mewhee

Hi All -

Was reading a thread in the LS430 site about a dealer in NY that is generally accepted to not meet up to the standards Lexus has set for its' franchises - in other words, they suck - and was reminded of the site:

http://www.dealerrater.com/reviews/Lexus/

Here you can vent about sales and service - good or bad - re: your local Lexus dealer or simply read about others' experiences with someone you're considering using.

I know, I know, any reviews are extremely subjective and you don't always get the WHOLE story but at least it's a starting point where you can weed out the wheat from the chaff with a little due diligence.

Hope this helps -

Will and the Fur Crew in the OC

ikeb

I bought my car from Westminster Lexus and and had the 1000 mile service done there - getting ready to take the car in for the 6000 mile service. So far, they have been very professional and very good.

I live closer to Newport Lexus, but they are a bunch of arrogant asses.

caha14

I have been looking at DealerRater for some years and have found something interesting... For dealerships that are not "DealerRater Certified", the feedback seems to be some mix of good and bad. The moment they become certified, the feedback becomes almost all positive.

In theory, I guess I could see a dealership putting extra effort into their operations once they become certified, so that customers will give them positive feedback. However, in practice, I don't think this is the case and that bad dealers will change overnight.

More specifically, four of the five dealerships in my area are DR Certified, and I have personally dealt with all four. Three of them are fairly lousy in different areas, mostly sleazy sales personnel, but also mediocre service in some cases, and do not seem to warrant the high scores they get. At one point some years ago before becoming certified, two of these dealerships were even posting fraudulent negative reviews about one another and positive reviews about themselves, and DR even banned one of them for some time.

The feedback I see these days seems to be from legitimate customers, but I personally take it with a grain of salt.

LexBob2

I don't see much value in sites like this and take them with a grain of salt too. Most dealership experiences, good and bad, are very subjective and reviews can be over the top in either direction. Interesting reading maybe but that's about it.

mewhee

>LexBob2 wrote: Interesting reading maybe but that's about it.<

Guess I get a little more out of it than just interesting reading. As an example, when I read a review such as the following re: Larry Miller Lexus of Salt Lake City, think there's more to it than just someone ranting (see review below). Imo, some of the little insights into what to watch out for at a particular dealership before going for sales or service can make a big difference. As Pasteur said: "Chance favors the prepared mind."

"My Review of Larry H Miller Lexus:"
“Horrible service department” took my car in for a basic online change and was told it would take about an hour. I ended up calling the dealership 6 hours later wanting to know when my car would be ready; they said it would be done before they close and to be here before 6:00. After paying my bill I went out to my car which wasn’t washed for an $80.00 oil change you expect your car to be washed. It upset me but wasn’t a big deal, I go to get inside my car and found that they took it out to luch, they had fast food napkins, cups and bags scattered all over my car even the back seat. They even spilled coke in my cup holder and left my car a disaster. I couldn’t believe it I walked inside and demanded to talk to the supervisor who of course had gone home for the day. I told the service agent what had happened and he said sorry, that’s it. He wouldn’t even send anyone out to clean up the mess; I then asked him why my car wasn’t washed. He said it was a busy day, I guess not enough to take my car out to lunch. After I left I noticed that it was still saying on my navigation system that it required service. But wait the story gets worse, once I finally got a hold of the service manager I told him the problem and he told me “that’s weird they normally don’t take cars out for lunch on Saturdays, we usually buy them lunch” no apologize no nothing. Calling Lexus corporate got me know where they told me that each dealership is individually owned and operated and to take my car to Las Vegas for service. The story doesn’t end there after I got my car back I noticed that it was making a weird ticking noise when it started, like someone was tapping on my windows. I was so upset I decided to drive to Provo to the other Larry H. Miller dealership to see in fact if the oil had really been changed and what that ticking was. They treated me like an idiot showing me how clean the oil looked on the dipstick which was there way of saying the oil hand been in fact changed. A day later I got a call saying that I needed to have my engine completely rebuilt at 12K miles. Don’t waste your time or money with Larry H Miller Lexus, once they take your money they stop caring. I was told by my sales agent to take my car in anytime to get a free car wash for the life of the vehicle, they make you wait up to an hour to get it washed. They do this on purpose so you don’t take your car in, even if no one is in line they still make you wait.

caha14

With you here, I worry more about the consistently positive stuff that's written about dealers that happen to be certified by DealerRater but in reality are horrible.

This is quite a review too... Larry H Miller Lexus sounds like quite a dump.

cmasten

depending on where you are in So Cal, I have received excellent service (service and sales) at Crown in Ontario. Donny Sizemore usually takes care of all my sales and service needs and is excellent. I know folks that have not had the same level of service, but I try to get the right people to work with (decision makers) and I am good about setting the expectation (mine!) before they take my car, if there are issues, I would by all means contact lexus corporate and let them know what you really think. I hear more good stories about corporate getting involved and helping than not, firm, fare and friendly will get you far.

mewhee

You've got it !

"firm, fair and friendly will get you far" - an excellent mantra to live by, and not just regarding cars. Having been in the decision maker's seat in years long past elsewhere in the business world, I know how conceding minor points can go a long ways in winning major points. However, there are some customers who just can't be made happy or expect UNREASONABLE concessions. At that point, just as the squeaky wheel gets the oil, if it squeaks too much, get a new wheel

Will and the Fur Crew in the OC