The staff at Paul Miller BMW seemingly went out of their way to embody the WORST of car buying.
After agreeing to a deal for a car, I was first told that I had to physically be present to sign for the car. As I live 800 miles away, that's a bit difficult. This lead to a series of run arounds so that my incompetent salesman, Allen Morel, could verify whether I had to be there physically to purchase the car.
After zero contact from Allen for 24 hours, I tried to contact his manager, Jimmy Estevez. Jimmy, the apparent decision maker was out for the day. I then left multiple messages for the General Sales Manager, Ryan Brock, and even sent an email. Ryan didn't return a call or an email.
Allen then insisted on a $2,500 deposit for the car. This was a bit bewildering as he still hadn't figured out if I needed to fly to his location and it was steep given the price of the car, but I complied because we had negotiated a deal on the car and even though I was still waiting on Paul Miller's staff to put everything together, I trusted that our negotiation was in good faith.
Then, after sending a credit application with an authorization to charge my credit card for a deposit, Allen claimed he didn't get the authorization, but acknowledged receipt of the application. They were both included in the same attachment, so yet again, I was a bit bewildered.
Finally, I received a call from someone who was submitting my application to BMW credit. As we reviewed the terms, he informed me of a doc prep fee (a fee for Paul Miller to fill out their own paperwork) that was not disclosed in our initial negotiation. This was quite hefty, so I asked that Allen call me to discuss.
Only then, after dropping every ball possible, needlessly delaying the process, and displaying nothing short of total and complete incompetence, did Allen flippantly disclose that he had a second deposit on the car I had already agreed a deal for two days prior and I'd have to pay the undisclosed doc prep fee or they'd sell the car to another buyer.
I consider this negotiation in bad faith. It's a pathetic means of conducting business and is absurd given that Allen spent less than 20 minutes putting this deal together (I never drove the car, I never spoke to him, I simply sent an email with an offer which was received and accepted by the Internet sales manager).
I buy 6-7 cars a year. I'm active in the BMWCCA. I also work in sales myself. I have NEVER witnessed anything this disgraceful, underhanded, or lacking integrity.
I highly recommend seeking an alternative dealership when you purchase your next car. read more
