ComplaintsforBerkeley Ford

• Initial Complaint

  05/01/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 4/24 we went to Berkeley Ford to test drive a Ford Ranger Raptor. We weren't allowed to test drive it, but we were told we could drive it around the lot, which we did. Once we decided we wanted this type of truck we were advised the price would be over MSRP. We wanted shadow black but for the right price we would buy this one which was azure gray metallic tri-coat. We left and got an Email and text with the MSRP as a CASH OFFER from the Sales Manager. The next day we were ready to buy. We called and spoke to the GM because our sales person said that the price they sent was not going to work for them and he'd buy the car himself if he could get it at MSRP. They brought it down from 10k over to 7k over. Still an absurd amount and way over the offer we received from them. The GM had an attitude right away and we ended up in a screaming match because they refused to honor their own offer. We talked to True Car and they assured us that the dealer must honor the price and they would further investigate. We hear back from the sales manager and asked us to come in again and see what they can do. We go in on 04/25, AGAIN, only for them to honor the offer IF and ONLY IF, we traded in our car for half it's value. They were just looking for a way to still get a profit of 7k or more. We offered cash and they declined, they said they would only give us the offered price if we pretty much gave them our car at an extreme loss to us. We already had it appraised twice and told them but they said they don't care about other appraisals. We had convinced ourselves this was the truck we would go with and this was the dealer we'd buy from until we learned they are shady and won't honor their own offers. If they made a mistake, they need to own up to it, not try to trick us. Needless to say, I looked it up and per South Carolina Department of Consumer Law they are in fact committing "Misleading and Deceptive Motor Vehicle Dealer Practices" which is illegal as of February 18, 2022.

  Business response

  05/01/2024

  Mr. and Mrs. ***** lead came in and was followed up on with the incorrect pricing. Once that was corrected and explained to them they did not want to pay the allowed and fully legal market adjustment on the 2024 Ranger Raptor. However, since the vehicle was improperly priced without the market adjustment we agreed to sell the vehicle at MSRP with no adjustment. They came in and added the trade in. We appraised the trade-in and valued it at fair market value which they declined. We were 4k off their trade value and could not make a deal. We apologize for the misunderstanding and will be glad to order one for them with no market adjustment. 

  Customer response

  05/02/2024

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: We are not Mr. and Mrs. *****, I don't know who the ***** family is. We were asked if we had a trade in and told to bring it in after all the back and forth on pricing and were quoted 7k when our vehicle was appraised by several places at 14k. The offer made was only if we traded in our vehicle, we asked for the same deal without our trade-in and were told no. 

  We would accept an order if Ford was still taking orders, but they are not taking orders at this time. However considering there is one on the lot already, why not sell us the one you have?

  Our desired resolution would be to purchase the vehicle we tested in the lot, without our trade in, at the quoted price which was msrp. 

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

  Business response

  05/07/2024

  Raptor orders are built on dealer allocation (basically what the manufacturer says we can have of a particular unit) which for us was only one for the year. Ford is taking orders but only if a dealer has allocation and another dealership may.

  As far as the unit goes, we had another customer interested in the unit at the same time who has since purchased the vehicle so any recourse or further correspondence is moot. 

  Thanks. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/19/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On February 6th I purchase my vehicle from Berkley Ford in Moncks Corner SC. I read the Carfax and test drove it. They even said they serviced the vehicle. The second week my car would not start. I took it to Advance Auto for a diagnosis and was told it was an alternator. It sat for one week while I saved money to buy a part. It stopped again 2 days later. A second alternator was bought along with a new battery. My mechanic said it had to be a more serious problem if it happened again and he would check out the entire car. Before he could even do that the car would not go over 25 miles per hour and then stopped all together. A new mechanic checked and said it was leaking oil and the car engine was gone. He said when the dealership serviced the car it would have shown on their machine. When I contacted the dealership the sales manager Michael Blume, said when you buy a car for $5000, and it has 189,000 miles on it you should know better, and you should expect problems. He basically said we sold you the car knowing something was wrong, but we can get away with it because it’s a sold as is. He also said you can complain to BBB or Consumer affairs and then let them see them the as-is paperwork. For a major dealership to say this is unbelievable. I feel this was deceptive practice and misrepresentation and fraud. At least disclose a problem and let me make a informed decision based on the truth. I am 25, a female, who husband died 7 months ago, and I have a disabled autistic son and who needs care and I have a job. I just wanted a reliable car.

  Business response

  03/19/2024

  Mrs. ******* came to Berkeley Ford on 2/26/24 and test drove a 2016 Kia Soul with approximately 180k miles . After the test drive she was satisfied with the performance and price of the vehicle and purchased it. We did not hear back from her concerning any issue with the Kia until yesterday on 3/18/24. We wish she would have contacted us concerning any issues earlier during her ownership. Upon the initial phone conversation on 3/18 we offered to diagnose the vehicle at no charge but we heard nothing back. Unfortunately, things can go wrong with a used vehicle at any time and we cannot foresee that. All we can do is try to make things right if we hear about it. 

  Customer response

  03/21/2024

  I forgot to add.

  Alternator 342.

  battery 197

  4 tires 400$

  tow truck when car broke down 140$

  Miss 3 days from work due to being  stranded 729$

  mechanic fee

  rental car 358.$ 

   

  Business response

  03/26/2024

  Mrs. ******* came to Berkeley Ford on 2/26/24 and test drove a 2016 Kia Soul with approximately 180k miles . After the test drive she was satisfied with the performance and price of the vehicle and purchased it. We did not hear back from her concerning any issue with the Kia until yesterday on 3/18/24. We wish she would have contacted us concerning any issues earlier during her ownership. Upon the initial phone conversation on 3/18 we offered to diagnose the vehicle at no charge but we heard nothing back. Unfortunately, things can go wrong with a used vehicle at any time and we cannot foresee that. All we can do is try to make things right if we hear about it. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/29/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  In 2017 I bought a 2014 Ford Fiesta from this dealership. In early 2021, the front passenger door latches stopped working. Found out the door latches were recalled in 2014, but mine had not been replaced. I had to use bungee cords to hold the door shut and secure it. The day after failure, I called to ask them to replace the recalled door latches. They made me an appointment for about 2 months later. I took it in that morning, as requested, only to be told they didn't have the parts. Spent nearly 3 years holding the door shut with bungee cords. They weren't getting the parts in, I was repeatedly told. Last month they finally got the parts and I took my car in on 2/20/2024 at 8 am. They had it until about 5:15 pm. When I went to get the key, I was told I had brought it in with the driver's side door handle cracked. Not true. They blamed the pressure from the bungee cords. The Service Manager agreed to cover the labor to replace the door panel, but insist I cover over $400 for the part. I believe this is unreasonable as I was forced to use the bungee cords for so long because they didn't have the replacement parts for nearly 3 years. When I informed the Service Manager that it'd taken them 3 years to replace the recalled parts, he still said he won't cover the damage caused by the recalled parts. He did agree to submit a request to Ford Corporate to cover it, but I haven't heard anything from him yet. Then, I discovered another problem: When I lock the car doors, not all of them lock. My tire sensors stopped working when I started it up at the dealership, too. I dropped off a very reliable car and picked up a crazy car.

  Business response

  02/29/2024

  Ms. **** brought here vehicle in on 2/27/24 for us to perform the Ford recall 15s16 on the door latches, while performing the recall we discovered that the inside door handle is broken on the drivers door. Ms. **** disclosed that she has been driving around like this for the last 3 years with bungee cords attached to the inside trim panel.  when I spoke to her she told me that the dealership was responsible for it being broken and that the dealership needed to pay for the trim panel which I told her that I would not do. I did offer to help her with the labor and that she would need to pay for the parts on her 10 year old Fiesta.  at this point she stated that now her tire sensors were not working also relating it to the door latch repairs and I advised her that the tire pressure sensors had nothing to do with the door latch replacement.  she stormed off in a huff and left the dealership. she called me back on the morning of 2/28/24 and said that she had calmed down and wanted me to replace the trim panel again at no cost to her to which I declined.  I did offer to submit the repair to Ford for review and told her that I would probably hear something back late afternoon on 2/28/24 or early on 02/29/24.  I received the response from Ford this morning and they have agreed to replace the trim panel at no charge to the customer.  I will contact her as soon as I finished responding to this bbb case and get the parts ordered in for her.  When the parts arrive I will recontact her and get her in for the parts replacement which will be at no charge thanks to Ford Motor Company.  

• Initial Complaint

  10/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  9/19/2023 Repairs covered under warranty Unable to get my vehicle repaired No resolution on repairing my vehicle I was told by the service manager that my transmission was the issue with my vehicle. Then he stated that it's covered under my warranty but it will be 4-5 months before it's fixed. I asked for a rental like my truck because I run a hauling business he stated that they cannot do it because he doesn't have a relationship with a rental car office and they don't have any loaners. I informed him that I have to have a vehicle or I will go out of business. He stated I'm sorry but it's nothing that I can do. I have already lost one of my loads due delayed vehicle repair. I have contracts that are waiting but can't keep waiting because they said that they have a business to run and must on.

  Business response

  10/13/2023

  Mr. **** brought his vehicle into our shop on September 19, 2023 @ 39516 miles and the vehicle was evaluated for a check engine light concern.  Our master technician Jesse Cox looked at the vehicle and determined that the customer is having an internal problem inside of the transmission with 4th gear.  We told Mr. **** that we were backed up on transmission work and it would be a couple of months before we could get him back in to tear down his transmission and determine exactly the extent of the repair that needed to be performed to correct his vehicle.  The customer was told that the transmission would have a rough shift into 4th gear but would still be drive able until we could get him back in.  When he does come back in,  he can rent a truck and Ford will reimburse him $35.00 @ day up to 10 days as called for under his Ford Premium Care policy.  We told Mr. **** that our local ********** Rental Car does not rent F Series Super Duty vehicles that he would require for towing purposes.  We would love to take care of Mr. **** with his transmission concern but we only have one person that can perform the transmission repairs and he is currently backed up and it will be several months before we could get to Mr. ****'s vehicle.  We currently have have an open repair on Mr. **** so we can notify him when we get around to him.  He obviously is still driving the vehicle because according to the connected vehicle data he has 43,415 miles on his vehicle as of today 10/13/2023 which is 3,899 miles since we evaluated his vehicle on September 19, 2023.  Please feel free to contact me if I may be of further assistance in this matter and we will contact Mr. **** when he comes up in rotation to have his vehicle repaired.

   

  Larry A*******  Service Manager Berkeley Ford

  Customer response

  10/23/2023

  Please excuse my tardy response my dad died and I've been going through a lot. In response to the Manager's message, I was not told anything pertaining to what was wrong with my trucks transmission. I was told that tech stated that I'm having transmission issues and that he has to tear it down to determine what's wrong with it. It would be 4-5 months before he can get to it not to worry it's covered under your warranty. I initially requested a rental car and was told at the dealership that I cannot receive one because they did not have any vehicles for rent there and they didn't have a relationship with a rental car company. The extra miles were put on my truck because I had load obligations that could not be held any longer and needed to be delivered. I operate a transport business and have been out business because I cannot operate without my truck. I had an ASE Certified technician check my vehicle at my home and he stated that my transmission control module was missing with the electrical connector. This is the computer that communicates with the transmission. This was on my vehicle before I dropped it off to be inspected. My truck is still covered under factory warranty and an 8-year premium extended warranty. I'm just looking to get my truck repaired under my current warranties.

  Business response

  10/30/2023

  As previously stated, the truck will be repaired under the factory warranty if the issue is warrantable. Ford does not provide commercial rentals for customer to use. We have nothing further to add to this complaint and we feel we have adequately addressed the concern. 

• Initial Complaint

  12/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Berkeley Ford sold me a car that had been VIN swapped they will not admit it but it is obvious I have all the evidence to prove this the car was a corporate fleet vehicle owned by Berkeley Ford and sold to me as a new 2018 Ford focus, full warranty that they did not honor, and I am just now figuring out what it really is how I know this the model car that bin is associated with does not I have the auto stop, start feature included on any of those models. Mine has one meaning of a swap from a manual, five speed or six speed transmission, the one suffering from the recalls that they will not admit it is

  Business response

  01/02/2023

  This complaint is almost too ridiculous to address.

  The vehicle was marketed as used because we purchased the vehicle in 2019 to retain expiring rebates and is a customary practice with manufactures. The customer purchased the vehicle at a great price from us over a year later with 1464 miles and was disclosed as a used car. The vehicle had full factory warranty when the car was bought just like any other car with those circumstances. The customer's signed documentation is on file at the dealership documenting all of this info including any VIN information. 

  If the customer has a warranty concern he or she needs to reach out to any service department for resolution. The client has not returned to our dealership since he was here last in February of 2022 so we have no knowledge of any issues with the car. 

  Customer response

  01/03/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: it is not ridiculous. The car literally has no engraved Vin numbers by the door jam, and the view dealership told me yesterday when I came in that know those cars do not have the numbers engraved on them. That’s a lie this car was switched and sold to me. They need to accept that and if they don’t, I’m going to file papers at Berkeley and reach out to the media, exposing them for the car switching shady dealers they are
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *********

  Business response

  01/03/2023

  They won't be "engraved". They'll be on the VCIS label on the door or the door jamb and also visible through the windshield at the bottom driver's side. If both are missing then you've done something to them. All the VIN information is on file here at the dealership including any original signed paperwork. 

  We're not entertaining anything further with these baseless and slanderous allegations and will not be responding further to this ridiculous complaint. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The company failed to match a price they were advertising online. I went to purchase the vehicle and they told me they would not sell it to me for that price when it was of their fault in putting in the wrong pricing. I was also informed that they do this quite frequently. The person that puts in the pricing, I was told can hardly see, but still insists on putting in the pricing for the vehicles. The company is aware of the issue and still fails to acknowledge and correct the issue so instead more customers are under the illusion that they are going to be purchasing a vehicle of this pricing and then are told that they cannot because it is a different price. I would like to purchase the vehicle with the pricing that is listed and being per moted. The vehicle is still being listed with the $3,453 online and they have yet to take it off the website or correct the issue again after being notified of the issue. Instead, the vehicle is still being advertised as $3,453.00. I would like to purchase the vehicle for what is being advertised. If the company is aware of the issue and still fails to correct the issue then they should honor the pricing. Maybe if they lose a car or two for not puting in the correct pricing, the person who is in charge of handling the pricing will not do it anymore. Especially if the man can't see, which is what the employee told me.

  Business response

  11/16/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 8, 2022/11/10) */ This is ridiculous. We're under no obligation to sell a unit at any price. There's a disclaimer on the website saying that prices are subject to change without notice. Vehicle market pricing changes daily and this consumer is certainly welcome to pass on the vehicle if they find a better deal elsewhere. This complaint is just entitlement mentality off the rails.

• Initial Complaint

  09/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My 2018 Ford Escape was towed to this location on July 29,2022. I called the service department after hearing nothing from them about what was causing my truck to overheat. At first nobody could give me any information. Then after 2 weeks I was finally told my entire engine had to be replaced due to manufacturers issue with the year and model and it would be covered by warranty. They just had to get the parts in to fix it. No eta of when the parts would be in or when I would have my vehicle back. After a month with no information besides I'm waiting on parts I spoke with the branch manager who told me they had no car to loan me until the work was done but my parts will be in in 2 weeks and I will have my truck back by the 16th of September no later. Today is the 15th and I was told by the service manager that they are about to drive my car in to start the work call him back on Wednesday to see the progress. It's almost been 2 month and it's just being worked on. The branch manager who promised me my truck by the 16th is no longer with them. I'm over it and I have no way of getting around and I'm still responsible for the payments to a truck that's sitting in the service shop

  Business response

  09/26/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/09/16) */ There have been delays with this repair due to global supply chain shortages and manpower issues. This job is currently in the shop and will be completed to the best of our ability and as quickly as possible. The customer is paying no part of this repair due to it being covered under Ford Motor Company satisfaction coverage recall. Ford allows a rental for 3 days only under this recall. It should be noted that this is the first time this individual has been at our place of business. The owner does no service work with us nor did they purchase the vehicle from us. Ford Motor Company provides goodwill assistance to consumers based on loyalty and this person currently has a 0. We would have gladly submitted a request to Ford for extended loaner time but there's no chance they would consider.

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I ordered a model year (MY) 2021 Ford Bronco from Berkeley County Ford for an MSRP of $41,640 on January 29th, 2021. At that time a ln order sheet detailing the cost of added options and destination fees was printed. Andrew Bard and I agreed to the price on MSRP, plus dealer processing and document fees. I signed the sheet and placed a $1,000 dollar down payment. The vehicle was converted to a MY 2022 after military orders caused a change of duty station to Newport News, VA. Upon the vehicle being delivered to the dealership, the dealer would not honor the agreed price from January 2021 and instead had added a $12,000 Retail Order Fee. I have the original build sheet with price created by the dealer and my signature on the sheet. The attached quote from August 15 is after many hours and they reduced the mark-up to 3500.

  Business response

  09/13/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 11, 2022/09/02) */ We agreed to sell the vehicle to the customer at agreed markup at time of ordering which was 895.00 and customer declined. Mr. ****** wanted 3k more of discounts in incentives that did not exist. We tried to reach an agreement with the customer and unfortunately we could not make the deal.

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Called about my 2015 Ford Fusion being fixed there for a insurance claim and was told by to have it towed and they would take a look at it and it has been two weeks and no one has even looked at it and when asked they will not even give me a date of when maybe it can be looked at and all the while it's eating up my rental days for insurance.

  Business response

  01/11/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2021/12/23) */ our service advisor clearly told ms. ******** when she called that we would work her in - we could not give a date or time. we are backed up and work off appointments for much of our business which I am sure is similar to other shops in the area. since we are starting off with a bbb complaint before even having a chance to diagnose her car we have decided to not go any further. ms. ******** was contacted today by our service mgr and told to come pick up her car. we are not interested in doing the repair and dealing with a customer like this who threatens to call the police on us, says she is recording our calls (without our permission), and accuses us to be in "cahoots" with the **** ******** dealerships (whatever that means; we are not a ******** store). she owes us nothing.

*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. ↩