2 Reviews
Write a Review2 Reviews of Ryan Vanderwel
August 28, 2024
It’s disappointing to post this, but our consignment experience with Park Place was unprofessional and a nightmare. Trust the reviews—over 30 members of the Seattle car community have shared their terri experience with Park Place was unprofessional and a nightmare. Trust the reviews—over 30 members of the Seattle car community have shared their terrible experiences working with Park Place, both as clients and employees. We consigned a Lamborghini Aventador SV with them. During the contract signing, they rushed through the details, telling us, “We’ll take care of it, trust us.” They promptly took the car, uploaded photos, and handled paperwork. After a month with no sale and no communication, we requested to withdraw our vehicle. Suddenly, we were told there was a “deal in the works,” which dragged on for over a week with no follow-up. They claimed it was a multi-car deal and difficult to get trade-in values on out-of-state cars. This was surprising, as trading in out-of-state cars usually takes less than two days. Dealerships we consulted confirmed that Park Place was likely stalling. When we again asked to pull our car, we were told by Chris Lowell, the head of consignment, that breaking the contract would require ~$30k in compensation for the potential commission. Over the next week, we contacted them multiple times, visited in person, and tried to speak with the General Manager, Ryan Vanderwel, but were repeatedly told he was unavailable. Our lawyers reviewed the contract and confirmed that it didn’t prevent us from selling the car privately or reclaiming it. With a private buyer lined up, we sold the car and went to Park Place to retrieve it. Chris was unprofessional, demanding $15k to break the contract, a number he admitted was made up. He refused to explain the contract’s ambiguous terms and insisted on keeping the car unless we paid. When we finally confronted Ryan, he backed Chris, saying Chris had the authority to demand any amount to break the contract. Ryan suggested legal action if we disagreed. Despite our multiple communications, Ryan claimed we never informed them about withdrawing the car. In the end, they lowered the demand to $12,500 to terminate the contract. The supposed buyer never materialized, and no deposit was ever placed. If you’re considering consigning your car with them, stay away. Numerous community members have shared similar experiences with Park Place’s dishonest practices. Their business is declining for a reason—they’re driven by money, not a passion for cars. If you’re looking for an honest dealership, this isn’t the place. More
Other Employees Tagged: Christopher Lowell
December 03, 2023
Worst consignment sales experience imaginable. I’ve come to learn my nightmare experience with Park Place LTD is not unique, actually common. It started with them telling me how effective I’ve come to learn my nightmare experience with Park Place LTD is not unique, actually common. It started with them telling me how effective they are selling like collectable vehicles, having customers in the queue, etc. What followed was 1 month before my car was even photographed and listed, factless claims that there was work needed, loading on of unapproved repair expenses they’d already done (for issues caused by Park Place), and crickets - no reported sales inquiries. Then came suggestions with added expense to let them take my vehicle to out-of-state or on online auctions by other firms (with Park Place not reducing their fees, only added expense to me). A year and thousands of $s later, I made the decision to part ways with Park Place. Even that was painful!! My year long consignment period cost me several thousands, hours upon hours of followup, and after all this, they’d reported only 2 prospective buyers to me. Again, I’ve learned this poor and costly experience are not unique to me. My suggestion is for others to skip Park Place directly and Go somewhere else. More
Other Employees Tagged: Chris Lowell