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:04/30/2023

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  On April 24th I drove my 2006 ***** 2500HD to Serpentini ***** to have a relearn procedure done after changing my throttle body. The procedure was done and I received a text message from ***** explaining it did not resolve the issue. She asked permission to run a diagnostic, I agreed. The next day I received another text saying that now the trucks ecm was locked up and the truck would not start. After that text I spent a week trying to get answers from ***** who was completely unresponsive. I called and was constantly redirected. My wife made attempts to call and ***** was unresponsive. My wife finally talked to **** who was extremely rude to her, still no answers on how this would be resolved. I own a home remodeling company that relies on that vehicle. Finally they directed her to a service manager who basically said we need to come tow the vehicle off their property. He also stressed that we owe them for the work they performed. I dont feel I am responsible for my truck now not running. I want my property back in at least the condition I brought it to them in. I was expecting it to be in better condition than I brought it in. Thats why I took it there.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/03/2023

  The vehicle was brought in on April 24th, with the concern "customer states he replaced the throttle body himself and needs computer relearned." At that time the customer did not want anything diagnosed, just the programming. The vehicle arrived with several dash warning lights on and a low brake pedal. We advised that without any diagnosis of what is actually wrong, we cannot guarantee the success of programming or if that would actually correct any of his issues. No diagnosis was authorized by the customer at that time. The technician attempted to program/relearn the throttle body per the customer's request with no success. At this point we contacted the customer to explain what was found and recommended that we diagnose the vehicle to determine what is actually wrong. The customer approved this diagnosis. Upon diagnosis, the technician found (code P2135 - throttle position sensor) that the throttle body installed by the customer was not a factory/GM part and that it was shorted internally and would need replaced. It also had a code p0449 - inspected and found that the evap purge solenoid was stuck open and drawing vapors from the fuel tank when the solenoid was off, and also found that the vent valve was shorted open and was causing a restriction in the cannister. We also found a code p1516 which indicates a throttle body communication issue. There is a technical service bulletin (06-06-04-042B) regarding this code. When following the bulleting and hooking up to the Engine Control Module to check for the most current calibration, the *** locked up and stopped communicating completely, rendering the truck completely inoperative. Attempted to recover the *** and determined that it had failed internally. Advised the customer of our findings and recommended replacement of the throttle body, the ***, evap purge valve, cannister and vent valve. We also advised that without the *** replacement the vehicle is not currently drivable. At that point the customer stated that we caused his issue with the *** and that he should not be responsible for that repair. We explained that all that we did was plug into the *** to check calibration and it crashed. We did not cause the issue - it was an unfortunate coincidence. We did understand the customer's concern though and we did offer to help out with the labor cost (approx $310) but the customer did not feel that they should have to pay for any of it. It is unfortunate that the *** issue occurred, but there is nothing that we could have done to cause or prevent the module from failing. We did offer assistance with the repair, but the customer declined. The vehicle was brought here already having several issues which we diagnosed for the customer. He paid the diagnostic fee and had the vehicle towed out of our facility.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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 bought my car and while test driving it I notice it was pulling to the left so I let the sales person know what was going on he told me the car has been service but he will reach out to the service department to look at the car now I’m here and they want to charge me $250 for a problem I had and let **** know before buying the car and he told me that he will take care of it texts are included

  Business Response

  Date: 09/07/2022

  This customer was not charged for her service visit.  Our service department made the necessary alignment adjustment at no charge to the customer.  With that being said, there is nothing to refund since the customer did not pay anything.  I have attached the RO showing $0 charge to the customer.

   

  Thanks,

  **** *****
  General Manager
  Serpentini Chevrolet

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/07/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  The invoice he submitted was old it doesn’t have todays date and they did not fix my alignment issue at all my.  They was rude and disrespectful of my time waiting and it’s still not fixed I’m taking it to another business to get it done and I want to be reimbursed for the cost how you send in an old invoice thanks 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/09/2022

  I purchased the vehicle in July I let the sales person **** that will test driving the car it was pulling to the left when I bought the car home I texted him again and said it’s still pulling to the left in his text which I have was going to talk to the service department about the car pulling to the left so I called service a day before my appointment and was told that he never spoke to them about and I had to come in that Monday when I bought it in on Monday I was not aware that it would take over 8 hours to look at so I was unable to leave it that day due to work so I can on that next Wednesday and I would know in a hour what’s going on with the pulling so the service guy can and got me and told me it’s $269 because I said it was making a noise when you put it in reverse and that included the alignment I said no I had told **** that it was pulling and he would talk to service department so now I have to wait for **** to come to work at 9 so we walked to the service supervisor and I told her the story showed her the text and I was going to make a complaint with bbb she threatened me and said if you do I’m not fixing your car I said okay so they took it to the back and 30 minutes later she said it was fixed it’s not it’s shakes and still pulls to the left I don’t understand why is this a big problem so now I have to go get the car fixed somewhere else and pay I want to be reimbursed for that and my time I wasted waiting for the car to not be fixed  I have all texts that we talked about the car pulling 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/10/2022

  [BBB Transcription via Duplicate complaint]

  I bought my vehicle in the end of July. I had told sales man **** that my brakes is making noise he texted me and said he will go to the service department speak with them about my concerns with the brakes and pulling to the left when **** told me he spoke with service that I had to wait 30 days for them to look at it he texted me that and made me an appointment in August I had to reschedule the appointment cause **** made it on a saturation and the techs do not do work on the weekend so when I took the car there in August they informed me that my brakes were fine and it did not need to be changed and my wheel alignment was fine also i took my car to 2 different places in August to look at the brakes they other shops in form me that my brakes was bad and I need them fixed and I needed tires so I bought 2 new tires and reached out to the service manager told me to bring the car back up there and she will look at the brakes. I brought it back up here today. Brakes need to be done like I said originally is he wants to charge me $730 this company hasn’t given me the runaround since July. I would like this resolved and my brakes. I have all the paperwork when I let him know that the brakes were not working and I have paperwork from the company I wanted to reset the brakes need to be done.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/12/2022

  I have looked into this complaint and after further research have come to this conclusion.  The vehicle was brought in and the brakes were inspected and we are 6mm which is well within passing specs.  The alignment was also addressed and an alignment was performed at no charge to the customer.  Brake pads are measured in mm with 8-10 being brand new and anything below 4 is considered fail and needs to be replaced.  The vehicle was driven roughly 15,000 miles since it was purchased 3 months ago.  Due to the large amount of driving, the brake pads are now worn down and are not above passing spec.  This vehicle was not sold this way.  As a good will gesture, I'm willing to offer a 50/50 split with the customer on having the front brake pads and rotors replaced as long as the work is done here at our service department.  If the customer would like to schedule this, they can email me at ************************** and I would be glad to get it scheduled.

   

  Thanks,

   

  **** *****
  General Manager
  Serpentini Chevrolet

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/15/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  I had told the sales man that the brakes was making noise before I purchased the car and I have the text so the miles has nothin to do with it

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/18/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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.

  While having my 2005 Chev Cobalt svc’d for routine maint May 27, the Serpentini Tallmadge svc advisor informed me that my transmission cooler lines were "seeping" and needed replaced. The lines seeping surprised me since my car never (excluding a fuel line in 2015) leaked fluids onto my driveway. But at the time I trusted the recommendation and later set up an appt for replacing the "leaking" lines performed July 18 for $431.83. FF to last wk when I noticed a leak stain on my driveway but couldn’t determine what type it was or when it happened. Then Sun (Aug 14), after I moved my car and later parked back onto the driveway, I could see that it was dripping fluid. The bottom line (of the 2 new lines) was leaking a dark pink fluid at the pt of the connection to the radiator, so I tried absorbing the leak as much as possible to tell how much it would leak overnight. Early Mon (Aug 15) I tried calling their svc dept multiple times and couldn't get through so, on their website's Contact Us form, I typed and sent them a msg (I had 2 job interviews that day and was concerned whether my car was safe to drive). I did receive a callback (near the end of my 1st interview) to set up an appt, which I did for their earliest available day (Wed, Aug 17). When I checked in my car, I told the svc advisor that the repair costs should be covered under warranty, to which he replied that was yet TBD. Hrs later he called to report the leak could not be repaired until the radiator was replaced at an est cost over $1,000. He said the new GM line was not fitting correctly at the connection to the existing “aftermarket” radiator. I asked why that wasn’t determined when the lines were replaced and why it hadn’t leak until 4 wks later. They sent their shuttle to pick me up as I had requested so I could drive my car home after paying $162.46 for the diagnosis of a leak they couldn't repair. The existing radiator on my car is not “aftermarket”; it is the original factory radiator.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2022

  We have been trying to reach out to ***** regarding his visit and have left 2 messages.  After reviewing, I do agree that he should not have been charged for the diagnosis of the issue and have authorized a refund.  In order to process the refund, we need him to come up to the dealership.  We also need to inspect the radiator as well to verify if it's an aftermarket or OEM radiator.  That will be done at no charge to the customer.  Any assistance in reaching the customer would be greatly appreciated!

   

  Thanks,

   

  **** *****
  General Manager
  Serpentini Chevrolet

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/30/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:

  Serpentini did try to reach me twice (a message left on my home answering machine at 8:02 this morning and a message left on my cell phone at 8:05 this morning). I did not return the calls because I wanted to check my email for a BBB email (which was sent to me this afternoon) when I arrived home from work early this evening.

  I do not need to come up to the dealership to receive a refund (my mailing address is listed on all the invoices I previously paid). And no need for them to inspect the radiator. I have already made an appointment to have it replaced by someone else before the transmission breaks down or the radiator itself, all happening after the transmission cooler lines were replaced by Serpentini weeks ago.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/31/2022

  You paid via credit card and in order to process your refund, we will need the same card that was used to swipe for the refund.  That is why we need you to stop at the dealership.  Let me know what day/time works for you to stop by so this can be done.  We do not mail out check refunds when you use a credit card to pay.  

   

  Thanks

  **** *****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/05/2022

   I am rejecting this response because:
  
  My preference to receive a refund by check is because the original charges are being paid from my checking account to the credit card company in a few days. In addition, due to my new job which has varying ending times throughout the workweek, my only day available to come in to the dealership is a Saturday. I will set aside time to come in this Saturday, September 10 at whatever appointed time the dealership chooses via their BBB response.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/06/2022

  We are here Saturday 9:00AM - 6:00PM to process the refund.  We will need the same card used to pay.  Due to banking regulations, we are unable to refund a credit card charge via check.  

   

  Thanks

  **** *****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/07/2022

  Type:Service or Repair 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 bought a 2011 Jeep Wrangler from Serpentini Chevrolet in ********* and the person selling me the car had told me that the person trading in the car said he had problems with it pulling his boat but they said they fixed that and put new brakes on the car but there was no new brakes and they say I have to buy a new transmission for $6,000 and I haven’t even had the vehicle for 3 weeks.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/08/2022

  We have been in contact with the customer on this issue and have agreed to assist the customer in a 50/50 split as a good will gesture.  The vehicle was purchased AS-IS with attached documents for verification.  There is always a risk when purchasing a vehicle AS-IS.  With any vehicle, things can break at any time.  That risk is even higher with older vehicles. The vehicle was serviced on May 12, 2022 and no issues were found with the transmission by our technicians. 

  Regarding the brake concern, the front brake pads were replaced and the front rotors were machined.  The rear brake pads and rotors were replaced.  There is nothing wrong with the brakes on this vehicle.  The vehicle was driven almost 3,000 miles in the first 3 weeks of ownership.  There was brake dust build up on the wheel from the amount of driving in the short time.  

  At this time, we are still honoring our good will gesture of a 50/50 split on the transmission repair to help the customer.  The customer has agreed to this and the repair process has begun on our end.  

   

  Thanks,

   

  **** *****