Neither Negative nor Positive Experience - Don't Call Me "Kid"
Caution: Lengthy
Attempted to purchase a used vehicle through Brooks Biddle. The salesman seemed nice enough, but kept me waiting hours and was not responsive to my questions or concerns. Further, the salesman was extremely condescending. If I weren't a young-ish woman (in my late 30's), I suspect I would be paying less, but I wasn't willing to haggle very hard since the salesman spoke to me as if I were a particularly stupid child and I knew the price to be in a reasonable range according the KBB values. It turned out to be slightly high using NADA values; be sure you check both.
Salesman was not knowledgeable about the vehicle. Sure, it's a "really nice car," but that gives me no information about the vehicle. I would expect some basics, such as gas mileage, knowledge of braking system, etc. Would not give me any paperwork after we settled on a price, and in fact, did not seem to know what paperwork was required in the sale of a car. Turns out a different guy handles all the paperwork. That gentleman was quite nice and respectful. Salesman said multiple things that were factually inaccurate, such as telling me the car had all wheel drive when it has front wheel drive (thankfully I came having done my homework), telling me that CarFax reports were guaranteed accurate (they are only as accurate as their information sources; a CarFax report can't actually guarantee much and only shows records from certain sources), not seeming to understand what a certification of emissions is, otherwise hemming and hawing and ultimately seeming slightly incompetent. Perhaps this is a sales tactic of some sort, but it had the effect of causing me to want to take my business elsewhere rather than wait for the salesman to get it together, but I really liked the particular vehicle I was purchasing and stuck it out.
This dealership very clearly prioritized service to people who were using their financing (to be expected), as well as middle-class, older (50's and above) couples, to the extent that I constantly felt they were trying to put one over on me in some way, but couldn't really put my finger on how. I know there's some bias because the salesman was constantly assisting another (older, white) couple while I was waiting and when he returned to me he had forgotten what we'd previously talked about. Perhaps they just don't have enough staff? Perhaps "bumbling, disorganized dad" is part of his sales strategy? However, I'd guess that based on the majority of the positive reviews of this dealership being from older white people, and because all of the staff seem to be older white people, there may be some inherent bias happening. I certainly didn't enjoy the way I was spoken to and felt there was a severe lack of professionalism in treating a customer like a child.
The salesman thoughtfully had the gas tank filled up when I came in to finalize the purchase, but the windshield wiper fluid reservoir was bone dry. This dealership is connected to a service garage. The lack of attention to detail was somewhat concerning. Not a deal breaker, but proceed with caution. I appreciated that his heart was in the right place, but there is room for improvement.
The dealership could vastly improve the customer experience by using more respectful terms to address customers (ix-nay on the "young lady" and "kid," I'm almost 40) and by being more transparent about timelines and documentation. You have to expect a certain amount of B.S.-ing with car sales, but there are more savvy ways of presenting it to the client. Salesman told me he was "proud of me" when I purchased the vehicle. What??
I received a "survey" call after my purchase. When I expressed my concerns, I was told I was wrong and the "majority of people" enjoy their experience, then the caller quickly ended the call. Why call to get my opinion and then tell me my opinion is wrong?
I'd like to say it was a wonderful experience because the people at Brooks Biddle seem very nice and probably mean well, probably aren't aware that their mannerisms are even remotely problematic, but "inter-sectional feminism" is definitely not a term they're familiar with and they are decidedly not politically correct. Proceed with caution if you are female, under 40, or a person of color.
I did not have any experience with the service side of the business, only sales.
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