Ferman BMW

I do not write letters (actually emails these days) like this very often, however the experience I had recently with Ferman BMW warrants my comments. As you know I have had a very difficult time (and that this very often, however the experience I had recently with Ferman BMW warrants my comments. As you know I have had a very difficult time (and that is being very kind) getting the convertible top repaired and transmission problem properly diagnosed on my 645 at Bert Smith. Per you request I gave Ferman a chance to look at my car to see if they could find out what the problems were. From the moment I agreed to give Ferman a chance I was treated with professionalism, courtesy and efficiency that I have never experienced with any other BMW dealership. From scheduling, drop off and delivery of my vehicle everything was perfect. Dennis Daley and your entire staff should be commended on their efforts to provide me the best service I have ever received. Dennis communicated with me every day without me having to call him. He handled everything professionally and efficiently. The mechanic that test drove my car with me (I am sorry but I did not note his name) was able to properly and efficiently diagnose the issues and communicate them along with Dennis to BMW through the PUMA system and effectively represent me to get the required repairs approved. Your team has restored my faith in BMW and saved a long term BMW owner from switching to another auto manufacturer. I am extremely happy that they did. I love my car and did not want to get rid of it but I was so aggravated with my recent experience with Bert Smith that I was days away from buying an XLR. Ferman is quite a long drive (right by Bert Smith) from my home but I will gladly make that trip from now on to receive the quality service from Ferman that you and your staff provided me. Thank you for going the extra mile to follow up with me to ask for a chance to make things right with me even though my frustrations had nothing to do with you or Ferman. You have a great service staff backing you up at Ferman. Please tell Dennis and the rest of the staff thank you for me. I really appreciate all their efforts. More

Mr. Peter Gulotta General Manager BMW of Palm Mr. Peter Gulotta General Manager BMW of Palm Harbor Mini of Tampa Bay 31480 U.S. 19 North Palm Harbor, Florida 34684 Having be Mr. Peter Gulotta General Manager BMW of Palm Harbor Mini of Tampa Bay 31480 U.S. 19 North Palm Harbor, Florida 34684 Having been in the business world for over 33 years myself I know how easy it is for customers to sit down and write a letter of complaint, but somehow we never find the time to write one of appreciation. Well throughout my career I have made it a point not to be one of the herd. Recently my wife and I purchased a BMW328I from your dealership, it was one of the most pleasurable car buying experiences I have had in all my years of car ownership. Mr. Ewan McMurchie was our Client Advisor, he was on time for our prearranged appointment, talked with us about what our expectations were and showed us around your lot of available vehicles. After realizing the car, color, packages, and options we wanted could not be satisfied with your current inventory and knowing that we wanted to take delivery within 2 to 3 weeks he suggested he do a search for a vehicle that matched our needs or came as close to our expectations as possible. That same afternoon, maybe 1 1/2 hours after we had left your dealership, I received a call on my cell phone, while still in my car heading home, that he had located a car in Georgia that was almost exactly what we had told him we were looking for, after agreeing that we would purchase said automobile Mr. McMurchie began making arrangements to have the car shipped via flatbed truck from the Georgia dealership to your in Palm Harbor location. This was Monday, May 11th, Tuesday, Ewan called and informed me that the car should arrive at the Palm Harbor location on Thursday, well Wednesday morning Mr. McMurchie called to inform me that my new car had just arrived, ahead of schedule. He ask when it would be convenient for my wife and I to come in and pick up the car, we decided to do it that very same afternoon at 1:30pm-1:45pm, when my wife and I arrived Mr. McMurchie had everything ready to go, took us outside to show us our beautiful new automobile and explain some of the functions stating he would cover everything in much greater detail before we left. Well everything went like clockwork and before I knew it Ewan had us back outside covering all the options and how they worked, he programmed my cell phone and garage door opener into the cars memory, made the phone call to activate our Satellite Radio and the BMW Assist System. He even remember my request to provide the window sticker listing all equipment and options (for insurance purposes if ever necessary). He made sure we had his cell phone number and made us very comfortable in knowing we could call him anytime if we had questions. The very next morning Mr. McMurchie called to make sure we were well satisfied and to see if we were having and problems. I feel that in today's world you are indeed fortunate to have such a knowledgeable, informative, caring employees including Jeff Sterns, BMW Manager, and Russ Schon, Business Director representing your establishment. Thank you for having such delightful employees, Mr. McMurchie is truly a very valuable asset to your organization. Thanks again. Michael J. Conway Spring Hill, Florida More

Mr. Peter Gulotta General Manager BMW of Palm Mr. Peter Gulotta General Manager BMW of Palm Harbor Mini of Tampa Bay 31480 U.S. 19 North Palm Harbor, Florida 34684 Having be Mr. Peter Gulotta General Manager BMW of Palm Harbor Mini of Tampa Bay 31480 U.S. 19 North Palm Harbor, Florida 34684 Having been in the business world for over 33 years myself I know how easy it is for customers to sit down and write a letter of complaint, but somehow we never find the time to write one of appreciation. Well throughout my career I have made it a point not to be one of the herd. Recently my wife and I purchased a BMW328I from your dealership, it was one of the most pleasurable car buying experiences I have had in all my years of car ownership. Mr. Ewan McMurchie was our Client Advisor, he was on time for our prearranged appointment, talked with us about what our expectations were and showed us around your lot of available vehicles. After realizing the car, color, packages, and options we wanted could not be satisfied with your current inventory and knowing that we wanted to take delivery within 2 to 3 weeks he suggested he do a search for a vehicle that matched our needs or came as close to our expectations as possible. That same afternoon, maybe 1 1/2 hours after we had left your dealership, I received a call on my cell phone, while still in my car heading home, that he had located a car in Georgia that was almost exactly what we had told him we were looking for, after agreeing that we would purchase said automobile Mr. McMurchie began making arrangements to have the car shipped via flatbed truck from the Georgia dealership to your in Palm Harbor location. This was Monday, May 11th, Tuesday, Ewan called and informed me that the car should arrive at the Palm Harbor location on Thursday, well Wednesday morning Mr. McMurchie called to inform me that my new car had just arrived, ahead of schedule. He ask when it would be convenient for my wife and I to come in and pick up the car, we decided to do it that very same afternoon at 1:30pm-1:45pm, when my wife and I arrived Mr. McMurchie had everything ready to go, took us outside to show us our beautiful new automobile and explain some of the functions stating he would cover everything in much greater detail before we left. Well everything went like clockwork and before I knew it Ewan had us back outside covering all the options and how they worked, he programmed my cell phone and garage door opener into the cars memory, made the phone call to activate our Satellite Radio and the BMW Assist System. He even remember my request to provide the window sticker listing all equipment and options (for insurance purposes if ever necessary). He made sure we had his cell phone number and made us very comfortable in knowing we could call him anytime if we had questions. The very next morning Mr. McMurchie called to make sure we were well satisfied and to see if we were having and problems. I feel that in today's world you are indeed fortunate to have such a knowledgeable, informative, caring employees including Jeff Sterns, BMW Manager, and Russ Schon, Business Director representing your establishment. Thank you for having such delightful employees, Mr. McMurchie is truly a very valuable asset to your organization. Thanks again. Michael J. Conway Spring Hill, Florida More

I had a complete failure with my 328i and after keeping it for a week- they decided it was a bad battery cable. This is not even believable and yet they acted like I was an idiot when I questioned them. it for a week- they decided it was a bad battery cable. This is not even believable and yet they acted like I was an idiot when I questioned them. The car is still not right. I complained all they way up to corporate with no satisfaction. I will would not recommend them to anyone-sad- i really like the car-but now I don't trust it--or them More

I forgot to add in my last review that the 328i I had towed in with a complete system failure was a 2007 with less than 14,000 miles on it. Yes- it was under warranty and yes I did get a car after the s towed in with a complete system failure was a 2007 with less than 14,000 miles on it. Yes- it was under warranty and yes I did get a car after the second day- but because I didn't have to pay anything they all acted like it was no big deal. So what if I was out on the road- "you have BWM assist" I was told --No dependability equals BYE Bye BMW and Bye Bye Ferman. Its pretty but I need a car and a dealership I can depend on. Very disappointed in the whole encounter. More

I purchased a 2007 Bentley Continental GT from Jack Price at Ferman Wholesale/BMW (deal 47369 on feb 27 09) for 94,799.95, which was paid through wire transfer. I found Jack through eBay and contacted him d at Ferman Wholesale/BMW (deal 47369 on feb 27 09) for 94,799.95, which was paid through wire transfer. I found Jack through eBay and contacted him directly to negotiate the price. I was told that the car was immaculate and that they have a wholesale guarantee that if the car is not as describe they would void the sale. I did a car fax and auto check on the car. I was also sent info from Jack on how the car was already pre-inspected. http://ferman-bmw.ebizautos.com/detail-2007-bentley-continental_gt-3404921.html I was told that we would agree on the price, send a deposit, make payment and then I would bid on eBay at the agreed price. I sent the deposit & full payment by wire transfer. I told jack that I would still do a full Bentley dealer pre-purchase inspection when the car arrived. Jack reassured me that the car is perfect. The car arrived a week later and upon receipt I noticed that the engine was making weird sounds. In addition, the car had dents and scratches that were should not have been there given the descriptions from Jack. I contacted him right away to mention these issues. Jack told me that they would pay to have the scratches and dents removed. He was surprised to see the damage when the car left. I sent the car to Bentley to have the pre-purchase inspection. The car had significant damage to it. They found that the undercarriage was heavily damaged through some sort of impact and had rusted. The damage even hit the brake line and exposed the line. They also found that the brake rotors & pads were heavily scored and needed replacing. They also found that underneath the rear of the car there was two holes cut out to attach a towing or bike rack mechanism. They also found that the windshield had a rock chip and other chips & scratches on the car. The car also had multiple spots where the paint's clear coat was peeling. They mentioned that the front bumper was removed ad then replace with non-standard Bentley screws & nuts, which are now rusted. The wheels of the car are worn on the inside edge to where they should be replaced. Overall, they said that the damage would cost about $9-10k to repair. I contacted Jack to request that they void the sale. I am not interested in a car with so many issues / stories given the price that I had paid for the car and how it was described to me. Jack turned me over to Jeff Stern, his manager. Jeff told me that returning the car is not an option. I showed Jeff the ebay auction and the link to the ferman site to show him the guarantee. He later told me that we did’t do the deal through ebay so it would not apply to me. Up until this point both Jack and myself were conducting the deal for the point of ebay. This was the first that I had heard of this and told that the auction was closed. I told Jeff that the auction and the ferman site listed above is how the deal was presented to me and thus should apply to me. I spoke with Jack who then told me that even if the guarantee applied, he would just take the negative feedback from ebay and not void the sale. Jeff told me that I only have 3 options: 1. Use the 500 towards the car repair, 2. Pay for the repairs myself or 3. Sue them. I was appalled and shocked that he said this to me. This is no way to do business. Jeff suggested that we work with a friend of his who works for a dealership Los Angeles to do the repairs at cost on the car. However, they would need the car for a few days and that I should drive it to them. Jim needs the car for a few days so I shipped them the car and told Jeff that it would be unreasonable to drive from where I live in Berkeley, Ca. I was quoted the cost of the repairs to be $2,892.50 including the cost of shipping. The repairs exclude replacing the wheels or the brake rotors & pads. Jeff has told me that he is only authorized to contribute $500. Their contribution to the repairs of the car is not acceptable and an insult me. I was lied to and the car was misrepresented. I have been told that Ferman's GM, Peter Gulotta is angry and wont contribute more to the repairs because had a higher offer for the car after I sent the deposit. Buyers Beware! For the amount I paid, I shouldn't have to have any of these issues. If they would do this on an expensive used car, I can't imagine what they would do to other buyers of used or new cars. Their verbal promises mean nothing and their written promises mean nothing. I have put everything I have into this car or otherwise I would sue them. More

I see I am not alone here with the bad customer service. I see I am not alone here with the bad customer service. Went in with my son to test drive a mini and discuss trade in for a van. Questions about op I see I am not alone here with the bad customer service. Went in with my son to test drive a mini and discuss trade in for a van. Questions about options( AC for the new mini) were treated as if I were an idiot. Trade in questions left me feeling like I was lucky to to even be talking with a salesman. Said there was little hope of getting any value for my trade (2001 Chrysler van) Felt as if I were being insulted and then asked to get ready to bend over when I was lucky enough to get some sort of vague bottom line number. ( Oh that's a dealer add on, it will cost you plenty, but I'm not telling you an exact number until after you sign. Overall bad experience on a Sunday afternoon. I'm happy to find another dealership to give my business to. More

I see I am not alone here with the bad customer service. I see I am not alone here with the bad customer service. Went in with my son to test drive a mini and discuss trade in for a van. Questions about op I see I am not alone here with the bad customer service. Went in with my son to test drive a mini and discuss trade in for a van. Questions about options( AC for the new mini) were treated as if I were an idiot. Trade in questions left me feeling like I was lucky to to even be talking with a salesman. Said there was little hope of getting any value for my trade (2001 Chrysler van) Felt as if I were being insulted and then asked to get ready to bend over when I was lucky enough to get some sort of vague bottom line number. ( Oh that's a dealer add on, it will cost you plenty, but I'm not telling you an exact number until after you sign. Overall bad experience on a Sunday afternoon. I'm happy to find another dealership to give my business to. More

I contacted this dealership by email and received a call from Jeff Sterns. I was looking for a 328 coupe. I arrive at the dealership and he immediately tryied to steer me to a 328 sedan instead because th from Jeff Sterns. I was looking for a 328 coupe. I arrive at the dealership and he immediately tryied to steer me to a 328 sedan instead because the lot was loaded with them and said that he can not come "close" to my price on a coupe. After alot of putzing around by the "salesman" that Sterns left me with, we finally sit down for a price. He proceeded to quote me $4,500(down) and $850 a month for a lease on a 328 sedan for 24 months. I held out my hand to shake the salesman's hand, which he refused, and I walked out. It wasn't over. The salesman and Jeff Sterns (Sales Manager) then ran after me in the parking lot and made bigger fools of themselves. Mr. Sterns said he quoted me that price for compliance reasons, a requirement he stated was because of black people. Apparently, he quoted ridiculous prices first to everyone and not just blacks so that he would not be charged with discrimination. He stated this 2 times. He went on and on for me to give him a price (which I already did on the phone) and to come back inside. While this is going on, the other salesman is chuckling and the sales manager laughs as well for no apparant reason, but I'm assuming it was at my expense, the customer. I drove off and did not go back inside. Unprofessional staff and ridiculously high prices that they try to sell to unsuspecting customers. Don't waste your time with this dealerhsip. More

Do not know why this place is still in business. Ego and rudeness to the max from the Salesman up to Salesmanager. Go to St. Pete BMW. Much nicer Saleman and management. Same cars at a better price and thei rudeness to the max from the Salesman up to Salesmanager. Go to St. Pete BMW. Much nicer Saleman and management. Same cars at a better price and their service department is much more modern and friendly. More