Buyer Beware: Gillman Subaru Fumbles Customer Service - TB2010
Buyer Beware: Gillman Subaru Fumbles Customer Service from Start to Finish
I’m no stranger to Subaru—I’ve owned both a Forester and an Ascent company car since 2019. While the styling never thrilled me, the safety, comfort, AWD, and fuel economy kept me loyal. Unfortunately, Gillman Subaru (the closest dealer for service) has tested that loyalty at every turn.
Service Department—Four Years of Frustration
• Chronic delays: Routine maintenance that should take an hour routinely drags into half‑day marathons.
• Zero conveniences: Loaner cars are “never available,” leaving me stranded in a drab, overcrowded waiting area that screams “1990s DMV.”
The Sales Disaster
After months of searching, I finally found a CPO Ascent that met my exact specs—at Gillman, of all places. I told the online rep I was an informed, cash‑ready buyer with a six‑day deadline. They promised a “VIP experience” for my 2 p.m. appointment.
• No‑show “VIP” treatment: I checked in on time, texted my arrival, and waited 12 minutes without a response. Pressed for time, I walked out—only to be waved back after the rep admitted he’d simply missed my message.
• Car still on the back lot: The vehicle wasn’t even pulled up for viewing. We toured it in the parking lot while he rambled about scheduling a test‑drive with my husband present—a stunningly sexist assumption given I’m the primary earner and decision‑maker.
• Radio silence: I reiterated my budget, add‑ons, and 6/18 deadline, offered to finance if it helped them, and left. Multiple texts, voicemails, and supervisor messages went unanswered for weeks.
Management MIA
Fed up, I drove back to give feedback face‑to‑face:
• Reception said there is no Sales Director and the GM was “out to lunch.”
• Only after insisting did an executive assistant and, later, the CFO return my call—30 days after my first inquiry. By then, my interest (and patience) was dead.
Final Straw
Thirty days later, the Ascent is still sitting on their lot—unsold, just like every buying signal they ignored.
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Bottom line: Your vehicle is likely the second‑largest investment you’ll make. Choose a dealership that respects your time, listens to your needs, and treats you like a partner, not an inconvenience. Gillman Subaru failed on all three counts—service, sales, and basic courtesy. Spend your money where customer service matches the quality Subaru is known for; it’s definitely not at Gillman Subaru.
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