ComplaintsforSerramonte Subaru

• Initial Complaint

  06/24/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Pre-Paid Maintenance plan refund. On March 9, 2024, I purchased a Forester from Serramonte Subaru. Within 72 hours of acquiring the vehicle, on March 12, 2024, I returned to the dealership (in person) to cancel the pre-paid maintenance plan ($2400) and was assured by the finance manager, ****, that my refund would be processed between 1 month to 60 days. After 60 days, I followed up with emails but without a result. Despite my initial visit and subsequent communication, as of June 24, 2024, I have not received the promised refund of $2,400 nor any updates on the status of my refund. The lack of response and prolonged delay has caused significant inconvenience and concern. I am seeking the Better Business Bureau's assistance in facilitating the prompt processing and return of my funds as initially agreed upon by the dealership.

  Business response

  06/24/2024

  To Whom It May ******************* Maintenance contract completed the cancellation process on April 8, 2024. The check was issued to Subaru Motor Finance refrencing the customers account. Can the customer please double check to make sure the funds were not credited to their account. I will check with our business office to see if the check was cashed as well.

  Thank you,

  Arash H

  General Manager

  Customer response

  06/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 21894741
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Here is a screen shoot of my payment history and I have statement to back this up. No $2400 was ever credited. I call Chase/Subaru finance, they said if the dealership has refunded me, it would of shown.   
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  12/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We recently purchased a vehicle from the Subaru dealership in Serramonte, *****, ** on the date of 11/18/2023. During the payment process, the dealer made a mistake by applying an incorrect tax rate of a different county to the vehicle. We paid the exact full amount ($33,132.40) as they calculated and told us to pay. However, ten days after the deal was closed, during our vacation, they informed us this big error they made and asked us to pay for the extra amount ($300) in discrepancy.So we went back to the dealership and after waiting for half hour, finally got to speak with the finance directo who handled our payment. He sounded like it was very normal to make a mistake like this, and he didnt explain or apologize to us about what happened until we asked him to explicitly. He was even saying that it could be that we noticed that error during the transaction but chose not to speak up to take advantage of his error. This made us really uncomfortable because how could he presume we were people like that? His words felt very disrepectful and even insulting to us, let alone us being customers of his. Needless to say, they refused to take any kind of responsibility of the mistake they made (i.e. not paying any part of the discrepancy in due). There was just no right attitude in these conversations at the dealership.At the end of the day, we were just looking for some sincerity and honesty, and their willingness to take at least some responsibility of the mistake they made, but not just chasing us to pay for the mistake theyve made on their own.

  Business response

  12/22/2023

  To Whom It May ************************ are very appreciative of this customer doing business with us. We have no control of the sales tax in **********. We can not collect any more or any less. It is based on the city and county the customer resides in. We are sorry of the misunderstanding and understand the frustration this might of caused. Unfortunately the correct taxes must be collected based on the selling price of the vehicle. Thank you again for your business and Happy Holidays.

  Best,

  Arash H

  General Manager 

• Initial Complaint

  11/22/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Putting defective parts in a already lemon car. Discrimination against us and our insurance GEICO

  Business response

  11/22/2023

  To Whom It May ***************** are unable to locate this customer in our database. Please provide a full VIN of the vehicle and full phone number.

  Best,

  Arash H

  Serramonte Subaru

• Initial Complaint

  03/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a used **** 500e on February 21, 2023 from this dealership. At the time of purchase, I asked for the *** Clean Vehicle Credit information (required at the time of sale that dealership must report to ***) The information they must provide includes:Seller/Dealer name and taxpayer ID number Buyer's name and taxpayer ID number Maximum credit allowable under IRC 30D for new vehicles or IRC 25E for previously owned vehicles Vehicle identification number (VIN), unless the vehicle is not assigned one Battery capacity Date of sale Sale price A signed declaration that the information is correct and will be reported to ***.I didn't receive day of and still haven't received after leaving messages on a daily basis asking about the status of this information. I have NEVER RECEIVED A CALL BACK.

  Business response

  03/09/2023

  To Whom It May *************************** about any confusion or delays in providing information. This is filed through the **** I believe through a **** form. Dealer name is Serramonte Subaru and tax id is **********. Please let us know if you have any additional questions. Sorry again for the delay. Congratulations on your **** 500e

  Have a great day!

  Best,

  Arash H

  General Manager

  Customer response

  03/10/2023

   
  Complaint: 19549827
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  I am rejecting this response because:
  The IRS requirement for the dealership is VERY CLEAR, the fact their response only provided their dealership name and IRS tax id number underscores the unprofessional nature of this business. The dealership's lack of compliance puts my vehicle credit and 2023 tax return at risk.
  
  Additionally, the dealership also didn't provide me with the '112 point' vehicle inspection they allegedly performed at the time of sale. it took me multiple days/emails/text messages to salesperson to track in down. As a result and out of an abundance of caution, I took the vehicle to a ************ center for inspection which cost me over $200.
  
  This dealership needs to provide me THE ENTIRE IRS requirement information. I am frustrated and disappointed that a business that took my money, which I gave in good faith, ghosts their customers after a sale without following the law.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  10/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Brought my Vehicle in on 9/14 for minor service and to fix a sound while turning. Was told My vehicle received damages to rear bumper by service technician why being washed. Was told damages would be fixed in 2 days. My wife would contact them from time to time to check the status and was told that there was delay at body shop. On one instance the service manager told my wife " it would of been fixed sooner if you didn't get your husband involved ". Finally received car on 10/13 with damages still at rear fender, mismatched bumper color. The was sound still there while turning and a new knocking sound coming from engine that wasn't there before. The car wasn't even clean when picked up. I asked the manager ***** to talk to his superior or a corporate number to file complaint and was told he was not at liberty to provide information

  Business response

  10/19/2022

  To Whom It May *********************************************** for any inconvenience that may have been caused. The vehicle was fixed at a Subaru authorized body shop that color match the color via VIN. The shop did notate that the vehicle had been in a previous accidents and there was body work done all around the vehicle. We have before and after images that we can reference to. I am more than willing to setup a meeting to take a look at the fender that still has damage to see if the damage was there in the before images. Please let me know what time is convenient for you.

   

  Best,

  Arash H

  General Manager

• Initial Complaint

  07/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The finance **** of this dealership is holding on to $6395 in refunds for extended warranty and service contract cancellations, in retribution for earlier complaints against the business, related to the purchase of a used car. The purchase of these contracts was made 4/28/22, the cancellation form was signed 5/4/22, and I have confirmed with the plan administrator that they cancelled all contracts on 5/21/22... but the administrator states it is the dealership's responsibility to send the refund to the credit union, for application against the used car's loan balance. We are paying interest on this amount the dealership is withholding. The dealership is saying it will take "AT LEAST" 90 days to send a refund to the credit union they chose for us... despite us having come in with our own financing, from our own credit union, they talked us into using theirs and then constantly complained to us about the setup. They refused to use the ** where we already held accounts, despite our pre-approval. The dealership harassed us repeatedly for additional proof of address - we had provided a valid homeowner's insurance policy *and* a utility bill, but they wanted more. Our refusal to be bullied by their sales and finance department, and our subsequent complaints and bad reviews have lead to them holding onto this refund for an unnecessarily extended period of time. The Indirect Lending Processing Manager of the credit union the dealership eventually chose for us has confirmed "that 90 days seems a bit longer than usual for cancellation to happen" which also lends credibility to our claim that the dealership is willfully withholding these funds for an extended period of time, as there apparently is no upper limit to this time frame stipulated in the contract, so they feel they can take however long they please, while we pay interest. This only solidifies our view that the dealership is not trustworthy.

  Business response

  07/15/2022

  To Whom It May ****************** cancellation check was sent out to the lien holder. We did verify today that is was not cashed. We will be sending out another check today after verifying the address the cancellations should be going to. The lien holder should received funds by next week. Please verify with the lien holder as we have no way to verify funds have been received.

  Best,

  Arash H

  Customer response

  07/22/2022

   
  Complaint: 17570273
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Only $1495 was paid. $6395 total was owed, per previously uploaded documents. $1495 appears to be was Road Hazard, only. $3500 still owed for cancelled warranty ad $1400 still owed for maintenance. Remaining balance owed: $4900. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  05/03/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  We recently bought got a 2019 Subaru Outback with three good tires and a "star" crack on the window from a previous repair. The car had the tire warning light on when we drove off from the dealership. We should not have drove off but it was getting late, we had our toddler with us, and they already had our trade-in car. The salesperson said that the tire light would "go away on its own" because they had filled the tires. The tire light did not go off on its own on the drive home, when we noticed the car did NOT have Blight Sight detection AND a star crack in the window, on the driver's side.At the dealership, we kept asking the exact differences between the 2019 and the 2022 and salesperson ***** kept saying these two cars have the same features except the display was different, but the 2019 Outback Premium does not have Blind Side Detection. We really wanted Blind Side Detection. To make matters worse, we bought sales contracts and warranties we would NOT have bought for a car that did not have this feature. We were planning on keeping it for 7+ years. Now we don't want to keep it so long and have wasted our money in unnecessary financing due to these lies.When we complained about the tires, they kept our new-to-us car for 4 days so they could replace one tire on our AWD. When we complained about that, they found another 2019 Outback on their lot and switched the tires. They said the star crack was from a previous repair and was acceptable, so they didn't do anything about that and told us that while it wasn't ideal, it was "acceptable to them". They offered us some free floor mats from their storage closet, as the car had none. Tried to discuss trading that car for other pre-owned models with the general manager. After saying he would be glad to take the car back, he stopped communicating.

  Business response

  05/04/2022

  To Whom It May ******************* vehicle was purchased by ************************* after thoroughly going through the vehicle. The vehicle had four good tires and a good windshield that were all approved under Subaru guidelines. At some point in between the tire thread there on one tire there was a small defect. That defect was so minor that it did not cause the tire to deflate to an undrivable condition. Per protocol we were able to replace that specific tire and have it spec'd out to the Subaru guidelines to match the other three tires. Please keep in mind all tires were over the Subaru CPO requirements which are above state requirements. ***** called and was unhappy with our typical protocol therefore which keep in mind is part of the Subaru CPO protocol. We replaced all of her tires with brand new tires to ensure complete satisfaction with the transaction. We also through in a set of all weather floor mats to ensure she was happy with the transaction. In regards to a specific feature she is now looking for. ***** drove a new vehicle and a pre-owned vehicle, after driving both vehicles she chose the pre-owned vehicle due to the features and price point.

  At no point did she or anyone she was with mention a specific feature was missing or a must have feature that was not already on the vehicle. She would not have continued with the purchase if something was missing. At no point did anyone lie or misinform *****. She was very clear on what she was purchasing and the value she was receiving.

  We setup an appointment at 10am on 5/3/2022 to look at some other options and she did not make the appointment. This is all verifiable via cameras throughout the dealership.

   

  Best,

  Arash H

   

  Customer response

  05/04/2022

   
  Complaint: 17138846
  
  I am rejecting this response because of incorrect statements:
  

  The tire warning light was on at time of purchase, so the vehicle had known tire issues when it was provided to us. We were told the light would go away on its own, or we would not have driven it off the lot. At this point it was rather late and they had already taken our trade-in so we felt very pressured to drive the car off the lot.  

  A test drive was not offered for the 2019 Pre-Owned Vehicle, only ******************************************************* fact, as soon as we made it on the road we noticed the missing feature.  I immediately called the salesperson who was uninformed, he still thought it had Blind Side Detection and just said something like, "oh I guess it does not". Earlier, he kept saying over and over again the pre-owned vehicle had "the same features". We explicitly asked for any difference to be laid out before we made our decision. Several times we asked this question and several times he answered, wrongly, with confidence. 

  Earlier in the day we had looked at another pre-owned 2019 vehicle on their lot. It had all the mats, cargo nets, similar miles, similar price, no "star" in the windshield, and no tire light on. When we arrived to buy, the salesperson had "pulled aside" a "great car" just for us. It seems clean now the salesperson was trying to switch out the car we were interested in with another, and we trusted him. We were wrong. The car we got looked like it was stripped of these things before we bought it.

  As for the meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss other options, the dealership's general manager screamed at me on the phone the day before (Monday) when I mentioned wanting to do this. He threatened to charge us car storage fees for the car we had bought, which had been in his possession since the day after we bought it (Friday). We had discussed via phone on Saturday wanting to look at other options, and he was agreeable, then he acted on Monday like we had never had that discussion.He said I had "misunderstood". We were, in fact, at the dealership Tuesday AM to pick up the car they said was ready. The business responder should check the video tapes he mentions for ************** (the Service Manager) and the reception area. ***** is the one who assisted us Tuesday morning, at no point did he say people were willing and ready to talk to us about other otpions. After being threatened the day before, how could we have known.

   

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

  Business response

  05/06/2022

  To Whom It May ****************************** vehicle was purchased by ************************* after thoroughly going through the vehicle. The vehicle had four good tires and a good windshield that were all approved under Subaru guidelines. At some point in between the tire thread there on one tire there was a small defect. That defect was so minor that it did not cause the tire to deflate to an undrivable condition. Per protocol we were able to replace that specific tire and have it spec'd out to the Subaru guidelines to match the other three tires. Please keep in mind all tires were over the Subaru CPO requirements which are above state requirements. ***** called and was unhappy with our typical protocol therefore which keep in mind is part of the Subaru CPO protocol. We replaced all of her tires with brand new tires to ensure complete satisfaction with the transaction. We also through in a set of all weather floor mats to ensure she was happy with the transaction. In regards to a specific feature she is now looking for. ***** drove a new vehicle and a pre-owned vehicle, after driving both vehicles she chose the pre-owned vehicle due to the features and price point.
  At no point did she or anyone she was with mention a specific feature was missing or a must have feature that was not already on the vehicle. She would not have continued with the purchase if something was missing. At no point did anyone lie or misinform *****. She was very clear on what she was purchasing and the value she was receiving.

  
  We setup an appointment at 10am on 5/3/2022 to look at some other options and she did not make the appointment. This is all verifiable via cameras throughout the dealership.
  
  Best,
  Arash HTell us why here...

  Customer response

  05/06/2022

   
  Complaint: 17138846
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  It appears to be the same text as in the response on 5/4, that I rejected earlier, copied and pasted. My previous rejection has not been addressed.

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

• Initial Complaint

  04/23/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Today's advertised price at Serramonte Subaru's web site on a premium Impreza is $29,049. They sent me an email offer for the same car TODAY at $26.049. I want to buy this car at the emailed price, so I called to verify that it was in stock and to say we were on our way to drive and buy it. They said they could sell it for "low 30's." I mentioned the emailed offer and they said there's a $7,000 markup on top of the email offer. This is deceptive. The markup should be included in the written offer; otherwise, it is false advertising and bait-and-switch. I want to buy this car at this price; I have put a lot of time into research and comparison shopping, and I am not going to the dealership to haggle when an offer has already been made and accepted.

  Business response

  04/23/2022

  To Whom It May ***************** transaction was made with this particular customer with that said, we have a disclosure on every listing that states "* MSRP is the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the vehicle. It does not include any taxes, fees or other charges. Pricing and availability may vary based on a variety of factors including availability, *************** specials, fees, and financing qualifications. Consult your dealer for actual price and complete details. Vehicles shown may have optional equipment at additional cost." This was also in the disclosure of the third party site the customer was shopping on. The image provided by the customer was cropped and I have provided the full image.

  Please find the url as well https://www.serramontesubaru.com/new/Subaru/2022-Subaru-Impreza-*************-96f703950a0e09a91b4e6e9ad958700c.htm

  Please let us know if there are any further questions. Thank you!

   

  Best,

  Arash H

  General Manger

*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. ↩