Russ Darrow Group

To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this letter to express my extreme and uttermost disappointment and dissatisfaction with Russ Darrow Mazda. My issue is not with the sales person (Mike) it is with the dealership itself. The sales manager suggested he let the sales person go, which really upset me. He is not the one to blame for my horrible experience with Russ Darrow.
I test drove a white Mazda 5 and fell in love with it but not the color. What sold me was the Bluetooth built into the steering wheel. Since I did not like the color the sales person showed me the same model in a red color; which I did like. I emphasized my extreme desire to purchase a vehicle with the Bluetooth. So when he suggested the red model I did not even feel the need to test drive it since it was supposed to be exactly like the white model I had just test drove.
We got all the paperwork done, I went to jump into my awesome new car only to find there was no bluetooth. I went back to the dealership and told the sales person about the missing Bluetooth. The sales person said "I am sorry I thought this was the one you wanted" then he said he would see what he could do.
He spoke to the sales manager Scott who said he would "make it all good" I made sure to ask if the Bluetooth they were going to install was just like the first one from factory. Mike said yes. Scott wrote up an IOU for a hands free Bluetooth 108011 and told me to bring my car in on Monday October 24th. I dropped it off like they asked me to, then on the 26th I called to inquire on the status of my vehicle. I was told they were waiting on a part. I finally received a message on Saturday the 29th saying my car was ready to be picked up.
I went to pick up my car and to my surprise there was no Bluetooth in the car. There was a small box the size of a cell phone clipped to the visor with a cord coming out of it that was plugged into the lighter outlet. I thought to myself "it took them five days to get this plugged in?" I could not believe it took five days to get a $30 portable Motorola Bluetooth installed. I tried to use it and could not get it to work even one of the sales people or technicians could not figure out how to use it. Their explanation as to why I was given this portable device was that the vehicle I was given was not equipped to have the Bluetooth installed.
I told them to call me when they figure out how to work it and left the dealership in tears, and without a Bluetooth.
After many calls and speaking to different people I was finally put in contact with George the general manager. He contacted me and said he would try to make things better and suggested I come in and see him on Monday October 31st.

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I came in to see George like he asked me to, he offered to "trade me out" because he wanted to make things better. I felt a sigh of relief because I thought he was going to give me what I originally wanted. He found a vehicle which was exactly what I wanted but that was $1000 more expensive than the one I purchased but I was more than willing to pay a little extra to get what-1 wanted.
When it came down to it they were not actually helping me out or making up for their mistake. They were taking my new car in as a used car trade in. In which I was not only losing almost $4000 from the price I paid for my new car just a few days ago but I was also losing the 7 year bumper to bumper warranty that I paid almost $3000 for. So after all was said and done I was getting the vehicle I had asked for to begin with but it was now costing me over $7000 more. I don't see how this was in any way my fault and why I should have to pay for someone else's mistake. When I asked why I was not allowed to back out of the contract or why I couldn't have switched the car the same day 1 purchased it George said that the associates who were working were not aware that they could and if he had been there he would have switched the vehicles so I could get the one I was supposed to get.
I did not take the so called "deal". His other offer was to give me a $500 bluetooth for free and refund me all of my add-ons. The only logical option for me was to take the free Bluetooth and my refund.
My husband, daughter and I have spent nearly $100, 000 between the three of us purchasing new or used vehicles from Russ Darrow. Most of which was paid in cash. I cannot believe this is how Russ Darrow treats repeat and loyal customers. I do not feel as though what I was asking for was unreasonable. I was more than willing to pay a little extra even though it was not my mistake. I was not asking for anything for free, I only wanted what I had originally asked for and what I was under the impression I was buying to begin with. But $7000 is extreme and outrageous. I feel deceived and taken advantage of.
I will never recommend Russ Darrow to anyone when they are looking for a vehicle.

•Their sales practices are unethical

•Their Mechanics are not properly trained, they have little knowledge and are being allowed to work unsupervised on your vehicles critical components.

•Not only will they damage your vehicle, they will do everything they can to treat this as a preexisting condition. They will ship your evidence out without your knowing/consent to conceal their negligence.

•Their work orders (critical documentation which will show their findings and repairs) if you request them will be denied. They will say that they:

1.got misplaced

2.are no longer available

**The Law says they have to file these for 2 years – it is now 4 months and I have nothing**

Tip involving warranty claims

•Ensure you understand your options.

We were never informed our Warranty would pay the entire costs of the parts and labor and we got nailed with an unnecessary $700.00 bill!

ALWAYS contact your Warranty when in doubt.

Russ Darrow Mazda is so corrupt – they tried to pressure my husband and I selling our vehicle to them – a $7000.00 balance where they could have easily replaced our part for $2500 or less... They even offered us a bogus deal – they wanted to replace our pump however – they were not giving us any guarantees... Nice eh?

Russ Darrow Corporate Office Menomonee Falls, WI

This office is a joke! They don't know how to value a customer...

Dottie Feest whose the CEO of this company took our complaint and told us she would be there for their people.. (Why would you want to tell your customer that?)

She promised to call and we would have to call her back ourselves... (Very unprofessional) She was very incapable of handling our complaint; maybe it was due to the whole circumstances involved..? It got to a point where I had to keep everything documented – this is how ridiculous the people I was dealing with were...

Our vehicle went in with 1 problem and came out with another 2 issues – 2 of them which could have been fatal! A very well trained certified mechanic will tell you that our damages was caused by Russ Darrow Mazda. On the repairs our vehicle underwent – they would have known the bolts to our frame needed to be torqued properly and that our tie rods needed to connected. Does it make sense for our vehicle to leave their shop and have to go back another 2 times? This was purposely done!

I even requested to speak with the president of the company and he hid like a coward. Never did my husband and I get an apology nor a Thank you for have been so patient with this whole situation.

It's absurd how I had to use a week of my personal vacation because I did not want to compromise my employment; something I had plans to save for a family trip...

And people – BEWARE on the Verbal agreements. This is how my husband and I got nailed. Your best bet is to have everything done in writing; know your rights and options as a consumer... My husband and I were a faithful customer and did them a favor – in return – we got kicked in the rear.

In the end, our vehicle is now drivable after a long tormenting month where our vehicle sat to rot at Russ Darrow's Mazda's shop...