I recently purchased a used 2024 Jeep from Lexus Santa Monica, and this was easily one of the…read moreworst car buying experiences I've had. I've bought over 35 cars over the years, so I have a pretty clear sense of what basic customer service looks like. I waited more than two and a half hours to get an issue taken care of which ultimately was not dealt with by the dealership. My salesperson was pleasant and I have no complaint about him at all. He did the best he could under the circumstances, but management was another story. I think management just left him hanging and I felt bad as these issues were outside of his control and also knowledge.
The used car sales manager Will is the one that I had talked to over the phone was essentially nowhere to be found when his involvement was needed on the day of sale, until the critical issue of a recall put the sale at in impasse in the final stages inside the finance managers office. I found the finance manager that I dealt with to be extremely aggressive and confrontational in front of my wife and my teenager daughter whom I was purchasing the car for. Additionally, after the sale, they emailed my the documents, this was over a week ago. I emailed him back that night advising him that i was unable to open the zip file. I asked him to send it to me again, that was 9 days ago. I still don't have the zip file with the sales contract etc.
At one point, The Jeep was represented as being in quote "perfect condition", yet the rear tow hitch cover was missing. I was told it would be replaced, but that promise wasn't reflected anywhere, and I ended up ordering the part myself. More concerning, the vehicle had an open emissions campaign. I was initially led to believe required campaigns or recalls had been completed, only to find out afterwards that this one had not been done.
After the sale and being extremely frustrated by my expreince I then reached out to LA Car Guy, the dealer group, to give management an opportunity to address these issues. Eight days passed. No call, no email, nothing. After being met with total silence from LA Car Guy, my own conclusion based on my direct experience is that management simply did not care enough to respond. I tried calling them as well without any success.
The price of the car, the recall and the missing part is not why I am writing this complaint. The unprofessionalism of the management group, finance manager and complete lack of respect towards a customer is why I am attempting to get the word out. I am not expecting anything from them other than hopefully a change in culture as to how to deal with customers. Judging by the vast number of 1 star reviews, I am not alone in my feeling this way.
Because of that, I filed a formal complaint with Lexus corporate, in hopes that it would finally get some traction. If you're considering this dealership, I strongly suggest reading through Yelp and Google reviews, especially the negative ones, so you can draw your own conclusions. For customers who have similar experiences and get nowhere, Lexus Customer Assistance is 1-800-255-3987 and in my discussions with them, they appear to care and take the complaint seriously.
Perhaps escalating is what it takes for management to pay attention. Based on my experience and the lack of any follow-up, I would not recommend this dealership. But, if you end up working with them, get it in writing. My mistake was that I had recently purchased a Lexus from Woodland Hills Lexus dealership and they were extremly professional and respectfull. I just assumed that the Lexus corporate keeps their dealerships in check but I guess each dealerhsip has their own culture and practices.
