[MOAB]

Originally Posted by Pseudo Nim

Oh. I'm confused as to the post above, then. Did their rep post something he wasn't supposed to? I feel like I saw nothing in the thread..... kind of out of the blue.

yeah, looks like the thread was deleted or purged of the contentious posts. The serpa rep, 335isGuy, also looks like he is now banned from the site in addition to being terminated from serpa. Lesson learned I guess.

[Pseudo Nim]

Originally Posted by 335BBS

He was the guy bad mouthing other dealers. I told him that people don't like that coming from a dealership. Poor guy got the message....from his boss. Ouch.

Ouch, wtf. That's heavy-handed. Not even a talking-to, straight up fire? (I guess - based on the post above)?? That's wack. Serpa - I won't buy from you, ever, if that is the case, because that's just outright dumb. You sell cars, but people are your biggest strength - and honest employees, rather than crafty salesmen, are what draws me to a dealership. I hate the typical salesmen.

Btw, the statement about dealers supporting each other? Bullshit. Of course, you will all defend each other, but it's when the dollars are at play that it's truly tested. Case in point: Autohaus, where I got my car from, "supports" other dealers, I'm sure. But when I wanted my car transferred to another dealer to save me a 600km drive? Nope. "We know we can sell the car and make a profit on it, so why would we bother selling at cost?" Support, my ass. And even BMW Waterloo's sales manager at the time, a (as I understood) lady fairly high up in the circles of BMW Canada sales channels, couldn't force them - but found it highly unusual. "Support"? Sure. Now hire your guy back but kick his ass for overstepping his bounds.

[MarkD]

Originally Posted by rotmanpr

The opinions of individuals on this forum are their own and are not authorized to represent Serpa BMW and Serpa Motorrad at any time. Only Serpa BMW itself may express its official positions on any subject. It is the express policy of the Serpa Automotive Group to support fellow dealers, as we would expect them to support us. We regret that a certain individual may have wished to represent us although not authorized to do so. This person is no longer an employee of Serpa BMW. Richard R., PR and Social Media Serpa BMW and Serpa Motorrad.

If you are in charge of social media for Serpa, why did it take so long to deal with this post? It's been there at least 10 days... and if you just GOOGLED Serpa each day you would have found it about 15 minutes after it was posted. (even your post above can be found via Google now) That should be part of the day's work for a real social media guy, you have to look at what is being posted about the companies you represent and take action that same day.

I heard that the person who was fired knew the owner because his father's company did some work at the Mazda dealership. So he just got fired, he's lucky he actually knew Frank Serpa, I guess if he didn't he'd get fired plus tossed into the wood chipper!

[bobblehead]

Dealers supporting each other ? This must be a joke. If that's the case, I am sure Serpa BMW will say to a potential customer, "would you like to shop at other BMW dealers first, I am sure they can help your purchase better than us"

I can see a new thread posting of "Serpa BMW" bashing !

[markham335i]

Originally Posted by rotmanpr

The opinions of individuals on this forum are their own and are not authorized to represent Serpa BMW and Serpa Motorrad at any time. Only Serpa BMW itself may express its official positions on any subject. It is the express policy of the Serpa Automotive Group to support fellow dealers, as we would expect them to support us. We regret that a certain individual may have wished to represent us although not authorized to do so. This person is no longer an employee of Serpa BMW. Richard R., PR and Social Media Serpa BMW and Serpa Motorrad.

"cool story bro can u tell it again?" gtfo u loser, get a real job

[MarkD]

Originally Posted by markham335i

"cool story bro can u tell it again?" gtfo u loser, get a real job

He has a real job, he's a PR writer! http://prwriterextraordinaire.com/About/

[Dr. G]

It's funny that Autohaus was on here bashing other dealers very openly and stating their names before getting banned for advertising without being a sponsor haha.

The member that was removed from the job was the only reason a huge bunch of us were switching to Serpa since we knew him on a personal level from the local BMW group and meetups and we felt better knowing we have somebody we can trust and someone we are comfortable with at the dealer.

It's weird that I was just speaking to him yesterday about getting an F10 at the end of August and now he's no longer there, was pretty surprised and was wondering why he got banned and this thread kind of answers that now.

PS: if you can still see the site buddy thanks for the help with the M3, it is ready to rumble now!

[bobblehead]

How about writing something for BMW Autohaus. I am sure they can use your expertise in this PR stunt.

Originally Posted by rotmanpr

The opinions of individuals on this forum are their own and are not authorized to represent Serpa BMW and Serpa Motorrad at any time. Only Serpa BMW itself may express its official positions on any subject. It is the express policy of the Serpa Automotive Group to support fellow dealers, as we would expect them to support us. We regret that a certain individual may have wished to represent us although not authorized to do so. This person is no longer an employee of Serpa BMW. Richard R., PR and Social Media Serpa BMW and Serpa Motorrad.

[nitehawk]

Ah, the power of the Internet and social media. Obviously BMW Autohaus has seen this thread by now; even if they don't chime in, I can bet you they are taking note. I just hope it's not just "CYA" action and actually something positive for the customers.

[antrot]

Let's face it it's sucks he got canned
From an image perspective Serpa did the right thing. U can't have one person in an org giving his own opinion that in turn represents a company negatively or bashes a competitor it's not good for business
Imagine large companies allowing their social media guys to express their own opinion or post own content...it would be a pr mess.
Secondly if ur an advisor or involved in BMW do ur best to support ur members but be careful not to get involved in bashing.
Honestly autohaus has been terrible everytime I have visited so i avoid them
Sales service everything
I have not been to Serpa however as a new dealer u have to create a strong image and treat new customers like goldddd. They took action to keep their image clean and IMO that's good business. The important part is that they continue offering high end service and the SA s maintain their respect among forum and non forum members
If they can create a great experience business will come,if they fail like autohaus then they'll end up on everyone's black list.
People who refuse to go to this dealer bcz of this incident are crazy
Unless u went there And someone treated u like garbage then u avoid it
If not, don't rule them out and blacklist them bcz of a forum he said she said story
I know that if the dealer I go to now doesn't treat me well I will def go to Serpa and give them a chance
I just want good convenient service and whoever can offer that I'll go to

[bulldog_yyc]

and the point of this thread is that autohaus is still a terrible dealer and everyone should avoid going there

[absolutX]

Originally Posted by antrot

Let's face it it's sucks he got canned
From an image perspective Serpa did the right thing. U can't have one person in an org giving his own opinion that in turn represents a company negatively or bashes a competitor it's not good for business
Imagine large companies allowing their social media guys to express their own opinion or post own content...it would be a pr mess.
Secondly if ur an advisor or involved in BMW do ur best to support ur members but be careful not to get involved in bashing.
Honestly autohaus has been terrible everytime I have visited so i avoid them
Sales service everything
I have not been to Serpa however as a new dealer u have to create a strong image and treat new customers like goldddd. They took action to keep their image clean and IMO that's good business. The important part is that they continue offering high end service and the SA s maintain their respect among forum and non forum members
If they can create a great experience business will come,if they fail like autohaus then they'll end up on everyone's black list.
People who refuse to go to this dealer bcz of this incident are crazy
Unless u went there And someone treated u like garbage then u avoid it
If not, don't rule them out and blacklist them bcz of a forum he said she said story
I know that if the dealer I go to now doesn't treat me well I will def go to Serpa and give them a chance
I just want good convenient service and whoever can offer that I'll go to

Instead of canning the guy from Serpa who was establishing relationships with customers here, a stern lecture would've sufficed, as well "ex-employee" in question removed all his posts. As I stated previously, if you can write off such an employee in a heart beat, customers are just as easily written off.

Just for the record that guy maybe in PR, but he should study HR cause I suspect that firing is on the border of wrongful termination.

[e90-328i]

its not like the guy took a customers new m135 out and beat the crap out of it and posted a video on you tube!
but being in business format simular (not auto) to theirs, you do have to be tackful when talking about the competition. And in public forums you really have to be careful. otherwise you look bad.

I was checking into getting a something repaired and called one guy and they asked if i was checking others, i said ya, getting a idea. he started with if its that place ,,,,, they do this,,, they are that,,,,. it was like wow, these were almost the first words out of his mouth, before talking price.

if you have to bash the other guy first without selling yourself first, im going elsewhere, fast!

[Puerto Rican 335d]

Wow what a thread I thought I was reading a NOVEL!!! I live in Puerto Rico and had some issues with AutoGermana BMW when I had my Mini and was reluctant to buy in the future or even have them work in my car I decidely hooked up with one the best BMW mechanics in the metro area, mind you I had preordered my 02 MCS back in 01, yes I waited for one year for the launch and 3 months for build and delivery and yes i wanted to do it again with my 335d. When i moved back to the island I had some run ins with the SAs and Service Manager whom was later FIRED!! because of some incidents. I ordered my '11 335d and almost got jipped at the dealer, they wanted me to pay $5k more in taxes mind you i ended paying $13k in taxes yeah I fought my way out of it cause the Sales Manager recognized me and he stated ok your part of the BMW family, they take people down here for fools since they do NOT know how to shop, bunch of snoobs I say. I took my car for the EGR issue and the A/C belt SB. The SA gave a round around on some BS and I got mad at him almost ended up arguing I told him LISTEN I have an important Medical Apointment and cant deal with you I wil speak to you later. Needless to say i emailed the Service Manager whom happens to be a good friend of my Mechanic who worked on my Mini for the past 5 yrs and could you beleive this guy has NEVER responded to me, I know he reads my emails since I send them thru Outlook email and i can see when he reads it with date stamp. Well anyway I took my car for the second time and I was treated like a god very courteous and professional, as a matter a of fact my experience was GREAT and I sent an email back to them that this was the way to treat US BMW owners, that in the future I would seek again their assistance. I hope I dont get banned either LOL I live in an Island and there is no other BMW dealer jajajajjajaaa

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by absolutX

Instead of canning the guy from Serpa who was establishing relationships with customers here, a stern lecture would've sufficed, as well "ex-employee" in question removed all his posts. As I stated previously, if you can write off such an employee in a heart beat, customers are just as easily written off.

Just for the record that guy maybe in PR, but he should study HR cause I suspect that firing is on the border of wrongful termination.

Who said he was written off in a heart beat? He was hear bad mouthing Autohaus for a week anyway. Maybe they started warning him? You werent there so how do you know what happened. There are probably very strict guidlines regarding participation in forums such as this. The minute I saw him badmouthing another dealer and mentioning his dealers name i knew it was bad news. If Autohaus was as bad as you 15 (?) people think then they would be out of business by now.

[absolutX]

Originally Posted by 335BBS

Who said he was written off in a heart beat? He was hear bad mouthing Autohaus for a week anyway. Maybe they started warning him? You werent there so how do you know what happened. There are probably very strict guidlines regarding participation in forums such as this. The minute I saw him badmouthing another dealer and mentioning his dealers name i knew it was bad news. If Autohaus was as bad as you 15 (?) people think then they would be out of business by now.

You can play devil's advocate but you don't know the whole story either,, but the post from Serpa clearly states he was fired over comments posted. That is something I do see and read.

If you read my previous comments I did not bash or comment of a bad experience on Autohaus, but from the various complaints listed here it's something people have brought to light. If you want to tiptoe around everyone that's your opinion, this is an open forum people can express themselves anyway they choose. No one is forcing their views on you.

Also you may considering writing off 15 people with bad experiences and think Autohaus is still in business, but the fact is 15 people had bad experiences and you don't see every other dealership on here with a thread of "bad experiences"

[335BBS]

Originally Posted by absolutX

You can play devil's advocate but you don't know the whole story either,, but the post from Serpa clearly states he was fired over comments posted. That is something I do see and read.

If you read my previous comments I did not bash or comment of a bad experience on Autohaus, but from the various complaints listed here it's something people have brought to light. If you want to tiptoe around everyone that's your opinion, this is an open forum people can express themselves anyway they choose. No one is forcing their views on you.

Calm down. i was just commenting on the the guy that suggested that the guy was fired instantly. I feel horrible for the guy that got fired.
There are a few guys here who think that they are going to shut Autohaus down. I think they should just talk with their feet...go elsewhere. If its as bad as they say at Autohaus they will run into trouble on their own. Thats just my opinion...this is an open forum.

[Devas]

I thought we would have a lot of support for this issue, which is why i made a tread and a email for people to submit their complaints to me, so i can forward them to to BMW Canada and also BMW AG.. But it turns out that people either don't really care after what Autohaus has did, or they simply don't wish to help.

I feel bad for the Serpa employee though, if he did in fact get fired, cause he was trying to help the community, but sadly some people attacked him for bad mouthing his competitors.

I guess all i can say is, if you don't like Autohaus, don't go back. No point complaining, or posting cause members can't do shit and dealers don't care. If you're looking for sympathy than this is the right place; however, if you're seeking for BMW dealers to correct your problem than I'm sorry to say, but you've come to the wrong place. After all, even though presumably, we all own a BMW, we are a small percentage of people who have purchased BMWs.

[e92livin]

All I am reading is horrible things about Autohaus, I bought my 2008 BMW M3 from them in April of 2012, so far my car has been to them for different issues about 4 times. I figured since I bought the car there they would help me out the most right? Wrong, ever since I took delivery they basically told me to screw off on every warranty claim I have made. First in June-July of 2012 my driveshaft screws up and also the diff housing I take it to them for a warranty claim and they deny it saying that I have hit something underneath my car. Therefore I was forced to take my car back and fix it on my own because they denied my warranty claim. Secondly, after the first incident I took the car there hoping they would help me with a wheel bearing issue my car slept there over night, in the morning I get a phone call saying it is not covered because I have a curb rash on my wheel, ..... that is where i was stunned that I had just bought a car which is a certifed series and all of my warranty claims were being tossed out. Now the third time I take it for a 3rd gear grind in the gearbox, they diagnosed the vehicle and found it that they did not want to replace a bad synchro they would rather replace the whole tranny, so they go ahead and tear my car apart and now they are telling me my clutch was not installed properly which i took to a certified bmw mechanic to do the job in Ontario so the only way they will cover the tranny is if I pay them $4000 for a clutch job after tax and labour. So I had no choice but to get my shirt ripped off and pay $4000. Now my car is sitting at Autohaus again since they had they the earliest service appointment and my heater hose is leaking coolant and I am still getting that wheel bearing noise which they said is not the wheel bearing and it is my diff, they are trying to pin the diff situation to the first incident I had with the driveshaft so I am waiting on a phone call they promised me before the end of the day and nothing yet. More then likely I will get my warranty claimed denied. Honestly dont ever buy a car from Autohaus especially a M car. From taking delivery till now I am just upset with the service and they way they go about things. To top it all off they gave me a Dodge Dart as a loaner vehicle what a big jump eh? Anyway just wanted to share my experience with these guys so no body makes the same mistake I did and purchase a car off of them.

[Pseudo Nim]

Why have you not tried another dealer?

[Kalidian]

Is this the autohaus dealership on Steeles and Bathurst?. That's the dealer I go to since it's literally 5 minutes from my house. I don't know where all the hate is coming from lol I was literally there today getting my steering fixed for the "infamous" clicking noise. I called 3 weeks ago and got the appt slot for today which was perfect since it's my day off.

Service was 100% perfect, lower steering assembly replaced (consistent with the fix the forum found) under warranty with absolutely no hassle or any kind of trouble whatsoever. SA calls me 3 hours after I had dropped it off telling me everything's good to go. Picked up from my house and shuttled back to dealer, issue completely fixed, signed the work order, shook hands, and out the door a happy customer.

[ar]

Autohaus...where do i begin? lol While negotiating a sale, I was told "...maybe BMW is not for you". Went to Maranello and signed that night on an E90. Brought my car to Autohaus for service with appt made in advance (at that time Autohaus was 5 mins from my house) and they botched the appt and insisted I never "called in to confirm", even though appt was indeed made and confirmed.

Based on this thread, I do not appear to be alone in this organization's attitude to potential and existing BMW owners. IMO Maranello sales and service has been a top organization in dealing and rectifying issues with customers. I have had issues with them on minor instances and they are not perfect, however they are quick to mitigate any concerns and ensure they handle the situation to my satisfaction. I have also had great experiences with Parkview and Toronto. I think once this thread is viewed by many potential and existing BMW owners, Autohaus will feel the impact of the unprofessional behaviour through their bottom line. One can hope anyway