Poor Raquel. She only wanted to return her leased BMW. Following instructions to bring her car to any authorized dealership, she arrived at Brecht BMW in San Diego. Brecht’s manager refused to accept the car, a decision he conveyed by screaming in front of her kids, threatening to call the police, and telling her to “go back to Volkswagon” because she didn’t “deserve to own a BMW.” Raquel writes:
On July 19th, 2007 I drove my leased BMW in Escondido, Ca. (Brecht BMW). I was told by Chase (the lender) to take the car back to any dealership. That I should take a photo of the car in front of the dealership I am leaving it with and have the dealership verify the odometer reading, leave the keys with them and I would be done. If I did not turn the car into a dealership by the 19th, then I would be financially penalized.
I walked into Brecht BMW and the first sales person I met asked me if he could help me. I said yes I am here to turn in my lease. He asked if I had bought my car from them. I said no, I bought it from Irvine, but I was told by Chase that I could take it anywhere. He said no he couldn’t help me b/c Chase was closed and he needed the buyout amount. I said no, they told me that he wouldn’t need to do that b/c they aren’t buying the car. He then told me that he wouldn’t help me. I told him I would be penalized if I didnt’ turn it in today and that it was a fast transaction. I also told him that I lived 45 miles away and have little ones (who were with me) and it was hard for me to get down that way. He said he would talk to the manager. After a couple of minutes he came back and said no again, they couldn’t help me but could if I came back the next day. I again explained that I worked and lived 45 miles away. I asked why they couldn’t do it now — telling them that I am sure they would be able to help me if I was buying a car.
Next the manager came out and said, you need to leave or I am going to call the police. I asked for his name. He took out his business card and threw it at me. I said, I don’t understand why they are unwillinig to help me. I then started to explain all the problems I had had with the car over the 4 years. Based on my miles my car should have been in for maintenace 2 times — it was in about 10 times. Each time was 3 hours round trip of my time and gas for the extra diving. I was starting to tear up and he smiled. I told him that I was doing everything I was told to do and that they could provide me customer service, but were choosing not too. I said, I don’t understand why they won’t just sign the odomoter form. I said that I had better treatment from VW when I owned my BMW. He told me to go back to VW, because ‘I don’t deserve to own a BMW.’ He again said to leave or he was going to call the police. By this time my children were in tears because he was yelling at me and threatening me. We left without them ever assisting us.
The next day My brother spoke to the GM and explained the story. He never apologized and still refused to help us with the lease return. We also called BMW of north america. The rep on the phone said that they are a franchise and that corporate has no control over them. He said he would note it down, but ‘don’t expect a call back.’ Basically, corporate doesn’t care about customers being mistreated.
My brother took my car across the street from Brecht to Mercedes dealership. Who took the car, filled out the odometer form and took the keys. My brother was out the door in 5 minutes. Why did BMW refuse to help me with their own product??? I still to this day have not received any explanation. The only thing I can think of is that they were not going to make any money off of me that night so they didn’t want to help. Why is there no one in the entire corporation that cares about customer service. I have emailed my story to BMW North America, BMW WorldWide, and Brecht BMW — no attempt has been made to contact me or correct the abusive treatment I received.
Still to this day, the home page of Brecht BMW reads ‘we are an authorized lease return facility’…………….
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@Blind But Now I See:
WELL DONE !!!!
The consumer spends 1,2,10 maybe 30 minutes with the sales dude and then the manager steps in.
Obviously we are only hearing the consumer’s side of the story. And the manager could have been very aware of her conversation with the sales dude (like no car dealership is quilty of listening in to customer conversations).
That said, there is one great fact which is not evidence, but can be deduced….. the time of day. Oh, and a couple other facts …. bank business hours, service department hours, and bank versus dealership relations.
The supporting evidence is the “fact” that her bro completed the transaction quickly at another dealership.
Maybe the service department at that dealership was open and able to perform the required inspection. A photograph and reading the odometer is all that is required? Yea, right. I strongly suspect a real inspection is required. Maybe something along the lines of a 25 point visual inspection to insure all 4 rims match, the leather seats are not ripped, there is oil in the crankshaft and the car’s engine will start, and verifying the VIN numbers in at least two hard to access locations in the car just to make sure somebody didn’t glue two cars together to make one. Might take 5 or 10 minutes to perform. Protects the dealership handling the transaction and of course protects the leasing bank.
Oh, and since the service department was open, the bank was also open to complete the necessary paperwork.
Which returns us to the original dealership. I am quite sure the bank’s rules are return the car to any dealership that is on our approved list. Approved list consists of dealerships that do loans or leases with the bank. Not just any slob or car dealership.
A call to the dealership will be quite helpful in showing the OP to be a spoiled brat that was trying to pull a fast one.
@ChaosMotor:
AMEN
@tcm22: I’m amazed it took this long for someone to blame the victim.
@xtc46:
I went to a Lexus dealership dressed in casual shorts and a t-shirt (both clean but something you would wear to the beach) and the guy didn’t take me seriously, he asked me what kind of car I had now and I said it didn’t matter. Another salesman overheard the other asking me and he went to the car parkers and asked them what I was driving. A few minutes later I overheard the second guy whisper to him “he has a Mercedes”.
Well, Well, Well, now I was an honored guest. Would you like some coffee, spring water, something to eat? I ended up leaving him and coming back about a week later. This time I got somebody else who treated me right the first time (probably needed the money) and I ended up buying from him.
Who said Lexus treats you like a King from the second you walk in?
Post ate my comment, let’s hope this post gets it back.
@xtc46:
I went to a Lexus dealership dressed in casual shorts and a t-shirt (both clean but something you would wear to the beach) and the guy didn’t take me seriously, he asked me what kind of car I had now and I said it didn’t matter.
Another salesman overheard the other asking me and he went to the car parkers and asked them what I was driving. A few minutes later I overheard the second guy whisper to him “he has a Mercedes”.
Well, Well, Well, now I was an honored guest. Would you like some coffee, spring water, something to eat? I ended up leaving him and coming back about a week later. This time I got somebody else who treated me right the first time (probably needed the money) and I ended up buying from him.
Who said Lexus treats you like a King from the second you walk in?
This is why I really can’t and don’t believe posts on this website. Is everyone really to believe that this manager threw his business card and acted like an asshole to you un-provoked?
I REALLY highly doubt it. What I do know about people that LEASE BMW’s are that they are the types that DEMAND respect because of what they drive. Respect is earned. People are people, and lies are lies. This dealership has no option to dispute this posting and they are at an unfair disadvantage. I am really sure that they were so bad to you in their public showroom that you burst into tears.
Here’s what I am sure happened:
You were in a hurry and just wanted to drop it off.
They didn’t want to take the liability for your car without contacting the owner CHASE. If they would have they would have become responsible for the vehicle. But you were in a HUGE hurry and protested with this “don’t you know how important I am – I LEASE a BMW!” schlep. So then the topic ranges from how far into the boonies you live to how many times you brought your car back into the repair shop because you were unhappy with the free car wash you got for taking it in.
Never fear – the customer is always right and you will show them – ON THE INTERWEB! Just to prove how important you are to the entire world because you LEASE A BMW!
Next the manager came out and said, you need to leave or I am going to call the police. Right lady, I am really sure that they call the cops right away on sane people that buy their cars and don’t cause scenes in their showrooms. Right let me guess you were doe eyed and in the corner crying the entire time.
“The next day My brother spoke to the GM and explained the story. He never apologized and still refused to help us with the lease return” (because he didn’t believe your story and stands behind his employees and their judgement)
It’s letters like this that make me question the statement “the customer is always right” – into “the customer is always an asshole”.
@BDSLACK
I LOVE YOU – Please come to Texas and marry me!
@Blind But Now I See:
Anybody who worked in sales in any fashion for any car dealer automatically has all credibility revoked. Sorry.
Lady: I want to return my car leased from Chase. They told me any BMW dealer
BMW sales guy: Actually, we’re an indpendent dealer who doesn’t work with Chase. You need to return your car to a Chase-approved BMW dealer. The nearest one is…..
Lady: Oh, okay. Thanks.
THAT is how this should have went down. If the lady was misinformed that’s unfortunate but not her fault. Both Chase, BMW corporate, and BMW independent dealers need to clarify these things to people but you *know* they don’t bother in the rush and lies they use to lease the car in the first place. The Lady was obviously confused and misinformed: all the sales person needed to do was take 10 seconds to explain the situation. And being an asshole is not justified. As a customer, I don’t care what your relationship is with all the various entities. You put that BMW logo on your dealership and you automatically accept certain responsibilites regarding the brand.
It’s like when car salesmen refuse to leave me alone when I try to browse cars even though I tell them up front have no intention of purchasing a car and that their time will be better spent elsewhere. Invariably they keep harassing me and then I try to leave. They scream “Thanks for wasting my time!” and I just smile and say “My pleasure.” Car salesemen: it’s not my fault your job sucks. I don’t care what your manager told you, how competitive it is, or whatever. It’s not my problem. Treat me with respect and I’ll respect you back and give you my business when the time is right… simple as that.
This lady was obviously not treated with respect: being right or wrong has nothing to do with it. I mean, if I happened to be shopping at this dealer when all this went down I would simply leave as it would be quite obvious what kind of people I was dealing with.
Ehhh….not to nitpick, but it’s Volkswagen
Considering how almost every BMW driver I know is a prick, it sounds like the salesman was trying to be just like his customers. It’s actually a pretty good sales tactic, try to be like your customers, find some common ground and like what they like. If the salesman is the type of person they can sit down and have a beer and shoot the shit with (or in the case of BMW drivers, sit down, have some expensive, fine wine and talk about how people driving Toyotas, Hondas, Volkswagens, Chevys, Hyundais, Fords and Kias and such are peons and are less than human because of what they drive), they’re more likely to buy from them.
Seriously though…it’s hard to take any sides without hearing both sides of the story. The dealer should have never have acted they way they did, and at the same time, the customer should’ve made a simple phone call to the dealer before going to drop the car off. I know, even if Chase reassured me I could take it to any dealer, I’d want to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth (Or in the case of BMW, the horse’s arse)
I’ve been to many BMW and MB dealerships in the Chicago area and have never suffered rude service even though I’ve never bought a car at any of them. Most of the time it was just warranty repairs or parts.
I even had one salesman who kept his eyes open for a 1990 M3 for almost a year, and called me whenever he found one, though they were never in good condition. That was more than I expected for car that was 24 years old and only worth about $10-15,000 at the time.
Even for someone who spent relatively little money at a BMW dealership, they always seemed to bend over backwards so that I would give them a perfect score on thier customer satisfaction survey.
Whenever I went in for service, I dealt with one person. If there was ever a problem which that person couldn’t solve, the service manager or even sales manager would make sure I was satisfied before I left. When I got my first BMW, I used to take it in for “Service Inspections” in the beginning. They always let me bring my own parts to lower the cost.
When I ordered parts, if there was a problem, I was notified as soon as posible so I wouldn’t have to find out after I drove down to pick them up.
It’s not that I never had a problem there, I just never had a problem that wasn’t solved quickly.
I worked at a dealership for a while:
1) Autozone will do an ODB1/2 diagnostic test for free! Don’t pay the dealership 50+ for a simple diagnostic test. And if your car is a newer one, be prepared to buy some sort of overpriced sensor.
2) 99.9% of dealership mechanics do side work for a much lower rate. Unless it has to be done at the dealership for warranty purposes, you can get the same guy to do the job much cheaper.
3) All that scotch guarding and extra sound proofing, etc. that they try to package at the end of the deal is pure bullshit. It is literally $10-20 dollars worth of junk that that takes an hour to put on. The only thing worth anything is the scotch guarding and that is just sprayed on and can be done by anyone with an arm. If you must have it remember the price is totally negotiable. Its funny when you see two customers with the same vehicle and same extras pakage and one pays $400 and the other pays $900 for the exact same thing.
All brands have good and bad dealerships. My experience has been that small town dealerships and Mega Malls are the worst places to shop. (Of course there are exceptions) I’ve always gotten the best deals at medium/large dealerships that were in high traffic areas.
The nicer the car you drive, the better the service you will receive at any dealership. Two guys come in, one driving a Corvette and one driving a Cavalier. The Corvette owner will get better service as well as a better quality repair on his vehicle. That’s just the way it is.
Someone call Mother Courage!
We bought a new BMW in 1999, it now has 70k+ miles, every thing has been done via the dealer and they have provided exceptional service, I couldnt have been more impressed.
Paintballs? You guys are rank beginers at this. Put some used cat
litter down the grill on the front of the car where the air intake is
for the blower/heater/AC. They’ll NEVER get it out and the smell will
NEVER go away. Mmmmmm…. heat with used cat litter…. a winning
combination.
@dandd: Good luck trying to find an autozone
that has a generic OBD1 reader. While I think you are right on the
money suggesting to people that they try and find an AZ with a generic
OBD1 reader they have a snowballs chance in hell of actually finding
one. NEVER have I found an AZ that could do OBD1 simply b/c every car
(prior to 1996) has it’s own OBD hookup. After 1996 they were
standardized but prior to that everyone had their own.
BMW sems to think they’re all that and more. I was looking to buy new and with cash. One I wished to test drive was BMW 5 Series. Even went so far as to set up test drive times and appointments with several dealers. BMW dealer in Austin, Texas, said they didn’t have any to drive, but call when I’m in town. Said they had a 5 Series wagon, and wanted me to test drive it…that’s not what I was looking for. Again contacted them the week of scheduled test drives, and was told they still didn’t have any and to call when I arrived in town. I replied to the salesman that he still wasn’t getting it…I’m a buyer and you are supposed to call me and be interested in my business. Needless to say, I didn’t even bother and bought a Lexus instead. Will never consider BMW ever again.
Count me among the people who would *LOVE* to know why anyone would think that they could terminate a loan contract by just dropping off a car and taking a picture of the car in front of a dealership.
Why, why, WHY would you not call the dealership where you planned to make this transaction and make an appointment? For that matter, if you were planning a “drop-in” for this activity, why would you wait until the end of the day? (Customer’s statement indicates “chase was closed”)
And for anyone whining about the “penalty” for turning in a lease-car late: Remember that the penalties are written as finance charges for extra days or extra milage. Turning in the car the next day (when Chase was open), would have likely resulted in a “penalty” on the order of 1/30 of her regular lease payment, maybe with a little extra. Certainly less than $50, which doesn’t seem too high of a price to pay if you wait until the end of the last day of your lease contract to drop off a car without making an appointment.
I’m probably being nitpicky, but when you lease a car, you don’t own doodlysquat.
Personally, I’ve become a Toyota fan. My wife’s family has been buying cars from the same dealership for over 20 years. I get exemplary service from them.
This story is now the 3rd result when one searches for Brecht BMW on Google. Nice work!
@MARSNEEDSRABBITS: Care to specify what part of Colorado has the Subaru dealer that you experienced?
BMW’s are overrated shitcans, anyway. Why do they give free maintenance on just about anything? Because just about everything on a Beemer is total crap. Shoulda’ bought a Lexus. Oh, and maybe you shouldn’t have gotten a lease, either. Everybody I know who has a lease hates them. Just buy the damn thing, with or w/o financing. At least it’s kinda yours.
OK. It’s been several days and I have said nothing. But how hard is it to change one letter?
IT’S VOLKSWAGEN, NOT VOLKSWAGON!
Why can’t people spell this right?
@yg17: Whoa. Are you the one I saw in the “Ask a Salesman” Vortex thread? If not, small world, and I point you to stlvw.org.
You will love your GTI!
@Blueskylaw: Wow, someone else who knows about the prop logo. I’m an aviation buff and I’ve met BMW people at Euro car shows who don’t know about that!
BMW branched out into cars after the war when there was not enough business amyore for their aircraft engines. They also built some of the earliest jet engines, including those powering the first operational jet fighter (the Me-262). And the Me-109 is my favorite fighter of WWII. I prefer the ‘Emil’ model which is a mix of square stoutness and sleek lines.
@Buran: Yep, that would be me. I’ve been meaning to post over at stlvw, hell, I even registered there, just haven’t posted yet due to laziness. Suppose I should do that, eh? And yeah, I knew I would love my GTI the second I test drove one
Since everyone seems to be hell-bent on crucifying Brecht BMW, I have to put in my 2 jellybeans on this one.
I leased a new BMW 3 Series from Brecht BMW in February 2007. The very first day I went into the show room I sweaty and dressed in a tshirt and jeans.
None of the people I talked to that day (3 of them) said a single word about my attire. They were very polite, chatty and helpful. They let me test drive cars and then worked up numbers for me, and were still polite when I said I wanted to think about it for awhile.
I had to factory order the car, and they were helpful about periodically volunteering (via email) tracking info about where the car was and when I could expect it.
About six months later I needed a software upgrade on my navigation system, and their service department was likewise very pleasant and accommodating.
My experience with Brecht has been nothing but positive. I will happily buy or lease another new car from them after my lease term ends.
Given my experiences, and without Brecht’s side of the story, I’m inclined to believe that this Raquel person had bad information (from Chase) and likely gave them attitude and caused a scene when they refused to take her car.
If the GM’s conduct is actually true and unembellished, I’m willing to assume that they lost patience with her after she wouldn’t accept that they couldn’t help her, and just wanted her to leave as quickly as possible. It still doesn’t completely excuse their behavior (again, if actually true and unembellished) and I’d be interested in hearing their side of this.
I don’t dislike BMWs…
just the people that drive them.
That’s why I refused to buy my wife one despite her pleas. It’s the #1 car choice for golddiggers and hookers in my area.
I used to do surveys for BMW of North America, both for post service and post purchase/visit. At least once an hour (maybe one in ten calls on a busy day) I’d get an upset customer. Either they’d have gotten screwed by the service center, or their salesman/manager was a huge douche. If it was service, you had sure as hell better be taking it to where you bought it. I had a guy who’s 750i died on the freeway. It sat for a month waiting for a ‘tech’ to pop the hood and look at it. Not too big a deal, the dealer he bought from provided him a loaner. Problem? Ground wire had come off the battery. Good times.
I’m not even going to get into their customers.
Volkswagen not Volkswagon
I’ll take my Jetta over a BMW from some asshole any day. What a F – er (the BMW dealership)
I dont really feel for this lady. She waits until the DAY it is due to find out she is screwed? I would have been on the phone 2 weeks out making an appointment to turn it in. Procrastination will get you nowhere!
@Buran:
Blame the victim? Why is she all of a sudden a victim? She sounds like another selfish, self-centered, greedy consumer who thinks that businesses should kiss their ass regardless of the situation. The more I read the letter — one sided from her perspective — the more I’m convinced she went in there and threw a tantrum when they didn’t do exactly what she asked. I suspect her description of the incident contains a lot of hyperbole and that she selectively left out some of her own choice comments.
Think about it — a woman walks in to a car dealer at the end of the business day and demands they accept a lease return they are unable to verify. She won’t take no for an answer so the manager gets involved. She starts unloading on them about the car’s maintenance record (WTF is that? Like they care) and then won’t leave when it’s obvious they don’t want to deal with her. I’d probably call the cops too.
psst…i know it was mentioned, but it’s “Volkswagen”. No “o”. Might want to fix the headline.
@jvette: So… forget the way they treated her and her kids, right? The guy snaps, but it’s Chase’s fault for his behavior. I see what your doing here…
That dealership is crap. Period.
And they don’t exactly get high reviews either…
[www.dealerrater.com]
So here’s a point. The OP says that Chase told her to take it to “any dealership.” Not “any BMW dealership.” Perhaps they meant any dealership partnering with Chase?
Poor communication by Chase.
Poor crisis management by the dealer.
Poor job being informed by the consumer.
@coopjust:
Still, it is a hassle. Not sure what to say about the situation that occurred. I have a hard time believing a devil-horned manager laughed as woman with kids started to cry though…reminds me of Peter’s explanation of when he went to Chuck E Cheese on Family Guy, and the evil guy wouldn’t let him make reservations.
@CADILLACMAN03
Not sure how many decades ago you had “history” with BMW’s, but the only car they sell in the “sub 40k range” is the entry level 3-Series. Everything else is considerably higher than 40k.
But… in what condition did she leave the car?
@IRSistherootofallevil: Yes, this would be the best way to buy a car: go to a corporate-owned showroom, test drive a car and order one from the manufacturer and go pick it up a few weeks later. I remember reading that this is actually what carmakers do in Japan (Toyota’s showrooms resemble theme parks and are a place you actually want to go to). Unfortunately, state franchise laws don’t allow the same practice in the U.S., and the massive political contributions by car dealers have kept the broken dealership model in place while we buy any other consumer good differently today than we did 60 years ago.
And the CSI (cust. satisfaction index) scores are a big scam as well; if a customer fills out anything less than the top score for any question, it’s a failing score. 100% across the board is pretty unrealistic, so most dealers will ask customers to bring their responses back in person and bribe them with a gas card or something and alter the forms before submitting them. Carmax seems to be most consistent in how they sell cars, but the markups are massive.
It’s too bad BMW drivers are seen the way they are. To me, they definitely live up to their “Ultimate Driving Machine” tagline; guess that just means I’ll have to buy a first-generation M5 or something without the whole “hey, I’m a rich BMW owner” stigma attached to it.
it’s an expensive car, there are banks, dealerships, and surely some sort of red tape bureaucracy involved, so regardless if the people at the dealership were being jackasses, why would you wait till the absolute last day to turn in your car?
@Blind But Now I See wrote
Every major automobile manufacturer has their own vehicle finance unit that is not affiliated with any leasing company, bank, or credit union.
Nonsense. Subaru, for example, has used Chase as its leasing financier for a number of years; they haven’t had their own vehicle finance unit for a number of years.
5 years ago I was in immediate need to trade in my Audi on a new car that ran (anyone who’s owned an Audi knows the urgency in getting rid of it… farfegnugen my ass).
I visited two different BMW dealerships, both of whom gave me the impression I wasn’t good enough to drive a BMW. The first (Universal City BMW) quoted me a price and then said “no” AFTER I accepted it; they raised the price several thousand dollars to get rid of me. The second (Center BMW) wouldn’t let me test drive a car on a Saturday without an appoinment.
Longo Lexus was happy to take my check (paid in full) for one of their cars, no haggling.
Lexus of Serramonte gave me similarly indifferent treatment during my lease termination process.
Auto dealerships by definition add no value. There’s no reason for them to exist for an educated consumer.
Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., BMWAccording to a woman named Raquel, Brecht BMW in Escondido, Ca. may be one of those dealerships that considers customer service a necessary evil.
@Kurtz: Probably right around the same time “atleast” became a single word.
I always read “b/c” as “bee slash see” in my head. I swear, some people are proud of their illiteracy these days.
Well, searching on Google brings up similiar instances of this by Brecht BMW, unless it’s the same lady, looks like this one happened back in July:
[www.dealerrater.com]
BWM leases through their finance division, FSRI, who is backed financially by Chase NA, much like Honda is HVT, through Vaul Trust.
At least that’s how I understand it… And kudos to Mercedes Benz of Escondido!
@Buran: A Japanese “word” for Volkswagen (ボãƒã‚¯ã‚½ãƒ¯ã‚´ãƒ³) roughly translates to “Rotting wagon of crap”.
I’m sure one of their auto companies’ dealers came up with it.