Russ Darrow Group, Inc.

I recently traded in my SUV for a more fuel efficient vehicle because my new commute to work increased greatly. Russ Darrow had what I was looking for. It was a 2 year old, premium package diesel that seemed perfect. I felt that I was being extremely low-balled on my trade-in, however the benefit of having the savings with the mileage of the diesel in my mind balanced it out (they gave me $5000 for my SUV and sold it on the lot for $15,000...nice little profit there). I also purchased the extended warranty and service package the dealer offered, as the car had exceeded the mileage from the factory warranty. 2 months after having the car, I've now had to do some minor replacements; the tail lights have gone out twice, which concerns me of electrical problems, and now the Fender Premium sound system completely died. No radio, bluetooth phone, NAV, CD...no sound what so ever. I took it back to Russ Darrow Mazda where I purchased it and asked the service manager if he knew of anything to reset it or fix it somehow. He looked at it for a few minutes, went back into his office, came out and said that it is shot but saw that I had the warranty package, it was covered and to take it to a VW dealer and they'll replace it. I took it to the VW dealer and they ran a diagnostic check and told me that the radio is dead and it would be $2700 to replace...and they also charged me $108.00 to tell me this.
I contacted Russ Darrow Mazda to see what they could do for me, as I just purchased a premium car at a premium price, and that they made a nice profit off of the perfectly good vehicle they just took from me. The finance manger told me that I could upgrade my warranty, and that it would cost me $150 to do so. I thought that was great and went down there to fill out the paperwork. Once I got down there, the story changed and in order to get the warranty, I would either have to buy a different car from them, or refinance the car. Considering the depreciation on the car since I bought it, I would be in the severe red. Both not good options. The Finance Manager gave me shrugged shoulders, blank stare and told me there was nothing they could do. No good faith on their part.
I was lied to twice. Once by the service manager that my radio was covered under the warranty, costing me hours at the VW dealer and out money for a useless diagnosis. And another lie by the Finance Manager to get me into the dealer based on the false statement that they would upgrade my warranty, knowing full well that was not an option, only to get me buy another vehicle or refinance to line their pockets even more.

Review: I have purchased 3 vehicles over the past 7 years from RUSS DARROW DODGE IN MILWAUKEE OFF OF 76TH, RUSS DARROW NISSAN OFF OF BROWN DEER RD AND RUSS DARRIW MAZDA OFF OF 108TH. THE LAST PURCHASE OF MY VEHICLE I WAS TALKED INTO A HIGH INTEREST RATE VEHICLE DUE TO MY BK AND WAS TOLD I COULD REFINANCE AFTER 1 YEAR. I QUESTIONED WHAT IF THE VEHICLE VALUE DROPS THEY SAID THAT DID NOT MATTER BECAUSE THE REFINANCE WOULD BE FOR THE AMOUNT OWED WITH A LOWER RATE. WELL HERE WE ARE TODAY AND I AM ATTEMPTING A REFINANCE AND I AM BEING TOLD THEY CANNOT HELP ME BECAUSE AND I AM QUOTING "The loan balance at this time is higher than the collateral on the account." I WAS MISLEAD AND HONESTLY CANNOT AFFORD THE VEHICLE ANYMORE I WOULD HAVE NEVER SIGNED A CONTRACT IF I KNEW I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REFINANCE IT. I ACCEPTED THE CONTRACT BECAUSE I KNEW I COULD MAKE IT WORK FOR A YEAR AND NOW I AM STUCK WITH A CAR THAT HAS A 25K ACCOUNT BALANCE AND THE VALUE OF THE VEHICLE HAS DROPPED FROM 21-22K AT PURCHASE, DOWN TO 13K AND THE VEHICLE IS A 2013 WITH 16K MILES. I HAVE NEGATIVE EQUITY NOW AND CANNOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. THE VEHICLE IS STILL IN GREAT CONDITION. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I HAVE BEEN MISLEAD BY RUSS DARROW AND THERE CAR SALESMAN AND NO ONE IS WILLING TO ASSIST OF HELP ME OUT OF THE SITUATION. THE CAR PAYMENT IS 563.40 ON TOP OF 97 IN INSURANCE I AM PAYING IN INSANE AMOUNT FOR A VEHICLE THAT IS NOT WORTH IT.Desired Settlement: I WOULD LIKE SOME SORT OF ASSISTANCE WITH GETTING THIS VEHICLE REFINANCED OR PLACING ME INTO A VEHICLE THAT IS WORTH THE 563.40 I AM PAYING MONTHLY. I HAVE NEVER HAD A LATE PAYMENT EVEN WITH MY BANKRUPTCY I REAFFIRMED THE CAR I HAD AT THAT TIME TO KEEP MY ON TIME PAYMENT HISTORY GOING. LOOKING AT THE FUTURE PICTURE I AM STUCK WITH THIS CAR THAT WILL PROBABLY BREAK DOWN AND BE WORTH NOTHING AND I WILL STILL OWE TONES OF MONEY BECAUSE I WAS TOLD INFORMATION THAT WAS NOT TRUTHFUL AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE.

Business

Response:

At the time you purchased this vehicle you may have been informed that we have a refinance program that you could utilize in the future to help bring down your car payments. However, it was not a guarantee, as we do not have the ability to guarantee this nor do we know what will happen in the future. As your credit is concerned, you made all of your car payments timely, however, since you purchased your vehicle in March of 2013, your credit score has decreased due to three new collection accounts being added since the purchase of your vehicle. With the new collection accounts bringing your credit score down, you do not fall within the criteria to utilize our refinance program. Another reason would also be that your interest rate is high and the principal balance on your account exceeds the loan to value on your vehicle currently.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at [redacted]

Review: The service department at Russ Darrow Kia in Appleton refused to replace parts back on my vehicle. The parts associated with the parts have failed numerous times. The admitted they damaged the part but did nothing about it except tell me my car was old and there is no reason to replace the part. But if I want to purchase a new car they would be more than happy to assist. I contacted [redacted] and [redacted]. They are all in agreement that it is good business practice and good customer service to damage a part on a customers car send it home and do nothing about it even when they are told over a year to replace the part back on the car.Desired Settlement: Replace the bolt on the serpentine tension-er bracket and refund my money from the wrong serpentine belt getting replaced from the work performed from changing the timing belt to extended the warranty. Then refund the money from the wrong serpentine belt being put on that time. Then refund my time to take my car back again to have the serpentine belt replace again with the correct serpentine belt. I have been labeled a "average customer" and "why should I get the discounts I do". I have all the emails connected with all the stated complaints.

Business

Response:

I have reviewed the complaint and also the service file and have found the following:

Oct 14th 2011, RO# [redacted]

"Customer states vehicle won’t start"

Service performed- Timing Belt Replacement and Crankshaft Sensor Replacement

Nov 24th 2012, RO# [redacted]

"Customer states bolt on tensioner is missing replace"

Service Performed- Tech 712 found missing bolt. Tech informed customer that the bolt is strictly cosmetic and does not affect the functionality of the customers vehicle (1 of 17 Timing cover bolts). Tech informed customer that job is very labor intensive to correct for a simple cosmetic blunder. Customer agreed and did not want additional charges to correct a cosmetic issue.

Feb 25th 2013, RO# [redacted]

"Customer states replace bolt on Serpentine Belt tensioner and bolt on top left cover"

Service Performed- Tech 780 found missing bolt. Tech informed customer that the bolt is strictly cosmetic and does not affect the functionality of the customers vehicle. Customer agreed and did not want additional charges to correct a cosmetic issue.

Mar 29th 2013, RO# [redacted]

"Customer states replace Serpentine Belts"

Service Performed- Tech 712 replaced belt. Tech tightened belt to proper tightness. Vehicle left dealership functioning as designed.

May 13th 2013, RO# [redacted]

"Customer states just replaced serpentine belt now it is squeaking"

Service Performed- Tech 712 replaced belt. Tech tightened belt to proper tightness. Vehicle left dealership functioning as designed.

Jul 13th 2013, RO# [redacted]

"Customer states change engine oil"

Service Performed- Tech 231 replaced engine oil and did multipoint inspection on vehicle. Tech found vehicle in need of Air Filter and Tires. Customer did not want to perform services at this time.

Attached also for your review is the picture of the missing bolt. As you can see from the picture, it has been missing for quite some time. The vehicle has been serviced outside of the Russ Darrow Group, and we cannot take any liability for anything wrong with the vehicle.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at ###-###-####/direct. [redacted]

Business

Response:

I am sorry that you still feel Russ Darrow has not taken care of your situation. We cannot continue the relationship with you given the circumstances in which you have tried to make Russ Darrow come around to your side or opinion. We will have to agree to disagree.

If there is a question that you have other than what has already been discussed and exhausted, please call me directly.

[redacted], ###-###-####

Consumer

Response:

I went to Russ Darrow Kia of Waukesha to test drive a vehicle I seen online before testing out anything I wanted to make sure I was financed to take the hassle out of that process, so I applied and was preapproved for a loan before arriving I called to book a appointment I stated with the lady I spoke with over the phone the car I wanted to test drive and that I was preapproved she said that was great. So I arrived at Russ Darrow the next day and spoke with a different salesman I also informed him I was preapproved and there was no need to worry about financing, he said that was fine and took my information as far as my approval amount, company I was approved through, and personal info as we are discussing which vehicle I was interested in I receive a phone call from Wells Fargo bank stating they were verifying me for a credit request. Unbeknownst to me as I am talking with the salesman his sales manager is running my credit not thru one place but thru 7 different companies using the information I gave the salesman who stated they needed it for the test drive and to get the process started in case I wanted the vehicle.

I was infuriated by this as I have been working on fixing my credit for over a year and did my research on companies who are willing to work with someone reestablishing their credit so to have 7 inquires hit my report is one of my worst nightmares. Highly frustrated I decided to at least still give the car a chance since I had researched it so I test drove it and loved the car still upset at the credit inquires I asked could I give a small down payment to hold the car overnight and let me think about it and give me some time to find some insurance the salesman would not seem to listen to anything I was saying. Before I knew it they were drawing up paperwork to have me sign and drive I had to finally stop the finance manager and tell him there was no way I was driving off the lot with that that car that night. He went and explained the situation to his general manager and the general manager proceeds to yelling because he is upset I wouldn’t sign for the car. I walked away from their initial deal because of that and plan on filing a dispute with all credit bureaus to have the inquiries remove.

We had a horrible experience purchasing a car from them in Sept of 2013. We were kept there for over 3 hours, 2 hours past closing with only the finance guy and garage guy left. We were left to figure out how everything worked in the car by ourselves, in a dark parking lot, since our sales person needed to leave an hour before this. The finance guy was shady saying that they couldn't pay my trade in car off in full because the info that was given to them wasn't accurate 10 days out. Well at that point I wanted to end the deal but the business was closed, no one left, and our license plates were already off our car and on the new one. After complaining to Revdex.com and Russ Darrow they paid the additional finance, but the customer service of it all was horrendous to say the least. I've never had experiences like this with Russ Darrow Chrylser, this was our first purchase through Russ Darrow Kia and I can tell you we will NEVER step foot back there again. I see their generic response to EVERY bad review is the same: "We are very sorry for your experience we here at Russ Darrow Strive for great customer service. We apologize for your experience" Which tells me they are NOT sorry. What they need to post is responses to tell us how they are going to strive for better customer service, retrain their personnel on how to run a car sales company and how they are not going to condone practices of trying to get customers to pay for car repairs that don't need repairing. I didn't read anything of the kind. Just the same copied response on everyones reviews. It tells me they haven't put one step forward to try and be a better car sales company. They've lost myself, my husband, my friends and family and coworkers that would EVER consider purchasing a car in the future.

Review: On 10/1/2013 I took possession of a 2010 ford fusion SEL that my wife and I purchased the day before. about 3 weeks later at most, the car would loose all response from the gas pedal. Upon my research I found out the problem, Electrical short in the throttle body. I took the car back to russ darrow and the service department said that it could not find anything wrong with the car. I had video proof of the warning lights and erractic idiling from the car that was time and date stamped. Instead of trying to help find a solution the told me they could no longer service the vehicle and that I needed to just take it to ford for repair. So I did. Ford within a couple hours had the car diagnosed and repaired, Throttle body needed to be replaced,and that was not covered under my extended warranty. 406.00 dollars later I had my car fixed. I tried to make contact with russ darrow to try to work something out with them and they don't feel they need to do anything about this. also when the vehicle was purchased, the salesman [redacted], really emphasized the fact that the vehicle came with a lifetime subscription to the satellite radio(Sirius) if words could have had bullet points next to them they would have. Come to find out today 11/22/13 that we only have a trial version of the Sirius radio til January...very misleading and unprofessional service is about all that's guaranteed.Desired Settlement: reimbursement for the total repair from ford, I can and will supply all documents from ford and also paid subscription for the satellite radio(Sirius)

Business

Response:

After reviewing your complaint I will need the paid invoice from the Ford dealer who fixed the issue. We need to look and see what was done and how it was presented before we can make a decision on your resolution. As for the Sirius radio, Russ Darrow does not have a contract with Sirius. We cannot offer anything on behalf of this company. If the vehicle you purchase is equipped with the Sirius radio then Sirius supplies a limited 6 month subscription. The only difference would be if you purchase a new vehicle, it would come with a one year subscription due to a contract that Sirius has with different manufactures. I spoke with the salesman without informing him of your complaint and he stated the exact program as I had described above. I can only assume that this was a misunderstanding, with no intent to offer a service we have no contract to provide.

If you have any questions, please contact me directly at ###-###-####/direct. [redacted]

Business

Response:

[redacted]BUYER BEWARE[redacted] Always get a pre purchse inspection done. I bought a 5,000 "budget" vehicle that I drove less than 1,000 miles when it overheated. Come to find out the vehicle needs a new head gasket, water pump, timing belt and more. I'm out of $2,000 on a vehicle that I was told had a 21 point inspection and had no major issues.
I have Russ Darrow many opportunities to help resolve this manner. They refused to do anything to help and said I should have bought a warantee since I bought a budget vehicle. RUN do not walk away from this business! Once your burning gas expect to nothing more from this dealership. They will sell anything to make a dollar and then disappear if there's an issue.
I sold cars for BMW at a high end dealership and we would never [redacted] such hunk of junk on a customer. Sometimes you take in a bad vehicle on trade and if it comes back with an issue we auction it at wholesale. Do yourself a favor and go to a legit dealer who stands behind their product.
This was the worst experience I've ever had buying a car.

Review: I went to Russ Darrow Kia of Waukesha with a pre-approval for a car loan.Russ Darrow manipulated me. They ran my credit 18 times without my approval.Yes I admit that I authorized them to check my credit score, but that was for a one time check, to see my credit score.I never authorized them to check my credit 18 times and ruin my score.I did purchase a vehicle from them, but they never disclosed that they ran my credit 18 times.It was late in the evening when these credit applications were submitted, so Russ Darrow Kia of Waukesha knew that most would not even be replied to that night. This proves that they were only interested in making a sale and were not following my request which only allowed them to check my credit score. After the fact the salesperson told me that they ran my credit score six times and then offered my financing, which I accepted knowing that my credit score was already compromised at that point. I was in a no win situation My credit was already destroyed and I felt I had no choice.This is a dealership that doesn't tell the truth.Desired Settlement: Please admit in writing that all of theses credit inquiries were un-necessary, and were mistakenly submitted to numerous lenders, and it is not the policy of Russ Darrow Kia Of Waukesha to submit credit inquires in this manner/quantity.This was just an error that was made. Things happen sometimes.I am not seeking ANY financial compensation, I simply want a letter stating that these credit inquiries were mistakenly submitted.

Business

Response:

I am sorry that you feel we ran you credit numerous times. In actuality, by giving permission for the dealership to run your credit to see if they can offer better financing, we do one hard inquiry which may include up to 25 lenders. This is considered as one transaction and not 25. If you have any further questions, please contact me directly.[redacted]###-###-####

My wife and I saw a vehicle online we wanted to see up close. I made an appointment to test drive and showed up. When I asked for who I spoke with I was told they are unavailable so I spoke with man who was helping us. As we were looking the vehicle it was dirty and not what we were expecting so we asked our salesperson to look up the other 3 comparable vehicles we were told about on the phone earlier. As our salesperson came back he regretfully had to inform is that the vehicle we were looking at sold 3 days prior and was unavailable. So when we asked about the other vehicles they don't exist. When we asked to speak with the manager whom we were initially directed to over the phone refused to speak to us and had another manager speak with us. We brought our frustrations up with this manager and I brought up my past as a vehicle salesperson and that I felt the tactic used to get us to adjust our lives to come in then were untrustworthy. His response was "if you were in sales we did do our job you came in the door right?" That is inexcusable and gives sales persons a bad name. The vehicle is still listed online and I received a call from the first person I spoke with called me to see if I had any further questions on that vehicle. I am confused as this vehicle apparently sold now 4 days ago. I feel as though the dealership pulled the bait and switch trying to get my business.

Review: I apologize for the length of the complaint. This has been a series of poor customer service experiences, and I wish to give a full account.

________________

1.___July 23rd I am first shown the car, a used 2005 Honda Civic Si with 90,000 miles, by a salesman named [redacted]. During the course of the sale, I tell the salesman [redacted] that I'm concerned about rust, particularly where deep scratches and nicks in the paint are exposing metal. He says that as part of the deal they could fix the chips in the paint, and takes me to another vehicle that has had the same paint touch ups performed to demonstrate the quality of the service. I agree, and he tells me to bring the car in the following Monday after the sale, and the paint service will be done by Tuesday afternoon (the specialist comes in Tuesday mornings). I make an appointment to pick up the car and do paperwork on the following day, the 24th, at 4:15pm.

2.___July 24th I arrive at 4:00pm, and am told others are in line in front of me despite my appointment. Over four and a half hours pass while I wait for the financial department. During that time I speak with the salesman again, and confirm that I should bring the car in on a Monday for paint service. It is after 8:30pm when the financial department finally invites me in to go over paperwork. It does not occur to me to note that the paint touch ups were not written as part of the contract--it sounded like an everyday service offered as part of buying a used car. I ultimately leave the dealership after 9:15pm.

3.____July 29th Knowing I would be unable to bring in the car for service this Monday, I call and ask if it would be alright if I bring it in two weeks later. The sales assistant confirms that would be fine.

4.____August 12th I bring the car in for the paint touch up service offered verbally by the salesman. The sales assistant goes over the vehicle with me, and I point out each scratch that I want filled in as she takes notes. I then sign paperwork for the use of a loaner vehicle.

5.____August 13th After three phone calls I am told by salesman [redacted] to hang on to the loaner as the service was not performed, but that the service will be performed the following Tuesday.

6.____August 14th I get a phone call from the [redacted], who was confused about the service to be done. I tell him it involved paint touch ups, and he says they will also buff the vehicle.

7.____August 16th The service department leaves a message informing me that they do not know why my car is in their lot. Also, it won’t start, and they will charge me $100 to diagnose it. I receive the message on Tuesday morning, the 20th, when I check my voicemails to see if the car is ready.

8.____August 21st I drive out to Russ Darrow and jump the car using the jumper cords that are in the trunk of the Civic. I inform the service department that I expect the paint service done, without a spurious $100 fee even if they have to jump the car to get it the 40 feet to the garage.

9.____August 23rd I am called and told the service is done. I drive out to Russ Darrow Nissan. The paint touch up has not been done, and I tell the service department as much, rather frustrated.

10.____August 26th I receive a voicemail from the service manager telling me my service is done. I return the call and ask if paint touch ups have actually been done. He tells me no, that I should come in and look at the car and discuss it. I tell him I already have, and I expect the paint work done. He says to come in the afternoon of the 27th after the paint job specialist has been in. I assume this means the paint touch up service will finally be performed.

11.____August 27th With every expectation that the service is actually done I come in to pick up the car and return the loaner vehicle to Russ Darrow (clean and with more gas in the tank than was originally provided). My car, of course, has not had any paint touch ups and is now in worse condition—there are several new gouges in the paint on the rear bumper that appear to be from a rotary buffer. Angered, I go to the [redacted], who explains that paint touch ups are not permitted for budget vehicles and that the service was offered in error by the salesman. When I become upset he offers to buy back the vehicle. Assuming this means that he will buy it for the price I paid for it, I calm down and ask if there is anything else that can be done that isn’t as drastic. He offers to give me some matching paint so I can do the service myself. Mollified, I agree.

________The service department responds with the notification that $7.80 is required up front for the paint. This is the last straw. I return to the [redacted] and tell him that I will take him up on his offer to refund my car. He tells me to come back tomorrow and it will be taken care of. I agree, assuming he wishes to wait a day to get paperwork in order, and so I can cool down. I now suspect it was because he knew the following day was his day off. He offers to let me drive the car home, but I refuse, instead spending an hour removing the car stereo I had installed and replacing it with the factory set and transferring my personal items from the Honda Civic, thus returning it to the original state it was in when I purchased it as far as I am able.

12.____August 28th I return once again to Russ Darrow Nissan, expecting a refund (or perhaps some sort of conciliatory gesture in the name of good customer service). The [redacted] on duty, who did not appear to be aware of the history of the situation, informs me that ‘buyback’ means they would be willing to take it off my hands at much reduced trade-in prices. In disbelief that any prolonged customer experience could be this bad, I demand my keys. They find one keyring, but cannot locate my second keyring with key and remote entry. I tell them to find it within an hour, and walk out, driving home.

________I call back two hours later. They are still unable to locate the keyring, informing me that they believe an employee went home with it. They recommend that I come back tomorrow, on the 29th.

________________

The evening of the 28th I make this report to the Revdex.com.

Through this entire chain of events, I feel I have been quite accommodating. I did not lose my temper despite my anger, and took no action against Russ Darrow other than requesting decent customer service. Sales, Service, and Management—all three—at Russ Darrow Nissan have failed to deliver. I do not believe malice was involved, merely miscommunication between departments (or mismanagement at worst). That said, ensuring good customer service is ultimately the responsibility of management, and they have failed utterly.Desired Settlement: Perform the service as originally stated by the salesman, with the additional request that they repair the paint damaged by the buffer. Locate and return the missing keyring, or replace it.____________

If that is not possible, I would like a full refund of the vehicle at the price purchased, including taxes and fees (EXCEPTING vehicle registration fee and other costs paid to third parties. I understand that these are costs that cannot be recouped by resale of the vehicle).

Business

Response:

After reviewing the complaint with the dealership staff that were part of the entire transaction, this is simply a buyer’s remorse situation. Mr. [redacted] purchased a used 2005 Honda. He asked that the staff detail and buff the vehicle after purchase. A 2013 Nissan Rogue was given to Mr. [redacted] as a loaner while the service department detailed his vehicle. The vehicle was done the next day and the service department started calling Mr. [redacted] to return to pick up his 2005 Honda and return the loaner vehicle. He did not return for one week. When he arrived he stated that somebody said they were going to touch up paint for every scratch on the vehicle. He was told that the vehicle was sold to him as is with no representations or warranties for anything other than the detail and buff. He stated that he was not satisfied with the vehicle and did not want it anymore and was going to “give” it back to us. He was told that the vehicle was delivered to him and he was contractually obligated to remove the vehicle from the dealership. He refused and left without his vehicle. Mr. [redacted] did come by a short time later and picked up his vehicle. The only conversation that was had with him after he picked up the vehicle was he requested a second key and this was picked up by him.

I am sorry that Mr. [redacted] is unhappy with his choice in vehicles, however, Russ Darrow cannot provide any additional services to the vehicle free of charge. If he would like to have the scratches touched up by our body shop, please call me directly and I can get you an appointment and an estimate of what it would cost.

[redacted], ###-###-####/[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

Review: I filed a claim with Farmers Insurance for a car accident that I was in 2 weeks ago. They sent me to Russ Darrow to take care of the damage. Every since that day different employees has been calling me daily for more money. The 1st day they were telling me that my car wouldn't start they didn't knw if it was cause by the accident because they haven't look at it yet but I would have to pay $100 dollars before they can start. FIRST SCAM!!!! So after days of holding my car I agreed to pay for this diagnostic. So they take care of that problem they say so yesterday I received another call stating that my air bag light is on which it wasn't on when I brought them the car so now they telling me I have to pay another $100 so that they can check to see why that light is on. I have owning and working on cars long enough to no that one diagnostic should inform you of what's wrong with the entire car SCAM #2 and Farmers go right alone with them. the problems that they continue to come up with was not there before I gave them my car now they saying that in order for then to check and fix my air bag light that I have to pay again out of pocket. What's the purpose of having insurance if Russ Darrow can legally rob you while they have car in there possession.Desired Settlement: if I'm paying for insurance how can they continue to ask the consumer for more money on a daily basis. I truly believe that this company scam people daily and if I get a lawyer to pull their files it would be proven that they do this to a lot of consumers.. PURE SCAM

Business

Response:

This matter was an issue from the beginning - insurance was involved for part of the claim. The issue started with his aftermarket alarm caused issues that were not related to the minor collision damage and he wanted everything covered by the insurance, which they denied. He was dealing with multiple people because it was in the shop and body shop for unrelated issues. The deductibles were part of different entities that did not coincide with one another. The vehicle was fixed by all parties and all related monies were disbursed to the correct Russ Darrow entity.

They posted a vehicle on line. I inquired about it. Couldn't give me any told me that I have to come in. Drove over an hour to find out the truck didn't even run. Thank you Russian Darrow for wasting my time and gas to find out your vehicle was garbage.

This review is in particular about the Russ Darrow Kia dealership in Wauwatosa, WI.
Do NOT ever deal with this dealership and Dave [redacted] and Kenney [redacted]. Dave gave me an internet price which apparently included offers I could not even qualify like military and graduate. Plus the offer excluded the special financing that Dave also emailed to me. No such restrictions were stated in the email. The actual car price was $3300 more than the "special" internet pricing.
Bait and switch! Buyer beware!

Review: When speaking with [redacted], I initially set up auto pay with him through the company the dealership uses. After purchasing the car, I was contacted by the finance company who provided my car loan and was offered auto pay with them for no fee. I reached out and contacted [redacted] and told him to cancel my auto pay that he set up as I was going to do it with the finance company. He said he would contact the finance company himself and get back to me. He never called back and the payment attempted to come out of my bank account, causing a negative balance and I acquired two overdraft fees for transactions I did authorize. I went up to the dealership to speak with [redacted], he was not in. Neither was the manager. My name and number were written down and a sales person put it on [redacted]s desk with the instructions to call me. He did not.Desired Settlement: I want to be compensated for my overdraft fees

Business

Response:

I apologize for the unintentional miscommunication. When you purchased the vehicle, the third party company that you signed up for, [redacted], is a contract between you and them. We cannot cancel your contract with them. Your contract would have been part of the paperwork you received from purchasing the vehicle. You would have needed to contact them directly to cancel the contract. I spoke with Mr. [redacted] and he stated that he was confused as to why he was being asked to call your lender, when he wouldn't have any authorization due to the privacy laws.I cannot offer to pay the overdraft fees associated with this, however, I will be sending you a Goodwill Gesture which you can apply towards a portion of your loss.[redacted]

Consumer

Response:

Review: First I'd like to start out that I never do this, but my experience with Russ Darrow has been nothing but horrible, unethical and so very unprofessional. I first started out at the Russ Darrow Kia on Wauwatosa, found a truck I really liked, went threw all the paper work but didn't like the price they promised me. So I left, a couple days went by they called me back from the Russ Darrow Kia in Wauwatosa, they told me if o came in and they have me the price I asked for would I buy the truck. I said yes of course. I went on sat there for 2 hours with no contact and she came back and said this is where we're at.... Still not the price I asked for. Talk about a waste of time. So I moved on went to a different dealer, I found a truck there and so they ran my credit. They said they had to notify me of something, Russ Darrow in Wauwatosa ran my credit over 15 times with out my authorization. He said they are known to do that if you turn them down from a purchase to ruin your credit. So I went to the Russ Darrow in Waukesha to complain and spoke with [redacted], he told me he would do everything that he could for me to see that Russ Darrow is bad, I believed him and he said he'd give me a good deal. I found a truck that I liked so I tried. However the truck had its service engine soon light on and tire pressure light. I told them I wouldn't buy it because of this and he reassured me that it was just a sensor and they ordered the parts and would fix it. Again I believed them. A month went by and I called and asked if they ever got the parts in, and service said oh it's been here! So I went in thing I was getting my truck fixed. They told me that there was no part for my truck and that it wasn't a sensor and I would have to pay for it. And as for the tire pressure light they said they couldn't fix it, it just needed to be recalibrate and I needed to go to the Nissan dealer. So after much complaint of all this, and many voicemails on [redacted]'s desk he never called me back threw any of this! Service decided to take a look at my service engine soon light again, [redacted] in service said it was fixed it was just a lose clip. I then headed over to the Nissan dealer for my tire light and they said it's not the sensor like I was told its a lose valve well fix it for free. Leaving that dealer my service engine soon light came back on and a couple more miles down the road my tire light comes back on. I was very frustrated. I then began to look threw all my purchasing paperwork decided to look on car fax, which was never given to me in the dealer. I found that the title was salvaged rebuilt, but I couldn't find this on my paperwork any where. The odometer reading paperwork where all the boxes are for previous use or marked title doesn't have the box checked for salvaged rebuilt. The title paperwork doesn't have the salvaged rebuilt. My truck is worth less than half of what I owe and paid for it now! I think something is fishy here. I contact [redacted] at Russ Darrow in Waukesha, tell them what I found and he stumbles around like he always has and says he'll call me back. Well he's never called me back with any issues. I decided to contact Russ Darrow corporate where they decided to really not do much beside transfer my information to there legal department. (And I'm still waiting to hear). Now I received my licensed plate registration in the mail to renew my plates, but it has my old jeep listed as the car. When I went to the dmv they said that those plates were canceled and not registered to any car and the truck I'm driving has the old owners plates and there was nothing they could do. It looks like I'm driving a stolen truck now! I called Russ Darrow in Waukesha because this issue needed to be fixed asap, I spoke with [redacted] and as I'm telling him the story he said he was going to hang up on me. He did! This company has been doing nothing but running away from every problem. This has been the final and last straw. They will have a legal case very soon, but I am telling and sharing this with all of you so that you do not shop for a car or truck from ANY Russ Darrow! You will be screwed over countless times, you will have your time and money wasted! Please share this, repost it and tell all your friends!! Thank you!Desired Settlement: Purchase the fultiy truck back for price paid with trade and all time wasted.

Business

Response:

I apologize for the lack of response, however, since you filed a corresponding DOT complaint, I could not answer this complaint until the DOT Investigation was finalized. It is my understanding that the Investigator if she hasn't already would be getting in contact with you to let you know that the paperwork relating to the vehicle purchase and disclosure section for the salvage brand was done accurately by the dealership. As for the titling issue relating to your previously owned vehicle and your current vehicle, this was also done accurately by the dealership and as such the Investigator will be working with the DOT in Madison directly to get the license plate issue handled. The complaint in its entirety has been closed by the Department with no recourse taken against the selling dealership.[redacted]###-###-####/direct

Consumer

Response:

I am LIVID with how the service department at Russ Darrow Toyota in West Bend treated me today! Last week I came in for re-coding of my key ($50 for a 5 min hook-up to their computer) and paid an additional $560 ahead of time for a sun roof module I needed so that it would open and close again. I showed up today for the appointment to get the part installed, but the part was on back order - for a month! No call, no notification of what was happening, just a 45 min. round-trip drive for nothing. In the meantime however, my sun roof was open and could no longer close. Obviously I'm very concerned about getting water in the car causing additional damage, things stolen out of the car, etc. When I decided to ask for a refund of the expensive module (why should I pay $600 for a part I can't get for another month), they REFUSED to help close my sunroof! "Since we're no longer making money on the part we will no longer work on getting your roof closed." I am shocked there are places like this with this lack of customer service. They will never see me in there again and I will make sure to tell all my friends about my experience. They have lost many customers today.

I had a negative experience from the Russ Darrow Nissan location at Metro auto mall. I agreed to a price and down payment on a versa. I told the sales rep that I couldn't come in for a couple of days to take delivery and that I would put money down to hold the car and take delivery a few days later. He said to come in as soon as possible because the car may be sold. I told him I was agreeing to buy the car and take delivery, why would he sell the car from under me. We finally made an appointment to take delivery. 1/2 hour before our appointment he called me and said the car had been sold. He wanted to sell me a different car which required a larger down payment. I told him I could not do that and he called back 10 minutes later and told me he could sell the different car at the same down payment amount. I said ok and came in to take delivery. When I got there the finance manager told me that down payment would be $400 more than what he told me on the phone.

This was very disappointing and a waste of my and my wifes time. We had to make special arrangements to make it for delivery. This practice is misleading, bait and switch and dishonest and frankly dispicable. Who makes an appointment to take delivery on a car and then sells 1/2 hour before the appointment.

Review: On October 1st 2015 my 2008 Dodge Charger completely stopped as I was driving home my battery cable had caught on fire on October 2 I filed and insurance claim with my insurance provider AAA My car was towed to Russ Darrow dodge Dealer to be fixed I was told that it was an electrical problem and thats what caused my battery cable to catch on fire it was able to be repaired I was given an estimate price of 1,184.30 but before I could give permission they had already tooking my car completely apart and file 6,299.41 on my insurance claim and the problem still was not fixed cause what they told was the problem really was not the problem after I was told that my car brain was not reading my motor properly and that's what caused my battery to catch on fire. I took it for a second look and was told something different I was told that my battery is in my trunk and that doesn't have anything to with the motor it was an electrical problem I asked the dealership and the insurance company several questions and stil was not given the proper help or maintenance me or my car need it I fell as though I should had been notified before the put such a large amount of money on my insurance and my car still is not drive ableDesired Settlement: I would like my money back

Business

Response:

I have reviewed the complaint with the Service Manager and he states the following:A 2008 Dodge Charger with 135524

miles brought to us not running and no start condition. The customers insurance

company provided a preliminary estimate for fire damage in the trunk near the

battery. Upon our inspection we found items not listed on the insurance

estimate. We called the adjuster, who came back out to inspect our findings. He

authorized additional items to continue in the process of repair. Once the

additional items were completed the vehicle was able to be started. With the

vehicle now running, drivability concerns and check engine light exhibited themselves.Determining

that the customer had previously had mismatched engine installed elsewhere,

which is not compatible with computer controls and sensors on her vehicle, the insurance

company would no longer participate in further repairs.The option was given

to the customer to start with some of the obvious items needing to be

addressed, such as oxygen sensor replacement. The customer was given an

estimate 845.00 (documented on repair order) which would cover her insurance

deductible as well as the oxygen sensor replacement. It was thoroughly

explained to the customer that this would be a starting point and could lead to

other items needed , due to the fact that the vehicle had the wrong engine. The

customer authorized us to continue. After replacing the oxygen sensors,

faults remained in the computer system. It was determined that the computer

control system would not allow proper fuel and air mixture perameters in order to

properly run the vehicle. The only remedy going forward, would be for the

customer to have the proper engine installed in the vehicle that matches up

with the original equipment.Russ Darrow can no longer participate in the fixing of this vehicle unless the repairs are pre-paid by the customer. Her only recourse as I see it would be to go back to the shop that installed the engine in the vehicle and bring the current issues to their attention.[redacted], Corporate Paralegal

Review: I purchased a car from this company in march of 3013. I put a $3000.00 cash down payment on the vehicle. I have a purchase contract and a sales agreement showing the $3000.00 down payment. Both papers have the employees signature as well as mine. They are stating they never received their $3000.00 from me and now have sent the bill to a collections agency. They are saying they are not honoring either of my contracts as a receipt that I paid $3000.00. I never received anything besideds the two contracts from them that stated the $3000.00 I paid.Desired Settlement: I would like 3000.00 to be off my credit and this matter to be resolved. I am not paying an additional $3000.00 when I have already paid $3000.00 when I purchased the car.

Business

Response:

The Motor Vehicle Purchase Contract that shows the Cash Down Payment on Order is only to show what you intended to put down on the deal at the time you negotiated the contract. This document is not the receipt for acceptance of the down payment. If the down payment was paid by debit/credit card you would have a charge slip. If the deposit was made by check, your cancelled check would suffice as proof. If the deposit was made by cash, then you would have received a normal size sheet of paper indicating your name, stock number and amount of deposit associated with a specific Purchase Contract.

I will be happy to inform the collection agency that this matter has concluded and to delete it from your history. I will just need a copy of one of the above proofs or receipt indicating the $3000 was given to a Russ Darrow employee. Upon proof of payment received, I will notify the proper parties to delete this immediately.

I will await the documented proof. If you have any questions, please contact me directly at ###-###-####/direct. [redacted]

Business

Response:

Please respond with the location of the dealership in which you purchased the vehicle and bank records to support that you may have withdrawn the $3000 on the day of the transaction. Upon receipt of this information, I will further review the situation.

Consumer

Response:

We found a used vehicle on line that we liked. My wife and I drove to Russ Darrow Mazda at Hwy 45 and Goodhope. The salesman showed us a vehicle and we eventually purchased it. We found out a day later that the vehicle they sold us was not the vehicle that was described and pictured on Cars.com. The vehicle that was described and pictured on line was already sold. We also had to return to another dealer for repairs a week after the sale. Apparently they did not inspect the vehicle before selling it to us. This is a SCAM BY RUSS DARROW to get customers to drive out to their dealerships. All the paperwork had to be redone and signed again. What a joke!