Lexus of Smithtown

Arrogant, confrontational, dishonest, mediocre This is about an experience that began in early June and ended in the last couple of days in that month. The dealer had just listed a top-of-the-line This is about an experience that began in early June and ended in the last couple of days in that month. The dealer had just listed a top-of-the-line LS hybrid for sale. While the car was overpriced from the get-go (in my view, based on my research), after a few pleasant email exchanges with John Valveri, in which he assured me that this car was (1) certified pre-owned and (2) “in excellent shape, inside and out”, I decided to drive 200 miles to NY on a Friday morning to take a look. At the time, the vehicle had been for sale only about two weeks. Upon arrival, I greeted John. We were making some small talk (as is usually the case), and mid-conversation, he abruptly interrupted and took me to the car. Ok, a bit awkward, I thought, but this is what I came here for, anyway. As I inspected the interior of the car, I noticed fine scratches on the wood trim that I had explicitly asked about previously, only to be told the car was in excellent shape. I then asked if we could take it for a test drive. John’s response, delivered in a very incredulous and condescending tone, was “are you interested in the car?”. (No, John, I just came down here to pass the time.) This is how it all began, and I should have known what would follow. On to the drive… In addition to condescension, everything in John’s tone and behavior reeked of used car salesman stereotypes and tactics. His demeanor kept communicating that dealing with me was a huge inconvenience. This was inexplicable to me; I drove all the way down there, was polite, and to boot, I showed up in a late-model Lexus LS (not that this should matter, but I’ve seen this movie before). When we got back, while I admitted to liking the vehicle, I expressed concern with some of the flaws that he had failed to tell me about. None of the issues were deal breakers (i.e., the car was in ok shape), but it would take some “TLC” to bring this car up to “excellent” standards. While I looked through the car, John just went back inside without saying a word. A few minutes later, I walked inside and overheard him telling someone (presumably the used car sales manager) in a raised voice about my thoughts on the car, and he was doing so in a somewhat-dismissive tone, almost complaining about me. For what it’s worth, I had never seen such an open display of unprofessionalism when buying a car, never mind one in this price range. Against my better judgment, I stuck around. John made a decent verbal offer on my trade (“subject to a clean Carfax”, in his words), and we kept on talking. In spite of the lackluster experience thus far, I made an initial offer on their vehicle. We did not get far, especially when John began to tell me how “in this day of the internet, there are only hundreds to play with, not thousands like back in the day”. There was more nonsense communicated, but I won’t get into it. Basically, other than John’s verbal offer for my trade, everything else he said could be summarized into two (paraphrased) statements: “this is a used car and you should pay us what we want and live with any issues” and “selling to people from your state is a pain”. I thanked him and left. The following Monday, I received a call from Frank Galante, the General Sales Manager (GSM). I was impressed with the fact that he followed-up, and he sounded genuinely interested in rectifying the situation. He listened carefully to what I told him, including specific observations on the condition of the car (i.e., things they should have addressed before I came down) and John’s general demeanor and tone. I reiterated that I was willing to buy the vehicle for the right price and that I had some flexibility. He said that given my flexibility, he would try to work something out with the used car sales manager and would be in touch. Despite his saying all the right things on the phone, a week later, I still had not heard from him, and an email I sent went unreplied to. Against my better judgment (yet again), I reached out several times throughout the month of June, and we communicated via email and had a couple of phone calls. By the end of the month, the GSM had come down $8k from the posted asking price (despite verbally slipping on the phone to a figure that was $11k lower, only to later deny it). Meanwhile, in a separate email to John in which I asked about availability (and ONLY about availability), John came back with a one-line email saying “the car is available for $ xx k", the same ridiculous price as on day one. The end of June was here, and I finally agreed that I could live with a number close to the GSM’s number for the price of the car (i.e., 8k below asking). At that point, he said my trade was worth a number that had been lowered (from John’s initial offer in early June) by the same amount of $8k. In other words, after exchanging messages for several weeks, there was no real movement in the net amount of money I would need to pay. The GSM’s tone was arrogant and condescending throughout most of these exchanges, as if selling me this car would be a favor to me, and when I called them out on their little game, rather than rectifying things, the BS continued to flow. Also, as I have noticed to be typical of some of these individuals, he could not help himself and had to make a comment about my budget, as if somehow my offers to him were driven by budgetary constraints rather than vehicle and market conditions. Needless to say, I walked away, but not before documenting this history in a detailed email to the GSM, sales consultant AND the owner and general manager of the dealership. Neither the general manager nor the owner ever bothered to say a word. After our “negotiations” ended, the asking price was immediately dropped by $4,000. I have been a Lexus owner for well over a decade and have never been treated so unprofessionally by any dealership, never mind a Lexus store. I don't know if it was my slight accent, name or something else. These guys unfortunately lived up to all the stereotypes and took them to a whole new level. And I won’t get into other things, such as telling me that the car was CPO even though it is not, as evidenced by the service records as of mid-May and by the Lexus CPO website. Fast forward 1.5 months… Their car has now been sitting for 105 days, now for sale for $6k less than where it started. I now own the same model car with 1/3rd the mileage and in much better shape. I went over 2,000 miles away (instead of 200) to get it and could not be happier with the vehicle or the buying experience. Oh, and as a nice bonus, the vehicle I bought is actually certified pre-owned. If these people assumed I was not a serious buyer, or better yet, that I could not afford their car, they were sorely mistaken. Good luck unloading your vehicle… More

Outstanding Experience This is my first time purchasing a Lexus ES 350. I have owned Cadillac CTS... I thought this would Be the only car i would always purchase. I walked This is my first time purchasing a Lexus ES 350. I have owned Cadillac CTS... I thought this would Be the only car i would always purchase. I walked into the Smithtown Lexus Dealership on a Sunday Afternoon at 3:30 pm. Bill was so professional , courteous and knowledgable with Lexus and the product and what would be the best car for my needs. He was so informative , friendly and Just exceptionally knowledgable. I was hooked on the Lexus product. Bill has called Me back several times to make sure I was completely happy and satisfied. So far I'm delighted And I highly recommend Bill DeKoning! He is truly an asset to Lexus and look forward to Doing business with Bill again.... More

First visit for service but not my last I have owned 2 BMW's in the past and was very happy with the service I received from them and was a bit bias when I got my lexus and decided to bring I have owned 2 BMW's in the past and was very happy with the service I received from them and was a bit bias when I got my lexus and decided to bring it to Smithtown for servicing. I was pleasantly surprised that I got great service from them as well. Mr. Romano was exceptionally pleasant and made my visit worth coming back. I think he understood my concerns even though I did not voice anything to him. He is very kind and told me exactly what was going on and how much everything would cost. No games. I will be back for more than just the regular service times as I trust them so far. Everyone was very pleasant. I am new to the Lexus world but as long as I own one, it will come from this dealership. I don't know all the guys that worked on my car but just to be safe, I am going to say the service dept as a whole because I don't want to miss anyone. I would be very surprised if Lexus put up with anyone who was not up to par anyone so thank you to whomever worked on my car. Thank you Robert Romano. I appreciated all that you did for me. Cindy Wright More

RX350 and sales consultant I have been to several Lexus dealerships asking many questions and test driving several vehicles....I found Michael Mandolese to be the most informati I have been to several Lexus dealerships asking many questions and test driving several vehicles....I found Michael Mandolese to be the most informative, friendly, meticulous rep I spoke with. He also followed up several times with me rather than me following up with him as I had to do with other reps from other dealers....he deserved the sale.....Jim Z............PS, since I just purchased the vehicle , I cannot rate the quality of work since they have not service the vehicle yet.... More

Lexus RX350 Received a great deal on a 2015 RX 350. Charles Greene was terrific every step of the way and helped us throughout the entire process. Received a great deal on a 2015 RX 350. Charles Greene was terrific every step of the way and helped us throughout the entire process. More

lynn and jerry Just leased my first Lexus and I love the car! Mike was my salesperson and he was so friendly and helpful. I would certainly recommend this dealershi Just leased my first Lexus and I love the car! Mike was my salesperson and he was so friendly and helpful. I would certainly recommend this dealership, salesperson and car! Thank you Mike. More

Lexus IS 250 Abbas and Enzo were a big help! Very friendly and got the job done easily and quickly :) It was a pleasure working with both of them Abbas and Enzo were a big help! Very friendly and got the job done easily and quickly :) It was a pleasure working with both of them More

Frank Loviglio- A True Professional The Sales team of Frank Loviglio and Tim Burns were both highly professional and very accommodating to my needs. Their knowledge of the Lexus vehicle The Sales team of Frank Loviglio and Tim Burns were both highly professional and very accommodating to my needs. Their knowledge of the Lexus vehicle really made my choice to lease the correct one. The features and benefits of the vehicle were all explained by Frank who is highly educated on the workings of the car. Frank stated that his assistance is always available should I have ant questions or concerns. The leasing experience was a pleasure using Lexus of Smithtown. More