Helms Bros Mercedes

Good dealer to stay away from. I called them to tow my car in because of a low battery warning. They sent an unlicensed ( as I later found out) tow truck company which took my car to their own place overnight, went through a toll with an EZ pass which had no money on it, and since my license plate was picked up by the camera, I got a violation for going through a toll without paying. Neither Helms nor their corporate division will do anything about getting me a letter from the MTA that it was an error and that I was not responsible. They "supposedly" paid the fine but my name is still listed as a scofflaw. Helms passes the buck to corporate and corporate will do nothing. Helms is the one who ordered the tow truck, and they should be willing to fix this. Since other Mercedes places in my area will pick up and deliver your car when service is required and Helms does not, this gives me one more reason to never use Helms again.

Review: Picked up a 2015 Mercedes Benz ML 350 on August **, 2015. For my first 8 days of ownership I had to hand it into service and settle for a loaner car so Helms Bros can fix what should of been fixed. Asked Multiple times during my first 7 days I did not want the vehicle and wanted a different one but was not honored what is labeled on their Certified Pre-Owned section of Helms Bros website. From the beginning of my purchase I felt this place is way to shady for me. Management refuse to call their customers back when they promise they will. I WILL NEVER BUY FROM HELMS BROS AGAIN!!!!!! A big thumbs down to Suzanne C[redacted] and Joh K[redacted], they are the reason I will never return. The management here are very sneaky and untrustworthy.Desired Settlement: As I asked them multiple times during my first 7 days of ownership. I do not feel safe after all the work the vehicle needed. The vehicle was not ready to be sold. I would like them to honor there policy labeled on helmsbros.com, pre-owned section.

Business

Response:

We realize that there will be times when a vehicle needs something attended to soon after delivery. We give this the highest priority and always regret when it occurs. My service management handled the concerns personally. The request to return the vehicle was made after 30 days of ownership- had it been within the 7 day period the request would have been accommodated. [redacted] dealt with every manager in the dealership- we reviewed operational questions as well as took care of the initial service concern. We regret anyone not having the experience we expect and strive to always exceed our clients expectation. Suzanne C[redacted] General Manager

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# [redacted], and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:

[Your Answer Here]

I am not satisfied with the response because as stated previously, I asked multiple times during the first 7 days to change the vehicle. I was concerned about safety. Specifically, I spoke to Lisa C[redacted] and John K[redacted]. John told me that they would see what they could do and then never returned my phone call. I went back. I then was given a meeting with Suzanne C[redacted] who also told me they would see what they could do. She never returned my phone call. When I went in to speak to her again, John K[redacted] and Suzanne C[redacted] were rude and dismissive. This took place on September **, 2015. I picked up the car on August **, 2015. According to my calculation all of these transactions took place before 30 days. So in conclusion, they put me off after my initial request so that they then come back and say my time was up. This complaint was filed before 30 days was up. [redacted]

In order for the Revdex.com to appropriately process your response, you MUST answer the question above.

Sincerely,

Review: I bought my car and the tire went flat leaving the dealer, I bring the car back and the say the tire is defective. Next day new tire drive home tire goes flat (same tire), go back to helms and guess what? Defective tire.They fix it and next day flat tire (same tire) again defective tire. This went on for 6 different days, that I had to take off work to go there and have them run in the same circle. When I got my car the [redacted] and the finance manger sold me a Dupont treatment, I was told it covers crack in the leather ( since I had this problem with my last car I bought it). Now I am told they aren't covered (after I was hustled out of my money) that cracks aren't covered, only stains ( black interior). I speak with [redacted] and his response is how do you remember what you heard a year and 1/2 ago when he doesn't remember what he said yesterday. I explained I will call the Revdex.com and his response was he helped me so much with my tire that KARMA will bite me in the [redacted] My father was with me when I was told about what this Dupont treatment covered and advised me to buy it because of the cracked leather in my last car.Desired Settlement: Or seat fixed.

Business

Response:

I apologize that there was a mis-communication with regards to the DuPont covering the cracked leather seat. I have confirmed with our accessory dept. that they are describing this feature correctly. It is never my desire to never have a client so dis-satisfied with our representation. I have had the leather ordered and we will be paying the charges to have it replaced. I have communicated this [redacted] and this was acceptable with him.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: The experience I have had with my vehicle has been frustrating, exhausting, and quite frankly, a living nightmare. Below I am going to outline all of the issues I have encountered since I purchased my vehicle from Helms Brothers.

I am leasing the Mercedes Benz GL450 from Helms Brothers, which was a ‘loaner’ car. The vehicle was delivered to me with 7,000 miles on it. Since that time, I have experienced several safety issues, which leads me to believe there is a major mechanical issue with this vehicle, putting both me and my family at a high risk for danger.

The nightmare began when I picked up my brand new car. Instead of being excited, I was met with disappointment since the vehicle had not been detailed. I have photos of the car upon my pickup (see attached photos). The car was dirty and unkempt – not something one expects when picking up a new vehicle. I complained to Helms Brothers who apologized and told me to bring the car back so it could be detailed. When I brought the car back, I was notified the car was ‘ready’. I picked up the car only to find the car was filled with papers and there was a razor blade on the dashboard. Again, I took photos (see attached). How incompetent can someone be to leave a razor blade on the dashboard? This horrified me, as I have two small children and could only imagine what could have happened if they had found it.

One week later, I began having problems with the keyless remote on the vehicle. The computer kept telling me it could not detect a key. The key was in the middle console and was running so I had no idea why this would or could be happening. I brought the car back to Helms Brothers again. I have attached a copy of the service order. They checked the car over and claimed they couldn’t find any problems.

A few days later, I began to experience the same problem with an error message about a key not being recognized. Once again, I brought the car back to Helms Brothers and according to the service order, they claim it might be “interference from an outside radio wave source [which] may cause the vehicle to not recognize the keyless go at times.” Are we living on a different planet? I brought the car in several times after this occurrence for the keyless error and Helms Brothers has not been able to detect why this is happening. I have attached copies of all work orders.

In addition to the keyless error, I received other errors on the vehicle such as “safety features not available” and “take a break” notification, which is a new feature on cars indicating you have been driving too long and it might be time for you to rest and take a break. While I find this feature fascinating, I didn’t think I needed a break after driving for fifteen minutes. All of these issues are documented on the attached service orders.

While Helms Brothers was accommodating to me during all of these issues by giving me a loaner vehicle while they serviced my new car, they had the nerve to attempt to charge me to get the loaner vehicle out of the snow. They wanted to charge me $90.00 to get the loaner car out of the snow! I called the manager to complain and they sent someone to remove the car and I was not charged…only after my phone call to the manager.

I wish the problems had stopped there but they hadn’t. I then had to bring the car back into the service department because the plastic covering on the headlight began to melt. They had no explanation as to why this occurred other than it might have been the heat pressure on the lightbulb. They replaced the melted plastic.

Just recently, I was driving the car and the ‘check engine’ light came on. Helms Brothers told me to bring the vehicle in but I had to go to work. How many more electrical issues is it going to take in order for Helms Brothers to recognize there is a major issue with the car? Is it going to take someone getting injured for them to recognize a problem? I am not willing to take that chance.

Besides all of the electronic issues with the car, Helms Brothers was extremely unprofessional. They called me one month after I had the vehicle to claim I forgot to sign some paperwork and asked if I could come by to sign these papers and I did. Then, another month after that, they claimed they didn’t get my signature on some more paperwork and sent someone to my job for me to sign the papers. How is it I drove the car off of their premises without having all paperwork signed?

The mess continues. Helms Brothers not only acted unprofessionally, but they conducted themselves very unethically. I used an older vehicle (Toyota) as a down payment for the Mercedes GL. Mercedes was supposed to take the [redacted] and pay off the outstanding loan, which to my horror, I found out they did not. I found this out when I attempted to use my Platinum American Express card, which got denied. I called [redacted] to find out what the problem was and they told me I missed a payment on my [redacted]! I had already made a payment on the Mercedes and thought the payoff to [redacted] was handled by Helms Brothers. Not only did it affect my [redacted] card, my [redacted] card credit limit was decreased from $25,000 to $500. And of course, my credit rating has been downgraded from 784 to 585. Since then, Helms Brothers has paid [redacted], which I had to confirm on my own however, the damage has been done.

Helms Brothers has ruined my life over the past couple of months. I have been living a nightmare over the service issues, unprofessionalism, and disregard for my credit. I believe there is a major electrical issues with this vehicle, which Helms Brothers is adamantly denying. This is a serious issue because with such an issue, this becomes a hazard to not only my life, but to the lives of my entire family.

It is clearly documented in all of the attached service orders that I have brought this vehicle in several times for servicing. I firmly believe this vehicle should be filed under the Lemon Law and no one should be subjected to having this vehicle be on the road.

In order to resolve this issue fairly, I believe Helms Brothers should take back this hazardous vehicle, return my down payment and return all of the monthly payments I have made against this vehicle. They have caused so much damage to me, both physically and emotionally. Physically, I have had to bring my vehicle in and out of the service department over the past several months, juggling time between work to drop off and pick up the vehicle. Emotionally, they have ruined my credit score, which I take very seriously, and they are putting my family at risk any time I take them in the car.

Business

Response:

[redacted] took delivery of a dealer demonstrator vehicle on 2/**/15. I was not personally involved in the sale or delivery however I have spoken to those that were . I was told that [redacted] was not satisfied with the condition and in fact the car did come back for the detail to be re-done. Upon the vehicle being returned I am told that a car detailer did inadvertently leave a razor blade in the car. We did discipline the individual and agree this should never happen. My manager was involved and extended a gift card to [redacted] for 250.00 as an extension of our apology. This is the history of the services on the vehicle : 2/**/15- Delivery to [redacted] 2/**/15- Miles 7585 Client states that the keyless go feature is not operating and there is a coolant leak.- We replaced the antenna for the keyless go and did not find any coolant leak. 3/**/15- 7930 miles Client again states the keyless go feature is not detecting his key ( he therefore has to manually put the key in to start the car )- Mercedes identifies that intermittently radio wave interference could make it not operate. [redacted] is refunded 650.00 for the cost of the feature. April **- 9587 miles Client states that there is a pre-safe malfunction. The software is updated. July *- miles- 12,715 Client states that right front headlight has melting marks on it. The headlight assembly was replaced. Client stated key was not being detected. Could not duplicate this concern. Client states that the Attention Assist Warning was displayed. We found no codes but did clean the sensor. Client stated that the " take a break" indicator was displayed. We found it to be operating as designed. 8/**- 14,335 miles- Client states check engine light is on. Found that the engine module needed a software update- it was not available so we replaced the engine module. With regards to the payoff of the [redacted] trade I am attaching a copy of both the check as well as the fed ex envelope . Delivery was 2/**/15. The check was cut on 3/*/15 and [redacted] to them the same day. The payoff was due on 2/**/15. I have been unable to confirm with [redacted] that any credit blemish occurred for the delay. Receiving this notice was the first time I had heard of this credit problem and I have had numerous conversations with [redacted]. I recently spoke to [redacted] as this was the first time I was made aware of this credit problem- he told me he had straightened it out with [redacted] already and no further involvement was necessary. [redacted] has made it clear that he wants a different vehicle. I have worked with Mercedes Benz on 2 occasions now and made an offer to take this car back and replace with an ML350 as per his request ( not the GL450 he is currently leasing) We have offered pricing with major concessions on both Mercedes and Helms Bros. part. Neither of those offers were acceptable. It is our goal to accommodate all reasonable solutions when a client is unhappy for any reason. The lease obligations as well as Mercedes not agreeing with his above stated concerns being safety related have not dismissed our ability to make 2 different offers. The details surrounding the option of taking the vehicle back, disregarded the lease contractual obligation and ignoring the 7000 miles driven has been made to [redacted]. We remain open to any dialogue that provides a fair solution to all

Review: My 2012 ML Mercedes Benz broke down on Friday, July[redacted] 2013. It was towed to Helms Bros. Inc on Saturday, July **, 2013. No one contacted me to let me know they received my car. I had to reach out to Mercedes Benz several times. On saturnday, I was told by a receptionist that all service reps are busy now and someone will get back to me. No one called me back all weekend. I called the service department on Monday morning. I was transferred to a service rep by the name of, [redacted]. He was not compassionate. He did not say sorry about my vehicle breaking down, he only asked me what was wrong with my car and attempted to rush me off the phone and told me he received the car and he will call me back at 4 pm that day. Before hanging up, I asked about a loaner vehicle and he said he can't make any promises and he highly doubts that I will be able to get one. After speaking to him, I was not happy and I immediately called to speak to a manager. The receptionsit put me on hold. When she returned to the line she explained that there was no manager on site but she was able to reach a manager through nextel and he said he would not be able to speak to me. I was not happy with that answer and I told the receptionist that was inappropriate and she said she would try again. She put me on hold and transferred me to a voicemail. I left a message requesting a call back. After an hour, a manager named [redacted] called me back. His tone was harsh at first and then the phone was dead silent. I said hello again and then I asked him if he was okay. He said he was fine. I proceeded to explain that I need a loaner car to get to work and that I have been without a car for three days. He asked what was wrong with the car. I tried to explain again what was wrong with my car but I am no expert. I thought he should know what was wrong. He told me that they do not have any loaner cars and said he would call me back later. He called back 5 hours later to tell me they are waiting for a part and hopefully my car will be fixed tomorrow. I called Mercedes Benz corporate office and they said that I called the right place; however, there is nothing they can do but file the complaint.Desired Settlement: In the future, I would like to receive loaner cars if my car is being serviced or if my car breaks down. If not, I would like my car to be taken to a dealer that has loaner cars to be serviced or fixed. I would like to also talk to trained professionals, not what appears to be uncompassionate, negative, pessimistic unhappy employees that rush customers off the phone or deny to speak to customers. I would like to hear that someone is trying their best to solve the problem, especially when the problem is caused by poor managment of loaner cars which is no fault of mine. I should have recieved the proper treatment and I should have received a loaner car or had the option of taking my vehicle to another dealer. I have been a loyal Mercedes Benz customer for well over 15 years. I have always done business with Helms Bros; however never have I been treated like this. These employees need to be trianed better or fired.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me and the matter has been resolved.

Sincerely,

Review: I brought my car into this shop because of a jerking and grinding sound, which made my vehicle difficult to operate and a warning message for a gas cap. I also added that I wanted a NYS inspection. I received a call later from the service provider saying "I can not put an inspection on this car!" There's no way, he said. After a long pause I asked "are you saying it can't be repaired? He said "anything can be fixed on that car. He mentioned that I needed all new tires (and told me that he took pictures of them because they were so bad) and that I needed a new battery and a brand new driver- side rearview mirror at $500, because my old one was "distorted" .... I could see fine out of my mirror. I mentioned my initial problem, again, the grinding and jerking of my transmission and he said it was tested and there said were no codes and he reset things and I shouldn't have a problem anymore. He also gave me a list of things to "watch" and to have repaired ASAP ... I paid approximately $2100 for the tires, battery and the mirror, and the next day, while driving my little girl to school, my car was jerking grinding and the warning lights were back again. I received a customer service called that night and I shared my experience. I was advised to bring the car in again. I did that very next morning. I waited for 3 hours to meet with the same service gentleman and was told that "I don't know" exactly what the problem is there are "no codes" . I was advised to perform trial and error ... or to repair all the things listed to see which one would fix the problem. I told him that I had a similar issue before and that a "Transmission Reset Adaptation" was performed and it fixed the problem at another dealer. He responded that "there are no computer updates available for your car" and that your looking for some "magical button" that's not going to work here. I was just looking for some answers via computer diagnostic that I paid for a professional service provider to discern the problem with some certainty. The service response here has been consistently ambiguous on more than one occasion. I still have a vehicle with the same issue and no reason as to why after taking my car to Mercedes Benz Service Professionals ... specializing in the car. I am disappointed at the negligence. Customers trust that the dealership service is knowledgeable. The responses were and ambiguous. I continued to drive my car because the service provider said "we tested it and its fine" yet the same issue persisted. My car was purchased and has been regularly maintained at Helms Brothers Mercedes. I am disappointed in the ambiguousness and the time loss dealing with this. My car is still jerking and grinding!Desired Settlement: I would like my vehicle repaired, as originally requested, at their expense. I would like a loaner car during the repair to avoid any further inconvenience at this time.

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Helms Bros Mercedes regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Consumer

Response:

At this time, I have not been contacted by Helms Bros Mercedes regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Sincerely,

Please!!! Please!!!! Do yourselves a favor. Do NOT purchase vehicle from this dealer. They do NOT treat customers right. I leased 2015 S 63 and was promised IN WRITING either S or GL Class as a loaner when my car comes for service. BIG MISTAKE!!!! Dealership i.e. SUSAN manager/owner is not authorizing release of these loaners. I was twice given her PERSONAL S Class for a loaner. 3rd time loaner was needed, Susan (whatever her last name is) did not want to honor conteactual obligations HELMS BROS took upon themselves. I am only allowed C Class at this point. Please note, I am 6'4" , C Class is too small. Empty promises made just to make a sale.

Technically, HELMS BROS is in breach of contract and I do have valud cause of action. I want take any further action besides advising potential customers of my VERY UNPLEASANT Experience with the dealership.