Fiat of Thousand Oaks

Predatory Salesmanship Walked in to inquire about finding a vehicle I built online, and happened to see the same model vehicle in the lot. I asked if someone could help me a Walked in to inquire about finding a vehicle I built online, and happened to see the same model vehicle in the lot. I asked if someone could help me and was referred to Diamond. He was really friendly at first, and seemed to give me his honest recommendations. I asked to take the car on a test drive and it went great, but I made it clear that I just wanted to test it out because that particular vehicle had too many add-ons I didn't want and could not afford. I stated my budget upfront, and Diamond said they could work with me. He asked if I would take that car if it was within my budget, even though it had frivolous packages, and obviously I was interested. I wanted that model and color, so being offered that car for the money I was willing to spend sounded great. He appraised my trade-in and whipped out some numbers but they were above my budget for a car, and showed much higher monthly payments than what I could afford. Diamond became very pushy, and had an answer ready for every objection. I'm telling this guy I don't have the money to buy or even lease this car and he's arguing with me. Seriously. His "working with me" was breaking everything down to try to mask the fact that his numbers added up to $10k over my budget. He offered no deal in the car whatsoever, he was just trying to push an inflated sticker price on me. Actually, the deal he was offering on leasing that car was more than $3k over the sticker price to purchase the darn car. And that was before he even checked my credit. No joke. That's why everybody hates car sales people. I have a hard time enforcing boundaries as it is, and that is my own issue, but this outdated approach to selling cars is the reason why articles flood the internet on how to not be taken advantage of by a car sales person. I wish I could say that I woke up from the aggressive predatory sales pitch, came to my senses and walked away. I didn't. I let this guy run my credit, cause maybe then I'll get the good deal he mentioned, but I had forgotten I froze my credit with the 3 bureaus months ago. Dude was pissed and visibly annoyed. I tried to walk away, said I would sort that out and come back. That didn't happen. I allowed myself to be manipulated by this guy and I am mortified, I'm usually smart. And then the more I'd become aware of how much time went by while I was there, the more I wanted this to work out so I could justify it. Anyway, I had to pay to unfreeze my credit, and he actually paid for it on one of the bureaus. Then when it came to the second unfreeze, he wanted me to pay for it, like this was teamwork. Ha. I didn't, and said again that I'd like to leave and come back when it's straightened out. He rushed and got his manager or whoever, like she was his mom and I was in trouble. This woman came over and shamed me for wasting his time, and asked what I needed to make this deal work. I told her I wanted to leave and come back when my credit was straightened out, and that I didn't walk in prepared to buy. She asked what was needed to straighten it out and I said I had to pay $10 to unfreeze my credit. She tossed a $20 on the table, so I went and unfroze it using my credit card. He ran to get my credit check, and thankfully when they tried earlier it locked it so they needed to get it from the third bureau. I said again, I'll leave and figure this out, then come back. So many wasted opportunities to enforce my boundaries and verbalize my discomfort. I told him this bureau wouldn't unfreeze without a pin that was mailed to me, he argued it and asked me probing question as if he was testing my honesty. I called the darn bureau and yep. Need a pin. Can't do anything about it. "Can't unfreeze it over the phone?". I should've said, "Birch, did I stutter?". What a failure I felt like, walking out of there. It felt like an abusive marriage all over again. I was embarrassed for being such a pushover. Should've walked away 5 hours prior. BUT, looking at the bright side, this interaction sent me running to one of their competitors. This competitor had the exact car I wanted, and they actually worked with me and my budget so well that I was able to actually buy the car instead of lease it. At the competitor, I had the absolutely best dealership experience I've ever had, and I went home with a car I absolutely love. Having to argue and play tough is no way to go through the second biggest purchase one will make in their life. Shaver of Thousand Oaks would actually benefit from treating potential buyers with transparency and respect. I won't even be going there for service, that's how bad it was. I am much more inclined to drive 1 hour so I can give my business to a place that shows they actually value their customers as people and not just as a deal they need to reach a quota. That's what builds loyalty, not this. More

ANTIDOTE TO SOREHEAD REVIEWS...MINE. Shaver's went to the wall for me. EVERYBODY I dealt with there was great. I know about Mike Allen, but what about Kier Sole? He's the service guy who Shaver's went to the wall for me. EVERYBODY I dealt with there was great. I know about Mike Allen, but what about Kier Sole? He's the service guy who you most often interact with and he's terrific. I leased a FIAT 500e, which is the greatest car I've ever owned (including my old Mercedes 350 SX, and my Porsche 928, and my Prius!) But a girl who was texting rear ended me one early morning and the electric cable bundle was severed. BIG deal to fix it, took forever, and they were really trying. I was suspicious about accepting it back. NO PROBLEM, they responded, and helped me get Chrysler to buy it back as a "lemon" (which it really was not, ever.) THEN, they alerted me to a special promotional lease and I got a brand NEW one which has been perfect. The owner, Chuck (?) Shaver himself, put himself out and checked back frequently to make sure I was satisfied. Okay? I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY YOU WILL GET A FAIR SHAKE AT SHAVER'S FIAT of THOUSAND OAKS, based on my experience!! More

Unbelievably rude service manager. Service manager, Mike Allen, wouldn't allow me to charge my car at his dealership. There are two public spots plus dealership spots, and he gave me h Service manager, Mike Allen, wouldn't allow me to charge my car at his dealership. There are two public spots plus dealership spots, and he gave me hassle the entire time. I had about 4 miles left of charge and I lease my car from Fiat. I didn't witness, but I strongly suspect he unplugged my car when I walked away. When I returned there was no charge on my car and someone had taken the plug out. Craziest experience. More

DONT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE! Where to start. I wanted to buy a Fiat. I looked long and hard for the one I wanted. I found it at this dealer and spent 2 days speaking with Tim O Where to start. I wanted to buy a Fiat. I looked long and hard for the one I wanted. I found it at this dealer and spent 2 days speaking with Tim Ott on how to buy the car for a price i felt was reasonable. its a New 2015 so of course I expected the car to look new. On delivery it did not. It has been in storage so there was old adhesive all over the car. The leather seats were stained, etc. Tim took it to the bath while we did paperwork. At the end of the paperwork, i looked at the car again. It clearly needed to be detailed. I told them to keep the car until it looked new and then i would take it. I came back the next day to pic up the car and the passenger side window was severely scratched about 10 times. I told Tim this was not ok. This is a new car. He said he would take the complaint to management. Today i am told that i got a good deal on a stored car and they would not be helping me with the window. Im sorry i didnt read the reviews on this dealership before I bought a car. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else. Update** Got a call from Tim to try and bribe me to give them 5 stars on yelp and 10 stars on his saleman review before they would touch the window they scratched up. Tim is just Johns puppet (the GM) no moral fiber. Pathetic is all i can say. if John is the face of the dealership, that ships going to sink. More

WARNING! If anyone ever wanted to know why there is the unfortunate perception of Car Salesmen / Car Dealership Managers, then all you need to do is head over If anyone ever wanted to know why there is the unfortunate perception of Car Salesmen / Car Dealership Managers, then all you need to do is head over to Shaver Fiat of Thousand Oaks. John McCann General Sales Manager does not know anything about customer satisfaction; the importance of this concept and need to retain customers for future transactions and referrals. Additionally, John McCann controls his salesmen and clearly puts them in situations they are not comfortable with; in this case that salesman was Tim Ott. I cannot speak to all the employees of this dealership; I am sure like you and I, most work hard for their money. It is just unfortunate for them they work at Shaver Fiat of Thousand Oaks with John McCann. Therefore I don't believe us, the consumers, who have so many other places we can spend our hard earned money, should support Shaver Fiat of Thousand Oaks. In fact, I would not support any Shaver dealership at this point due to the fact they believe it is okay to have an employee like John McCann employed by them. This is unfortunate as I cannot imagine E.L Shaver, Frank Shaver, Peter Shaver, and now forth generation Andrew Shaver would / can condone the business practices of John McCann and the control he has over his sales force. Clearly the Shavers' have worked hard over the years (generations) to make their business / brand successful. As they eloquently stated, "putting the customer first and leveraging Midwestern sensibilities to conservatively grow the family dealership". Somehow however John McCann does not care about the Shaver philosophy and the hard work the Shaver family has done over so many years. With employing someone like John McCann, I am not sure how Shaver ranks in the top 10 in sales and customer satisfaction within Chrysler California and top 50 Chrysler National. Nor do I know how Shaver is considered a Five Star Elite Dealership and been awarded the highly coveted Pentastar Award of Excellence in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. It is up to us, the consumers, to ensure Companies and Corporations know the importance of the consumer and not take the consumer for granted. Unfortunately for Shaver Fiat of Thousand Oaks, John McCann, does not understand this concept. John McCann will refer to us, the consumers, who make his business practices known in this type of forum as "cry babies" and "internet bullies". Then will attempt to intimidate us, the consumers, with a veiled threat to sue for "slander or defamation". In this case, he actually had his salesman, Tim Ott, make the telephone call in an attempt to try an intimidate. The reality is, our voice is important; these types of forums are important, as long as we are honest. The consumer has every right to know about Companies before we spend our hard earned money; the good and the bad so we can make an informed decision. The issue with the new Fiat purchased from Shaver Fiat of Thousand Oaks would have cost them a couple hundred dollars to fix. But once you sign on the bottom line, Shaver Fiat of Thousand Oaks and John McCann no longer care about you, the consumer, the reason he is actually employed. Should you decide to spend your hard earn money at Shaver Fiat of Thousand Oaks, hopefully you will not have an issue with your new car that they will need to address. Honestly, Fiat of Santa Monica is not that far away, so why not conduct your business with a dealership that may actually care about their customers. More

Wow! We were so impressed with the entire team at FIAT of TO. This was not a typical car buying experience because everyone there was knowledgeable about FIAT, nobody pressured us and everyone was friendly. TO. This was not a typical car buying experience because everyone there was knowledgeable about FIAT, nobody pressured us and everyone was friendly. They even went the extra mile to find us the exact car we wanted. GRAZIE to all the guys at FIAT of TO for the excellent service. More

I had a wonderful experience buying my New Fiat Pop! I had a wonderful experience buying my New Fiat Pop! They answered all my questions and went through many different financial options! They made me f I had a wonderful experience buying my New Fiat Pop! They answered all my questions and went through many different financial options! They made me feel very comfortable and did not pressure me at all! I HIGHLY recommend buying a Fiat from this dealership!!! More

I bought a NEW 2012 Black POP automatic..and after having it now for a few months, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY CAR!!!! Where has FIAT been??! The quality, finish and attention to detail are top notch! But the it now for a few months, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY CAR!!!! Where has FIAT been??! The quality, finish and attention to detail are top notch! But the best part is DRIVING it! I call mine the "Mini-Killer" 'cause I LOVE to race and beat those stupid overpriced Minis! I also raced my bosses Porche one day, and he could NOT beleive my Fiat was SO FAST! I am a Fiat customer for LIFE~! Hope the Abarth comes out with an automatic someday..that's the only car I would trade my "little black bug" for. Great car, great buying experience..great dealership! Ray Lewandowski 169 East Elfin Green Port Hueneme ray@udash.com (work) cmmwhiz@verizon.net (home More

They are all awesome!! Tim Ott was incredibly helpful on the Internet and phone and hooked us up with Mike and Alex. They were all great!! the Internet and phone and hooked us up with Mike and Alex. They were all great!! More

I specifically went to this dealership because I read horrendous reviews about my local dealer, [Van Nuys Fiat] and heard nothing but praise for Fiat of Thousand Oaks. It's about 45 minutes away from my horrendous reviews about my local dealer, [Van Nuys Fiat] and heard nothing but praise for Fiat of Thousand Oaks. It's about 45 minutes away from my house but it was well worth the drive. I got a great price quote from Octavio, he responded quickly and answered all of my questions about the car. So decided to go down to the dealership and see the car for myself. When I got there I was greeted with a friendly smile from Chris and told him my situation with Octavio. Octavio had already informed him that I would be coming down to see the specific car and everything was in order. I checked out the car and everything was perfect. Chris was a very cool guy, no pressure salesmen and really easy to talk to. From there I test drove the car and went ahead and talked to Larry [Manager]. Larry gave me the price that Octavio quoted me and everything was smoother sailing. I was in and out of the dealership in about two hours. Most of the time was spent filling out paperwork. The great thing about this place is that they can deliver your car to your house for free. Every single person i talked to there [Larry, Octavio, and Chris] were very friendly and courteous. This is by far THE BEST experience I have ever had with a dealership and this is my third car. I used to own a Honda and a BMW. I will be referring this dealership to all my friends and family because of the great customer service they have here. I would like to thank Fiat of Thousand Oaks again for being such great people. -Christopher More