Horrible Dealer Experience | FerrariChat

Horrible Dealer Experience

Discussion in 'Other Off Topic Forum' started by mhart25, Mar 5, 2004.

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  1. mhart25

    mhart25 Guest

    While this has nothing to do with Ferraris or other Italian cars, I thought you might like to read it anyway. I originally posted this on the Car and Driver forums.

    The following is a long story about a dealer horrible dealer experience I had last week.

    Last week I went with my folks to pick up their new Nissan Murano. The dealer was Garden City Nissan on Long Island. So when we get there I go and start checking out the car to make sure everything is ok. The fist thing I notice is the fuel filler door is completely misaligned. Then when looking inside the car I notice the floor mats are missing as well the rear cargo mat. These were not dealer add ons, they were factory options listed on the sticker. Then I notice that the rear cargo shade is missing. At this point I am upset and tell the salesman. He assures me that he will get me missing items in a few days. I am not happy about that. I ask to speak to the manager. After I tell the manager, actually I think he was the finance manager, he tells me that he's not sure about these options and that I should speak to the sales manager. Now I am really getting a bad feeling about this whole thing. So the sales manager comes in and I tell him the same story. He then tries to tell me that the cargo shade is an accessory and the cargo mat is the piece of carpet covering the spare tire. He wil be happy to sell me these "accessories" however. Now I am pissed. I ask to see a catelog to cinfirm this and am told that they have none left. How convenient! I turn to my father and tell him that this sucks and that we should leave. The sales manager whose name I think was Hassa, has the nerve to tell me ina really sarcastic tome that the missing pieces are not there fault because they don't build the vehicles in the back they just recieve them from the factory. At this point I walk out of the office and wait in the lobby. My father comes out and I tell him that we should leave. He agrees. We walk outside where my mother and sister are waiting and proceed to leave. As were walking away the salesman and Hassa come out to see why were leaving. I start saying how this dealership sucks and that there a bunch of crooks and start walking away. He then yells at me to not take my frustration out in him. Hows that for ironic. Now things are getting heated. Lots of yelling back and forth. It got so bad that my folks had to push me back from the guy. He finally retreated back into the dealership. We proceeded to leave. Just as we're leaving the lot Hassa comes out and makes a half hearted attempt to apologize and say that he'll throw in the cargo shade and cargo mat; how nice of him!

    Anyway we purchased the Murano from a great dealership a few days later. Atlantic Nissan in West Islip. When we were picking up the car there we told the salesman about the above experience and he said was it Garden City Nissan? We said yes. He said was it a guy named Hassa? We said yes. He then tells us how horrible their reputation is and that Hassa was fired from their dealership.

    Also, we had a friend acout a year and a half ago purchase a sentra from Garden City Nissan and also had a horrible experience. The only reason we went there to look is because we wanted to go in with an open mind and give the dealer a chance. Bad decicion. The sad part is that if I hadn't gone with my parents to the dealership, they probably would not have noticed the missing items and would have taken the car home.

    Please feel free to post a link to this message. Hopefully reading this message will prevent another experience like this.
     
  2. Agent Smith

    Agent Smith Formula 3

    Apr 20, 2002
    1,569
    Wow, that's pretty bad. Good thing you were there to watch out for your folks. Every dealer like that should go out of business. We just had an expose of a Cadillac dealer here in Ann Arbor that got busted selling a $47,000 Cadillac to a old couple for (by the time they had played with the numbers and added in everything under the sun) $104,000. I hate corrupt dealers
     
  3. DrStranglove

    DrStranglove FChat Assassin
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2003
    29,135
    Google Maps
    Full Name:
    DrS
    Amazingly, my worst one was with the F-Car dealership here in NC!!!!!!! (NOT Sport Auto) I went there five times talking to the same guy about buying my first Ferrari. Nice as can be when I was actually there. Never returned one phone call out of twelve, not one email out of five. GM did not return my calls either....


    So a few months later I was in Augusta at the Masters. (My GrandFather is/was a member.) Spent one night in Atlanta and decided to go to FoA to look at the cars there. Carson, one of the sales staff, said hello....showed me a few...had a nice 348..TOOK ME ON A TEST DRIVE!!!!!!!! within about 45 min of meeting me. Good 'ol Carson returned EVERY call and EVERY email..... and had my money in about two weeks.


    Now then the epilogue;

    David C (WorthIt here.) heard about this and hand walked me to --- and personally introduced me to the GM. I had a wonderful apology... but I doubt I will ever buy from them.

    Not sure what my next car will be but FoA or Sport Auto get my money next time...or again!!!

    DrS
     
  4. Doody

    Doody F1 Veteran

    Nov 16, 2001
    6,099
    MA USA
    Full Name:
    Mr. Doody
    i'm no fan of that NC dealer either.

    steve barney built that reputation brick by brick and IMO the new owners have worked hard to tear that well-built down.

    doody.
     
  5. DrStranglove

    DrStranglove FChat Assassin
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    Oct 31, 2003
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    Man you said it.

    Steve is the best!!!!


    DrS
     
  6. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Apr 3, 2001
    11,237
    Austin, TX
    Full Name:
    Randy
    mhart25 - this is your first post, and I'd call this spreading the word on all car forums, but you registered in November of last year, so I won't make that assumption about you.

    A good friend of mine has a Murano as well. She and I looked all over the place for the right one with the options that she wanted and from the right dealership. We didn't get anywhere, especially at the price she wanted to pay. ($500 over invoice) But one fellow S2000 owner in Oklahoma drove by a dealership, and they had what she wanted. She called them up, gave them the offer, they agreed to it. She flew up the next day and bought it. While she was there she had a great experience with the dealership. But most important of all, she didn't buy the options she wanted (like the wind deflector which doesn't do squat!) from a dealership. Those dealerships make tons of money from accessories. Why pay dealer costs? Instead, she called another friend of ours who works at a dealership and got an excellent deal on them.

    I'm sure you are saying, "I don't have friends with these connections." But that's the deal, you actually do, you just never know about it until you post about it. Flame away at dealerships if you will. They might sound like crooks, but how you describe it, it's more about emotional disagreement than actually providing 'crooked facts' clearly pointed out. The deal about the mats and cargo nets - that happens all too often because people fall for it. It's a way they can get extra dollars because not everyone knows how to read a dealer sticker. No, they really don't. It's just like the people that pay for the paint protectant which must be redone each year. But little do they know, it's a wax job, which doesn't always get put on. What about the seat protectant? Oh, $5 can o' Scotchgaurd.

    Well, this crap happens. Glad you found an alternative and are happy with your purchase. The Murano is great, and has responsive feedback. It doesn't just soak up the bumps like other SUV's which like to run me off the road because I'm right beside them but they cannot see me. Only complaint about the Murano - the damned wind buffetting. Ugh! It can hurt at times!
     
  7. DrStranglove

    DrStranglove FChat Assassin
    Owner Rossa Subscribed

    Oct 31, 2003
    29,135
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    DrS
    I dont think a dealership was out to cheat me. They were just rude. Which I consider much worse.


    DrS
     
  8. mhart25

    mhart25 Guest

    Emotional disagreement? Are you kidding? Being lied to my face about something so blatantly obvious is not an emotional disagreement! It's bull****!! Your right about this happening all the time because of uninformed people, but does that mean I should take it? Hell no! And even if I registered today and started posting, so what. Where does it say that I have to be a member for x number of days before I can post what I want.

    Anyway, I appreciate your comments.
     
  9. Schatten

    Schatten F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Apr 3, 2001
    11,237
    Austin, TX
    Full Name:
    Randy
    No, you shouldn't have taken the ****. You did the right thing and went somewhere else, providing business to a better, more ethical dealership.

    And there are some people that take on a personal vendetta against dealerships or other businesses. They'll register up on sites left and right and post their rants. This obviously isn't you. That's why I said to disregard since you've been here since November.

    BTW, what color Murano?
     
  10. mhart25

    mhart25 Guest

    It's white with a light tan colored interior. It actually looks real nice. The exterior is metallic which really makes the color pop. Sharp looking car, er suv.
     
  11. Prugna 328

    Prugna 328 Formula 3

    Sep 10, 2003
    1,233
    L.I.N.Y.
    Full Name:
    Gregory
    Thank you mhart. I live right next door to G.C. and I will remember to never go there.
     
  12. mhart25

    mhart25 Guest

    Glad to help.
     
  13. shelbee

    shelbee Guest

    That's why I only stick with one dealership if I can!! You know where!!
     

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