Lasher Auto Group

I purchased my Ram 3500 in May 2021. It took me six hours at the dealership, because there was not enough staff to handle the workload.

Move forward two and half months, and I am trying to cancel the extended service contract I purchased.

I was at the dealer twice, and told both times that I would need the finance manager to cancel the contract. I waited for over an hour, and the finance manager never showed up, so I left around 2:00pm. Before leaving, I was given the email address of the finance manager, a Mr. Rich Frank. I emailed him asking to cancel the contract(s), and have received no reply.

I was left with no choice but to file complaints with the Better Business Bureau, and the California Department of Consumer Affairs.

I also reached out to many veterans groups in the area, and encourage all of their members not to buy from your dealership.

Everyday the dealership fails to cancel the contract is less money returned to me on a prorated business.

Good Afternoon,we have reached out to the customer and to my knowledge all of his concerns have been taking care of I will call the customer again to confirmsincerely, [redacted] ***

Tell us why here I too hope that any future customers of ours take the time to review this dialogueWe have not been in business for over years by being “simply another dishonest business that is more interested in their bottom line than doing what is ethically and morally right for their customers.” We feel we have done right by Mr [redacted] by accommodating his numerous demands where we couldWe, like Mr [redacted] , can only wait for final resolution of this situation from Volkswagen of America and the legal system

Tell us why here While our goal is 100% customer satisfaction, we are obviously not yet perfect As I acknowledged to Mr [redacted] on the phone, this situation SHOULD have been handled differently and we have hence compensated him for his inconvenience However, this in no way excuses what happened.This situation resulted from a “perfect storm” of miscommunication on our part, both human, and electronicThe human part is clear from Mr***’s complaint The electronic miscommunication stemmed from the delayed and incomplete transfer of vehicle and incentive data from a 3rd party vendor to the Elk Grove VW website We have hence addressed both the human and electronic aspects of this miscommunication to better insure that it never happens again

Tell us why hereI spoke with [redacted] three times todayThe first call we spoke at length about the uncertainty of the situation for the consumer and dealers with regards to the VW TDII explained that we have approx$700,of TDI inventory I cannot sellWe were trying to do him a favor by taking the car back and getting him into the SubaruAfter this complaint, I felt we as a dealer may not have explained well enough, that we cant sell his prior VW if we take it in on tradeWe still did this to try and appease himI then offered to unwind his latest deal and give him the VW and let him wait, for the outcome from VW, and we would not charge him for any usage of the SubaruHe said that would be great and we had a meeting set for today at 1:00pm to finalize the unwindHe called back shortly after, and said, after speaking with his wife she did not agree to bring it backI offered to speak with her too and explain our stance [redacted] said he would let me know by tomorrow what direction they would goHe called again, our third conversation of the day and said they want to keep the Subaru, but want additional compensationI explained to him that we are not willing to do anything additionalif they are unhappy with trading in the car and the numbers they received that we would have unwound the deal.I wished him the best and he too was very polite and cordial

First of all, we welcome the opportunity to repair the cars we sellThe factory does pay us for warranty work and this vehicle definitely is covered under warrantyI believe the big concern is the "Lemon Law"? When this is in question the customer must facilitate this with the factoryWe gave the
*** family the customer relations number to get the ball rolling. This is something between the builder of the vehicle and the customerWe will provide the service history to VW and they will have to come up with a solution for the ***'s. This matter of the "Lemon Law" is with the Factory not the dealershipWe most definitely are here to help, but we can't force the factory to do anythingI believe the *** family believes we need to help moreWe will provide everything we can to VW to help the *** family
Thank You,
*** ***

I am rejecting this response because: This 'perfect storm' excuse is not acceptable-periodThe fact is, I saw a price onlineCalled and spoke with a human who confirmed the online priceThe price went up after my test rideFurthermoreThe lead sales manager was adamant about the price going up due to 'market adjustment'It was only then that he offered to 'do me a favor' and sell the car for 'only' $1,over their advertised priceThis was a classic bait and switch and while it is true that the dealer sent me a check for $for my gas/time this should not be considered an acceptable form of doing business. Several days after my initial contact with the company they still had their price listed both on Auto Trader and their own site for the MSRPClearly they have lost my business forever and others should be aware of their practices.LastlyIt was nearly impossible to get a straight answer about pricingThey insisted I give them my social security number before they would quote my priceNot okay

Tell us why here...
I too hope that any future customers of ours take the time to review this dialogue. We have not been in business for over 60 years by being “simply another dishonest business that is more interested in their bottom line than doing what is ethically and morally right for their customers.”  We feel we have done right by Mr. [redacted] by accommodating his numerous demands where we could. We, like Mr. [redacted], can only wait for final resolution of this situation from Volkswagen of America and the legal system.

In both my response above and my discussion on the phone with Mr. [redacted], I acknowledged that this situation was mishandled and we have compensated Mr. [redacted] for his inconvenience.  At the end of our phone call, Mr. [redacted], while justifiably NOT satisfied, seemed to at least understand how this situation developed and was happy to accept the compensation offered.  As General Manager, I actually share Mr. [redacted]’s dissatisfaction and have taken steps to ensure that this type of situation [redacted]r happens again at Elk Grove VW.Regardless, of how Mr. [redacted] feels now, this situation is in no way indicative of how Elk Grove VW normally conducts business.  The employees, manager and the 3rd party vendor involved have all been severely reprimanded. Further, the employees and manager received extensive “re-training” on how to work with the software, recognize a problem if there is one and how to better communicate with customers should anything like this happen again.  Further, the MSRP price for the vehicle on our website and AutoTrader.com that Mr. [redacted] refers to IS the correct price.We are truly sorry to have lost Mr. [redacted]’s business forever due to this incident, but I can assure anyone reading this that the situation described here is clearly an exception to how business is normally conducted at Elk Grove Volkswagen.  And I can point to the hundreds of positive, even glowing, reviews we have received and our over 60 years of satisfied customers as evidence that what I say is true.

Tell us why here... I spoke with [redacted] three times today. The first call we spoke at length about the uncertainty of the situation for the consumer and dealers with regards to the VW TDI. I explained that we have approx. $700,000 of TDI inventory I cannot sell. We were trying to do him a favor by...

taking the car back and getting him into the Subaru. After this complaint, I felt we as a dealer may not have explained well enough, that we cant sell his prior VW if we take it in on trade. We still did this to try and appease him. I then offered to unwind his latest deal and give him the VW and let him wait, for the outcome from VW, and we would not charge him for any usage of the Subaru. He said that would be great and we had a meeting set for today at 1:00pm to finalize the unwind. He called back shortly after, and said,  after speaking with his wife she did not agree to bring it back. I offered to speak with her too and explain our stance. [redacted] said he would let me know by tomorrow what direction they would go. He called again, our third conversation of the day and said they want to keep the Subaru, but want additional compensation. I explained to him that we are not willing to do anything additional. if they are unhappy with trading in the car and the numbers they received that we would have unwound the deal.I wished him the best and he too was very polite and cordial.

Tell us why here...
While our goal is 100% customer satisfaction, we are obviously not yet perfect.  As I acknowledged to Mr. [redacted] on the phone, this situation SHOULD have  been handled differently and we have hence compensated him for his inconvenience.  However, this in no way...

excuses what happened.This situation resulted from a “perfect storm” of miscommunication on our part, both human, and electronic. The human part is clear from Mr. [redacted]’s complaint.  The electronic miscommunication stemmed from the delayed and incomplete transfer of  vehicle and incentive data from a 3rd party vendor to the Elk Grove VW website.  We have hence addressed both the human and electronic aspects of this miscommunication to better insure that it never happens again.

I am rejecting this response because: Mr. [redacted], the General Manager, is claiming the dealership is a "co-victim" in this scandal. Apparently this is their way not to take any responsibility for their part in selling me a vehicle containing deceptive software. As a car salesman turned manager, Mr. [redacted] does not seem to grasp the understanding of ethical business practices. Whether they knew or did not know about the fraudulent software in the vehicles they were selling is a moot point when it comes to taking care of their customers. Lasher "Volkswagen" is an official dealer of the Volkswagen product, and they need to be responsible to their customers. They are proud partners of Volkswagen when the profits are pouring in, but now they want to claim "co-victim" status when adversity hits. They can't have their cake an eat it too. Mr. [redacted] wants everyone to believe that they bent over backwards to accommodate us. Really? Their remedy is to return the fraudulent vehicle to the customer so they don't have to deal with it. I feel my initial request is extremely reasonable and fair. I only had the vehicle for 6 weeks, and I just wanted to be refunded the sale price of the vehicle. The dealership was more interested in making a profit on the future sale of the car versus doing the right thing for the right reason for the customer. I hope the Revdex.com and any future customers of Elk Grove (Lasher) Volkswagen will truly take the time to read this complaint and see it for what it is. Lasher Volkswagen is simply another dishonest business that is more interested in their bottom line than doing what is ethically and morally right for their customers. I don't know what is worse; Volkswagen installing deceptive software or Lasher Volkswagen claiming victim status to avoid responsibility.

Good Afternoon,we have reached out to the customer and to my knowledge all of his concerns have been taking care of.  I will call the customer again to confirm. sincerely,[redacted]

Review: My mother bought a brand new Volkswagen 1 year ago, and in that year the vehicle has been in for repairs 4 times and out of commission for 30 days. Management at that dealership is doing nothing to help her and told her that they will not do anything. In one instance, while driving on the freeway the vehicle suddenly decelerated while traveling 65 miles an hour to 20 miles an hour almost causing an accident. This problem continues to happen and they will not help her. Every time she takes the vehicle in for repairs they tell her its fixed but its not and continues to happen. very unsatisfied with this company and location. The companies management states that the vehicle is under warranty and every time she brings it in they will fix it. The vehicle is unsafe and an accident can occur do to the vehicles faulty engine.Desired Settlement: I would like the vehicle exchanged or a refund on the vehicle per the California Lemon law. The vehicle meets all the requirements and they will not help.

Business

Response:

First of all, we welcome the opportunity to repair the cars we sell. The factory does pay us for warranty work and this vehicle definitely is covered under warranty. I believe the big concern is the "Lemon Law"? When this is in question the customer must facilitate this with the factory. We gave the [redacted] family the customer relations number to get the ball rolling. This is something between the builder of the vehicle and the customer. We will provide the service history to VW and they will have to come up with a solution for the [redacted]'s. This matter of the "Lemon Law" is with the Factory not the dealership. We most definitely are here to help, but we can't force the factory to do anything. I believe the [redacted] family believes we need to help more. We will provide everything we can to VW to help the [redacted] family.

Thank You,

Review: On August 2, 2015, I bought a new 2015 Volkswagen Sportwagen TDI from Lasher (Elk grove) Volkswagen. It had the TDI Diesel engine. On September 22, 2015, I was informed that Volkswagen was involved in a major recall and that the company intentionally installed deceptive software in over 11 million diesel vehicles to intentionally trick the emissions test. My Volkswagen was one of those vehicles. It was reported that any potential "fix" would most like take several months, and that it would effect the vehicle's performance and the resale value would be severely damaged. There will clearly be a huge class action lawsuit, and I am clearly a victim of fraud. Considering I just purchased the vehicle 6 weeks ago, I took that vehicle back to the dealership who sold it to me, Lasher (Elk Grove) Volkswagen in Elk Grove, CA. The general manager and staff did not want to take any responsibility for what happened. I requested that they buy back the car at the price I paid for it and even offered to buy another non VW vehicle on their lot. I knew I would still lose money on the sales tax and payments I had made. They stated they were not responsible for what happened and did not want to take the car back since it would be sitting for several months. They said that due to this issue, the resale for this car would be very bad and they did not know if they would be able to sell the car. The burden was on me. After several hours of heated discussion, they finally offered me $28,200 for the car. This was $4000 less than what I paid for it 6 weeks ago. Because they sold me a car that had been intentionallydesigned to deceive the public, I felt they should have given me the full sale price for the vehicle. As an authorized dealer for Volkswagen, they are responsible for this deception, and they need to take responsibility for how this has impacted their customers. Their unsympathetic attitudes were appalling, and they simply did not care how this impacted me and my family. They should be ashamed of themselves.Desired Settlement: I purchased the vehicle for $32,200. I paid another $3,000 in taxes and fees. I paid $1,100 in car payments. My total investment in this fraudulent vehicle is $36,300. They gave me $28,200 for the car. I lost $8,100 in 6 weeks. I'm not asking them to make me whole for the entire amount. I am willing to take on some of the financial lost, but they need to be fair. I'm only asking them to refund me a total of $4,000, which is the difference between the sales price and what they ended up paying me.

Business

Response:

Tell us why here... I spoke with [redacted] three times today. The first call we spoke at length about the uncertainty of the situation for the consumer and dealers with regards to the VW TDI. I explained that we have approx. $700,000 of TDI inventory I cannot sell. We were trying to do him a favor by taking the car back and getting him into the Subaru. After this complaint, I felt we as a dealer may not have explained well enough, that we cant sell his prior VW if we take it in on trade. We still did this to try and appease him. I then offered to unwind his latest deal and give him the VW and let him wait, for the outcome from VW, and we would not charge him for any usage of the Subaru. He said that would be great and we had a meeting set for today at 1:00pm to finalize the unwind. He called back shortly after, and said, after speaking with his wife she did not agree to bring it back. I offered to speak with her too and explain our stance. [redacted] said he would let me know by tomorrow what direction they would go. He called again, our third conversation of the day and said they want to keep the Subaru, but want additional compensation. I explained to him that we are not willing to do anything additional. if they are unhappy with trading in the car and the numbers they received that we would have unwound the deal.I wished him the best and he too was very polite and cordial.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: Mr. [redacted], the General Manager, is claiming the dealership is a "co-victim" in this scandal. Apparently this is their way not to take any responsibility for their part in selling me a vehicle containing deceptive software. As a car salesman turned manager, Mr. [redacted] does not seem to grasp the understanding of ethical business practices. Whether they knew or did not know about the fraudulent software in the vehicles they were selling is a moot point when it comes to taking care of their customers. Lasher "Volkswagen" is an official dealer of the Volkswagen product, and they need to be responsible to their customers. They are proud partners of Volkswagen when the profits are pouring in, but now they want to claim "co-victim" status when adversity hits. They can't have their cake an eat it too. Mr. [redacted] wants everyone to believe that they bent over backwards to accommodate us. Really? Their remedy is to return the fraudulent vehicle to the customer so they don't have to deal with it. I feel my initial request is extremely reasonable and fair. I only had the vehicle for 6 weeks, and I just wanted to be refunded the sale price of the vehicle. The dealership was more interested in making a profit on the future sale of the car versus doing the right thing for the right reason for the customer. I hope the Revdex.com and any future customers of Elk Grove (Lasher) Volkswagen will truly take the time to read this complaint and see it for what it is. Lasher Volkswagen is simply another dishonest business that is more interested in their bottom line than doing what is ethically and morally right for their customers. I don't know what is worse; Volkswagen installing deceptive software or Lasher Volkswagen claiming victim status to avoid responsibility.

Business

Response:

Tell us why here...

I too hope that any future customers of ours take the time to review this dialogue. We have not been in business for over 60 years by being “simply another dishonest business that is more interested in their bottom line than doing what is ethically and morally right for their customers.” We feel we have done right by Mr. [redacted] by accommodating his numerous demands where we could. We, like Mr. [redacted], can only wait for final resolution of this situation from Volkswagen of America and the legal system.

Review: Leased a new car and the car was delivered with damage to the body. The dealership said they would dis it like new. Picked up the car and it wasn't fix to new standard. There was paint over spray and tape line on the body. Car was leased on 7/6/2014 didn't get delivered till 7/8/2014. Brought the car back on 7/9/2014 for repair. Today the 7/16/2014 the dealer ship said the car was done. The car is now back because of over spray and bad paint tape line on the body.Desired Settlement: I would like the car to be fix to new standard or exchange for another same car. The car only has 100 miles on it and I bought it new with 48 miles on it.

Business

Response:

After hearing of some body damage to the right side rocker panel from our customer 3 days after delivery, we agreed to paint and repair even though we had no idea when the damage occurred. The damage has been repaired and the customer was provided alternate transportation and in addition given 2 payments to offset any inconvenience.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my concern, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: Found a listing for a 2016 Volkswagen Golf R listed both on their website and a third party (auto trader.com). Vehicle was, and still listed on both sites at $38,715.00. I phoned their office to arrange a test drive. Discussed the price with their sales rep [redacted]. Confirmed the price. Drove 2 hours to their store. Test drove the car. Then again asked the price and was told the price was now over $43,000.00. The 'out the door price' was close to $49,000.00!! I then spoke directly with their manager [redacted] who told me it was due to 'market adjustment'. I asked how this could happen in the past two hours... He said the car was in high demand. EXACTLY why I went to their shop based on their advertised price. I left. He phoned me later told me 'he would do me a favor' and sell me the car ONLY for $1,000.00 over list/advertised price. Making the out the door price $43,500.00. He also neglected to tell me about VW's incentive program. I told them and his manager this was a terrible way to do business and a clear bait and switch. I was there on Friday October 9th. As of today the car is still listed at MSRP on their website. I have a screen shot of this from their site from today.Desired Settlement: They need to be reported and have their rating downgraded. It is flat out false advertising the way they are marketing this car and doing business.

Business

Response:

Tell us why here...

While our goal is 100% customer satisfaction, we are obviously not yet perfect. As I acknowledged to Mr. [redacted] on the phone, this situation SHOULD have been handled differently and we have hence compensated him for his inconvenience. However, this in no way excuses what happened.This situation resulted from a “perfect storm” of miscommunication on our part, both human, and electronic. The human part is clear from Mr. [redacted]’s complaint. The electronic miscommunication stemmed from the delayed and incomplete transfer of vehicle and incentive data from a 3rd party vendor to the Elk Grove VW website. We have hence addressed both the human and electronic aspects of this miscommunication to better insure that it never happens again.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: This 'perfect storm' excuse is not acceptable-period. The fact is, I saw a price online. Called and spoke with a human who confirmed the online price. The price went up after my test ride. Furthermore. The lead sales manager was adamant about the price going up due to 'market adjustment'. It was only then that he offered to 'do me a favor' and sell the car for 'only' $1,000.00 over their advertised price. This was a classic bait and switch and while it is true that the dealer sent me a check for $100.00 for my gas/time this should not be considered an acceptable form of doing business. Several days after my initial contact with the company they still had their price listed both on Auto Trader and their own site for the MSRP... Clearly they have lost my business forever and others should be aware of their practices.Lastly. It was nearly impossible to get a straight answer about pricing. They insisted I give them my social security number before they would quote my price. Not okay.

Business

Response:

In both my response above and my discussion on the phone with Mr. [redacted], I acknowledged that this situation was mishandled and we have compensated Mr. [redacted] for his inconvenience. At the end of our phone call, Mr. [redacted], while justifiably NOT satisfied, seemed to at least understand how this situation developed and was happy to accept the compensation offered. As General Manager, I actually share Mr. [redacted]’s dissatisfaction and have taken steps to ensure that this type of situation [redacted]r happens again at Elk Grove VW.Regardless, of how Mr. [redacted] feels now, this situation is in no way indicative of how Elk Grove VW normally conducts business. The employees, manager and the 3rd party vendor involved have all been severely reprimanded. Further, the employees and manager received extensive “re-training” on how to work with the software, recognize a problem if there is one and how to better communicate with customers should anything like this happen again. Further, the MSRP price for the vehicle on our website and AutoTrader.com that Mr. [redacted] refers to IS the correct price.We are truly sorry to have lost Mr. [redacted]’s business forever due to this incident, but I can assure anyone reading this that the situation described here is clearly an exception to how business is normally conducted at Elk Grove Volkswagen. And I can point to the hundreds of positive, even glowing, reviews we have received and our over 60 years of satisfied customers as evidence that what I say is true.

OUTSTANDING!!!
Bought a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan SE/APV tonight (4/23/14). Worked out the deal over the phone during the day with [redacted] and his manager. When I arrived I found out that [redacted] had just departed on his 4 day break...not his fault that he was not there...traffic was horrid all the way there from the Bay Area so I got in later than he expected. However, he left the deal in great hands with [redacted] who was phenomenal. [redacted] quickly located all the paperwork and brought the vehicle around to test drive. It was as good or better than expected. He got me into finance to get the paper work done...gave me an extra $500 bonus for the active/retired military promo. Showed me all the details and even arranged to have the vehicle delivered to my home. I can't remember a better purchase experience. Thanks for a job well done. I highly recommend you give [redacted]l a call for your next deal ###-###-####. This company has the best prices in the entire state of CA...I know, because I shopped for 2 - 3 weeks calling everybody and their brother. Once I called these guys they were very straight forward on the phone and gave me the deal as promised.