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2019+ BMW 3 AND 4-SERIES FORUMS (G2x Generation) Ordering / Pricing / Order Tracking Forum BMW of Louisville (negative experience)

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      09-03-2019, 07:00 PM   #1
Zero_Cool
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BMW of Louisville (negative experience)

Firstly, I would like to start off with the bottom line up front, don't take anyone's word on a deal to purchase a vehicle regardless if they work for BMW.

The Negotiation: On the 31st of August (last day of the month) I had shopped a few BMW dealers for their pricing on a 2020 M340i lease. After a few calls to various dealers in the middle TN region I expanded my search into KY and found several nicely optioned M340i's on BMW of Louisville's lot. I decided to give them a call, and I ended up speaking with William Heaton. I explained the details of a deal that I had worked on with a different dealer and asked if he wanted to earn my business. I thoroughly explained the lease details, to include the discount and monthly payment that I was quoted. I also explained that I was trading in my 2018 M3 and I was wondering if they could match the trade in offer that I had received earlier in the day from the previously mentioned BMW dealer. During our telephonic discussion he had texted me and I shared some pics of my vin#, vehicle, and the offer sheet from a different BMW dealership. Will related that he would speak to his manager and call me back if they could make the deal happen. Eventually he called me back and stated they could get me a deal that was $9 cheaper than the deal I had worked earlier in the day. I was very excited and asked if I could get the deal in writing since I knew they were staying several hours after closing to get me into their BMW. As a show of good faith, I completed their finance application so they knew I was serious about driving 2.5- 3 hours for their BMW. Again after the application was received by Will I received a thumbs up from him and a request to head over. At this time I asked for the offer sheet in writing over the phone and via text message. The text message was ignored so I asked again over the phone and Will assured me that the lease deal that was being offered would only require me to pay the 1st month that evening and DID NOT include any of the equity from my trade in (as a down payment or MSD's to lower the monthly payment). I had seen a 10% discount from a different BMW dealer earlier in the day so I was naïve and assumed they wanted to sell 1 of their many M340i's this evening before the month ended. After Will reassured me of the structure of the deal over the phone I started my drive to their dealership.

Dealership: I arrived to the dealership and I was greeted by Will, 2 finance guys, and I would eventually meet the sales manager later (I'll get to him later). Will seemed like a nice guy and had the M340I cleaned and prepped for me. I handed him my M keys and sat down with the two finance gentlemen (1 old gentleman with glasses who was very animated, and 1 younger gentleman who was more reserve). The older finance gentleman was running the show, while the younger gentleman was helping him place the docs in front of me rapid fire style. Lucky for me I stopped for a red bull otherwise this would have ended up disastrously for me. After signing some docs (rookie mistake), I asked when I would see the offer sheet with my trade in value and the price of their car. The older guy stated my trade in value verbally (red flag because the offer sheet was never presented and it was error 1 in the deal I thought I had worked out), which was 2k less than what was agreed upon verbally with Will. Side Note: The older gentlemen, always adjusted his glasses before being overly expressive and slid his chair back to re-posture himself, when there was an issue in the paper work. That's his cluster of poor body language cues before a lie came out of his mouth. I didn't discuss what I did for a living with the old finance gentleman, however after many successful and lengthy criminal interrogations I'm the last customer to try and pull a stunt like this with (yes I know I should of waited for something solid lol but I was excited). He walked out of the office to speak with someone about the trade in offer on my car. The younger finance guy was in the office next to the one I was sitting in and the look on his face when I started to inquire about the offer sheet and my trade in value was priceless. He had a "deer in headlights"/nervous expression as he half assed a quick glance over his shoulder to listen in to the deal break down. The old finance guy came back in and said they would give me what was discussed and related my lease payment would drop down so he needed to print a sheet again (red flag). I quickly stated why would my payment go down if I was getting the equity of my trade in as a check. Again he adjusted his glasses, took them off, pushed away from his desk, and folded arms then asked me what I meant by "an equity check". So I explained, Will stated this was a 1st monthly only deal, no MSD's, no down payment, for the price that I was quoted. The finance guy stated all of my equity was being placed as a down payment for the lease, and I said absolutely not what I wanted to do nor was that ever discussed with Will prior to my arrival. He went and grabbed the sales manager and with all 4 (Will was m.i.a. until the bait and switch sales tactic was apparent). Side Note: They deserve an Oscar for their performance that night. The old guy and the rest of the clowns tried their best to seem shocked when they realized there was an error in the deal structure. I told the sales manager that I drove so far and I wasn't happy with the numbers at the last stage of paperwork. They disclosed the discount on their car was only 6% and there was "miscommunication" between Will and the sales manager. Ultimately the sales manager approved a 10% discount however would not extend a deeper discount to get me to a payment close to what was originally offered. I did state I would come up some to meet them in the middle but the sales manager declined to earn my business after my long drive to their dealership and discovered their pathetic attempt to screw me over. I'm completely aware that I should have been more adamant about the offer sheet being provided and signed, however I saw their lot and I didn't see this coming. I was never offered any type of compensation for the almost 6 hours of driving I ultimately did that night (I got home at midnight), my time, my fuel, or the wear and tear on my 2018 M3. I voiced my unhappiness in a professional text message to Will after I left, and he didn't even have the testicular fortitude to extend an apology. In fact no one from dealership or any of the clowns from that evening have reached out to me.

Lastly, it's apparent that I would never give these jokers my business nor would I recommend anyone to give them their business especially those traveling from out of state. Yes, I didn't do my due diligence to make sure the deal was solid before I committed to the drive but I wasn't negotiating with a "buy here, pay here" dealership. Their lot speaks for themselves and their facility was very nice. I bought my 2018 M3 brand new and I was treated with the utmost level of respect from the BMW I worked with while I was stationed overseas. The experience I had here was beyond laughable and extremely disappointing. I'm a BMW ambassador with my M3 and I always share my passion for M cars with those who stop me to small talk about my car. This experience has really shattered my perception on the brand and those who sell the products I love so much. If this was the only BMW dealer in my town, I would drive/fly to another state to avoid these unprofessional clowns.

Last edited by Zero_Cool; 09-03-2019 at 07:11 PM..
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      09-04-2019, 02:18 PM   #2
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wow I'm sorry to hear that and it really sucks. Thanks for giving everyone a heads up!
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      09-04-2019, 06:22 PM   #3
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Ouch, truly sorry to hear about your experience.

Not that it matters, but to help provide some insight into the dealer in question.

The dealership used to be owned by a local Louisville family up until 2 years ago when it was sold to a dealer conglomerate out of Florida.

Since the sale, the dealership has totally turned over both the management and sales departments. The result is not for the better.

Again, sorry about your experience and shame to think people can conduct business in a manner lacking integrity and trust.
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