Richmond BMW

Reviews 3

RO

Robert Nichols

A Change Can Do You Good There are few things in life more stressful than purchasing a car. It is akin to going to war. If you dont spend countless hours researching and preparing before hand, there is a good chance you will be in over your head and lose. Even if you are prepared, the process of "haggling", the constant paranoid defense measures that must be present to avoid getting stuck or screwed, and the complete lack of trust most of us experience is draining and depressing. It is a game that some excel at (and that some even enjoy), but much like dating, a good portion of us would rather skip the games and know the details so that we can make the right decision and not waste time. In 2009, I went to war and lost the battle. My research didnt fully prepare me, I was naive to the process, and ended up wasting almost 6 years of my life with a car I realized I hated 3 months after I bought it. It seems like a very first world problem type of situation, but simply enjoying the vehicle, even for one small reason, can make a huge impact. A few weeks ago, that car was stolen from my home. As much as I hated the thing, I wanted nothing more than to get it back because I wasnt prepared to go to car war again. I was still suffering from post-traumatic dealership disorder. After test driving a MINI at CarMax, we visited Crown Mini to get some info on the vehicles. I was on the defensive from the get go, closed off and acting smug to avoid getting looped in with the tricks of the trade. I was ready to implode if need be, just to ensure I didnt walk into another trap. They did not want to wake the dragon that day. It was all for naught. James Gardner and the Crown Mini staff as a whole were therapeutic in a way that relieved physical anxiety pains I was having in my back and shoulders from the stress of the situation. There were no loopholes. There were no traps. There was no smooth talking, haggling, or looks of mocking because they had customers to get to who were buying from them immediately. Even so, I was hesitant to accept what James was saying at first, but as the experience went on, I learned the little secret behind the 180 in the entire experience. They dont get paid by commission. They get paid by how much of a damn they give and how accurately they give the customer what they want/need. This requires a level of transparency unheard of (by me) in the realm of car purchasing. They want the numbers because they want to get you the best vehicle POSSIBLE, not to get the most money out of you. They want to make you happy as a customer because they understand that the longevity and morale of the customer base is the true value. They did everything they could for my family and more. James was beyond friendly; James was a friend. I ended up with a vehicle that I didnt even know I was looking for because he was patient, caring, and wanted to put me in the best vehicle for me. As it pertains to car purchasing, the war is over. I doubt I will go outside of the realm of MINI again. Not only are the cars top notch performance wise, they look damn good. On top of all of that, MINI made me feel at peace with the entire process, from start to finish. I recommend every person who has ever had a negative car buying experience at least go to a MINI dealership and interact with them. Test drive something. Let yourself be open with them, even if you dont plan on buying a car. It will change everything. Take the red pill. Im offering you the chance to learn, nothing more. But I guarantee, you will never go back.

A

Anonymous User

I brought my 2002 5 series to Richmond BMW for servicing for a few repairs including the alarm. The alarm would randomly sound and drain the battery. After $1200, the service manager said everything was fixed including the alarm problem. A day after I picked it up, I locked the car thinking the alarm was fixed and it drained the battery while I was in the movie theater for a couple of hours. I called the service department and explained the situation. They said it would be $125 to have them look at it again. I asked them to look at it for free since they told me it was fixed. They hesitantly told me to come back in. I dropped it off the next day and it didnt take them long to call me to say the alarm system needed to be replaced to the tune of $1400. I let them know I wasnt going to pay for a replacement and I couldnt pick up the car for a couple of days since I was out of town on business. The technicians were fine with that and told me I could pick up the car anytime. A couple days later, I went to pick up the car and the technicians had locked the car causing the alarm to drain the battery! I asked if they could assist me to get my car to start and the technician said, "What do you want me to do, give you a free battery?" then chuckled and walked away. I followed him to ask if they had jumper cables and they did not. After a few minutes, a couple of other technicians came out to assist me and were clueless about how to access the battery when the car was dead, so I showed them. After about 20 minutes of discussing and fidgeting around, they decided to tow the car outside the service bay and try to charge the v8 with a v4 portable charging unit! That wasnt going to work, which I told them, and after another 15-20 minutes, the car was still dead. The technicians made some less than thoughtful comments such as, "you should have paid to get it fixed." I asked to speak to the service manager, who was not there so I was directed to the general manager. He informed me that their technicians were busy and he couldnt have them spend time on this. I let him know that my time was valuable too and because I had been treated so poorly, I would like a new battery. He didnt take me seriously and told me to wait outside while he talked to his service team about my issue. I repeatedly asked for a new battery but it wasnt until I sat down in the lobby and started talking to his customers that he pulled me back outside and told me he would give me a battery if I left the waiting room. I agreed and after 2 hours of hell, I was able to leave. Funny part about it is before this situation, I would have gladly traded it in for a newer model in the near future! Their total disregard for their customers is outrageous! Their technicians dont know about the cars they work on and only know how to replace, not repair. They are owed by Crown Automotive which owes the Richmond BMW, Mini and Acura dealerships on West Broad Street and the BMW dealership in Midlothian and Charlottesville. Avoid a headache-take your car somewhere else for servicing and buy your next BMW in Northern VA or Hampton Roads. I certainly will!

AD

Aditya Mehta

The worse BMW dealership Ive ever been to. Ive had BMWs for 10 years and LOVED them. Ive also loved the service I received through dealerships in Boston and Northern, VA, especially the stuff covered under the great 50k warranty - I had some serious issues and BMW kept their promise. Well, now my love has faded since I moved back to Richmond... This dealers selling process is atrocious. I was looking to purchase a new X3 when I moved back but ended buying it from Alexandria because of the "no care" experience. Well, I didnt factor into the equation that the car would need service sooner or later….. In Richmond youre tied to this dealership because they own the only two in town and the next nearest one in Charlottesville. Maybe that is why they treat their customers like crap. Well, Ive got news for you Richmond BMW… Having a monopoly in Richmond wont protect you. Youll soon realize that BMW enthusiasts like me will either stop buying BMWs altogether (Sorry BMW, but youve lost me until there is a better option in Richmond) or theyll start going to northern va for service as well. For folks that are interested, here is a summary of the experience from the last three times. the 3rd did it for me… 1. Old BMW... I took it in for routine maintenance. They told me I need new tires. I told them I just put on a new set less than 5K miles. The guy quickly conceded that oh yeah. i see that the tread is fine, they mustve accidentally marked that in the system. It was also horrendous to get a loaner, when it wasnt available I had to push them to give me a free rental - I shouldnt have to plead. 2. New BMW... still under warranty... I took it to upgrade the maps and because the engine coolant and drive train malfunction warnings came on. Instead of calling me to say its fixed. The first thing he says is, "you have a nail in your tire and you need a new set along with a new fog light." He wanted to charge me $350/tire and tried to create a sense of urgency on the phone. There was also no real acknowledgment of the other issues i originally took it in for. I expect this behavior from other car dealers but not BMW. This is part of the reason why I buy BMWs. 3. I have been calling them to schedule an appointment (Ive tried 2x), but they dont have the courtesy to talk to me properly - its like theyre doing me a favor by mildly acknowledging I am on the line. I just got off the phone with the service advisor named Scott who I was trying to explain my situation to, he interrupted me before I could finish by saying, "let me transfer you to service". I said no, I would like to ensure it can be done tomorrow and he just responded, "well then Im transferring you to parts", snickered and transferred the call before I had a chance to explain further. Maybe I am spoiled, but when I lived in Boston I had access to top notch dealers. Something I will miss. Ill also miss buying new BMWs which Ill never do again thanks to the great folks at Richmond BMW. Oh, I am also sending this same story to BMW USA. If enough people complain maybe we can get them to change this dealers attitude.

Other organizations