Nick Colucci | Page 26

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

Ms. Jacques, Thanks for sharing your frustration regarding your experience here at Capistrano Volkswagen. First and foremost, you should know that I take no pride whatsoever in having lost the opportunity to earn your business. Both Bennett and I are very sorry things did not work out and that another customer committed to purchasing the car before you did. I’m never happy to have multiple customers looking to buy the same car, especially a rare one like this, because somebody is always going to be disappointed, and I’m not in the disappointment business. On that same note, Bennett is even less happy because he lost the sale to another salesperson, when he would obviously have preferred to sell the car himself. Since you brought my honesty and morals into question, I would like to explain a few things so you can better understand who we are and how we operate. I’ve been in this business for almost 14 years, all 14 of which have been at Capistrano Volkswagen. After my previous 20 year career in the U.S. Air Force, there is nothing more important to me in both my personal and professional life than integrity and a good reputation. I lead by example and have always made the tough calls based on what is fair, never showing favoritism to one salesperson over the other and by following our policies in a consistent manner. The reason we told you we could not hold the car on a deposit is that our inventory is advertised online and visible for anyone to see. It’s always been our policy to make our cars available for sale to anyone on a first come, first served basis, unless that car has already been contracted. The only exception to that policy is when a customer is travelling from out of the area to purchase a vehicle from us, and has called ahead of time to confirm we have it before driving or flying in to wrap things up. You first came to see us on Thursday, and I do recall you telling Bennett that you needed some time to work some things out before you were ready to buy. This happens a lot in our business, and unlike most dealerships, we never put undue pressure on a customer to make purchase decision before they feel ready. You had the opportunity to contract the car that day and bring back funds later, but you chose to wait. On Saturday, you asked Bennett to see if we could reduce your out the door cost by about $750, but by the time Bennett brought your request to me, another customer had already called from Temecula to say they had their financing lined up and were leaving home to come in and buy the car. That customer was working through another salesperson, and also needed some time to work things out, but committed to buying before you did. The fact is that we have a staff of 10 salespeople all competing to sell the same inventory to make a living, and they all have to follow the same company policy designed to give everyone a fair chance. Again, on behalf of Bennett and the entire dealership, I’m very sorry things didn’t work out. Should there be anything else in our inventory that you might consider, I would be happy to offer something of value that your son might enjoy. Please feel free to contact me directly if there’s anything we can do to make things right. Nick Colucci, MSgt, USAF (Ret.) General Sales Manager Capistrano Volkswagen (949) 234-4238

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

Mr. Lundquist, While all of us here at the dealership were dismayed to learn of the pricing error you discovered, believe it or not, I actually appreciate the feedback you’ve given. More than anything, we’re all very sorry for the frustration this error has caused you. While errors in advertised pricing are not common for us, anyone who knows what goes into managing an inventory of over 400 new and used cars will understand that mistakes happen. I explained to both you and your father that this was an honest error on the part of our marketing manager, and that it was corrected as soon as you brought it to our attention. I would like to highlight a couple of facts that should put things into perspective, and help you understand that there was no intent on our part to mislead or deceive anyone. First of all, you will recall that we had numerous cars listed on our website with similar MSRP, all of which were correctly advertised at $14,999 net of incentives and rebates. There would be no reason that one car with the same MSRP as many others in stock could be offered at $3,000 less than the others when the factory incentives and margin for discounting are the same across the board. This should be the first indication that the deeper discount on one single car with the same MSRP was a simple oversight as such a pricing disparity in like models would make no sense. Secondly, the the unit you saw advertised could not be found on our lot for a very good reason. All of our “in-stock” units are identified by a five digit, numerical stock number such as 32826. Our inventory system also begins promoting incoming units once they’re close enough for us to have a reasonable expectation of receiving them during the promotion period. These units are identified by a six digit, alphanumeric “commission number” such as the one you saw, i.e. MR9222. The reason this unit could not be found is because it was, and still is in transit from the factory. You should also know that our Marketing Manager works very hard to create our promotional programs and she was horrified about the mistake that fueled this confusion. After researching the error, she reported back to me the next day with the following technical explanation of how the error happened: “This error was due to me “hard pricing” the vehicle…too soon before the incentives were processed on that specific unit, I've attached the vehicle log so you can see where we priced the vehicle at $14,999 and the automated process repriced it at $11,999 on an incoming unit... The vehicle was listed (with the incorrect price) on our website for 1 day.” You, your father and I spent a good deal of time chatting before you left, swapping stories and finding common ground. I complimented you on your accomplishment of becoming an Eagle Scout, as I am well aware of what that means being a retired Senior Non Commissioned Officer. We parted ways having looked each other in the eye and shaking hands. I believed we had an understanding that our pricing error was just that, a simple administrative error and nothing more. The next day, you came back in and spoke with our New Car Sales Manager, who walked you through the factory incentives and showed you how the Jetta was already a negative profit deal at $14,999 and further explained that selling it to you at $11,999 would result in a $3,000 plus loss for the dealership. You further suggest that VW dealerships are lined up and ready to sell you a brand new Jetta at $12,000 but I can assure you that there are no incentives available anywhere in California that would allow a dealer to do that. Any dealer that suggests to you over the phone or online that they would sell you a 2017 Jetta anywhere close to this price most assuredly has plans to recover their losses through forced add on accessories or other “surprises” once you’ve driven to their store. Anyone reading our reviews can see that we have a very loyal, happy and satisfied customer base. Unscrupulous companies do not enjoy the high volume of repeat and referral business that we do. Blake, where you choose to do business is entirely up to you, and I would never begrudge you deciding to purchase your car elsewhere. That said, I would welcome you back to our store to pick up where we left off, provided you recognize that the sale price we’re offering is fair and honest, and that the mistake was a simple oversight. I’m sure we can work out a little something extra to compensate you for the undue stress this misunderstanding has caused you. Please call me directly or stop by the store if you’d like to discuss things further. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns. Nick Colucci, MSgt, USAF (Ret.) General Sales Manager Capistrano Volkswagen (949) 234-4238

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

Very happy to hear that you enjoyed the experience; it was a pleasure meeting you. Glad the issue was resolved to your satisfaction as well. Please call me directly if there's anything else you need, Nick Colucci, General Sales Manager, Capo VW (949) 234-4238

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

Thanks for the feedback! None of us here at Capo VW have ever really understood why buying a car has such a bad rap. It doesn't have to be difficult and it definitely shouldn't be a miserable experience. Glad you found it easy to do business with us and I sincerely hope we'll be your dealer of choice for years to come. Enjoy your new Volkswagen! Nick Colucci, General Sales Manager

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, especially about having purchased several cars here over the years. It's a great company to work for (I started here in 2003) which means very low employee turnover, which leads to job satisfaction and technical expertise, which almost invariably results in happy customers who come back again and again to work with people they know and trust. I look forward to helping you on the next one! Thanks for the business... Nick Colucci, General Sales Manager

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

Rick - So happy it all worked out and you got the car you wanted. It was great working with you, and I hope to see you when you'r back in the store for service. Please tell your friends and family about us; we'll take great care of them as well. Enjoy your new Passat! Nick Colucci, General Sales Manager

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

We're so happy you had a good experience buying your car here. Buddy is a remarkable human being and a guy that brightens most people's day. Most of all, I have to say that I really like the super cool, squiggly line thing you did in your review. Made me smile! :-) Nick @ Capo VW

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

It was a pleasure working with you, CW. We're very grateful for the business, especially since you drove so far (twice) to buy your cars from us. Thanks again! NC

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

We're very grateful for the business, and doubly glad to hear that you were pleased with the experience. Enjoy your new car, and don't hesitate to reach out of there's anything you need in the future! --Nick Colucci, General Sales Manager