Hi, let me start out by saying, I use the dealership... - DMN
Hi, let me start out by saying, I use the dealership reviews when making my decision to buy a car and I assume a lot of other people do the same. Reputation is everything, and if they have a history of ripping people off or of poor customer service, I don't do business with them. Car America of Laurel, had good reviews online, but don't let that fool you! I have a feeling that many of these reviews are fake. What I have found out through the course of this ordeal is that they are really "Rons Automotive" of Manchester MD. If you read their reviews, page after page of 1 star ratings, you will understand why they didn't reuse that name when they opened this lot. BEWARE of this Dealership!! Especially if the car needs any kind of service or they promise to fix something. We purchased a 2019 mustang convertible, for my daughter to attend college. Her car was becoming undependable, so we figured a year old car with remaining factory warranty was a good decision. Looked at the car, and it had a damaged roof, that they said they were replacing and it would be ready for pick-up in a week. We went ahead and purchased the vehicle, based on their "Good" reviews. A week went by, then two weeks, then on the third week, I went by the dealership and was told the top was delayed for the Covid 19 crisis, and would be there and installed that following weekend. Two weeks later, I called and they said we could pick the car up the following Friday. When we arrived to pick up the car, we were informed that they had damaged the rear seat bracket when installing the top, and the rear seat would have to be replaced. So, we picked up the car and drove it for approximately a week. When the new seat arrived, we dropped the car off to have it installed. Two weeks later, and a couple of angry phone calls, we get a call that the car is ready for us to pick-up. When we arrived, we were informed that they made a mistake and the seat was leather, originally cloth interior, and that they would have it re-upholstered with the correct material, or that they would have the front seats re-upholstered to match. We chose to have the front seats re-upholstered to match. So again, we were told they would order the needed parts and have it professionally installed at a local upholstery shop and they would call us when everything was ready. Two weeks later, we dropped the car off to have the front seats re-upholstered, and were told, it would be ready to go the following Wednesday. So Wednesday rolls around, and surprise, it isn't done. They didnt take it to the nice reputable upholstery shop, as promised, they decided to do it on their own, again. Was told "tomorrow afternoon it should be ready, the upholstery they ordered didn't match." So, the next day, Thursday, the day before we are scheduled to have the car shipped so my daughter can use it at school, I find out it is still not done. I drove to "Ron's automotive", where they were supposedly working on it, to find the car untouched. I verified with the GPS tracker I had installed that the car hadn't moved since we gave it to them the week prior. Located the owner, Scott Richards (Removing contact information from this review. Will be posting at other sites that allow it, so just search the web.) just in case any other upset customer needs to get in touch with him), who gave me this sob story about wrong seats in the car when they bought it from auction and they were having a hard time finding the right ones. I let him know that I had to take the car so it could be delivered, and that he could order the correct seats, send me a tracking number and I would pick them up when I returned from taking my daughter to school. He agreed, and thanked me for being so patient. I even found the seats for him on ebay, and he printed out the link so his parts people could order them. Two weeks went by, multiple emails and calls all promising that the tracking number would be sent the next day. On the third week he quit answering/returning my calls. We are currently working with a lawyer to get this issue resolved; we are having to purchase the seats on our own, have them installed, and then we can sue Scott and company for the cost, plus time and legal expenses. So, for a car that we purchased four months ago, we have had it for a total of three weeks. Not sure how many people can afford to make car payments for four months on a car they can't use, but I am sure there aren't many. So, keep that in mind when buying a car from Car America of Laurel, AKA Rons Automotive, the staff may be friendly, but that is a facade, hiding the incompetent and fraudulent service they will provide.
Update: The manager, Todd (The under new management guy) called me right after I posted the reviews apologizing for the poor service, and promising to make it right. He then proposed to follow through with what they promised. They found a pair of seats for 2400, which they felt was too expensive. This is what he told me : "If I cant find another pair of seats by Friday, I will order the 2400 dollar ones, and let you know Friday, when they would arrive". Friday came and went. Called him on Monday, got the "checking on something, let me call you right back". That was two weeks ago. Back to the original review, "America of Laurel, AKA Rons Automotive, the staff may be friendly, but that is a facade, hiding the incompetent and fraudulent service they will provide."
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