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Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick

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Reviews Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick

Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick Reviews (2)

Review: I own a 2006 [redacted] which I purchased from Winegardner in 2006. The staff was very helpful, very friendly. I had an issue with my sunroof leaking, and I had to bring it to the dealership 3 or 4 times to correct. All covered under warranty of course. I wasn't happy about having to bring it back numerous times, but eventually the problem was resolved and the staff, again, was helpful.

Tuesday, January 13, 2014, I brought my car back to Winegardner because I had a leak somewhere. I was unsure if it was the sunroof again. I droped my car off at 8:30/9:00am. I called at 1:30pm to find out if they had looked at it yet. The gentleman I spoke with said they just finished, and it'd be $145. I asked, "ok, for what"? He responded, "to fix it". I asked, "to fx what? What did you find? What is the problem"? He replied, "the sunroof; the drainage". I asked, "what about the drainage? What was wrong"? After several minutes of pulling teeth to retrieve information from this man, which he could not provide, I finally said, "ok, go ahead and fix it. How long will it take, when can I pick it up"? He said an hour and a half, and I could pick it up that evening.

Tuesday evening, around 5:15/5:30pm I arrived to pick up my vehicle. I asked the gentleman, whom I spoke with over the phone, a few more questions about the repair and any associated warranty. I didn't get much information from him, again. He was very short with me and didn't seem to know anything about the service I was provided. A contractor had completed the job on behalf of Winegardner. I was informed of a one year warranty on the job though. Customer Care Specialist, [redacted], retrieved my invoice and proceeded to check me out. She mentioned to me that she thought it was unusual for the man to not answer me or offer any additional information. She offered to speak with the manager on my behalf to find some answers for me, which I appreciated. It took about 15 minutes for a member of the staff to bring my car around to the front of the buliding. I walked out to check out the repair. When I opened the passenger door, I look at the foot board and noticed water. I mentioned to [redacted] that that was odd. Is it still leaking? Or is it just wet? (We had rain that evening). Then I noticed a shop rag left on the floor of the backseat. I thought that was odd too, but no big deal. They forgot a rag. When I reached down to pick up the rag and hand it to [redacted], I felt how wet my floor was. I asked [redacted], "should this still be wet? Wouldn't they have dried my carpet as part of the job? How do they know the leak is fixed if the floor is still wet?" She said that wasn't very acceptable and proceeded to find some more shop rags to help dampen up the water. Before she stepped away I said, "ok, this is irritating, they folded up my floor mats and left them on my backseat". They really didn't clean up after themselves". I reached in and grabbed the mats to place them back on the floor, but they too were soaking wet, and dirty. Now my backseat is soaked and dirty. That's when I stepped back and said, "ok, now I'm upset. This is compeltelu unacceptable service. I'm not leaving until someone cleans this up. You can't return my car to me like this after I paid for a service". [redacted] agreed and took me inside.

She offered me a rental car free of charge so I could get home for the evening. (I left around 6pm). She said she would turn this over to the general manager in the morning. My car was not put through a quality control inspection as all cars are supposed to go through after service. I agreed, and thanked her for her help. She called me in the morning (Wednesday January 14) and said they were cleaning my car and drying the floor. She said she or the GM would call me when they were through. She called me later in the afternoon and asked if they could go ahead and keep my car overnight. They wanted to keep it in their heated and enclosed bay garage to continue to dry overnight. I agreed that would be fine. I'd rather get my car back completely dry to ensure the leak hasn't returned.

I returned to Winegardner Thursday morning about 9am. I asked to speak with the GM, [redacted], to let him know what happened and that I wasn't happy about the condition of my car after service. He apologized. I asked him more questions about the repair to understand the problem. He did not have any information, and he had not even looked at my paperwork. That frustrated me, as he is the GM and knew I was coming in with questions and concerns. I asked for the contact information of the contractor who completed the job then so I could get some answers, which he relunctly provided. I asked again about the 1 year warranty since my invoice did not have that printed anywhere. He said they don't offer warranties. I told him that his colleague said they did. He retrieved my paperwork and found where the contractor offered a 1 year warranty for his work. and he gave me the carbon copy of that invoice. He still didn't think there should be a warranty though. I asked the GM if my car was cleaned up or detailed for my trouble, and he said, "detailed, no, but we cleaned it". I said, "ok, no problem, let me just see it". A staff member brought my car around. I looked around and all looked clean and nice. I accepted the clean up they did, but noticed an error message on my CD player. I thought, "that's not right. I didn't have any CDs in the car". I tried turning the stereo on and off and hitting eject and load to clear the message. That did not work. I had a CD in my purse, so I tried to insert it. I could not. It was blocked. I returned to the service department and told the GM that the car looked nice, but there is an error message on my CD player, "CD Changer Error". He went out to look at it, and said there was nothing he could do. I said, "I did not have this message when I brought my car in. Somebody here did something. I'd like this addressed". He said he'd have to send my stereo out to find out what was wrong, and it'd be my cost, not Winegardner. I said, "no, this is your problem. I didn't do this". He would not help me. I was expected to just leave.

I went in to talk to [redacted] and return the keys to my rental. I was choked up and told her I was not happy and that someone messed up my CD player and the GM won't address it. I said this was the worst customer service I have ever experienced, and I did not know what I was supposed to do at this point. The GM came up behind me and interjected, "I've done all I can for you. I put you in a rental and had your car cleaned". I said, "no, [redacted] put me in a rental because your staff left my car a mess and did not conduct a quality control inspection. You had no choice but to send me home and correct your mistake". I also informed the staff that I was interested in purchasing a new vehicle soon, but that I would not return to Winegardner to do so. As I left I restated that this was the worst customer service and that the GM was neither friendly nor helpful. He raised his voice and repeated that he did all he could with the rental and clean up. I told him not to argue with me, that's not how you treat your customers, and that I was leaving. I left.

I did some research about the error message. with no luck. I took my car to [redacted] to take a look at my CD problem. They spent an hour researching the issue/error message and were able to pull off my dash panel and reset the whole stereo system. They said my battery must have died while running with keys in the ignition, and that's what caused the error message. They charged me $45 to fix it for me. Thankfully it was a pretty easy and quick fix. I do not undersand why no one at Winegardner would take a moment to do this for me. It's a factory stereo. They wanted nothing to do with me or my business and sent me on my way.

I am filing this complaint because I have never been treated so poorly before. A General Manager is supposed to help solve customer problems and be helpful. This man, [redacted], made my siutation worse. He did not want to provide any information or any assistance. His Customer Care Specialist, [redacted], did all the leg work. The GM was just rude and dismissive and then argumentative. I am a customer who just had service done to my car in his establishment. I wanted some information about the job performed. That's not asking too much. He didn't want anything to do with that.Desired Settlement: I'd like Winegardner to pay for the service [redacted] performed to fix my CD player. Winegardner let my battery die and cause the error on my CD player. I'd also like a verbal and written apology from the GM for his poor customer service and rude behavior. It was extremely unacceptable.

Business

Response:

February 3, 2014

Attn: [redacted]

Reference your letter dated January 27, 2014. **. [redacted]'s vehicle was returned to her in an unacceptable condition. I was not present at the time but empower my employees to do the right thing which is why [redacted] had the ability to place **. [redacted] in a rental and arrange to have the vehicle cleaned and kept an additional night so that it could dry out as best as possible. As I returned from an early morning meeting [redacted] introduced **. [redacted] to me and **. [redacted] immediately started asking me questions that! did not have the answers to. I retrieved the repair order so that I would have the correct answers and immediately gave her a copy of the attached sublet invoice.

I can’t tel! you how many times I apologized for the entire situation but I remember being told my apology would not do. I received an email informing me of the repair cost of $47.70 for the radio and requested a copy of the invoice so that I could process her reimbursement. I received the invoice by email this morning which I will attached along with my request for the invoice.

I apologized in person and once again in my email response. I will make sure **. [redacted] receives her reimbursement.

Sincerely,

Review: Primary Issue:

I purchased a vehicle with my girlfriend ([redacted]) from Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick in working condition. The vehicle was then prepared for release and when the remote key was handed to us two hours later, it no longer worked with the vehicle. We were then informed that there was no spare key, but was reassured that it would be as simple as fixing the battery. I asked them to fix it and they told me it was a Volvo and needed to be taken to a Volvo dealer. They would not offer to reimburse me for the repairs. After stopping by multiple times and speaking with many managers, they have given me partial reimbursement. I am seeking full reimbursement for the repairs needed to restore my vehicle to the condition I bought it in. If possible, I would like a spare key also because it should have been mentioned to me considering I told them there was a new and/or multiple drivers involved.

Full Background:

On 6/12/2013, at around 11:30 AM, [redacted] and I arrived at Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick to look at purchasing a vehicle. We were greeted by a saleswoman named [redacted]. After looking at a nice Honda Accord that was out of our price range, I informed her that we were buying [redacted]'s first car and we were looking to buy a safe and reliable vehicle (as she is a new driver). [redacted] told us that she has the perfect vehicle for us, which was a 2008 Volvo S40 2.4i with 60,019 miles on it. She also said that it literally just came in, and she would have to talk to the manager first to get a standing price for it. Shortly after, she came back excited to tell us that the price was $12,900. We told her that it was a little out of our price range (and the car had a good amount of small dents/scratches on it), so we would have to think about it together for a bit. She then told us that it was a great deal, and there was a man internally that wanted to buy it for his daughter. This started to pressure us, and she went on to say that the manager also "blurted out" the price thinking it was a 2006 Volvo rather than a 2008, so I was getting an incredible deal. With my girlfriend loving the vehicle (her first car buying experience, and it's a European car and she's from Europe), I went out on a limb and said that we are interested in buying it if the test drive goes well.

[redacted] was ecstatic for us, and readied the car for a test drive. When she put the key in my hand, I unlocked and locked all of the doors because the remote itself looked a little worn and abused. It still worked great and the buttons weren't too hard to press or anything, but I was hoping the spare key would be in better shape. After getting inside the car, I noticed a bunch of dents on the aluminum panels, but I knew that would only really matter to me. I then took the car for a test drive with [redacted] and [redacted] in it. Everything worked fine, the AC blasted, steering and suspension was tight, alignment was great, and the leather seats were comfortable. When we finished, I told her that we'll go through with buying the car.

After [redacted] heard this, she started getting the paperwork ready. When we sat down at her desk, she put the number $12,999 as the sale price. I didn't say anything because I felt pressured that I'd ruin the sale because I should have clarified the price earlier when she said "twelve thousand nine hundred." Plus, she turned at that exact moment and said "there's the guy that was going to buy the car for his daughter" like it was a race. I didn't like this at all, it made me feel sick. Moving on, she circled the price and told me that there would be additional "inspection fees", since the car never went through any preparations for sale since it just arrived. I said ok, but told her I was firm on the price range because I was already at my limit. She said no problem, and that it shouldn't be much if anything because it's a new car. I also asked her if the car would be cleaned the same way as when they put cars out on their lot, which she told me "yes." After the technician checked the car, she reported back to me that it would be "around" $150 for new rear brakes. Once again, she said it's a great price to get it fixed since it would be "at-dealer-cost" since I'm buying the car from them. I told her that was fine and that I was going to lunch in the meanwhile since my stomach was feeling uneasy. She told me ok, and that it would be ready to buy when I got back in an hour.

While I was at lunch, I checked other dealers and the blue book value for the vehicle. It seemed I was paying fair price for the vehicle, and definitely not anything amazing. The KBB value for the vehicle (suggested retail) in assumed "Excellent" condition from a dealer was/is $13,473. Also, dealers 25-100 miles away were selling them for the same price in better condition, with around the same mileage. I figured it'd be better to buy it local though, even if it has a few extra dings and scratches. Plus we really liked the color.

We returned to the dealership and found that they had added an additional $150 to the service fees for some reason, but [redacted] said that it was the lowest they'd go and I was lucky. The final price was $13,330 (without the $200 dealer fee), which we ended up purchasing the car for. With my good credit and co-buyer [redacted], we were able to get a good loan and put $1,200 down on the vehicle. We were then told that we needed to wait an hour or two for the car to be finished inspected/cleaned. [redacted] also said that their detailer currently there isn't very good so I may have to make it a "weekend project" sometime. At this point, I just kept my spirits up, and we went home to wait and grab my checkbook so I could write them the down-payment they needed.

After returning to the dealership again, the car was out on the lot and ready to be taken home. I noticed that the detail job was horrible though, the wheel wells were dirty, rims still rusted/tainted orange like they had never been cleaned, and wax wiped over top of dirty spots on the edges of the car. Putting that aside, I went ahead and headed inside to get the keys from [redacted]. I was still happy to be getting a vehicle with my girlfriend that she loved to drive. [redacted] handed me the keys and said that she was happy for us. I smiled and pressed the button to unlock the vehicle, and it didn't work... I turned to her and said that it wasn't working, and she said "oh, it just needs a need battery, they aren't hard to get." I was hoping she was resolve this for me, but she said the batteries only cost like $5.00, so I felt it wasn't worth the stress... I simply asked for the spare key. She then told me to give her a second to check on the spare key. When she returned, she said they would have to check with the lady who traded in the vehicle. So I manually unlocked the car with the mechanical key and was welcomed by an incredibly loud alarm that doesn't shut off until the car starts. Being a long day, I called it quits and wished her a good day.

Over the next two weeks, I stopped by the dealer ship almost every other day to see if they heard about the spare key and if they had a battery for the remote. Every time I stopped in, it was as if they had never heard of it before and needed to look into it again. They knew it was me though because my alarm would go off every time I left. I never saw [redacted] there, and the other salesmen or managers would tell me they'd get back to me and/or to go to a Volvo dealer. I also asked at one point if they had the Drivers Manual for the car, and they told me I can just as easily "download it." Which I tried already, but it is hard to find. Going back the fifth time, they finally told me that they didn't have anything for me, and the lady that traded it in didn't have it. So I asked if they could help me get a spare key (thinking I could at least get a discount) and they told me to go to the Volvo dealer again.

On 6/24 I took a road trip with [redacted] to the nearest Volvo dealer, which was an hour away. They wanted $14 for the battery but were compassionate with my experience and gave me it for $7. After putting the new battery in the key remote, it didn't work. I tried everything to make sure it was installed properly, without messing with the remote too much, and concluded that the remote or the car needed fixing (which I was already worried about). I then called Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick and made arrangements for them to look at the key with the new battery. They told me that they would look at the key anytime but that I really needed to take it to a Volvo dealer.

On 6/29, [redacted] and I went to Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick, and when we walked in the service department they did not know we were coming, and were utterly confused. After checking with the entire staff, they decided to take a look at my key remote. They tested it with a utility that measured the signals of the device, and found that it was sending the proper signals. So I had them test it with the original battery to conclude that it was not the battery that was the problem as they had told us... and the original battery was perfectly fine and passed the signal test also. I asked them what the next steps were, which they told me to take it to a Volvo dealer because they don't handle it. So I called a few Volvo Dealers and they all told me that at the least, the remote needs to be reprogrammed for $120 + additional taxes/fees. I ended up passing by [redacted] (the saleswoman who sold the vehicle to me), who awkwardly greeted me by saying I was a "sexy beast," and informed her of my trouble. She said that there was nothing more that they could do. After being more persistent with her, she said that it was no problem, and that she would just call [redacted] Volvo and pretend I was her niece or nephew or something and get a discounted service price. I asked when I would hear an update from her, and she said by the end of the day. I never received any calls from her or Winegarnder.

On 6/30, I called and spoke with [redacted] (the Sales Manager), giving a full run-down of the problem and the current expenses. He said he would check with everyone there and come back to the phone. When he came back, he told me that "everyone said it wasn't working", and he would credit me for up to $150 for the key remote reprogramming and other small fees. I told him thank you and proceeded to make an appointment with [redacted] in [redacted], VA.

On 7/11, [redacted] and I made another road trip to the Volvo Dealership and put the car in for service. They came back with a bill for $123.10 for diagnostics of the real cause, which was a dead receiver unit in the headlining of the car. They gave a firm and concise written estimate of $366.00 + tax and shop supplies to fix the problem. And also said that there were other electrical issues that did not look very good with the vehicle. I then contacted [redacted] from Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick again. He was not sensitive to the situation and argued with me and stated that they will not cover the repairs. He then added that I can speak with one of the General Managers ([redacted] and/or [redacted]) when they get in tomorrow.

On 7/12, I reached out to Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick again and asked for [redacted] and/or [redacted]. I was put on the line with [redacted] and gave him all the information on the situation. He told me that I was lucky to have been getting the $150 that [redacted] had already promised. And asked if I was "doing all this" "just to get this repair done," as though it did not matter to him. I told him that I am reaching out to restore the vehicle to the condition agreed upon purchase, before it even left his car lot. He told me that I'm not getting any more than that, because he would have added any other expenditures to the sale price of my vehicle. I don’t understand how the repair costs are fair towards the vehicle’s true value. Even though he claimed that “he doesn’t care what anyone says because you got an amazing deal on the car.” My response was that I paid a fair price for the vehicle and nothing more. Regardless of this, I asked if I could bring in the invoice for the $123.10 with the written estimate of $366.00 to get the $150. He told me yes, anytime… and that they will cut me a check for it when I am there.

On 7/16, I brought by the invoice to Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick and gave it to his staff. A random accountant told me the check could be cut for me sometime in the next few days. I told him that I thought it would be cut for me then, and if it couldn't then to at least send me it in the mail so I don't have to stop by again. I told him to highlight the $366 estimate to make sure they give $150 and not just the $123.10. He said he doesn't need to highlight it, and they know it's for $150.

On 7/20, I received the check in the mail and it was for $123.10. I called the Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick again and [redacted] (the other General Manager) answered. He told me that the invoice said $123.10 so that's what I'm getting. I told him that [redacted] had told me I would get $150 if I also brought the written estimate for $366.00 along. He told me I was wrong and he was "standing right next to him" when the conversation happened. This really stressed me out, because I felt they were making me run all over the place. He said that he won't reimburse me for something I haven't paid for yet. So I asked him is it really fair for me to have to come back for the additional $26.90. He blatantly, mockingly told me that when I get the next invoice, I can come in. I told him calmly that I wasn't going to let this ruin my weekend, to have a nice weekend, and I will figure it out later.

I am now reaching out for help with the Revdex.com because I feel this is bad practice and also wish for no one else to go through the same experiences that we have with Winegardner GMC Buick of Prince Frederick.

Thank you [redacted]Desired Settlement: I would like for my vehicle to be repaired to the condition that the vehicle was advertised to me upon purchase.

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Assuming I am speaking to [redacted] (who previously represented

himself as the Sales Manager):

The original invoice for $123.10 states the following:

“CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE REMOTE IS NOT WORKING. TECH FAULT TRACED CODES FOR FAULTY REMOTE

RECEIVER. EST $366.00 PLUS TAX AND SHOP SUPPLIES. PART HAS TO BE SPECIAL ORDERED. CUSTOMER WAS

ADVISED. THERE ARE SEVEREAL FAULT CODES

IN THE SYSTEM. THAT ARE NOT CURRENTLY

PRESENT.”

Per your direction, I have finished repair of the vehicle at

a Volvo Dealership (Don Beyer Volvo of Alexandria). Previously, as stated in the original invoice

that was supplied to you, they deemed that further diagnostics needed to be

completed in order to attempt the appropriate repairs. After taking the vehicle back to them on 8/6

and awaiting the special order of the necessary part, they completed repairs

with the following invoice of $361.37 and message:

“REMOTE IS NOT WORKING. SEE PREVIOUS DIAGNOSIS. REMOTE IS

FAULTY. REPLACED AND REMOTE PROGRAMMED.”

I thank you for paying the initial invoice of $123.10. I am now sending the final invoice of $361.37

(attached and via usps to your attention) in anticipation that you will honor the repair of

the remote key. The total repair bill

for the key was $484.37.

Regards,

Consumer

Response:

[To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed Administratively Resolved]

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

When we purchased the vehicle the remote key was working. Before we drove the vehicle off the lot, the key stopped working. We immediately brought it to your attention and your representative told us it was a $5 battery issue. As already stated in my complaint, it wasn't. I never agreed to a settlement of $150. This is clearly not a warranty issue.

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Description: Auto Dealers - Used Cars

Address: 935 Solomons Island Road North, Prince Frederick, Maryland, United States, 20678

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