Overall, I was satisfied with the deal and the vehicle I purchased. I understand that it was literally the end of the year and everyone was anxious to wrap things up, but the end of the process really didn't live up to expectations of a high-end dealership like a BMW dealership. In Finance, once the Finance Manager realized that we weren't going to purchase any add-ons (paint treatment, extended warranties, etc.), it became very much a minimal talking, shove the paper in front of me and sign it experience. The capper on that was when my wife asked for a folder to keep all of the paperwork we received. Normally, you expect a nice, new folder with the dealer logo, some promotional language, and business cards for the sales rep, sales manager, finance manager, service manager, and dealership GM. The Chevy dealer I bought my last car at did exactly that (I used the folder to keep service records). Instead, we were given a plain, raw finish thin cardstock folder (think dollar store) THAT WAS USED AND STILL HAD STAPLES AND BITS OF TORN OFF PAPER STAPLED TO THE FRONT AND BACK!!! We walked up to the counter where the sales manager was and they congratulated us on our purchase. My wife replied by showing the folder and asking if we might have something that was a better representation of their dealership. We were promptly given a proper Valencia BMW folder as you would expect, but we shouldn't have had to ask. Our salesman was fairly hands off during the process, which was generally fine because we knew what we were looking for. But the end of the process was again where things fell far short of expectations. Again, I understand that it was 8 pm-ish on New Years Eve. Believe me, buying a car...much less on NYE...was the last thing on my list of expectations. So we got Finance completed, the folder situation cleared up, and everything done. They had to track down the sales rep so we could receive the one Fob that you had for the car (side note, you are a high end dealership, spend the couple hundred dollars to get a second Fob to include with the vehicle), he shook our hands, and pointed to where our new car was parked, in the dark parking lot. The car had license plates (expiring Dec 18, natch), so the new temp paper plates weren't needed, but the plates were not installed, nor did he put the temp DMV sticker in the windshield. He at least gave us the sheet plus a Valencia BMW sticker to hold it, but come on! I worked as a lot attendant in a Mazda GMC dealership in high school 30 years ago. That is standard Pre-delivery Inspection prep work. Also, despite it being dark and a new vehicle to us, the sales rep made zero effort to even try to help us figure out the controls on the vehicle. Fortunately I am something of a car geek and had everything figured out (cruise, seat heaters, headlights, climate control, satellite radio) before we pulled out of the parking lot. Still, that is basic PDI stuff, even if it isn't the line you normally carry (used Lincoln at a BMW dealer). So in general, I was satisfied with the deal and the vehicle, but Valencia BMW needs to work on its processes and people to live up to the standards of a BMW or other high-end dealership.
Bradley Evanson
Jan 3, 2019
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