Germain sucks
I will never return to Germain. They will…read morenever get another cent from me or my family.
My salesperson was nice and I was happy with the car I drove. Part of our agreement to buy was the dealership sewing a small rip in the drivers seat back together. We were told they would provide a loaner car and a date was set for the repair to take place.
The buying process felt easy. That was cool except the finance bro conveniently wrote that the cash we had brought for our down payment was $500 less than what was truly there. Not sure if it was human mistake or someone thinking they'd get a little bonus, but who knows. They also charged us for gap insurance when we put nearly 50% down on our vehicle without speaking to us, explaining the cost and coverage, or giving us the ability to decline coverage. When I later explained these concerns to Germain, I was mansplained to (they blamed it on a potential bank policy but never agreed to look into it) and nothing was done to address my concerns. I explicitly asked the manager to look into this and have never gotten a call back.
The day I was supposed to get my seat repaired, the salesperson realized there were no loaner cars and set me up for the following week. The following week, I got my loaner car and my seat was set to be repaired the next day. However, I got a call the next day that the person who does seat repairs was out of town and somehow nobody knew when I dropped my car off so I had to drive back to return my loaner and get my car. I don't live close to the dealer so this was a lovely waste of time and money. They offered to let me keep the loaner- however my car is a 3 row SUV and the loaner was a Honda Ridgeline, so not comparable and not a car that met my needs.
The following week, I returned AGAIN to get a loaner and leave my car for the seat repair. They provided me with a loaner that smelled awful and ultimately had a blunt under the front seat, which I found upon returning home. When I returned the loaner, I let them know about my concerns with cleanliness and the weed under the front seat. I was told they don't clean between users and just do a quick look through- so just be aware if you get a loaner to take a look before you leave. My kids rode in that car and I was pretty upset that Germain just explained it away and didn't see that this was potentially a safety concern for my kids and could've been a legal concern for me if I had been pulled over. When I walked over to pick up my car, the dealer had not sewn my seat as previously agreed upon, they literally slapped some leather duct tape on it and called it a day. It looks awful but I decided to let it go- I was ready to leave and be done.
A couple months later, my car overheated in Cleveland and I had it towed to Germain since that's who the warranty is through even though I really didn't want to return. It has now been 2 weeks since they've received it and I've received minimal communication regarding the status. They explained they've been very busy, and I did appreciate the warning. However, they provided no timeline at the time and I still don't have one.
After calling yesterday to request an update and being told I'd be called back with an update later in the day, I called again today to check in. Again I was told I'd be called back by my rep and never received a call. I called back and spoke to the secretary. She explained that my rep had left for the day. I told her I had been told I would receive a call and asked if I could speak with anyone else to see what's going on. She looked into my situation and told me my rep has not taken any notes, so nobody except my rep is able to provide any information. She literally told me she can't tell if my claim has been submitted to the warranty company, if the car has been worked on, NOTHING. Here I sit with no car, no idea when it'll be fixed, if it's been looked at, nothing.
As I've proceeded through this adventure, I will note that everyone has been very nice and kind, which is why I've put up with the experience I've had as long as I have. However, every time I need to address an issue, while they are kind, EVERYONE has pointed the finger to someone else and my concerns have never been followed up on or fully addressed. I have had to CHASE down every concern that has been dealt with. EVERY problem has been because of someone else which has kept me from getting my problems effectively resolved. I have wasted so much time on the phone begging for help getting my concerns dealt with.
TLDR: while all of the employees have been kind, there is a general lack of competence, communication, and follow through. You will waste time, effort and money trying to get issues resolved. Save yourself the trouble and go elsewhere.