Arrogant much? Dealer tells woman go back to VW, you don't deserve a BMW
According to a woman named Raquel, Brecht BMW in Escondido, Ca. may be one of those dealerships that considers customer service a necessary evil. Take note that the following story is a one-sided account, and Brecht wasn't contacted for their side of the story.
Raquel had a 48-month lease on a Bimmer during which she experienced "about 10" service visits, and she just wanted to wash her hands of the German automobile and look elsewhere. She had to turn in the vehicle on the day of her visit or she would be fined for turning it in late. Enter Brecht BMW, a certified lease return location, and not the location Raquel purchased the vehicle. When Raquel attempted to get a mileage signature from a Brecht salesman, he refused. The salesman then got a manager, who threatened to call the police as Raquel stood there dumbfound with her three children by her side. When she asked for the manager's name, he threw a business card at her. Raquel then told the manager that she got better service from a VW dealer than she has had at BMW, and the manager told her that she didn't deserve a BMW, and that she should go buy a Volkswagen. When Raquel contacted BMW North America, she was reportedly told that Brecht was a franchise, and that there was nothing BMW North America could do.
Again, remember that this is a one-sided account, but even if only half true, BMW needs to step up and make sure that its customers are better served than this. You can read Raquel's entire letter by hitting the Read button below.
[Source: Consumerist]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 8)
Rollolo 1:39PM (10/09/2007)
yeah, cool! Nice fake-story..., right from the brains of the Lexus-marketingdirection...
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R 2:44PM (10/09/2007)
Everybody! It's fake. Rollolo has proclaimed it.
ChrisG 3:06PM (10/09/2007)
I doubt that she is fibbing...
I had a 2004 X3, nothing but problems with the car and eventually the dealer (VOB BMW in Rockville, MD) refused to continue to service the car. Eventually I got so frustrated that I protested for several weekends in front of the store and was shocked by the number of people that joined me because of similar issues that I was having. Eventually they agreed to take care of the problems and I sold the car as quickly as I possibly could and have never looked at buying a BMW again.
obiwan 3:09PM (10/09/2007)
wow.. um ok...
Either way even if this lady was being completely out of line the manager needs to handle the situation. Customer service goes along way ... and negative press no matter how small will always hurt you. For BMW america to say oh we dont handle that doesn't inspire alot of confidence from anyone. BMW needs to smarten up .. sure you sell cars but theres alot of people that want to take your place..
AlfaMike 4:30AM (10/10/2007)
Even if it's not fake, could it be any more lame? Is this really an article on autoblog? Two people at a car dealership got into an argument? Wow you're really laying down the Pulizter prize winning material there Mr Writer Man. Don't strain your typing finger or your thought process.
Jack S. (WRR) 12:41PM (10/10/2007)
1st- AlfaMike, dead on comments... the question is why did this make news &
2nd- I call BS bigtime on the whole story, one person turning in a leased vehicle and probably unhappy with the reality that the car is a bit rough and may cost them some xtra $$ so they put together a 'story' and then news people pick it up & run with it.. why, cause she is a woman and it involves a car? yeah - that will sell newspapers did you notice how they mentioned her and 'her children' standing there?? BS all the way!!
Mike 1:41PM (10/09/2007)
I had an issue with my MINI dealer, and when I contacted BMW USA I got the same "All BMW dealers are independently owned and operated..."
Won't buy another one...ever.
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MoonRover 1:46PM (10/09/2007)
Not the first time I have heard this story, my neighbor has a similar experience and could not wait to turn his car in at lease end. They did not want to do the repairs after it was returned three times for the same problem. They told him he was the problem not the car.
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ryan 1:47PM (10/09/2007)
i doubt this is true, or there has to be a different side to it. i get yelled at all the time by people who just don't understand what i'm trying to tell them at my dealership, so i'd be interested to hear what they have to say at brecht.
but, maybe it was true. i've heard of salespeople who will walk up and directly ask if they're buying a car today. if they indicate no, they'll just plain walk away.
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That One Person 4:59PM (10/09/2007)
I have seen people yell at sales people. It's hilarious.
Kind of on the same topic. But my buddy worked at a body shop that was located in the back of a Lincoln dealer. A guy had brought in a GTO (which he wrecked). What he couldn't seem to comprehend that the replacement front quarter panels, headlamps, hood, etc. had to come ALL THE WAY from Australia. The problem was that the shipping company wouldn't ship all these parts in their own crate...they had to wait till other stuff filled one of those huge metal containers pulled by semis. But this guy couldn't figure it out and said he was going to sue the dealership and all this crap. It wasn't the dealers fault, Holden's fault, GM's fault or anyone's fault...except the shipping company's fault (even technically it wasn't their fault..it was just a way to help save money...which the owner would have to pay out of his pocket). The guy ended up having to wait like two months. But it was hilarious standing there and watching this guy turn red and screaming. My buddy said the guy ended up coming back with a lawyer and then apologized.
Oh and iQuack...Toyota and Honda dealers aren't exactly the best dealers out there. And I can tell you from personal experience that I sure as hell wouldn't purchase a Honda or Toyo around here...
klitorisaurus 2:59AM (10/10/2007)
Being a die-hard BMW fanatic I find this story very easy to believe. 4 out of 5 BMW dealerships that I walk in to are stocked with arrogant pricks who know very little about BMW. Just last month a salesman tried to tell me that there's no such thing as a 1-series and that the M3 isn't coming out for two more years. Where do they find these people.
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John Metcalf 2:33PM (10/09/2007)
Try a BMW Motorcycle dealership - nice people, knowledgeable staff and know how to treat customers. My bmw dealer in Grand Rapids, MI sells t-shirts that say " I didn't know BMW made cars until I passed one." I highly recommend them.
LeRobert 1:51PM (10/09/2007)
Der Kunde ist König? Leider ist das offensichtlich nicht so bei BMW... =(
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swisslexus 5:10PM (10/09/2007)
In Europa sieht es glaub ich schon anders aus, nach meiner Erfahrung.Aber in Nordamerika hab ich schon mehrere Beschwerden über BMW-Händler gehört...
iQuack 1:54PM (10/09/2007)
A possible solution to these kinds of problems might be to buy/lease a Honda or Toyota which can be troublesome, but unlikely compared with BMW or Mercedes, either.
How much aggravation is a prestige brand worth?
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geo.stewart 3:23PM (10/09/2007)
buy a Caddy,
solid, reliable, good stuff from the design side nowadays.
And no one loves you more than the underdog wanting your business.
iQuack 12:27AM (10/10/2007)
You have a good point there. Caddy has improved to where it's now worth a close look--especially the new CTS.
The CTS will probably enjoy a service record as good or better than a comparable European luxury car without the snotty attitude.
DCragtop 1:55PM (10/09/2007)
hmm...The Ultimate Franchising Machine it seems. If a dealer/salesperson were to throw a business card at me and treated me like this (if this is a true story) he/she would have an Ultimate Driving Foot updayass. Aside from THAT, Volkswagon ain't much better than a BMW when it comes to reliability and service....so this poor lady is screwed either way.
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Joe K. 1:56PM (10/09/2007)
Having worked at a few dealerships, two of them were more prestigious brands, i could see how some of this happened, but its not like she described. She obviously was upset and misinterpreted a few things, but the managers should be skilled enough to notice that. Having been on the other side of the desk, I would never, EVER sign a lease return mileage form and conditions report if i wasn't the official person in charge of lease returns, so that where she would have felt shrugged off by the salesman. Plus, thats not his job, he's in sales, not returns... Either way, i won't stand her and justify the actions of a dealership without hearing both sides, but the slant to this article is quite surprising for something that was posted as news...
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TrueDis 1:57PM (10/09/2007)
BMW definitely isn't Lexus. This would NEVER happen at a Lexus dealership...
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