common in criminals who often blame their victims and never really accept responsibility for any of their criminal behaviors, but people who run an "official" dealership should be operating at a higher level - or even just an average honest level.

    My father was a hero in the Royal Navy during the second world war, and I have no doubt that if the X5 dealership or FMoV had treated him in this way, he would have gone down there and straightened them out in a hurry - without the need for lawyers! I'm also pretty sure this would have achieved the desired results from the dealership, and they would not have even thought about calling the police in those days. However, we live in different times (arguably unfortunately) where the aggressive direct approach could get an honest man charged with assault, and things could escalate out of control at that point because desire for justice would be greatly intensified. With this in mind, and in terms of my dealings with FMoV, Brian Ross, FNA, and Ferrari S.p.A., I have the high ground and will try to get justice through legal means. However, if Brian Ross was telling the truth about being in court "probably 50 times", and if this trend continues, it may be just a matter of time until he crosses paths with the wrong person who would think nothing of choosing an alternate less expensive and more permanent means of justice that does not involve lawyers. For example, I imagine there are people in organized crime who have "taken care of" people for less than what FMoV and Brian Ross have done to me. However, as the saying goes, "if you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't change - the devil changes you". Hence, my forced reliance on the glacially slow, frequently frustrating, and very expensive legal process.
     
  2. daytona355

    daytona355 F1 World Champ
    BANNED

    Mar 25, 2009
    12,655
    London
    Full Name:
    Sid Korshak
    You are absolutely right in your approach doctor, and you have my utmost respect for it, don't get me wrong
     
  3. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller
    I understand completely and really appreciate your support!
     
  4. It's Ross

    It's Ross Formula 3

    Jul 30, 2007
    2,028
    Barrington, Ill. USA
    Full Name:
    Ross
    It is frustrating for me to watch this unfold given the different sets of rules each "player" has chosen. Brian Ross is taking full advantage of your gentlemanly manner. This tack has apparently worked for him in the past.
    To my way of thinking folks like him deserve a more direct and "visceral" approach. He might then understand it to be in his best personal interest to make you whole.
    Perhaps another person wronged by this man will find a swifter way to compel him.
    I hope you will prevail.
     
  5. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Thank your very much for your support! Yes, it is a frustrating situation to know you have right on your side, and yet the other side (in this case FMoV and Brian Ross) disregards that fact and tries to take full financial advantage - even knowing that they are in the wrong. Given that Brian Ross would not honor the May 2016 settlement agreement, it appears to me that he puts a low price on his honor.

    It has been said that winners are ordinary people with extraordinary determination, and if we in the worldwide Ferrari community continue to hold FMoV and Brian Ross accountable for their wrongful behaviors, at some point Ferrari S.p.A. is going to have to decide whether to protect a bad dealership in FMoV (at least in my case), or to protect the Ferrari brand by taking away their franchise. Frankly, it is an insult to all of us in the worldwide Ferrari community that FMoV is still in business after crashing my Ferrari, wrongfully withholding it for many months afterwards, and failing to honor the May 2016 settlement agreement made by FNA and me. Even if they were to honor the settlement agreement at this point, there is no compelling reason to believe they would change the way they do business with other Ferrari customers going forward. In my view, Ferrari S.p.A. would be well advised to not underestimate or ignore the legitimate concerns of their worldwide customer base.

    As time permits, I will continue to ramp up my social media efforts to try to prevent other Ferrari owners from being victimized as I have been by FMoV and Brian Ross. I will be incorporating many of the strategies suggested by others here on FerrariChat!
     
  6. riccardone

    riccardone Karting

    May 24, 2015
    143
    Totally this. There must be a million people in Vancouver who can sell as many cars as this Brian Ross guy, or more.
     
  7. SVCalifornia

    SVCalifornia Formula 3
    Rossa Subscribed

    Mar 28, 2011
    2,447
    Silicon Valley
    Full Name:
    Keith
    Of course if you get another car won't you have to take it back to them for service? Put yourself at their mercy yet again....

    Prepared for that??

    SV
     
  8. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Exactly!
     
  9. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    That is a good point and my earlier legitimate concern. However, in my earlier conversations with Mr. Francesconi of Ferrari of North America, it was agreed that warranty related or other servicing could be done at Ferrari and Maserati of Seattle Washington - about a 3 1/2 hour drive from where I live in Vancouver BC. I also spoke with the Seattle dealership who confirmed this would not be a problem. Although it would be somewhat inconvenient to drive that far for Ferrari servicing, it would still be better than putting oneself at the mercy of Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver!
     
  10. V-TWELVE

    V-TWELVE Formula 3

    Jan 1, 2007
    1,800
    Vancouver, BC
    There may be a problem at the border with having work done on your car in the US. I believe you would have to declare what was done to the vehicle and produce the invoice for taxation.

    I understand your love of the brand but if Ferrari Vancouver and Ferrari S.p.A. have mistreated you, then if it were me, I would shun them. IMO, I could not be an ambassador of a company that did what they did to you because as an owner when you drive your car, you are really advertising for the brand, waving their flag. Me, I'd be over at Mclaren, Lamborghini or Porsche. So many great cars out there, I wouldn't be getting too upset about the lack of a prancing horse on the grill. I could not give that kind of money to that kind of company with that kind of customer service. Period.
     
  11. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    I hear what you are saying and completely understand that perspective and sentiment. And you are right, I have definitely had negative experiences with Ash Mohsen and Mark Edmonds (manager) at FMoV as well as Brian Ross, and in response I will never do business with any of them again. However, in my way of thinking, my Ferrari did not cause any of this to happen, and in a sense it was the first victim of FMoV (when Jacek crashed it) and I was the second victim of FMoV's and Brian Ross' subsequent mishandling of the situation. Mr. Francesconi of FNA also played a role in failing to order Brian Ross to honor the May 2016 settlement agreement, as did Ferrari S.p.A. for failing to intervene more forcefully - at least to this point. However, I try not to generalize my negative experiences with these individuals to all other Ferrari staff or dealerships - who may (or may not) act with integrity in their dealings with customers. I suspect there are other exotic car dealerships that have good or bad reputations in their dealings with customers, but this is not necessarily a direct reflection of the quality of their cars. It likely has more to do with the exotic car companies failing to properly vet prospective dealership owners before issuing franchises.

    My driving a Ferrari does represent a certain advertisement for the brand as you say, and I am also a member of several Ferrari clubs, attend a lot of exotic car shows, and know many respectable Ferrari owners and enthusiasts. When asked, I generally have positive things to say about my Ferrari, but I can assure you I have been telling anyone who wants to listen to me how egregiously FMoV, Brian Ross, and to some extent FNA have treated me since crashing my Ferrari in May 2013. I have probably spoken directly about my negative experiences with these Ferrari representatives with more than 150 Ferrari owners and enthusiasts who have also told other Ferrari owners and enthusiasts. Many of them have also had negative experiences with FMoV, and now go to different non-Ferrari dealerships to maintain and service their Ferrari's. They cannot understand how FMoV is still in business after negligently crashing my Ferrari and maliciously withholding it from me for many months after the crash, and they are understandably waiting for a change in dealership ownership and management before returning. Thanks to the interest and support of the worldwide Ferrari community, this thread has now surpassed 36,000 views!

    I may eventually buy a McLaren, Lambourghini, or Porsche, but there is always a risk (albeit probably small) of a similar negative experience with any exotic car dealership.
     
  12. Bill Marsdon

    Bill Marsdon Rookie

    Dec 31, 2016
    1
    I have been following this story since the beginning. I didn't want to comment as I still am forced to use Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver for service :(. I know exactly what mechanic you have been referring to. His name is Yasic. Every time I take my car there for service I book an appointment at the wheel refinisher as every time it goes there my wheels need re-painting. I always found it astonishing that they could still keep a guy that incompetent. He has been a mechanic with Ferrari for a very long time starting back at Carter Motors then Brian Jessel Ferrari and now with Brian Ross. I've tried one of the private Ferrari mechanics in town and he was even worse in other ways.

    Brian Ross gets credit from Ferrari for a huge increase of Ferrari sales in the city. This was just by chance as it has nothing to do with Brian Ross or the useless Mark Edmonds and everything to do with the influx of Chinese immigrants who regularly buy their 16 year old kids brand new Ferrari's. There are 3 new Ferrari owners at our local High School alone.

    Their attitude is if you're nice we will let you buy one and maybe we will even service it for you! As a long time Ferrari owner I am far from not alone in my opinion. There is a huge silent majority that feel exactly the same way but just put up with it as it is them or no Ferrari. I dread having to run into that useless Mark Edmonds who I always wonder how the heck someone like that even got into any type of sales job ever?
     
  13. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller


    Thank you very much for sharing your negative experiences with Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver, and I commend you for your honesty and integrity in making your posting! I agree that FMoV seems to believe they are doing people a favor by selling and "servicing" Ferrari's, and their attitude is likely worsened by the fact that they are the only "official" Ferrari dealership in BC. I also believe that there is a huge silent majority of Ferrari owners who have experienced FMoV's unprofessional attitude in sales and service. Many would prefer not to go to FMoV, but they feel forced to because they are the only official Ferrari dealership in BC, and it is inconvenient to have to drive all the way to Seattle to the next closest official Ferrari dealership. As I said to Mr. Francesconi of Ferrari of North America, I'm not in favor of closing the Ferrari dealership in Vancouver - because it is convenient for people who live in BC. However, I am in favor of replacing its owner, manager, and those FMoV staff involved in my case who have shown themselves unworthy of representing the Ferrari name. In my view, every day FMoV remains open, the Ferrari name is lessened by their unprofessional and wrongful actions (at least in my situation).

    There are things worth fighting for in life and this is one of them. I encourage the worldwide Ferrari community to take a stand against Brian Ross and FMoV, and for the silent majority to make their voices heard here on FerrariChat. Together, we can make a difference, and have Ferrari S.p.A. intervene to make the necessary changes in FMoV dealership ownership, management, and those staff involved in my case. In my view, when this happens, it will be win-win situation for the worldwide Ferrari community and Ferrari S.p.A.
     
  14. TooTimidAndCheap

    Jul 19, 2015
    105
    Dr. Miller, Were you able to edit the first post to include the photos?
     
  15. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    It is on my list of things to do and I thank you for the reminder. So far, I have posted to Yelp, Twitter, ***********, F**********, and Ferrari Club of America with links to the current thread on FerrariChat. I wonder if I'm able to alter this thread name, will the other sites still be able to use the link referencing this thread, or would I have to go back into those sites and replace the link name? There are a number of additional sites I would like to post to (e.g., BBB, YouTube, Weibo, Facebook, etc...) as my work schedule permits. Interestingly, I tried to post to the FMoV Facebook page - something I had previously done after they crashed my Ferrari - but it would not accept my post. I'm not sure if they are blocking me, but it would not surprise me. Of course, if FMoV wants to have authentic good reviews on social media, all they have to do is provide good customer service - something they completely failed to do in my case.

    Given my current busy work schedule, I'm considering hiring someone to post the basic information (including photos of my damaged Ferrari) about my negative experiences with FMoV to more sites. I will look into this, but welcome any information from the Ferrari community regarding reputable people in Metro Vancouver who have more in-depth knowledge of social media platforms than I do at this point. Thank you and Happy New Year to all!
     
  16. riccardone

    riccardone Karting

    May 24, 2015
    143
    How about translating to mandarin and posting it to chinese language social media.

    Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk
     
  17. DrewH

    DrewH F1 World Champ
    Silver Subscribed

    Nov 4, 2003
    16,597
    Vancouver, BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Andrew
    There has been a few stories about the rich 16 year old Chinese kids with their $500K cars on the news. One of the stories showed when they smash up their cars instead of waiting for the insurance claim to be processed they just buy a new one the next day....lol. They just couldn't care less anyway!
     
  18. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    That is a good idea! Thank you!
     
  19. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Thank you for your assistance! I clicked on the link but did not see an EDIT button. However, I do see the EDIT button when I make a new or recent posting. I tried replying to my first post in this thread with the idea of adding the photos. I tried posting with one photo first, but it went to the end of this thread (and so I deleted it). Although, one would think that there is a way to do it.
     
  20. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Perhaps not, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
     
  21. ///Mike

    ///Mike F1 Veteran

    Dec 11, 2003
    6,097
    Bugtussle
    Those kids are not long term customers anyway. The stealership's profits may be looking great right now as a result of selling primarily to clueless nouveau riche, but the time will come when that particular customer base no longer exists and suddenly customer service will become much more important if they want to stay in business.

    It was very decent of you to avoid an inflammatory thread title in the beginning but IMO a more descriptive subject line is called for at this point since hopefully this thread will provide guidance to prospective customers for years to come. Perhaps one of the mods would be willing to change the title of this thread if you were to PM them with a request. At the very least something like, "My completely unsatisfactory experience with Ferrari/Maserati of Vancouver", or maybe "Ferrari/Maserati of Vancouver refuses to accept responsibility for crashing my Ferrari".

    As always, best of luck in your effort, Dr. Miller. Here's wishing you a safe, healthy and successful 2017.
     
  22. Bluebottle

    Bluebottle F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Oct 15, 2012
    7,698
    Newbury, Berkshire, England
    Full Name:
    John
    I imagine that there is a time limit on editing a post. Maybe one of the moderators can change it for you. If in doubt, ask Rob Lay.
     
  23. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    That is an excellent point Mike! It's one thing for Asians (or anyone) to buy a new Ferrari from FMoV, but quite another experience when it comes time for servicing or repairing that Ferrari! In my view, while the Asians may have lots of money, they are unlikely to take kindly to being treated wrongfully or taken advantage of in business dealings with FMoV (or anyone). I know that I didn't, and to my knowledge there has been no concrete action taken by FMoV, Brian Ross, or FNA to prevent it from happening to any other Ferrari customer.

    I like the idea of changing this thread name (if possible) to something more specifically descriptive of my negative experiences with FMoV. I previously considered calling this thread "A Ferrari Owner's Worst Nightmare dealing with Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver", but then reasoned that might sound overly dramatic :) I like your suggestions for the new name for this thread. I think someone also suggested the thread name, "Beware of Ferrari Maserati of Vancouver". Today, I sent a private email to Rob Lay to see whether this thread name can be changed (while keeping the current postings), and if I can post photos of my damaged Ferrari to the first posting in this thread (while keeping it in the first position of the thread). If it's not technically possible, another option is to use a link that takes people from other sites (e.g., Ferrari Life, Yelp, etc...) specifically to the page where the photos are currently posted in this thread, and they could then go to the beginning of the thread for the background story.

    Thank you again for all your support and good wishes Mike. I also wish you and your family all the best in 2007!
     
  24. Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Dr. Lawrence Miller Formula Junior

    Jul 11, 2011
    383
    Vancouver BC Canada
    Full Name:
    Dr. Lawrence Miller

    Yes, I think you are right about the time limit on editing a post. I sent a private email to Rob Lay to find out it the thread name can be changed and photos posted to the first posting in the thread. Thank you!
     

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