Complaint Review: San Tan Ford - Gilbert AZ - Gilbert Arizona

I purchased a pre-owned 2015 Mustang V6 from Santan Ford on Sunday, January, 31^st 2016 with 6.934 miles and have been quite disappointed in the buying process and post buying experience.  I, like everyone, is an extremely busy person and for me to sit down and take the time to write out my thoughts, means that it is a big deal.  Buying a car is most likely the second largest purchase I will be making, aside from buying a home.  I am writing to express my frustration with the process and what the dealership has worked hard to cover up.

1/31/16 –

After negotiating with my sales rep and having him go back and forth to ask the sales manager a number of questions that he did not have the answer to (I could tell he was a newer sales rep, which is fine, everyone has to start to learn) he quoted me interest rates and terms, which when I asked him to go check how the monthly payment numbers would break out, he came back and said that the rates and terms that he quoted me were incorrect.  This did not really bother me, more of the fact that if you don’t know something ask before you over promise and under deliver.

Once we finally agreed on a price, interest rate and terms, I signed the purchase agreement, under the agreement that the dashboard cluster and in-dash monitor would be replaced as the cluster was fogged and the in-dash monitor was “white screening”.  The sales rep said they were both covered under the warranty and they would be able to be replaced in a couple of days.  With that reassurance, I signed the purchase contract and waited my turn to meet with the finance department.

After a fairly long wait, it was finally my turn to meet with the finance manager, Phil Cash.  One of his first questions to me was asking to go over some potential terms and interest rates.  I was a little confused as I thought that was what I had just done with the sales rep.   I had the sales rep write down the terms and the interest rate that we agreed on in the sales document, so I was able to reference that information and the finance manager was able to pull that document from the transaction file.  Once he found that document, we worked on numbers and came to an agreement on a down payment and the monthly payment.  Since it was a Sunday and banks were closed, he said he would give me a call tomorrow (2/1) and let me know who the lien holder was going to be, so then I would know who to make the payments to. 

As of 2/15 I am still waiting for that call.  I have not been contacted or notified of who the lien holder will be or who to make my payments to and need to provide that information to my insurance company. 

After making my down payment and signing the final documents, I went back out to the front to wait for the car to be pulled around.  I again talked with my sales rep and he let me know that I would need to come in and have the service department get the part numbers for the replacement parts (cluster/in-dash screen)  and they would be able to get to get them locally from either one of the other dealers or warehouses in a couple of days.  He said the installation would take about a half day to have the service completed and parts replaced.

2/1/2016 –

I called the service department to set up a time to go in and have the service team collect the part numbers for the cluster and in-dash screen.  When I called, I asked them about how long it would take, as I would need to plan if it was going to be a couple hours or more and the service representative said that it should not take more than 30 minutes, so I set up a service appointment for 7:30am on 2/4.

2/4/2016 – 7010 Miles

Trip# 1 to delership (50 Miles Round Trip) - I arrived at the dealership at 7:30, before work, so I could have the part numbers checked and get to work on time.  When I walked in and let the service team know that I had an appointment to look at the cluster and in-dash screen, they told me that they would need the car for about half the day.  This again came to a surprise to me as I had called a few days earlier and specifically asked how long they thought it would take and they specifically told me about 30 minutes.  When I explained to the service representative that I was told it was going to be a lot shorter, he said he would see what he could do to get me in sooner.  He did help get me in and out quicker, which I did appreciate, but I was still at the dealership for about 2 hours, causing me to be late for my job.

When I asked the service representative about lead times for the new parts, he said it would be about 10 days (a lot longer than the couple of days that I was told by the sales rep).  He told me he would give me a call once the parts are in and we could set up a time for me to come back down.  As of 2/15, I am still waiting for that call as well.

2/9/2016 –

I reached out to my sales rep to see if he could follow up and get an update on when the replacement parts were going to be available as well as if he could follow up with the finance team to see if they could let me know who the lien holder on my loan was going to be.  He said he would check on both of those and get back to me ASAP.  As of 2/15, I am still waiting for that information.

2/10/2016 –

I received a call from the Santan tech team, asking if I had any questions about using my Mustang or its features.  I explained to him that I have not been able to use my in-dash screen at all as it is completely white all the time and that the cluster is clouded over, which limits a lot of the technological features.  This just added to the frustration as I know it was meant to be a helpful call, be it showed the lack of communication between service teams.

It has now been half a month since I purchase my 2015 Mustang on 1/31 and I have a clouded over, dash cluster, and an in-dash screen that does not even let me see what radio station the radio is on.  I definitely have not been able to enjoy my new purchase and for the most part, it has been sitting under a car cover, as I wait for the replacement parts, so I can have a fully functioning car.

I have spent a lot of time looking at the car, as I do really like it, but by doing so, I have noticed a number of imperfections, scrapes, missing paint chips on the front and rear of the car, missing parts, missing hard key, damaged to interior hood latch, and more and more.  Finding those marks and imperfections has just added to the frustration of this experience.

2/18/2016 -

Trip #2 to Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) After leaving my less than 1 month purchase in the shop for 7 days, I was finally able to pick up my mustang and turn in the rental car that they had supplied me while my car was unavailable. 

2/26/2016 - 7170 MIles

Trip #3 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) I again had to set up an appointment to bring in the mustang as paint was splitting on the bumper and trip and the seat lever was warped and would not stay in place (an additional item wrong with the mustang).   Again I was given another rental vehilce to use while my mustang was in the shop.  I have driven rental cars more than my mustang at this point.

3/11/2016 -

Trip #4 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) drop off rental car and pick up mustang

3/29/2016 - 7352 Miles

Trip #5 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) FM Antenna no longer working and have to go back to dealership to have fixed.

5/1/2016 - 9/9/2016

Mustang car batteries dies everytime it is turned off.  I am left stranded twice and have to have jumped everytime I turn the engine off.  I have no confidence in the car and do not drive for 4 months, while I try to find time and a way to get back down to the dealership to have battery replaced.  Also get locked out of car as I was never given a hard key and when the battery dies, the key fob does not work.

9/9/2016 - 7594 Miles

trip #6 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) - Finally get down to the dealership to have battery tested and it is confirmed that the battery needs to be replaced.  At this time I also request a hard key as I was never given one with the sale - very odd that they would not have a hard key for a car they were selling.  I also notice that the trunk release button on the trunk is missing - completely gone.  How does a vertified used car have no metal key insert and missing truck release button on the trunk??

9/10/2016 - 1/04/2017 - Little confidence the this 2015 dealership sold car.  I call to set up a time to have metal key insert made available and trunk button replaced.

1/4/2017 - 8019 Miles

Trip #6 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) - finally get hard key metal insert for car and trunk button released installed.

3/2/2017 - 8101 Miles

Trip #7 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) car again will not start after everytime that I turn the engine off.  Strands me twice and have to get jumped everytime engine is turned off.  No confidence in the car and hardly drive it.  Get a jump to take down to the dealership and they again replace the battery - only after 6 months.  They say there may be a battery draw issue, but only replace the battery.

3/2/2017 - 4/25/2017

No confidence in the car as I cannot trust this certifed used car.  I do some research and have a buddy look at the car.  I find out that San Tan purchased the car at an auction from Fox Car Rental, but why would a car rental company sell a car with only 6,000 miles on it?  I call the car rental company Fox Car Rental and they say they usually would not sell the car with that few of miles. the only reason they would think of is if there was damage to the car.  Damage to the car?  This was never disclosed to me and now as I piece more and more of this together, it is starting to seem like San Tan know about damages tried to cover them up with a poor paint job and sell the certifeid used car.  That seems like it is boarderlining fraud.

4/25/2017 -

Trip #8 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip)Paint splitting on rear, now obvious signs of repaint job on rear as a buddy (a car guy) points out to me the waves in the rear panit job, like something was being coverd up (damages from Car Rental).  Missing anchor on cargo net, missing plastic cover on taillamp.  All of this from a certified used car.  Service manager points out that it looks like previous work had been done on the truck as there are wrench marks on the truck bolts, but San Tan has no record of this?  All they say was that they "blended the bumper" when they received the car.

6/29/2017 -

Trip #9 to the Dealership (50 Miles Round Trip) - battery again will not start and dies when engine is turned off.  This is 3 months after the battery was just replaced!  There has to be something other than a battery issue going on.  I go down to talk to service manager and sales manager about what they can do to make this right.  Sales manager tells me that I am better off going to a different dealership for a higher trade in value as they low ball me on price.  Proves that they do not even want the mustang back.  How would a dealership tell me to go to another dealership to buy a car???

I am so fed up with this car and the unwillingness of San Tan to take responsibility I was left with no choice but to right out this letter.