T & T Coast

Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: No

My Review of T & T Coast :
I have not even taken delivery of the car yet, and I already despise these people. I worked with them for over two months, waiting for the 2009 Acadia to come out. I wanted very specific options, so there were only two vehicles within a 400 mile radius that met my needs. They printed the spec sheets on each vehicle for my review. I had done significant research before going to the dealer, and was familiar with all of the options and the specifics of each package. The questions I asked were simply to verify what I already knew, but it quickly became more about checking their integrity. When I asked about specific options that I knew were not on one of the vehicles, they tried to convince me that they were there. When I called them on it, the salesman would ask me to wait, then hustle off into the sales manager's office. 5 minutes later, he would come back and apologize, telling me that I was correct, and that he had only been selling cars since March (this is late September). This happened several times, until finally the sales manager came out to speak with me personally. What should have been a 10 minute Q&A took nearly an hour because they were either totally ignorant or criminally dishonest.

When I chose a vehicle, and the salesman came back with the "final" numbers, it was $350 more than the price we agreed. He didn't mention the difference. When I pointed it out, he explained that it was for a "Vehicle Appearance Package" that the dealer had installed. In case you do not know what a Vehicle Appearance Package is, it is the little rubber pieces that they put on the edge of your doors and fenders to protect them. I was not pleased, but I relented. It wasn't that big of deal to me. When the salesman (Paul was his name) began filling out the actual paperwork, I noticed that there was a $199 fee for window etching that he had added in, again without mentioning it. This was printed on the form with the word "(Optional)" next to it. This was a part of the form, not something the salesman wrote in, but he did add the $199 fee into my total without marking anything, asking me if I wanted it, or other wise denoting that it was selected. When I asked about it he tried to explain it away by telling me how much I would save on my insurance with the window etching. I have etched windows on another vehicle, so I know exactly how much I will save: $16 per year. Again, I relented (I regret this in retrospect. I should have stood my ground.) So now we are $549 over the agreed price.

Then they tell me that they need to call the dealer who has the car and verify that it is still available. WHAT? Why didn't they do this before? My father drives cars for car dealers, a GMC dealer among them, and I know for a fact that they do not require a deposit to swap vehicles with another dealer. They should have made the swap before I arrived. They knew exactly what I was looking for and that I was a serious buyer. I had my financing worked out before I even walked onto their lot.

Fine. Because I was specific about the options I wanted, and that combination proved very difficult to find, I knew I was limiting my room to maneuver. I understand that there is a cost associated with that, and I was willing to pay it. When they called me the next morning to tell me that the car was available, but the other dealer didn't want any of the vehicles T&T Coast wanted to swap without a $400 charge, I was at the end of my patience with the whole process. I told the salesman that I did not see how that had anything to do with me or the deal that we had already agreed to. It is 288 miles from my house to Syracuse, NY, and I made it clear that for $400 I could drive to Syracuse myself and have the car by the end of the day. He asked me to hold, and I told him that he had 30 minutes to call me back with their decision. He called me back 20 minutes later to tell me that they had it all "worked out" and that they were going to get the car. This was on Saturday. I agreed to pick the car up Monday afternoon after I got off work. I just called this morning (Monday) to verify that we were still set for this afternoon, and they don't even have the car yet!! Now they are saying that it will be tomorrow (Tuesday). I am at a loss. My last three car buying experiences (none of them with T&T Coast) have been great, and I guess I got complacent, and let my guard down. I am not complaining about the cost, the GM Employee Pricing is great, it is the underhanded way that T&T Coast does business that prompted this review. I will never do business with T&T Coast again and I encourage everyone who reads this to avoid them like the plague. If you want to be lied to and missled, watch a presidential debate.

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Reason for Visit: Sales (New)

I recommend this dealer: Yes

My Review of T & T Coast :
Pros:
The Best you'll find anywhere.
Cons:
Absolutely None

I would like to share my experience.

One bad experience after another with dealers in the NY Metro area brought us to the internet. We found at least one dozen dealers along the east coast had what we were looking for.
Each received an email with the vehicle details, favored options, and most important; we are Ready to Buy this Weekend!

The very next morning we received a response from Jenn, the Internet Sales Manager at T & T Coast. Not only did she confirm the vehicle was in stock, she also ran some numbers with different financing options.
Impressed since it was late Friday before labor day weekend. Sounded too good to be true, we confirmed that we would be there on Saturday.
(Only one other dealer replied to our email, on the following Tuesday. Too late, You snooze you lose!)

T&T Coast is approx. 90 minutes away. Since we heard it all before, we were still a little skeptical. We couldn't help stopping at two dealerships along the way.
Oh boy, here we go again! One dealer even claimed that "moonroofs are so eighties", so I replied "why did GM put two in the Acadia then?" Huh?... No answer.
As my wife sat in that dealership, I contacted T&T. I was connected to Frank Viso. He confirmed the info given by Jenn, and assured us that the vehicle was still there.

When we arrived, we were met by Frank. Showing only one vehicle.
It was refreshing to deal with a person who listens! Showing us exactly what we were looking for, not what the dealer is trying to move off the lot.
Frank is one of the most professional people that we have dealt with, hands down.
We did take our time negotiating price. Then we wandered around the lot looking at other vehicles, waiting for the hammer to drop.
It never did. No pressure, no hassle, no bait and switch.
Everyone we came in contact with at T&T was very pleasant and professional. (The owners, Tom and Tim, Internet mgr, Jenn, the finance manager, & receptionist were all very helpful).

By far this dealership has surpassed the competition. We bought that day without any regrets.

If you are looking for a Professional, Honest, and Reputable Dealer, look no further.

We found it here!

Heartfelt Thanks,

Ben & Annemarie

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