[blacknbean]

man what a horrible situation. i flew from SF to LA to buy my 335i. luckily it was still there as I also called the dealer daily. sux they wont even pay your cab fair. shady as hell.

[Sara]

Originally Posted by blacknbean

man what a horrible situation. i flew from SF to LA to buy my 335i. luckily it was still there as I also called the dealer daily. sux they wont even pay your cab fair. shady as hell.

yeah that is shady. The shuttle should always be available. My client advisor personally picked me up from LAX.

[BlackDesertTango]

Wow! Your story just gave me tension to my neck just reading it...On principle the dealer wasn't right and was very disloyal. It's that kind of treatment that provokes one to want to do something bad to another person.

Arite everyone. BOYCOTT SF BMW!

[Will335i]

Bad deal dude. Something was definitely up when they wouldn't take a deposit. I bought mine from a dealership in Chicago and as soon as we negotiated a price I put a deposit down. I ended up having it shipped down to Shreveport, LA for less than what it would have cost me to fly there and drive it back.

If they weren't willing to pick you up from the airport I would have walked away at that time too. Even used they are not cheap cars. When you buy a BMW, even used, some of what you're paying for in the experience and service.

[Wild Squid]

If this happened to me I would pay more money to fly back there and with a key in each hand walk up and down the rows of cars and key as many as I could. Don't even worry, the city of SF lets murderers go free. Seriously, I'm not even joking.

[60av8tor]

Man, I hate reading this - just slime ball BS. I do understand that with the state of the economy, things are tough. I imagine, especially in sales, that salesmen will jump at any opportunity, but I do feel that it's part of the problem - being short-sited and not looking at the bigger picture. Making a buck now - people be damned - instead of working toward being loyal and gaining loyal customers.

I had a similar experience when looking for a used 3 series. I had departed for an overnight road trip to check out (and most likely buy) a car. Thankfully, I was only about 1/2 hour into my trip when the salesman told me it was sold.

It sucks being military and moving so often. On the rare ocassion that I do find a decent dealer, I generally don't stay too long and have to go through the process of weeding through the slimey ones again.

I had an ok experience with my BMW dealer, however one thing that did stand out was not being introduced to the staff. In the past (non-BMW) I've been introduced to the manager and service manager when purchasing. Not the case this time. I guess that's expected when I purchase a used CPO 3-series vs. the $109k Merc sitting on the floor. Oh well....

[chromisdesigns]

sucks, sorry for your troubles, the dealership SHOULD have made it right. That said, I've only ever had good experiences with BMW of SFO.

All I can say is, nobody should ever rely on what a car dealer tells them over the phone. If you make a phone deal (and are willing and..well...let's stick with willing...to make a deal like that sight unseen on a used car, then have them fax a contract, you fax it back signed and wire the money. That's the ONLY way to make sure you have a legally enforceable contract. THAT, you could take to court for damages.

All you have is a verbal promise that is worth the paper it isn't written on.

I'd be PO'd too, don't get me wrong. But that's what faxes and wire transfers are for.

[BKap08]

Ive never been to BMW SF but from where ive been Stevens Creek is trash, no one cares to help or even ask if i had any questions. Mountain View is ok but they dont usually have all that great of a selection of cars. I got my car from BMW east bay(pleasanton) and they have an awesome selection of cars. They were able to negotiate with me to an awesome price and were courteous from the beginning, even when i was just browsing their inventory. I feel horrible for the OP and will boycott BMW SF also. What they did was cold hearted and very unprofessional.

[san6279]

Call BMWNA asap, if you haven't already.

[Numark318i]

Hate BMW SF. always snooby to me.

Surprisingly I had a great experience at Sonnen BMW in San Rafael.
I hear East Bay BMW is also good. They were on the ball while looking for a car for me. (Although i ended up going with another dealership)

[Express]

im gonna call up there tomorrow and give them a hard time. do you care?

[gnhm3]

Originally Posted by express705

im gonna call up there tomorrow and give them a hard time. do you care?

I encourage it. Thanks

[Express]

Originally Posted by gnhm3

I encourage it. Thanks

well i mean if you get sued for defamation of the dealer then i claim no stake in your payment of legal fees.

[idrift4wd]

usually, i would say well your loss, but

A PLANE TICKET, and prior planes i totally understand your fury. Call bmw NA asap. see what they can possibly offer you. or at least put a complaint on them

[Bobby Pynes]

Originally Posted by gnhm3

Hey everyone, I just want to let everyone know about a negative situation I had with San Francisco BMW. About 3 months ago I began search for a 2004-2006 e46 M3. As most of you already know these are pretty hard to come by at BMW dealers these days. On August 8th I come across a listing online for a 2004 M3 at San Francisco BMW. I decide to give them a call and begin talking to a sales associate Nyomi Balatti. Nyomi is very helpful from the beginning sending me pictures, returning phone calls, and emailing me documents of the car. Everything checked out and I decided to pull the trigger on the car. The only thing that bothered me was that I was located in Los Angeles and the car was in SF but Nyomi guaranteed me I would not be disappointed.

I wake up the next day and give Nyomi a call asking her if the car is still available for me to fly in and drive it back. She assures me it is and asks what time I am coming in. I buy my ticket and let her know when I will be arriving. I ask her if someone could pick me up and she replies by saying I would rather pay for your taxi.

I am now on the way to LAX and I give Nyomi one more phone call making sure the car will be there when I arrive in 2 hours. Again, she assures me it's available and being washed for me to come pick it up. I asked if I can put a deposit just in case but she said that it is not necessary.

Fast forward 2 hours and I am now in San Francisco in a taxi about 5 minutes away from the dealership when I get a call from Nyomi. This is how the conversation went:

Nyomi: You won't believe it, they sold the car.
Me: Are you kidding?
Nyomi: I wish I was.
Me: I asked you a thousand times if it was still available and you said yes.
Nyomi: I don't know what to tell you.
Me: I'll be there in 5 minutes.

I am furious at this point. I arrive at the dealership and demand to see the manager right away. I am introduced to a manager by the name of Alex. Right from the beginning I can tell Alex doesn't care about the whole situation. He tells me that the car is gone and there is nothing anyone can do about it. He then decides to do me a favor by giving me a deal of $1000 above invoice on a new M3. I demand for my airfare and taxi to be taken care of at the minimum but he begins to counteroffer with only half. I threaten to blast him and his dealership on online forums when he finally agrees.

He says that he will send me a check in the mail since corporate has to write it. I ask how can I be certain he will and he replies by saying we've been in business for years and would never do that to a customer. He asks for a printout of my airline receipt which I provide and head back home.

More than 2 months later I have received no check and Nyomi the sales woman I dealt with will not give me an answer or help me out. This has to be the worst treatment I have ever received by any business. I wasted a whole day, took time off work, and had to pay for 2 taxi's. All together I wasted $415 that day.

Sorry for the long read but I needed to get this off my chest. Try to avoid dealings with this dealership at all costs, especially Nyomi Balatti, and Alex.

Cliff Notes:
1. Looking for an e46 M3
2. Find one in SF
3. Call dealership and tell them I am coming. They say they will hold it.
4. Buy plane ticket.
5. Call Sales associate numerous times before leaving to make sure it is still available which she says yes it is.
6. Fly in, get in a taxi on the way to the dealer when sales associate calls me and say they sold it.
7. Manager promises to refund my plane and taxi costs.
8. Never receive a check and dealer is now ignoring me.

Sorry to hear about your unfortunate situation. Sounds like it was a case of poor follow through on the Sales Persons part.

However, If I were you I would have INSISTED on putting down a deposit. Because as we all know, its not yours until money is on the table. I bought my car at BMW of San Francisco, and I had a great sales person Adis, he was courteous, helpful, and really went to bat for us concerning price. When we got it home we noticed a few issues that werent to our liking, and he set it up quick to be fixed right away (minor stuff like roundel spotting, old DVD nav disc etc) He even had the service guys take care of it on a sunday.

I can say also that the Service dept ROCKS. I only deal with my SA Mrs. Tran when I go in there, and she takes care of my baby as if it were her own. Always goes out of her way to get me a good loaner and a solid early appointment.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, and I hope you get the M3 you want.

[Bobby Pynes]

Originally Posted by Wild Squid

Sorry to hear this, I could have told you to stay away from BMW SF. Absolutely one of the worst dealerships i have ever stepped foot into. I've visited them only several times to look at cars and every single time was ignored by anyone and everyone. It appears they only have time to deal with rich white boy trust fund baby types, or you must be a middle aged white guy that appears to be a Market St. suit. The atmosphere in there was if you didn't fit their ideal profile they didn't have the time to deal with you. So I went to their toilet and upper decked it with remnants of a Super mexican burrito and corn and cheese. I then sat in several showroom cars and hacked a loogie and spat it on the seat next to me. I fucking despise car dealers who think they are better than you just because they work in a bit of a upscale showroom or dealership brand.

I can tell by your response that you are so very very mature. They are a no pressure dealer, you have to walk up to someone and tell them you would like to be helped. Otherwise they let you browse without being bothered. And Im a market street suit, white boy. They didnt walk up to me until I approached them and asked for their help.

[ceb]

Putting down a deposit means nothing. All it shows is your intent to buy something that the dealership has - it does not mean that they have to sell it to you.

The whole concept of a deposit is psychological. Putting down a deposit binds you mentally to the purchase but the same does not hold true for the dealer. Until they sign on the dotted line there is no commitment on their part.

Deposits are always fully refundable on most anything but a special order. I know of no state that allows a dealer to keep a deposit if you back out unless the dealer can show that he either special ordered a chartreuse car with a pink and lavender interior or had some other major financial outlay that cannot be recouped.

The bottom line here is the BLUF (bottom line up front) - a deposit means nothing. Only a purchase order signed by the dealer's authorized rep means anything.

[Kolyan2k]

Originally Posted by ceb

Putting down a deposit means nothing. All it shows is your intent to buy something that the dealership has - it does not mean that they have to sell it to you.

The whole concept of a deposit is psychological. Putting down a deposit binds you mentally to the purchase but the same does not hold true for the dealer. Until they sign on the dotted line there is no commitment on their part.

Deposits are always fully refundable on most anything but a special order. I know of no state that allows a dealer to keep a deposit if you back out unless the dealer can show that he either special ordered a chartreuse car with a pink and lavender interior or had some other major financial outlay that cannot be recouped.

The bottom line here is the BLUF (bottom line up front) - a deposit means nothing. Only a purchase order signed by the dealer's authorized rep means anything.

ah ? my buddy has a dealership and deposits are not refundable and he has never refunded them obviously......what the hell is the point of the deposit.....and dealerships previously held cars for me with deposit. just last week the guy ended up purchasing the car he didnt want because didnt like the idea of loosing his deposit.

[DDS2015]

Originally Posted by ceb

Putting down a deposit means nothing. All it shows is your intent to buy something that the dealership has - it does not mean that they have to sell it to you.

The whole concept of a deposit is psychological. Putting down a deposit binds you mentally to the purchase but the same does not hold true for the dealer. Until they sign on the dotted line there is no commitment on their part.

Deposits are always fully refundable on most anything but a special order. I know of no state that allows a dealer to keep a deposit if you back out unless the dealer can show that he either special ordered a chartreuse car with a pink and lavender interior or had some other major financial outlay that cannot be recouped.

The bottom line here is the BLUF (bottom line up front) - a deposit means nothing. Only a purchase order signed by the dealer's authorized rep means anything.

No. A deposit reserves that car for you. Unless you back out and they refund your deposit then for all intents and purposes that car is yours. It is not a psychological thing at all. When I placed a deposit on my current car they immediately removed that vehicle from their normal lot and put it in the sold lot. Same thing happened for all of the cars that myself or my family has ever purchased.

[JPK89]

that sucks man...similar happened to me...i was shopping for a range rover...dude agreed to sell...i got my bank to write the check ...flew my sister to LA and then he said he wants to keep it...wasted an air line ticket...but end up finding my e92 in LA so it worked out well

[fatass]

Originally Posted by Wild Squid

Sorry to hear this, I could have told you to stay away from BMW SF. Absolutely one of the worst dealerships i have ever stepped foot into. I've visited them only several times to look at cars and every single time was ignored by anyone and everyone. It appears they only have time to deal with rich white boy trust fund baby types, or you must be a middle aged white guy that appears to be a Market St. suit. The atmosphere in there was if you didn't fit their ideal profile they didn't have the time to deal with you. So I went to their toilet and upper decked it with remnants of a Super mexican burrito and corn and cheese. I then sat in several showroom cars and hacked a loogie and spat it on the seat next to me. I fucking despise car dealers who think they are better than you just because they work in a bit of a upscale showroom or dealership brand.

Wtf is wrong with you.

[bmodzelewski]

Originally Posted by Wild Squid

Sorry to hear this, I could have told you to stay away from BMW SF. Absolutely one of the worst dealerships i have ever stepped foot into. I've visited them only several times to look at cars and every single time was ignored by anyone and everyone. It appears they only have time to deal with rich white boy trust fund baby types, or you must be a middle aged white guy that appears to be a Market St. suit. The atmosphere in there was if you didn't fit their ideal profile they didn't have the time to deal with you. So I went to their toilet and upper decked it with remnants of a Super mexican burrito and corn and cheese. I then sat in several showroom cars and hacked a loogie and spat it on the seat next to me. I fucking despise car dealers who think they are better than you just because they work in a bit of a upscale showroom or dealership brand.

...classy