Our experience purchasing a vehicle from South County - Brad C
Our experience purchasing a vehicle from South County Auto Plaza was extremely disappointing. Between the vehicle's condition at delivery, inconsistent explanations, and the lack of follow-through after the sale, I cannot recommend this dealership.
We drove approximately three hours to xx. Louis to look at a car advertised as being in proper working order. During our inspection and test drive, we discovered a rattle underneath the vehicle, a broken latch on the air filter intake, a scuffed bumper, and a nonworking backup camera. When we raised these concerns, the salesman dismissed the air filter issue and initially claimed that this model did not have a backup camera. I then walked to the back of the car and showed him the camera.
We declined to purchase the vehicle and drove home. The next day, the dealership called and asked what it would take to earn our business. I explained that all the issues we had identified needed to be repaired. They agreed to complete those repairs and deliver the car so we would not have to make another three-hour trip.
When the vehicle arrived, the backup camera worked, but it was hanging loose rather than securely mounted. We also discovered that only one stereo speaker worked, although all the speakers had worked during our original test drive.
I reported the stereo problem, and the salesman questioned whether it had been working when we first drove the car. After I confirmed that it had, he said he would speak with his supervisor and call me back.
That call never came. We followed up repeatedly and were given additional promises of a return call, but we continued having to chase down an answer ourselves.
Eventually, we were told that the stereo had worked before delivery and that too much time had passed for the dealership to address it under the 15-day warranty. This was particularly frustrating because we had already reported the problem and spent that time waiting for responses. Despite our repeated attempts to resolve the issue, the dealership declined to fix it.
The customer service was also deeply unprofessional. While coordinating delivery, staff left a voicemail on my wife's phone that continued recording after they apparently thought they had hung up. The recording captured disparaging comments about me for insisting that the agreed-upon repairs be completed, along with remarks about hoping they would not have to speak with me again.
We purchased this car with the understanding that the identified problems would be fixed. Instead, we are now facing the expense of a $700 replacement stereo, along with a wiring harness and dash kit, to restore a system that worked during our test drive.
Based on our experience, I strongly recommend taking your business elsewhere. The inconsistent explanations, unreturned calls, unresolved problems, and disparaging voicemail left us with no confidence in this dealership's professionalism or willingness to stand behind its promises. I would not purchase another vehicle from South County Auto Plaza.
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