Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/27/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I took a test drive on Tuesday November 21, 2023 at Royal VW located at ******************, Vestavia Hills, AL. I drove the 2019 VW Tiguan for approx. 10 minutes and then again to the gas station across the street. I was given numbers for the vehicle and accepted the monthly payment. I was reading the documentation and saw that a $900 charge had been added. I asked what it was and the salesman said window tint. I looked over at the vehicle and a man was in the process of applying tint to the vehicle that I had not asked for. The salesman also lied about the value of my trade-in. I told the salesman on Wednesday November 22 that I was concerned about the vehicle's safety which he responded is due to "turbo lag" They sold me a vehicle they presented as reliable, but has an issue known amongst them called turbo lag, which causes the vehicle to stall at intersections and at speeds between 8 and 15, jerking the passengers around and putting me at risk for being rear ended or t-boned. There are many articles online about this safety issue which in this case doesnt become apparent until you drive the vehicle on regular flat roads (like parking lots hosting pedestrians) at slower speeds and at roundabouts (the dealership is positioned next to a hill and the interstate). Now they are making me pay approx. $2500 additional to trade for one of their other vehicles, and will not return my trade allowance (trade allowance was already less than what it should have been) The Chevrolet that I traded also had a turbo engine, and it did not jerk me around as this VW does, so the turbo lag explanation doesn't explain the jerking and stalling. I am requesting that the take back their vehicle for a full refund, including taxes, as well as returning my down payment.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/29/2023

  Customer Information: ***********************
  ************
  2019 Volkswagen Tiguan
  
  Below please find Royal Automotive, Inc.s response to *************************** complaint:
  
      ? **************** test drove the 2019 VW Tiguan two (2) different times before agreeing to purchase
  this vehicle and never mentioned the issues cited in her complaint.
      ? As part of the purchase process, we explained to **************** that what she experienced when
  driving the vehicle is a characteristic of all Tiguans due to the Tiguan engine. Despite this, we
  offered to have our ****************** inspect the vehicle again to make sure everything was
  operating correctly and safely, which **************** declined.
      ? We further explained to **************** that the vehicle she purchased is a Certified Pre-Owned
  Vehicle, meaning that the vehicle went thru a 100 + Point Inspection, and also let her know
  that she has the remainder of the Factory Warranty plus an additional one (1) year or 12K Miles
  (whichever comes first) Certified Warranty.
      ? As to the issue of the engine automatically stopping and starting, it was explained to ****************
  that all Tiguans are equipped the start/stop feature on the vehicle. This feature shuts off the
  vehicles engine while it is stopped in traffic and restarts again when it is time for you to
  accelerate. This is a fuel-saving feature that can be turned on/off as you desire at the beginning
  of every *********.
       ? As to the desired refund resolution requested by ****************, the ******************* & Royal Automotive do not provide a Cooling Off or Cancellation Period for
  financed sales. This is clearly stated in the Contract that **************** signed at the time of the sale.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/29/2023

   
  Complaint: 20920300
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I have been advised by the police department and the *** that the business is legally able to refund my purchase and take back the vehicle on Tuesday, November 28th. ***refore, it is not illegal in AL to return or accept return of a vehicle. No one is responsible for the back taxes of a return, because they do not exist for a return, as advised by the *** in Vestavia, AL. *** auto stop feature was in my previous vehicle and has nothing to do with the safe and comfortable movement of the vehicle at slow speeds or any other speed for that matter. *** vehicle that they sold me is physically jerking me around, even more in the suggested sport mode. I am unable to slowly roll through the parking lot because of the lagging which makes a significant noise, as if the vehicle is struggling. It doesnt do this every single time, and a 10 minute test drive was not sufficient enough to allow certain characteristics to be known. As I said before, the landscape around the dealership is very unique (hills and higher speeds), not start/stop in town traffic. If I press the gas to go slow on flat ground, it moderately pushes me forward. Same thing when taking off from a roundabout. *** vehicle lags putting me at risk of being rear ended because it appears to take off, but speed does not sufficiently increase. A vehicle is supposed to smoothly roll when brake is released, due to kinetic energy. This vehicle is not doing that, bc something within the mechanical system is preventing that.  
  

  Basically, the vehicle does not have any tact in going between speeds. It goes from one extreme (stop-2mph) to the other (15mph and above). A vehicle should not be struggling to move, because foot was taken off gas in preparation for yielding to pedestrians. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/30/2023

  We stand by our previous response to the Complaint, and again, she is more than welcome to bring it in to our ****************** to perform another inspection.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/01/2023

   
  Complaint: 20920300
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it doesnt make since to bring a vehicle back into the place that originally certified the vehicle when they didnt catch the issue initially, after claiming to perform a 100 point inspection. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************