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"Texas Dealership" VERY Disappointed - Twice!!!

4K views 25 replies 14 participants last post by  Daniel454 
#1 ·
So about 2 months ago I asked a few members about the dealer in Texas that was giving that amazing deal to forum members and when I got the dealers name I recognized it. I live in Texas and this particular dealer 2 weeks previous to me getting the recommendation was the one that had told me that he had 2 available 2015 SRT's in stock and that I should come down and check them out. I drove 2 hours to the dealership. Usually for a $70k vehicle in my experience when you call ahead they have it sitting in front waiting for you to check out. Upon arrival they could not locate either vehicle.After about 30 minutes of fumbling around they realized 1 was sold. Then after another 30 minutes they found the other one and low and behold that one was sold too. They would allow me to sit in it but that was it. As you can imagine I went storming out and said I would take my business elsewhere.

Well I decided to give them a 2nd chance. I called the Internet Manager, scheduled and appt, went down, test drove and ordered an SRT and told them specifically that I did not want the vehicle altered and I did not want the front bumper drilled for a license plate. The sales manager assured me that they don't do that on SRT models.

A week ago they told me my car had arrived. My first email back said to please not drill the bumper. He assured me they would not. Each time I emailed him asking for various information such as VIN and window sticker I again reiterated that they not drill the bumper. Each time I was told they would not. I schedule delivery of my vehicle for this afternoon. He emails me back that it's all set and would be ready to go.

Today after 2 months of waiting, I get to the dealership to pick her up and the first thing they say is "I'm sorry the sales manager isn't here today but someone in his office can help you". I get to his office and they don't have me down for a pick up. Again I am standing around the lobby waiting for them to locate MY vehicle that I have a CONFIRMED delivery appointment. 30 minites go by and they pull up my SRT for inspection.

As I walk up to her I see that the wheel center caps have not been installed. There is a thick layer of dust and pollen on the vehicle and two people have written their names into the paint of the hood with their fingers, the car has not been washed or detailed and is not ready for delivery and worst of all there are 4 large screws DRILLED into my front bumper.

As you can imagine I lost it. I basically told them they could keep the vehicle and go F themselves. The dealer came over and calmed me down and said they had a 2nd SRT in the back and they would bi willing to swap out the complete front bumpers for me and detail and hand wax and it would be ready in 2 hours. I agreed and went for lunch. 10 minutes later I get a call stating that the other SRT has been spoken for and all they could do now was fill in the holes in the body shop. Needless to say that wasn't an option and I again told them thanks but no thanks.

An hour later an asst mgr calls me and apologizes and says that they would fill the holes and give me free tint on the 2 front windows. I tell her I want that plus the chrome window trim blacked out, she says thats too much and that the general sales manager told her to tell me that "He is getting an amazing price that if he doesn't take our deal of the free window tint that he won't be able to get that deal again".

At which time I lost it again and basically told her that I would not be bullied into buying a vehicle that THEY screwed up for $100 worth of tint. She then had the nerve to ask me if I would want to order it again through their dealership. At which point I just started laughing uncontrollably.
 
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#2 ·
Eh, they're a volume dealership and from your experience (and the number of sold SRTs you witnessed there) it sounds like they are doing more volume than they can easily handle at times. I had a somewhat similar experience...flew in from AL and had a confirmed pick-up. When I arrived the manager I had been dealing with had taken the day off and no one knew about my vehicle. After numerous calls, etc they finally got my Jeep and did the PDI and what not, which took a few hours. At least there was a sticker on the front bumper to not drill it, which was my main concern. Also, they did feed me lunch and got me a lower rate than my CU, but overall the experience was pretty disorganized. In the end I got a killer deal and the Jeep exactly as I had ordered. Sorry to hear your pick-up did not go so well.
 
#5 ·
Replied on the other forum. This thread is worthless without the dealer name.

In no way-shape-or form would I accept their drilled bumper unless it was substantial. Dimples aren't really noticeable unless you're doing a walk around.

If they fix it I will be indistinguishable. My concern would be degradation over time with anything filled.
 
#7 ·
If you do a little looking around you should be able to figure out the dealer name. It's the dealer that is giving the great deals below invoice on Jeeps to forum members. They are trying to make it right, but "making it right" is ordering another vehicle.

I agree with you on bumper, I dont want a repaired bumper.

Plus they also told me that I cannot order the SRT without the sunroof which is also BS.
 
#8 ·
Too lazy to search lol. I bought mine at River Oaks as a random walk in and had a positive experience.

Helfman (same family) on I-10 (right by my house) is much more convenient but terrible. The sales guy hopped in the Jeep and put the radio on maximum volume to show it off. I am positive he blew the speakers. Then when I asked if there was any room he said "man this is an SRT. We can't keep them in stock." Something along those lines. I was eyeballing the Viper which had a $20k or so markup, and this was at a point when FIAT was close to pulling the plug on it because it was such a flop. Manager said the same cocky response. "Can't keep them on the floor". 3 months later it was on ebay. $140k MSRP. $160k markup. Asking $120k. I think it ended up selling for $115k.

I walked into River Oaks not long after just to check them out. I wasn't really in the market yet. Saw the billet silver and was blown away. Better paint than I've seen on any non exotic car. I made the mistake of test driving it and then I was sold. Worked out a deal and drove home with it.
 
#9 ·
Yea once you are in one it's over. I need an SUV for work but I want a sports car so it works.

Now since I have to reorder I can't decide between white and granite since Ill be adding black 22's. I cant seem to find any granites with solid black wheels
 
#10 ·
Granite all the way. White, black etc are nice colors, but in person Granite and Billet Silver have the most exotic/color changing effects. They are also both metallic and don't show swirls like other colors. Depending on the lighting they vary a lot.
 
#12 ·
If you live in Texas, you may want to review the law on front license plates. It was once a ticketed offense with no fine due to a loophole, but the law was clarified and changed Sept 2013. The law now states the vehicle must have front and rear plates installed and carries a $200 fine.

I don't think law enforcement is overly concerned about the missing front plate, but it does offer probable cause to pull one over if suspected of anything else.

There is a petition online to do away with the Texas front plate in the name of saving money. However, most pickups back into parking spaces around Houston because engineers and architects apparently layout the lots for maximum count of small cars.
There are plenty of trucks and full size SUVs here.

Go figure... Texas is the largest state in the lower 48, but we still put 4,200 ft3 houses on 70' wide lots, build standard garages that provide only an inch inches to spare with a 4-door pickup, and build parking lots that require a 3-point maneuver to park a Ford 150.

... but it's still a great state to live.
 
#13 ·
^ Good points. I grew up in Sugar Land and live in Houston now. If you live in the Suburbs get a front plate. It's a matter of time before they harass. The same goes for window tint too dark. In Houston, they could give a shit less. THey're only going to profile you if you deserve to be profiled, and when they profile they're usually right.
 
#14 ·
Oh I am going to get a front plate, I just dont want it drilled into the bumper. There are other options for our vehicles that look better and also dont damage the bumper.

So funny thing happened, I went to Texas Auto Direct this afternoon and they had exact SRT I ordered in a 2014 with 13k miles. Granite exterior and Sepia interior with moonroof (only 2 options I chose). Plus it has the smoked chrome spider monkey wheels and a a Borla exhaust. AND not only is it $6000 less, they gave me top dollar on my trade. With River Oaks they said "go get a bid from Texas Direct on your trade and bring it to us and we will match it INCLUDING the tax savings". Meaning if they Texas Direct gave me $38000 for my trade, they would give me $36000 but it would "really be $38000 because you are saving on the taxes".

So everything happens for a reason, I get the vehicle I want for a significant savings plus nicer wheels and a Borla exhaust and I dont have to wait another 8 weeks or have 2 cars while I try and sell the old truck.
 
#15 ·
This BS goes on with whatever you're buying. I cant stand talking to a salesman or management. None of them know their vehicles, few of them have respect for your purchase or if you're a repeat buyer and most will run you in to the ground until you're walking out the door. Its getting difficult to order or have one shipped that the dealer has located without a hiccup or two and then the compromise from the issue(s) arises and then sour grapes set in a day or three later. Don't count on anyone to handle the affair correctly because they will let you down.
 
#21 · (Edited)
We ordered ours from River Oaks......best ever buying experience and I'm 68 and bought quite a few cars!

All done via Email and phone. We drove the 5 hours from our home in Kerrville, our JGC was ready for our test drive with the tint and 3M paint protection package already installed. After the test drive, Mr Helfman Sr. said they had lunch for us while they finished off our vehicle prep, did our financing and went on our way. On our way out Mr Helfman Jr. gave us his card and thanked us for our purchase

Sorry you got wound up about your holes.......as another poster stated, if you live in Texas you need a front plate. The stock plate installation doesn't look too bad at all, especially if you have a nice plate surround on it. They probably did it (even though you asked them not to) because they didn't want some picky customer coming back to them stating they got a ticket because River Oaks didn't put the front plate holder on for them. And it doesn't damage the bumper.........it is prepped for it!

You will find more people on this board pleased with them that not....
 
#22 ·
The holes are not the only reason I got wound up, although I am sure you agree that if you are spending $70,000 on a vehicle you should be able to have it the way you want it right? You spend $70 on a steak and they serve it exactly the way you want it, they should be able to do that with a vehicle 1000x the price of that steak.

I know the Texas laws and I know I need a front plate, but I should be able to mount the front plate where I desire on MY car shouldn't I? The stock plate location looks ugly as all hell especially if your modding the car. And you are incorrect, it does damage the bumper. It has two dimples on the bumper for drill holes, but the morons drilled 2 extra holes into the bumper after I told them no less than 5 times to not touch my car. Again, I hope you do agree that since I am paying for it that it is MY car and I should be able to do with it what I want right?

They had piss poor customer service on both of my encounters with them, I am glad you had a great experience, I did not.
 
#24 ·
Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with them. Their parking sucks, but that is the location and there really isn't much that can be done there. The lack of customer service for you is disappointing, that is precisely why I loved the experience there in addition to the fantastic deal.
 
#25 ·
I too had a terrific experience there when I purchased my '14 GC. I live in a state that doesn't have front plates; I was very clear upfront with my salesman I did not want holes drilled in my front bumper. My GC arrived late one evening; he knew it would be prepped the next morning so he came in 3 hours early and babysat it all the way through prep to make sure holes weren't drilled in it. Best new car buying experience I've ever had!
 
#26 ·
I agree I am confident there are many more here happy with them than not BUT I am in the unhappy / disappointed camp.

I won't go into the whole story but essentially it boiled down to horrible communication for me. Very slow to respond to emails, questions left unanswered and incorrect information about options available at the time...

The last straw was that they seemed completely un-interested in my trade in... I get that the price they were providing on the new one gave them less margin and wiggle room than most deals and I was prepared to take a bit less on the trade in than quoted elsewhere as a result but they refused to narrow down the offer beyond a 10k variance without seeing it in person.

Wasn't willing to drive from Alabama to Texas and have my trade in value offer that broad.

Ended up finding a Great dealer in Fl (also a supporting vendor here) that offered the new one only .5% higher and locked in my trade in value without issue before I ever drove down (and it was close to the top of the value range the TX dealer provided).

I did end up with the best car buying experience ever, including the fact they honored my request for no front plate, hassle free, quick emails, awesome pick up experience (they even provided lunch and a FULL tank of gas) etc, but I drove to central FL rather than TX.
 
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