Santa Monica BMW (aka Con-artists)
03-11-2009, 06:09 PM
#1
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I just went to Santa Monica BMW for an air bag recall and was assured that I would not have to pay anything, they called me in the afternoon to say that the air bag issue may be a result of low battery power and they could not determine if the issue was with the air bag until i got a new battery. The battery costs $800 so I said no thanks, they suggest that I take care of the battery myself and come back. When i went to pick up the car they slapped me with a $140 bill. When I shared my situation with them and said the issues were to be fixed and looked at with no charge they dismissed it and took advantage of the fact that the people I spoke to were with BMW North America and a service manager that had left for the day. They proceeded to say that I could leave the car over night and deal with it tomorrow, knowing that I had no other means of transportation, they pretty much took my car hostage. I've spent more time then ive ever wanted to and was treated so poorly I NEVER want to go there again and strongly advise anyone who is thinking about going to Santa Monica BMW change their mind and go else where. It was the worst customer experience ever, they were misleading and extremely deceptive. I felt insulted and left extremely upset. Moral of the story:
DO NOT GO TO SANTA MONICA BMW
DO NOT GO TO SANTA MONICA BMW
03-11-2009, 06:51 PM
#3
This is old news. It's well known that Santa Monica BMW is one of the crookedest BMW dealerships out there....
Be on guard when you deal with their sales people....they will tell you anything to get you to buy a car.
Don't believe me? Check out these user reviews.
Ok, off my soapbox.
To the OP:
Did you sign a work order? Legally they cannot perform work to your car unless you authorize it. You should have asked for
the main manager and explained to him your situation. You could have also threatened to sue and then called the cops to
take a report. There are a million ways to get a dealership to play ball. I am not sticking up for Santa Monica BMW as I
too had to deal with shady salespeople when I went there, but you should have stuck up for yourself and not allowed them
to take advantage of you like that. The salesman who sold me my car seemed like a character right out of a 1980's car
dealership t.v. advertisement. I made that salesman work for it, as I could tell the instant I met him that he was full of shit
and would say anything to get me to buy the car. It was kind of funny watching this guy squirm under my Gestapo-esque
interrogation methods.
On a side note, I bring my car to South Bay BMW for service. There is this one SA that works there....I forget his name but
he is Asian and he totally took care of me. He sits at the far right desk as you enter in the service center office. Totally
cool dude and he knew his stuff.
Be on guard when you deal with their sales people....they will tell you anything to get you to buy a car.
Don't believe me? Check out these user reviews.
Ok, off my soapbox.
To the OP:
Did you sign a work order? Legally they cannot perform work to your car unless you authorize it. You should have asked for
the main manager and explained to him your situation. You could have also threatened to sue and then called the cops to
take a report. There are a million ways to get a dealership to play ball. I am not sticking up for Santa Monica BMW as I
too had to deal with shady salespeople when I went there, but you should have stuck up for yourself and not allowed them
to take advantage of you like that. The salesman who sold me my car seemed like a character right out of a 1980's car
dealership t.v. advertisement. I made that salesman work for it, as I could tell the instant I met him that he was full of shit
and would say anything to get me to buy the car. It was kind of funny watching this guy squirm under my Gestapo-esque
interrogation methods.
On a side note, I bring my car to South Bay BMW for service. There is this one SA that works there....I forget his name but
he is Asian and he totally took care of me. He sits at the far right desk as you enter in the service center office. Totally
cool dude and he knew his stuff.
03-11-2009, 07:05 PM
#4
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They were so fast when i brought the car in they actually tried to slip extra work into the order, i said only work on the recall as i do not want to be charged for anything. They did not explain anything except have me sign a work form that they said would be standard. They lied and were very deceptive, i wish i did call the police, these guys should all go to jail.
Originally Posted by ynottony' post='814305' date='Mar 11 2009, 07:51 PM
This is old news. It's well known that Santa Monica BMW is one of the crookedest BMW dealerships out there....
Be on guard when you deal with their sales people....they will tell you anything to get you to buy a car.
Don't believe me? Check out these user reviews.
Ok, off my soapbox.
To the OP:
Did you sign a work order? Legally they cannot perform work to your car unless you authorize it. You should have asked for
the main manager and explained to him your situation. You could have also threatened to sue and then called the cops to
take a report. There are a million ways to get a dealership to play ball. I am not sticking up for Santa Monica BMW as I
too had to deal with shady salespeople when I went there, but you should have stuck up for yourself and not allowed them
to take advantage of you like that.
Be on guard when you deal with their sales people....they will tell you anything to get you to buy a car.
Don't believe me? Check out these user reviews.
Ok, off my soapbox.
To the OP:
Did you sign a work order? Legally they cannot perform work to your car unless you authorize it. You should have asked for
the main manager and explained to him your situation. You could have also threatened to sue and then called the cops to
take a report. There are a million ways to get a dealership to play ball. I am not sticking up for Santa Monica BMW as I
too had to deal with shady salespeople when I went there, but you should have stuck up for yourself and not allowed them
to take advantage of you like that.
03-11-2009, 07:11 PM
#5
Originally Posted by jackhandy' post='814320' date='Mar 11 2009, 11:05 PM
They were so fast when i brought the car in they actually tried to slip extra work into the order, i said only work on the recall as i do not want to be charged for anything. They did not explain anything except have me sign a work form that they said would be standard. They lied and were very deceptive, i wish i did call the police, these guys should all go to jail.
NEVER sign anything at a dealership unless you read it. Never sign anything
for that matter. Get names of people who you are dealing with and write stuff
down if you have to.
Your best bet is to contact the main manager tomorrow morning, then contact
the BBB and file a complaint. I'm not 100% sure, but I think you can also
file something with the city of Santa Monica.
Submit your story to: http://consumerist.com
If they are really and truly in the wrong, the name of the game is to escalate and
give them enough aggravation that they will finally make right the wrong.
Or, at least that's what I would do. Then again, I wouldn't consider myself
a "normal" person so do what you think is right.
I feel for you dude, because my biggest fear when I bought my car from these
jokers (after reading all of the negative reviews online) was I would get screwed
by these guys one way or another.
I hope it resolves in your favor.
03-11-2009, 07:15 PM
#6
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My Ride: 2009 Alpine White e92 M3
I always go to LongBeach BMW where I bought my car. I went to Pacific BMW and got a bad service! IMO, you get better service from where you got your car from.
Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks for the heads up!
03-11-2009, 08:55 PM
#7
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My Ride: 2005 530i, Orient Blue, M-tech Front, otherwise stock.
I just got my airbag recall done at South Bay BMW on Monday. They told me what I was due for next or in the near future, but I always just decline because I do a lot of it myself. However, I appreciate that they look it over and give me a heads up of what I need to do 
Their service is good, I like that they won't argue with me if I decline for them to do work on my car. They simply just write on the order that customer declined service at this time and that's all. My SA there is Kim Kelly. Sorry to hear about your bad experience at Santa Monica. I usually avoided any dealership in santa monica with whatever car I had, they always are so much more expensive.
~Lawrence
Their service is good, I like that they won't argue with me if I decline for them to do work on my car. They simply just write on the order that customer declined service at this time and that's all. My SA there is Kim Kelly. Sorry to hear about your bad experience at Santa Monica. I usually avoided any dealership in santa monica with whatever car I had, they always are so much more expensive.~Lawrence
03-11-2009, 09:27 PM
#10
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Location: South Bay, CA
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My Ride: My 5 and I met on Father's Day 2008 and have been together ever since. 20" Wheels (Make TBD), premium package, sport package, AiB V3 upgrade and a Passport Escort 8500 Radar Detector.
Long Beach BMW for sure. I get good service everytime I go. I stop in the service entrance when I'm a quart low or if I'm in need of coolant and still miles from home. The SA runs out and tops me off and makes conversation while doing so. No noses in the air and no brush offs. Top notch.