Niello Fiat

Review: Niello Fiat Sales manager [redacted] mislead, misinformed & either intentionally or unintentionally lied to my wife and I. Salesman [redacted] also propagated lies to my wife and me. After becoming upset with their underhanded process I complained to [redacted] that I didn't like being lied to. He offered to "make it right." Negotiating vehicle perks and prices is not my thing, but I tried a 4-5 suggesting that I thought seemed logical. After rejecting them all, [redacted] offered me "a shirt or a hat." The lies and misconceptions we were told had to do with cars in stock, car arrival time, the fact that Niello Fiat sold us, on paper, a car that had been sold 2 months prior to a different owner. Also, accessories available after purchase, how much service would/wouldn't be required for the car, and necessary condition of car upon return at end of lease.At the first need for service (which wasn't one of the 3 reasons an electric car would need to be serviced according to [redacted] prior to signing of paperwork) I went to another Fiat dealership and found out that Niello Fiat also should have helped assist my wife and I in filling out a number of documents (as per Fiat dealer practice) with the DMV, State of California, FiatUSA (corporation). The dealer that informed me that Niello should've helped me fill all these out was appalled Niello did not help me and left my wife and I to figure it all out. Once [redacted] heard I was sharing my negative experience with people he emailed my wife in an attempt to bribe her to get me to stop being honest about sharing my negative experience. He offered her an accessory trim package. He never followed up after she said she would be interested in at least knowing if it would be available for purchase.All in all, it was easily the worst consumer experience I've ever had. I'm not exaggerating or using hyperbole. [redacted] looked me in the eye and lied to me.Desired Settlement: It is not for me to decide how to resolve the matter. All I wanted was an honest sale and to be treated fairly and with dignity. Short of going back and giving me my trade in back and letting me start the process over with another dealer, I don't see how my situation can be remedied. I don't believe a proper monetary settlement would be agreed on. The only other idea I have is for [redacted], Mr. Niello himself, and [redacted] to publicly apologize via newsprint, billboard, tv spots and radio

Business

Response:

Dear Mr. [redacted],

We are in receipt of your complaint. I am sorry that you are so frustrated with your experience with us. I researched the details you described, and while there was confusion of the original vehicle we sold to you, my understanding is that you and your wife received an identical vehicle and that all paperwork was updated and completed properly, resolving any confusion. In fact, I understand that all outstanding matters are resolved and that you wife is very happy with the car. We want you both to be happy. We remain committed to providing you with the orange mirrors and decal at no charge as a goodwill gesture to show that we appreciate your business. Please let me know if this is something you would like us to do.

Thank you,

Consumer

Response:

It is disappointingly clear from your response that you feel your business is not in the wrong. You merely apologized for the fact that I am frustrated with my experience with you. You did not apologize for the fact that your Sales Managers flat out lied to my face. I also researched the 'confusion' of the original vehicle 'sold' to us. While [redacted], your Sales Manager, blamed Concord Fiat for a car not existing as an option to sell to customers, when I called Concord Fiat and asked them if what [redacted], your Sales Manager, said happened was possible; they said it was not. Concord Fiat said there was no way that a car can accidentally be sold because it wouldn’t have existed in their inventory, online or in any other way, had it been sold for two months. The real issue, I surmise, is that [redacted], your Sales Manager, expedited the process in every way he could, including having us sign for a car that he couldn’t sell us, in order to obtain our trade-in and disallow me to privately shop it while we waited for the REAL car to get to your lot. When we arrived to sign sales documents a second time, I asked for the trade-in back. I figured since your sales manager, [redacted], your Sales Manager, didn’t deliver the car he promised we could unwind the deal. He told me it was gone and in a pending deal. Unfortunately, I didn't know then that I could have called the DMV Investigative office at that point to force your dealership and Sales Manager to do just that. What [redacted], your Sales Manager, was denying me, was not his option to deny. Furthermore, after speaking with an associate of [redacted], your Sales Manager, who works for Fiat, I was told that my trade-in was most likely in [redacted], your Sales Manager's, garage. That’s despicable if true.

As for your offer, you failed to mention that while [redacted], your Sales Manager, originally offered the orange side mirrors and side decals package it took numerous calls from your corporate office to get your dealership to actually comply and set up an appointment. Your response via the Revdex.com website only generously offered to follow thru with this after your corporate office painstakingly held you to your Sales Manager's offer. It’s true that my wife WAS happy with car. But, after the package was added and I picked up the car, I learned that unauthorized maintenance had been performed on the vehicle causing it to have a drop in battery range mileage of 15 miles. I signed no estimate for maintenance, nor did I speak about any maintenance being performed and was only notified any sort of maintenance work was performed AFTER I picked up the car. Now she IS upset that the car gets less range than before your shop added decals and performed unauthorized maintenance.

So while your message says you’d like for me to be happy, it ignores any fault of your lying Sales Manager and offered something that your corporate office had to be involved in to ever actually get from you. And strangely, when we got the car back it mysteriously had been permanently sapped of it's maximum battery life. 13% of miles of range on an electric vehicle is a big deal.

So am I happy? No. Is my wife still happy? No. She is upset that her car's battery life has been altered with and no explanation has been given or cause can be identified.

Now I feel rotten because in addition to being lied to by your Sales Manager-[redacted] and your Salesman-[redacted]l, we’ve also had our car’s range altered by your renegade service department.

You know what--I’m sorry that I’ve had this experience with you too.

Business

Response:

We are not happy that Mr. [redacted] is not satisfied with his new vehicle or his experience. We do not know how to improve his experience at this time. However, we would like to inspect the vehicle as to Mr. [redacted]'s complaint about the battery drain. We did not perform any maintenance that would cause a problem such as the one described. If Mr. [redacted] would like us to inspect his vehicle, he should call [redacted] at ###-###-####. Thank you, [redacted] for Niello FIAT.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because: It is painfully obvious that Niello Fiat not only intends to never apologize for their Sales Manager's underhanded ways, or now their Tampering of the vehicle with unauthorized maintenance, but they will spin it as my dissatisfaction with the Vehicle. I'm dissatisfied that when we bought the Car-we were lied to. I'm upset that when we tried to take receipt of the car we bought-we were lied to. I'm upset that when we tried to undo the shady deal that they set up-we were told no. I'm frustrated that when they offered to do something nice, it took numerous call to FIATUSA to hold them to their promise. I'm vexed that when we did bring in the vehicle they apparently used it as an attempt to get back at us...for what? Not ignoring the awful way we've been treated in this whole ordeal?

I don't know Ms. [redacted], nor have I ever met her, but I am disappointed that she is just the latest person from Niello to only say she's sorry that I 'feel this way.' That practically mirrors the first public"apology" Niello offered which was that they were sorry I was unhappy. All Niello Fiat and Ms. [redacted] have done in this 'apology' is try to spin the situation and put the onus of blame on me. They are worse at apologies than any person, company or anyone I have ever seen.

Niello Fiat is easily the worst company I have ever dealt with. They not only lied, but tampered with our vehicle when we brought it in to accept their 'make-it-right' offer. The last thing I want to do is bring it in so [redacted] can do whatever it is that he will do to it. Last time I brought it in the battery was tampered with...who knows what they'll do to the car this time? Would anyone in their right mind return to a dealer that first lied to their face, then tampered with their car?