Langan Volkswagen Meriden

Bought a [redacted] car from them in late OctoberA little over months later and under miles the car experienced a rear end failure which brought the car to a stop while drivingWhen I brought back to dealership I was told there was outside influence and it would not be covered under warrantyAfter consulting and hiring an independent insurance appraisal rep because after talking with my insurance company rep it was not a case for a valid insurance claim because it sounded like a mechanical problem being that no object could be identified that hit the carThe independent rep agreed and surveyed the car and found no conclusive evidence of outside influenceThe dealership would still not cover the fix under warrantyThis is now weeks into the processI decided to pay to have the car towed to another vw dealership and they did there own inspection along with listening to my observation that the cars rear end locked up while drivingdays later my car is fixed under warranty by other vw dealership as it should have beenLangan service actually changed me also for there diagnosis

Bought a [redacted] car from them in late October. A little over 2 months later and under 1500 miles the car experienced a rear end failure which brought the car to a stop while driving. When I brought back to dealership I was told there was outside influence and it would not be covered under warranty. After consulting and hiring an independent insurance appraisal rep because after talking with my insurance company rep it was not a case for a valid insurance claim because it sounded like a mechanical problem being that no object could be identified that hit the car. The independent rep agreed and surveyed the car and found no conclusive evidence of outside influence. The dealership would still not cover the fix under warranty. This is now 2 weeks into the process. I decided to pay to have the car towed to another vw dealership and they did there own inspection along with listening to my observation that the cars rear end locked up while driving. 2 days later my car is fixed under warranty by other vw dealership as it should have been. Langan service actually changed me also for there diagnosis.

Review: Recently I was in the market for a used car. I had put a deposit down at a diffrent dealership on a car that I had liked and then found out that it had some mechanical issues so I tabled that deal and went to Langan VW across the street to see what they had. My dad and I talked to one of the salesmen named [redacted] about a car and test drove one we liked. We then went inside to discuss terms and such. We explained what had happened across the street and that we were concerned we may not get our deposit back and overall didn't feel confident in the other dealership since they were trying to sell me a broken car. Here is were my complaint is. [redacted] told us to our face that we "don't have to worry about that here we will definitely give your deposit back." We felt cponfident at that point and laid down a $100 deposit on this one to reserve it until we made the final decision. Long story short we ended up closing on the the other car not from Langan VW and when we came back to Langan to get our promised deposit back, we were told that they don't refund deposits! We were point blank told that we would be refunded and now they are denying it! When we talked to them again afterwards they said they might be able to do a service credit but I still havent herd anything about it! I dont wan this to be the end of the relationship between Langan VW and I. I would like to be able to have my car services at there shops but would not be able too as long as I feel betrayed by them.

Desired Settlement: DesiredSettlementID: Refund

I want my deposit back. It may only be $100 but for a 18 year old making $35K a year I cant afford to give away $100 to a dealership. Like I stated in my complaint I would like to use Langan in the future for service and possibly new car(s) in the future but wont be able to if this matter isnt resolved.

Business

Response:

Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2013/07/15) */

We're sorry we didn't get to earn the customers business in regards to his purchasing our 2010 Jetta. We strongly disagree with his statement and the the way the events unfolded. He and his Dad purchased our vehicle on Saturday June 29th. A Non-refundablre deposit was left as a binder to purchase our 2010 Jetta. On our Purchase order, it clearly states.."No Refund of Deposit". The customer, and his Dad, signed the business agreement with no statement regarding a refund of deposit. We are not in the business to hold vehicles on what if scenarios...this was clearly expressed before they signed the legal contract. The customer actually called salesman [redacted] later that day, to even confirm what they already consimated earlier that day.

On Monday, July 1st, [redacted] called and notified(via message)the customer that the vehicle was all set, and ready to be picked up. We never heard back from the customer until Wednesday, July 3rd. He stated he was buying another vehicle and no longer wished to purchase our vehicle. Even though he and his Dad signed a legal contract to purchase our vehicle, they decided to purchase another vehicle.

We strongly disagree with the the customer and are not giving his deposit to purchase our vehicle back to him. We are happy to provide the legal contract that clearly states what we have described. The customers unfortunately tried to hold our vehicle while he searched around for another car. That's why we take non-refundable deposits...they are commitments to purchase.

Again we're sorry it didn't work out, but the customers version of this transaction is not true. Respectfully [redacted] Sales Manager Langan VW Meriden

Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2013/07/16) */

(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT ACCEPT the response from the business.)

I do not accept because we were told outright that they would refund the deposit. The fact that there salesmen made a mistake in saying that when it wasn't true is fine but the dealership should respect what was told to the customer not make up lies to cover there own as. You guys made a mistake by not making it clear that there is no refund and by saying that there was. Stop lying about it and live up to your mistakes.

Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2013/07/21) */

We stand by our statement and really find this customers response to be direspectful and completely false. We're not in business for people to put deposits on vehicles, hold our companies asset, while they continue to look for another vehicle. Again, on our contracts, it clearly states "No Refund of Deposit". That's why we take deposits so people don't proceed to do exactly what this gentleman did. If you aren't ready to purchase the vehicle...DON'T! Don't sign a legal contract if you're not 100 percent sure that you want it. The customers whole story is wrong! The customer and his father made a decision, signed a legal contract, and even called back to acknowledge what was already done that day. Then, he refuses to contact us for 3 days???? Again, we pride ourselves on being fair and understanding to all our customers...but in this case this young gentleman acted poorly and is incorrect with his facts. We stand by our statements... Respectfully [redacted]