Brown Daub, Inc.

Review: On september 26th 2013, I purchased a 2009 [redacted] from brown daub [redacted] on [redacted] pa. About a week or so I noticed a grinding noise coming from what seemed to be the transmission. I contacted them and brought it in. I was informed that I purchased the car too fast and they never did a proper inspection and that the transmission was in fact messed up. They told me that they would put in a "brand new" transmission in and do an inspection, I was also put in a rental car for the time being so I thought I would give them a second chance. When I received my car back on roughly october 10th I asked for any paper work, the service guy told me it was all internal and there was nothing I had to sign or need. I asked if there was any warranty information I would need in case there was any future problems and he said no that it is in fact a "brand new" and I would not have any problems with it. In mid December I started to here a slight hiccup with the motor/transmission and I thought it was only due to the cold temperature and the car running cold. Close to the new year I could hear the transmission grinding and starting to shift weird. In early january I tried to stop in had have the car checked at the dealership and I was told they couldnt because they where too busy and to make an appointment. I could only make an appointment for when I got off work at 2:30 and I couldnt drop it off because there was no way for me to get to work and they had no one there when I had my days off. They told me that 2:30 was too late in the day to do a diagnostics test. The car only needed to be driven around the parking lot to know there was something wrong. So they put me off all the way until the 23rd of january. upon finally being looked at I was informed that it was in fact the transmission and that he had to contact the parts guy to see if it was under warranty. I was finally contacted the next day and they said that it was only under a 90 day warranty and that I would have to pay for a new one. I told the guy I stopped in two weeks ago saying I thought the transmission was messed up again but they told me they couldnt fit me in which would of been inside the 90 days. The service guy told me that two weeks ago was two weeks ago and that there was nothing they could do. Needless to say I was mad. I was later contacted stating that one of the sales managers wanted to make a deal but was working and had to call him back. After work I called them and asked to speak with the sales manager, the service guy said he would have to walk across the store to see if he was there and go back to transfer the call. So I was told he would have him call me back in 5 minutes, I informed him I had a short time before I had to start work at my other job. They never called so called back and got in contact with a sales manager but he had to clue what the situation was and had to look it up and call be back in 5 minutes. An hour later there was no call so I called again and got a different manager who told me the origional guy was busy on the floor and that I should just come in the next day to have a meeting so I did. The next morning I drove up to the dealership and when I got there the guy I was supposed to meet with pawned me off onto another guy, who didnt know the situation. After explaining once more and sitting alone for close to an hour, they finally gave me an option that they would pay for half. Why should I pay for half for a defective transmission they put in. I told them I wanted them to buy it back. They decided all I could do was trade it in at a lesser value so no matter what I did I would be losing thousands of dollers and they where making money. So I left. I then consulted some mechanics at other dealerships and they told me that if they had actually put in a "brand new" [redacted] transmission it would of had a 12 month/12000 mile warranty on the transmission and that in fact they must of put in a junkyard/rebuilt transmission when I should of had a new one, not a "new to me" one. I am very aggravated and being stole from. Please help me out.Desired Settlement: a full refund and to take my money elsewhere

Business

Response:

02/11/2014

After carefully reviewing the above Complaint and interviewing the employees involved, we have come to the following response. **. [redacted] purchased a 2009 [redacted] on Sept. 26th 2013. **. [redacted] contacted us shortly thereafter about a possible problem with the car. He brought the vehicle in and we confirmed that indeed it had a transmission problem and the transmission was replaced at no cost to **. [redacted] and he was provided a rental vehicle also at no cost while repairs were performed. As with any used vehicle purchased and no optional extended service contracts are purchased the repair came with a 3 month 3000 mile warranty. **. [redacted] didn't bring the vehicle in again until late January and almost 9000 miles later for another transmission problem. We informed **. [redacted] that the transmission would have to be replaced again and quoted him a price for the repair. In an effort to keep our customer happy in a situation that was out of our control we offered to cover half of the repair cost (about $1500) and he declined and wanted to explore trade in options. **. [redacted] later came in to explore those options. After selecting several vehicles he liked we quoted him figures, none of which were to his satisfaction as he wanted a newer more expensive car for the same or lower payment that he currently has. His expectations where unrealistic and after not being able to meet them **. [redacted] left and we had not heard from him until receiving this compliant. We are still committed to helping **. [redacted] either with his repair cost or getting into a different vehicle but it must be within reason as we cannot cover repair cost for every car that has a mechanical breakdown outside of its warranty term. We apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused **. [redacted] and would like to express that we are in the business of doing everything possible to provide solutions and excellent customer service to every customer and it's unfortunate that we couldn't meet or exceed **. [redacted]'s expectations

Thank You, for your review of this matter,

Review: I initially contacted Brown Daub Kia about purchasing a vehicle, I cancelled my appointment due to I had to cover at work. After several weekly calls from Brown Daub Kia, I have received a pre-approved loan letter in the mail in the amount from $7,995 up to $28,995. I called on Monday to see how much I qualified for and I was given a appointment with the sales manager, [redacted] to discuss purchasing a vehicle. My appointment was for 9:15 am on 8/14/13. When I arrived at Brown Daub Kia, I later came to find out that the sales manager, [redacted] was off. I proceeded to look at new and used vehicles. After being at Brown Daub Kia for over 4.5 hours, I still got no approval on any loan. I gave my pre-approval letter & card to the salesman, [redacted] as well as my income and drivers license. I even brought a co-signer along and his information was taken as well. Later that same day, I did call the sales rep, [redacted] back to see what the status was. He then stated that I was not approved for any loans. I believe this is false advertisement due to the fact that their company pre-qualified me with a loan in the amount of atleast $7, 995 and up to $28, 995. Brown Daub Kia's commercials (radio and tv) all state "Everybody Drives, Bad credit, no credit..." which again is false advertisement. The commercials also state Brown Daub Kia will give you $4670 for any trade in no matter the condition. I presented Brown Daub Kia with a trade-in vehicle, 1993 Ford F150 V8 that needed a starter and the sales rep, [redacted] response was, "It has no value" which again is false advertisement. I took the day off of work believing I was going to come home with a vehicle. I not only lost a day of work and pay but still have no vehicle. I am a working single mother of 2 small children. This is extremely devastating to me and it truly upsets me that a business can get away with such scams.Desired Settlement: I would like a loan for the amount I was pre-qualified for within the letter, the trade-in value for my vehicle "as advertised" and a vehicle. Brown Daub Kia also needs to stop advertising these outrageous false claims.

Business

Response:

08/29/2013

To: [redacted]

RE: [redacted]

After carefully reviewing the above Complaint and interviewing the employees involved, we have come to the following response. **. [redacted] visited our dealership on August 14th and met with with one of our sales consultants. **. [redacted] was prompted to come down to our dealership by a "pre-approval" mailer she received. The mail piece is exactly that a "preapproval" offer that is contingent on the customer meeting a set of requirements set forth by the lenders. Unfortunately once **. [redacted] visited our dealership and we were able to collect and review all of the information needed she did not meet those requirements (ex. Income, Credit history). As in any "pre-approved" offer of credit whether it be for an automobile loan, mortgage, or credit card the offer is generated based on information that is available to the lender and is contingent upon final review and collection of personal credit and income information. We do however have credit programs for everyone regardless of credit and with minimal income and the only requirement is that the customers have a cash commitment (normally 1000-1500) to the purchase. That program generally works with older, higher mileage vehicles and is intended to help customers re-establish their credit and hopefully buy a nicer newer car in the future. That program was offered and **. [redacted] either did not have the cash at the moment or did not like the vehicles that worked for that program. In response to the trade allowance offer the ad clearly states "that you could get up to $4670 for your trade" also our "Everybody Drives" theme is a slogan and not a guarantee of credit and furthermore we haven't used it in several months in any radio, TV or print ad to avoid the confusion. We apologize for any inconvenience that we may have caused **. [redacted] and would like to express that we are in the business of doing everything possible to put everyone in a nicer newer vehicle, but unfortunately there is extenuating circumstance outside of our control that is preventing us from doing that at this time.

Thank You, for your review of this matter,

I will never buy a car from this dealership..very pushy. I.gave a deposit which I still haven't received my refund 10.days later. I have called them 3 times and each time I'm told it will be today. Well today is the day I fill this review. Save your money and time go else where.

Review: My AWC pump on my vehicle has gone bad. I purchased the vehicle less then a year and half ago. This issue is an issue that has been happening to this vehicle since the vehicle went on the market. My vehicle has 52,000 mile and the pump just went out for no reason the part should have been fix before the car was sold again. Considering that this is one of the number one issues relating to this vehicle. I have called to try to get this resolved this issue but have got nowhere. They just want to charge me for the job, which starts off with the part costing $1200 dollar before labor. So in total would be around $1700.00 dollars I feel this is not right considering I haven’t had the vehicle even a year in half. Thank you for your timeDesired Settlement: Repair the problem.

Business

Response:

September 18, 2014Dear [redacted]:We have received your letter dated September 17, 2014, enclosing the concern of [redacted].In investigating the situation, we determined that [redacted] purchased a 2008 [redacted] in April of 2013, which had around 39,930 miles on it at the time of purchase. Although offered, an extended vehicle warranty was declined at the time of vehicle purchase. At purchase our service department performed the industry standard mechanical inspection customary for a used vehicle on the Lancer, as well as an oil change, a state inspection and an emissions test. The customer returned to our service department on two separate occasions since the time of purchase (July and November of 2013), with no complaint regarding an all-wheel drive coupler pump issue on record either time. The vehicle has not been back to our service department since November of 2013 (almost a year ago).According to the complaint, the vehicle now has 52,000 miles on it, so it is evident that the vehicle has been driven regularly since it was purchased in 2013. The part the customer is complaining about could have gone bad for any number of reasons over the past year. Brown-Daub did its due diligence by performing the necessary inspections and safety checks on the vehicle prior to its sale. We cannot comment on the customer’s allegation of a manufacturer problem with the vehicle because such issues should be discussed directly with the manufacturer. However, without an extended warranty to cover the costs, and given the extensive amount of time that has passed and the miles driven since the purchase date, Brown-Daub cannot fix the vehicle without the customer paying for the service and parts required to perform the repair.Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please feel free to contact me at ###-###-#### if you have any further questions regarding this matter.Sincerely,Shane R.General Manager

Review: I have experienced nothing but bad here. They sold me a not mechanically sound vehicle that turned out to not be safe to drive and not road worthy! They jerked me around through out the entire process of trying to fix the car and to get into another vehicle. They never had their "story straight" and I had to speak to many different people on the same problem and each person had a different story and couldn't help me but to transfer me to another person to continue the problem. Not satisfied at all! Bad sales people and not very "FOR THE PEOPLE" kinda people. The dealer advertises throughout the entire dealer and through radio that they are a "Dealer for the People" which is False advertising!!! I would NOT recommend this dealer to ANYONE!!!Desired Settlement: I would like to receive a full down payment refund along with the money I payed to the bank on my first and upcoming second payments.

Business

Response:

October 7, 2014Dear Sir / Madam,After reviewing the paperwork of [redacted]'s transaction, and the subsequent repairs that were made to [redacted]'s 2007 [redacted], I find nothing that would indicate that Brown Daub [redacted] did not act fully to address any concern [redacted] may have had.To that point, the vehicle was serviced as soon as issues became apparent, including a rear differential replacement, a replacement radiator, (that was not covered under warranty,) replacement of brake rotors, a reflush of the cooling system, a loaner vehicle, and towing services all provided at no change to [redacted].[redacted] signed a statement on 09/24/2014 acknowledging that he understood the ramifications and the responsibility of purchasing a higher mileage vehicle, and that he holds Brown Daub [redacted] under no obligation to fix any further issues with the vehicle, and his appreciation for everything Brown Daub [redacted] has done for him to this point.I have included a copy of that statement for you review.Brown Daub [redacted] has done everything to accommodate [redacted], and I therefore humbly submit that his complaint is unfounded.Armand RGeneral Manger

Review: they ran my credit 0ver 20 times to get a loan and they told me it was going to be one timeDesired Settlement: send me a letter saying that your company did this so I can get it off my credit

Business

Response:

May 12, 2014Dear [redacted]:We have received your letter dated May , 2014, enclosing the concern of [redacted]. Please note that we have not received any prior communication on this matter.We have dome an extensive search of our customer database as well as our paper customer logs and we have no record of this person visiting our dealership. We even researched the databases of the credit bureaus we use to run credit for our customers and we were unable to find this person. We believe this person may have visited a different Brown-Daub dealership. However, since we are all independent franchises, we do not share databases so we are unable to check.Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please feel free to contact me at [redacted] if you have any further questions regarding this matter.Sincerely,

I am a 50 year old hospital employee that recently relocated for a job from another state, and I must say that I am APPALLED at how the sales manager, Rick Z[redacted] treated me during my short visit to Brown Daub Jeep in Easton, PA and I hope this doesn't reflect negatively across the whole company. I was SCREAMED AT by him, because my trade-in was not in my name (it is my ex-boyfriends who lives elsewhere as I relocated). He told me that he didn't want my business and that I should go to a dealer that would be willing to work my situation. He talked to me like I was a bum off the street, and not a working professional looking to make a purchase or lease from them. I would NEVER recommend that location to anyone and in fact, would warn them off. I left messages with both the GM and the President and I find it hard to believe that they are ok with their employees treating potential customers like this. Spend your money elsewhere where it's appreciated!!!!

Review: My car was towed to Brown Daub service department in Bath, PA on Sat. 4/5/14 for repair on a starter motor. The job cost me $380.00, including an oil change which I authorized. The exact same problem occured with the car failing to turn over on 4/20/14 and I was stranded again and had to call for roadside assistance. They told me the starter cable was the problem and manipulated it enough so that I could drive home and then drive back to Brown Daub for service on Monday 4/21/14. Brown Daub immediately told me without even inspecting the car that nothing was covered from my 4/5/14 repair and that I'd be incurring all new charges, despite the fact that their technicians FAILED TO PROPERLY FIX THE VEHICLE during the original service visit on 4/5/14. They contended that the battery was charging minimally (not true according to the roadside assistance technician) and needed a new battery and set of cables to the tune of $557 in more charges.Desired Settlement: I feel that Brown Daub should not have charged me $178.00 in labor fees for the visit on April 5, then another $383.00 in labor fees on 4/20 since the exact same problem occured, causing me to become stranded after they had allegedly fixed the problem. I want a refund of $178.00 they charged me on April 5 because they did not fix the car as requested, despite charging me for doing so. I paid by check, so there is no way I can stop payment for this improperly done repair job. And I had to go back to Brown Daub on 4/21/14 for continued service because they had just worked on the car. I have no way of knowing if they ever checked the battery or cables on the 5th, installed an inferior starter motor or simply did a rush job and handed me a car that was set to fail again in short amount of time. I think that Brown Daub has some very unethical business practices, since they made it clear right up front they didn't take responsibility for the outcome of first $380.00 job they performed, which caused me to experience the exact same problem and become stranded.

Business

Response:

May 9, 2014 Dear **. [redacted],I am writing in response to the complaint you received from [redacted] which has been assigned ID [redacted].On April 15, 2014, [redacted]. [redacted] had her 2003 [redacted] towed to our facility by [redacted] Towing. We received instruction that the starter was inoperable. After a series of tests, we found that a good power supply and ground was present at the starter and the initial starter had an internal shortage. A new starter was installed and tested. The vehicle started and ran at that time and we released the vehicle to [redacted]. [redacted] on that day.On April 21, 2014, the vehicle was again towed in for a no start condition. [redacted] advised that the battery cable needed to be replaced. We then verified that the cable was bad and replaced it.These repairs were done in a professional manner and attempts to contact [redacted]. [redacted] have received no response. To resolve this issue we will issue a good will check to [redacted]. [redacted] in the amount of $173.40.Sincerely,