I would NEVER buy a vehicle from Alpha One Chevrolet Buick in Rockdale, TX. Sales staff were extremely ill equipped and unprofessional.
After having driven an hour to test drive a couple of vehicles in our price range, the sales rep asked us to sit in his office to talk about payments and our budget. We were very clear about our $10,000 down payment and our price range of around 40-42 thousand, financing the 35,000 and leaving our monthly payment around 650 a month. After we laid out our plans, his response was to tell us that, "After doing the math, 650 a month times 60 months seems out of your price range, you should really be looking for a vehicle in the 30,000 range." When we reminded him that we would be putting forth a $10,000 down payment, which he failed to include in his "calculations", he got a little shifty- leading us to believe he considered us ignorant.
We parted ways to be able to consider the discussions. The next day, after some text and call price negotiations, I was told that the only way that I would get a better deal was to finance through the dealership, which I declined due to already securing financing through my bank of choice. I settled on the higher sticker price sans dealership financing and requested a purchase order. The sales rep directed me to his finance manager, Jason, who would go on to draft the purchase order. I called Jason and after 20 minutes of him arguing with me as to why I should finance through them, I was finally able to end the call -with no mention of a purchase agreement. The man literally said, "I want you to say it out loud 'No, I don't want you to save me any money'". This left a terrible impression- and with the opinion that this man should not be in finance, or sales of any kind, and will ultimately hurt a business more than help it.
The following day the purchase order was sent over to myself as well as to the bank I was financing through. Upon review, I noted a $499 fee labeled "optional accessories". I called the sales rep, and asked him about the charge, which he told me was an environmental package that he already told me about- which is untrue. He went on to explain that the EP was a clear coating applied to all vehicles at this dealership. I replied that if all vehicles come with it, then it isn't optional and should be included in the sticker price and asked to speak to the sales manager. I was then told by the sales rep that I would have to call the dealership and he would send the number via text, which he failed to send my way. My day was tied up with work, so my girlfriend stepped in to discuss the questions regarding the EP with the finance manager, Jason. During the call, he was blatantly disrespectful, interrupted, spoke over, and tried to place blame on us as the buyers. My girlfriend sent a follow up email to the sales rep, finance manager, and dealership managers in response to the inappropriate phone conversation. Finally, after this email, we were contacted by the sales manager who apologized for his finance manager's behavior- stating he was maybe a little too blunt but new in that position, charged with making more money for the dealership through the push of financing through them, which placed him under a lot of stress- and agreed to waive the $499 "optional" accessory fee. Lee, the sales manager, was thankfully a bright spot in this mess. But the damage was done- if this is how they treat their customers at the beginning, when you are spending major money on a long-term decision, imagine how it must be if and when issues with the vehicle arise in the future and you need them?!
Ultimately, we decided NOT to buy from them, as they seemed to lack the basic people considerations that one looks for in car sales. They used several underhanded sales tactics, have NO IDEA what customer service should look like, and were utterly disrespectful to my girlfriend and I. For these reasons, I will NEVER buy from this dealership and would adamantly suggest to anyone thinking about purchasing from them to reconsider. read more
