O. C. Welch Ford

Worst Dealership Experience Ever! My 1st impression - the dealership is NOT customer-friendly for car shopping. Cars & trucks were double-parked all over the lot. Trying to find an emp My 1st impression - the dealership is NOT customer-friendly for car shopping. Cars & trucks were double-parked all over the lot. Trying to find an empty space to park our own car was a challenge. Way too much inventory is crammed into too little space. But Hubs had found online what we wanted to test drive & he set up an appointment with salesman Sam Elliott. To make a really long story short(er), we wanted a white Explorer Limited. OC had 1 on their lot w/black interior (which is not ideal in this heat) But for the right price, we were willing to take it. Hubs also found 2 at other Ford dealerships that had our preferred tan leather seats. He got written quotes on all of them & used to negotiate a deal at OC Welch for the 1 on their lot. It seems that Chip Welch was calling the shots and he reluctantly gave Hubs the best offer. We decided to give them our business instead of driving hours away. During test drive we noticed that the front passenger window looked distorted, like a fun house mirror. Sam thought it could be dirt or a film. However after they cleaned up the vehicle, the window was still distorted. Obviously a manufacturing defect that Ford missed. But we were going to take the vehicle anyway. I then walked around to inspect & saw the antenna cover was missing & electronics in the antenna were exposed. It was not like that when we test drove it. Hubs & I were upset because they obviously broke it when they ran the car through the carwash. Chip offered no solutions. He only spouted platitudes about how they wanted to "make it right". His "solution" was that they would order a new window from Ford and "fix" the antenna (which would likely be just popping the antenna cover back on the unit). Um...no!! We are paying for a brand new car! Hubs offered 2 solutions. 1: Give an additional $500 off since we were getting a car with 2 imperfections. OR option 2: Give us warranty to cover electronics in case the exposed antenna had problems. Chip flatly refused both options & offered no other solutions. Given their carelessness in cleaning the car, did not trust window to be installed correctly, and what if we had problems down the road due to exposed electronics when the cover pulled off during car wash? It would be 100% our problem then. Not sure if we broke Chip's property if we offered to just fix it and not compensate him for inconvenience that he would have been happy with that solution. Hubs cancelled the all-cash sale & we bought at Jones in Charleston. Feel sorry for Sam the sales guy & Paul Tindall (Finance Manager @Lincoln) that they work at this dealership. Would never go back to any OC Welch dealerships or service centers! Thanks to the carelessness of whoever cleaned up that vehicle plus Chip's smug attitude & inexperience in problem resolution, Sam lost a sale on a $48k MSRP vehicle. In the Age of the internet: People will shop & get better deals & service elsewhere! That old school car dealership mentality is not going to sell cars to Gen-Xers or Millennials! Again, Sam and Paul were good to work with. They were hardworking and I feel really bad for them! The reception lady when you first walk in was very sweet too and very helpful. Good customer service goes a long way... if the owners of this dealership would realize that they probably wouldn't have so much unsold inventory on their lot. More

Great Buying Experience! My husband and I recently bought a new MKX. We found that our buying experience was surprisingly pleasant, very conversational and with no pressure. W My husband and I recently bought a new MKX. We found that our buying experience was surprisingly pleasant, very conversational and with no pressure. We did our homework ahead of time and narrowed down our preferences to either the MKC cross-over or the MKX SUV. Buying a new vehicle is a stressful occurrence, especially if you remembered some examples from your past buying experiences. Chip Pellerin approached us as we were looking at the vehicles in the showroom and asked if we needed any help. He is a southern gentleman, very laid back and extremely knowledgeable about the Lincoln vehicles. He answered all of our questions, and if he didn’t know the answer he either looked it up or asked someone for the answer. He wanted to make sure that we felt comfortable with our decision. We both test drove the MKC and the MKX, then we took some time to discuss the pros and cons of each vehicle. Chip asked us if we wanted to take another test drive in the same or different vehicles. After we decided to purchase the MKX, Chip guided us through the process of downloading the Lincoln Way app where you can open/lock your car and start the A/C or heat remotely, he paired our phones to the car and showed us all of the dashboard programs. OC Welch even has a class every other Saturday that describes your cars features, which we think is a great idea. After you’ve driven your car for a week or so, you can stop by from 10am – 11am every other Saturday and they will answer all of your questions. We would not hesitate to recommend Chip to any of our friends. This was a pleasant buying experience. More

Very helpful Endy is a sales guru. From product technology all the way to trim levels, Endy knows it all. I must say in my years of being a customer with several d Endy is a sales guru. From product technology all the way to trim levels, Endy knows it all. I must say in my years of being a customer with several dealerships, Endy has by far been the most professional. He makes you feel at home, while being professional. 5 stars for Endy and 5 stars for OC Welch! Thanks Endy! More

Great Experience I explained exactly what I wanted and the price point I could afford. They got me exactly what I wanted right away. Sam Elliot was the sales guy and e I explained exactly what I wanted and the price point I could afford. They got me exactly what I wanted right away. Sam Elliot was the sales guy and everything was ready and waiting for me when I got there. More