Ferrari of Palm Beach (FoBP)

What a coincidence, I had the same exact problem with them not returning my calls or emails, once they were presented with something that they preferred not to deal with.
I had issues with them not taking care of 4 or 5 different things that they promised prior to delivering the car to me when I bought it about a year ago. After about two months of continuous follow up and persistence from me, they finally sent me a check to cover the cost of the things that they were supposed to take care of for me at the time of sale. I was upset that they had to waste my time, not only to fix the stuff, but to chase them for the money as well. At least they finally paid for the stuff and I'm not out any money at this point. I also feel better that they are not thieves. I think that they just don't get it.
Thanks for posting, it will hopefully make consumers on Fchat more aware and help them predict possible problems before things like this happen to them also.
I'm appalled that these "high end" dealerships don't even have the courtesy to call back! They act as if they don't want repeat customers, or any friends, family or aquaintances of their customers. I personally have 2 friends that want to buy A Ferrari, and they are avoiding FofPB because of what they did to me! So that's probably about $20,000 in profit that they ALREADY lost. Why you ask? Because they didn't want to properly complete work that would probably be under $500 at their cost ($1,700 at my cost)!!! Bad business decisions if you ask me...

 

If they are a real ferrari dealer... maybe try informing them you are contacting ferrari HQ in Italy and talk to them. I think that them selling cars is pretty important and if a dealer is not giving a "Ferrari Experience" I bet some heads will roll.

I know when I had an issue with a Jeep dealer I called and informed them of my dissatisfaction at Jeep HQ and I received some upper management call the next day and the dealer took my jeep in the next week and fixed all the stuff they had screwed up at no expense.

So... you can try if you like... I think a brand like Ferrari has a corporate HQ that does not want you going down the road in PB to lambo or porsche.

 

Google Ferrari North America in New Jersey.

 

That is probably easier ( and you don't need to speak Italian)

 

I'm lucky in that I only had to have my PPI there. It was like as soon as I paid their bill (about double what anyone else charged for a PPI too) they stopped answering the phone or emails.

 

I hate to break the news to you, you wasted your money. I'm pretty sure that you could have done a more complete PPI by yourself for free!!
As a matter of fact I'm positive that you could have done a better job. In my case, I was the one who had to point out all 7 (in the prior post i estimated 4 or 5 things, i actually counted every little thing, and there were 7 problems. One was fixed on the spot as i watched because it could have been a deal breaker) things wrong with my car! Their 101 point check list was all checked as if there were no issues! The worst part is that after the stuff was pointed out, the said that they would take care of it all before shipping the car, and they didn't even take care of 1 thing after I walked out and handed the check over!!!
Bad, bad business practices!
I'm pretty sure that they only respond if you are super aggressive. That only made me more angry that it had to come to that.
I agree with the others, I think FofNA needs to know a out these people. I had to threaten to call FofNA along with several other agencies, but thankfully they responded after I emailed the president of the dealership group.
I have to admit that I did wind up getting satisfaction from them, and I did get what I was entitled to... eventually. But I was VERY persistent, and it was A LOT of work!

 

I haven't dealt with them, nor have I bought anything from them, and I have no comment to make other than the internet is a powerful tool for due diligence... and the ferrari and exotic world in general is a small one.

 

When I had an service issue with a dealer that I was told to get 'stuffed' about, I Fedx'd a letter in English and Italian to Montezemolo and 'wonder of wonders' everyone was my friend and the car got fixed.

 

Ingenere, did they really say "get stuffed?" Incredible. How much restraint did it take for you to not turn into HULK SMASH mode?

Why does it always have to come to "the letter?" Why can't these men take pride in their work and have enough integrity to provide outstanding service?

Most Ferrari owners busted their arse to be able to afford a car that costs more than most people pay in rent, a mortgage, or more than a house outright. The least they could do is be courteous and provide decent service. You can get better service from Kia for goodness sake.

 

Once I called a HQ once, the store manager typically knows me and makes sure I'm taken care of. Dealerships require repeat business... I don't have to give them mine

 

It's a sad commentary about today's society, no matter if it's a Ferrari dealership, or a fast food resturant, the customer is rated less than zero. I'm in my sixities now, but when I was a teenager, I worked at a large retail store for several yrs. The store manager over & over stressed the importance of the customer. He said; you can stock the shelves, sweep the floor, and do everything else, EXCEPT take care of the customer, and pretty soon none of us will have a paycheck. The store does not give you the paycheck, THE CUSTOMER DOES! Guess the Ferrari dealership the posters are talking about, has forgotton(or never learned), that important fact. Sad.

 

They actually did a pretty good job with the PPI. A couple minor things that they didn't mention. Algar looked over the car after I received it and pointed out the same things.

Or don't care. In case you're not familiar with the Palm Beach area, there are many customers down there that will just send the car and cash (Their labor rate is $195 an hour I believe) and say fix it without caring about the service.

 

I had a little 'chat' with the dealer at one point when they 'threatened' to remove support of our FCA region over a Seinfeld episode joke (long and stupid story), and my response was, "When you sell overpriced products that nobody really needs, YOU need to cater to the customer.... not the other way around"!

I can't tell you how many times I've threatened to dump the whole Fcar thing and buy a McLaren or a Lambo, simply because I've been treated well by the competition, but I really like this CS!

 

Consider yourself EXTREMELY lucky. After what I witnessed, it seems like a miracle!

Then again...now that I think about it, it sort of makes sense. In my case (buying a car from them), anything that they find will COST them (or the prior owner of the car) money. It is not in their best interest to find anything. It is more profitable to check the car with a blind eye. In your case anything they find will MAKE them money, as long as they can get you to agree to make the repair using their shop.
It's becoming very clear how this dealership works. If they are making money from you, they treat you like royalty. The minute something goes wrong, or if you may cost them a little money, they ignore you at all costs and hope that you go away. Nice....real nice.
They are perfect example of how "NOT" to run a business. I think they are too focused on the short term profit instead of the long term. They don't seem too concerned because they are probably still selling everything that they can get. However, once the consumers realize their tactics, they may shop elsewhere, causing them to lose profits in the long term.

 

Of course it is about making money but if indeed their future means nothing then their rationale is... irrational and counterproductive.

Seriously, cheers to your hard work and its rewards!

I know you still require respect and decent service when it comes to spending hundreds or thousands of your hard earned money for repair or service at certain establishments. I am not implying that the service attendants or management should be grinnin' and shufflin'. Still, you shouldn't be treated like you're bring your six figure car to Joe Give-A-Crap Shade Tree Fix-it Shop either.

 

Me three

 

I bought by car, a used 2011 458 Italia, and ordered my 2014 Spider from Ferrari of Palm Beach and have had nothing but the best experience with them. Bud Root is my salesman and Giovanni is the GM of the dealership. I deal with both of them and have received the best treatment from them than any of the other Ferrari dealerships in FL. I visited The Collection, Ferrari of Ft. Lauderdale, Ferrari of Palm Beach, and spoke with Ferrari of Tampa and Orlando prior to buying my first Ferrari and was blown away by Bud/Giovanni and their treatment of me the minute I walked in to the Palm Beach dealership the first time. They have done everything they promised and displayed the highest integrity to me. I am sorry if some of you have had less than perfect experiences there. My experience is top notch. I'd recommend using Bud as your salesperson and getting to know Giovanni the GM of the dealership. I consider both of these gentlemen my personal friends now and they have treated me like a VIP customer as a first time Ferrari owner of less than 2 months.

 

Eric, I'm glad that you had such a wonderful experience with them. That is the way it should be when you buy a car like a Ferrari.
I will not take away the fact that the employees were super nice throughout the whole process. They were all gentleman, and nice to talk to. Even during the "issues" I was having, they were all very respectful, never accused me of being unreasonable or wrong. My main complaint wasn't when everything was going smoothly. My complaints started when the dealership had issues to fix, and just ignored them all. Then when asked for a follow up to correct their mistakes, they were appologetic, but I was not seeing any action. There is no reason why my car should have taken 2 months to get sorted out, when it was supposed to be fixed PRIOR to shipping it to me. Once I left Florida, they did not want to return calls or e-mails without me nagging them. Like I said prior, when I finally was able to contact them by getting lucky when they answered the phone themselves, they were always pleasant to talk to.
They did pull through at the end (after a lot of work on my part) and send me a check to cover the costs of their mistakes, so I did have a positive outcome at the end. If there were no issues with my car (I'm pretty sure your car didn't have issues), I know I would have had nothing but positive comments for the dealership and all of it's employees. I can understand how you feel that you had a great experience with them. I'm also willing to bet that you were there to take delivery of the car in person, so you got exactly what you paid for right on the spot. They couldn't blow anything off because you were probably right there to deny delivery if you weren't satisfied with something. In my case they knew I was 1,200 miles away, so there wasn't any effort at all to bring the car to the condition that they promised.
Bottom line: If everything goes smoothly, they have great customer service. If there are any problems, their service leaves a lot to be desired.

 

Here's hoping you NEVER have a problem. They may be fair weather friends.