Absolute worst car shopping experience of my life. - JQ
I've been looking online for a Jeep Patriot bc I need a more reliable vehicle than my 20-yr-old Wrangler 2 transport my dad, who has terminal cancer. I finally found the exact one I needed @ Dayton Andrews Clearwater. I'm extremely busy 24/7 working+caring for my dad. Last Sunday I was able 2 get a ride 2 Clearwater (an almost 4 hr trip, one-way) 2 buy this jeep (my dad's 1st chemo appt was the next day). I called Sunday AM 2 make sure the car was still available. I spoke w/ Steve McLeod & notified him I was driving down from Jacksonville. I arrived @ the dealership about 4:20pm (they close @ 6pm on Sunday). I'd already fully researched this jeep on Autotrader & CARFAX, secured a loan, & had the money ready 2 buy it on the spot after a physical inspection & a test drive. When I got there Steve was w/ another customer & Ken said he'd be taking over. I had some questions about the age of the tires, the condition of the windshield wipers & the lack of floor mats. Ken repeatedly informed me that the jeep had passed a 125-point inspection & met Jeep standards for a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle. Note: I have since read the 125-pt inspection criteria--functional wiper blades, floor mats, & exterior wash/wax are all supposed to be included. Ken & I went for a test drive and he was pleasant. At the end, he even took the time 2 help me connect my iPhone 2 the Jeep's Bluetooth. By this point it was almost 6pm, & the only thing I had left 2 do was FaceTime my dad so he could see the car before I made the purchase.
This is when things went downhill. Ken looked impatient & was checking his watch. I asked if he had somewhere 2 be & he replied, "No, but we close @ 6:00." I asked about the dealer fee & taxes so I could calculate the final price. He said the dealer fee was $648, license plate fee was $400, & taxes would be ~$1,100. When I asked about the wiper blades, floor mats, & what appeared 2 be superficial stains on the hood of the jeep, Ken said he could give me some floor mats, but they wouldn't be Jeep mats. Per Ken, the service dept was closed & since we were from out of town & couldn't come back the next week there was nothing else he could do. Ken then said he had 2 go inside & let the other staff know "what we were doing" & reminded us again that they closed @ 6:00. He asked if I was planning to finance the vehicle (financing would keep them there later). I told him no. Multiple members of the staff were staring impatiently at us through the windows. I had already told them the reason I was purchasing a car was to transport my dad, who is ill, and my dad just wanted to see what it looked like since he couldn't ride w/ us. Ken returned w/ Pam (the sales manager) & an older man, who looked irritated & watched me as I talked briefly to my dad. Afterwards, the older man said in a smart-aleck tone, "What's the matter? Dad doesn't like the car?"
Every time I had a question, they reiterated that the jeep was Certified Pre-Owned & had passed the 125-pt inspection. No one had the time or ability 2 give me a solid answer to my questions, explain what the 125-pt inspection was, or even give me written details regarding the warranty. They all seemed extremely annoyed & kept pointing to a small sticker on the windshield of the jeep for info. I was trying 2 add up the total price & asked Ken 2 confirm the fees. Ken & Pam went inside for paper & I walked into the lobby. When they finally returned, no one offered us a seat to discuss the sale. Ken set the paper on a ledge next 2 where we were standing & they both just stared at me. I asked, "What is the best price you could do?" and they made it clear that there would be no discussion. Pam said "Our vehicles are priced 2 sale. You won't find a jeep like this anywhere else." Then, in the nastiest possible tone, she looked at me & said, "You don't drive 5 hours if it's not a good price." At this point I was feeling extremely rushed & stressed. I said, "Five hours?" She curtly replied, "Well, whatever it was." I said I needed 2 think it over. They obviously could not wait to get rid of us. They knew we had 2 drive back 2 Jax that night & clearly couldn't drive all the way back the next day. They both just stared at us & said, "Okay." We walked out & never heard from them again.
I went there ready 2 purchase a jeep & likely would have bought it even if they barely budged on the price bc it was the exact vehicle I need, but after the behavior of the staff & nasty comments from Pam, I wouldn't give these people one cent of my hard-earned money. They had no compassion for my situation, didn't care how far we drove, or what we had to go through to get there. Worse customer service exp of my life. I don't know how this place stays open, seeing as how no one there seems to give a crap about selling a car. I hope whatever they were hurrying to do Sunday night was worth it. I'll be taking my business elsewhere.
Read More
