Ferman MINI of Tampa Bay

Originally when we bought the car, I posted a *glowing* review on another site. The following is my update to that original review. Sadly, things have gone very downhill at this point and I can no long review on another site. The following is my update to that original review. Sadly, things have gone very downhill at this point and I can no longer recommend Ferman MINI of Tampa Bay. They have lost my business despite my trying to resolve the problem via the phone with Matthew at the Service Dept. We brought our Mini in several months ago for an intermittent problem. Ferman charged us $1500 to replace a part. The part did not fix the problem. Ferman insists they only are following the "flow chart" from the manufacturer and that the steps of the repair follow thusly: they will try one part at a time to fix the problem. First part? $1500 incl. labor and it didn't fix the problem. So, on to the second part. That also costs $1500. (Am I nuts to think that this is highway robbery?). They will not refund the first $1500 even though this part was clearly not the problem. (We can tell because the car is still running poorly). Matthew at Ferman Mini declined to take responsibility for the choices of the service department. I have asked to be contacted by the Manager, Paul, and will certainly update this review when and if I hear from him. I would love to work this out. I only want to be treated fairly and decently. You simply cannot charge customers to test every part in the car. Interestingly, on the second repair, the part is $1400 and the labor is $100. We just found the used part on ebay for $115 and the labor is negligible, according to the dealer themselves. So hopefully we will be able to fix it. (They charge top dollar for every single part and claim up and down they cannot do a single thing about the cost of the parts). But unless Ferman contacts me to clear up this situation, and make things right, we cannot in good conscience recommend them or do business with them. It's wrong to extract $1500 from people for parts that don't fix the problem and do not work. Hiding behind the "flow chart" from the manufacturer does not absolve Ferman of the hardships they are causing their customers. Incidentally, when I mentioned I had written a five star review previously and was going to update it - with the current situation - Matthew accused me of personally threatening him. This is just abjectly ridiculous. I am updating my review to warn others that this service department charges for parts that don't fix the problem. I think that is perfectly fair. Additionally...just what the heck is going on over there!!! We have a very common model of Mini and certainly they must have seen this problem before on a nine year old car. I find it very hard to believe that we are the first ones to suffer this sort of malfunction. However, they genuinely don't seem to have any sort of experience or depth of knowledge in order to get to the bottom of the problem and fix it. All I hear about is this flow chart. Anyway, thanks for reading this far. I'm sad to do this, as I really love my Mini and I thought the dealership, originally, was quite great, as my previous review will attest. We had a great experience buying the car. We had excellent experiences as long as the car was under warranty. And now they simply will not make it right for us. If you must buy a Mini, I would try the Orlando or Sarasota area for a dealership with hopefully a stronger and sounder Service Department. tldr: I feel ripped off. I am ripped off. More

Found the car online Sunday afternoon and by 7:45pm the car was ours. Aaron and Daniel did a superb job with follow-up and it was an outstanding transaction. 10 stars out of 5 - better than best!! car was ours. Aaron and Daniel did a superb job with follow-up and it was an outstanding transaction. 10 stars out of 5 - better than best!! More

The best car purchasing experience I have ever had! Bob Annis was exceptionally pleasant to work with. All the personnel that worked with us were very knowledgeable and helpful. Annis was exceptionally pleasant to work with. All the personnel that worked with us were very knowledgeable and helpful. More

Excellent service. Good communication. I was fully informed of the service required and the cost. The advisor was very courteous and answered all of my questions. informed of the service required and the cost. The advisor was very courteous and answered all of my questions. More

The experience was outstanding. I was very pleased that I was able to be accommodated on a Saturday for my need. I will continue to use this dealership for service and new sales. My service advisor was grea was able to be accommodated on a Saturday for my need. I will continue to use this dealership for service and new sales. My service advisor was great. More

We found what we were looking for online, it was an hour drive from where we were, but by the time we made it there, they had everything ready to go and made the transaction super easy and fast. Thanks agai drive from where we were, but by the time we made it there, they had everything ready to go and made the transaction super easy and fast. Thanks again. More

Friendly salesman who was more than willing to answer questions and guide us through the process of purchasing our vehicle. Daniel was very knowledgeable as it pertained to the mini cooper. questions and guide us through the process of purchasing our vehicle. Daniel was very knowledgeable as it pertained to the mini cooper. More

Thanks Ferman, the experience was great with some minor details. Daniel and Dallas were there to great. Dallas and Jarrod did a awesome job on Sunday with late notice. details. Daniel and Dallas were there to great. Dallas and Jarrod did a awesome job on Sunday with late notice. More

We were referred to Sara as we looked for a car for our daughter. She went above and beyond throughout the entire process. From our initial phone call and emails, to keeping us updated on the status of our daughter. She went above and beyond throughout the entire process. From our initial phone call and emails, to keeping us updated on the status of our new vehicle, to her assistance pulling off a big surprise reveal for our daughter, Sara was helpful, available, and willing to do whatever needed to be done to make our experience great. We give her the highest recommendation and would not hesitate to call on her expertise again in the future. A+++ More

Sara was awesome to work with! She was extremely knowledgeable and made sure I walked out feeling more than happy with my new Mini! 10/10 would recommend and will be back to see her for my next car knowledgeable and made sure I walked out feeling more than happy with my new Mini! 10/10 would recommend and will be back to see her for my next car in a few years. More