Lindsay Ford of Wheaton

"You'll Loathe It At Lindsay!" Lindsay Ford Failures –presents-Squabbling Scoundrels and Dinosaur Eggs Preface: This is quite long and not originally intended for review websi Lindsay Ford Failures –presents-Squabbling Scoundrels and Dinosaur Eggs Preface: This is quite long and not originally intended for review websites but the dealership sent me an e-mail asking me to post my car-purchasing experience online (even gave me links to all the biggest popular ones too!) and I figured I would oblige. I really just want MY permanent LICENSE PLATE or at least a separation from needing the incompetent, disrespectful and people being paid to “not work” at the Lindsay Ford Dealership in Wheaton, Maryland at 11250 Veirs Mill Rd Wheaton, MD 20902. Their slogan… “You’ll Love It At Lindsay” – but I Hate It! Literally nothing else has worked, so short of getting legal assistance in the matter there’s not much choice but to write this in hopes it gives just one person there the push they need to do… that…thing they get paid for…. I forgot what that word is where someone compensates you for time spent doing…something. If I had any other choice I would not waste time in my life writing this or being concerned, not in my life’s entirety but not just a day or two either, probably a total of a few weeks worth of my life over the past five months. Either way it will certainly persuade you away from this place if you have the time and I’ve made it an enjoyable read at the same time. Mainly this is to heighten awareness at Ford of how one of their dealerships conducts business and customer service like a hotel with hourly rates, while buying something 20 times the price of a night at the Ritz-Carlton. The current date is October 21st, 2014; I bought my car on June 6th, 2014. I currently have a third temporary license plate but only because I bought an expensive flight from Michigan to Maryland for one day so I could physically deal with them in person, only then to return so I could drive my car for work, so I could then pay for the car I bought from them FIVE months ago…. Enjoy: Chapter 1. – The Epiphany Ticket Once upon a time, I had a job I disliked immensely in the Washington, D.C. area, a beautiful deep metallic maroon V6 Pontiac G6 in flawless condition along with an extensive supply of quality tools and professional experience from working in the maintenance and property management field. I needed to leave my job immediately, utilize my material assets, implore myself to use my education and experience to better myself and at the same time sell my G6 which I had babied for six years since I purchased it, hopefully for what I thought it was worth to me (which did not suit my needs as I occasionally used it for work with no wife and kids to validate the purpose for a four door sedan). How could I possibly do all these things, make an intelligent investment and complete it all quickly in a reasonably reasonable time period? Sounded tough to me too…. Then it all came together! Sometime back in late May 2014 I had an epiphany once I saw the Ford Transit Connect online. I rarely get excited, however today was the exception. My brain exploded with imagination and hope of what I could achieve with this incredibly well designed, efficient and very affordable automobile. I thought to myself, “I could trade my G6 in, get a brand new utility vehicle which could stow all my tools AND be the perfect platform to begin a small, efficient mobile business out of, in a large urban area where parking space is more important than Time itself.” I searched online for local dealers and decided to go to the closet one the next day. That morning I awoke strangely not to the thought of how terrible another day of work will be but as I stared into the mirror getting ready for the day, I smiled. “Buying this Transit Connect would be like buying the winning lottery ticket,” blurted out of my mouth like I had no choice in saying it, “except I know I’m gonna win… YESSS!” I quickly found my phone and I called into work “well” as I never get sick and since that place made me sick, I figured it was only fair to have a day off when I felt great. Chapter 2. – The Salesasaurus’ I drove to the nearest dealership to see the Transit Connect in person. Keep in mind this was only to see it and test drive it, I was certainly not getting another car before I sold the other one for what I felt it was worth and also not until I did more than a day or two or thinking. After returning from the test drive, I knew it was exactly what I needed they just didn’t have much of a selection nor any documentation to look at, it was all online which I already studied but knew I had to withstand the sales assault in person, just to drive the car. The Salesman offered me next to nothing for my mint condition G6 (which I knew they could and would get $5,000-7,000 more for) and handed me a price sheet. I told the Salesman who went for a test drive with me that I wasn’t buying anything today so don’t bother with your schemes and squabbles. I explained I was thinking of starting a business, trying to get ideas, options, and information to make my choice and really had no need for my current car but certainly didn’t need to sell it as it was almost as good as new. It would just help financially. I said the price offered for the transit was too high and way too low for my trade so he showed me the 2013 Transit Connect, which of course was cheaper but was also older and egregiously uglier than the eye-pleasing 2014 model right next to it. Again, for the third time now, I told him, I wasn’t buying anything but he had me sit at his desk and wait for his overly aggressive, large, persuasive and generally intimidating female Sales Manager to come try her luck. I wasn’t going to budge but I respectfully listened to her spiel since I expected this at some point at any dealership, even though I thought my explanation and reiteration of my position in the car buying process was clear and might be appreciated from one human being to another. I forgot Salesman turn into T-Rex-like creatures and view any prospect sitting at their desk as if they’ve just been caught and it’s a bear trap for their next meal. As he suggested I take the older Transit Connect for a test drive I was trying to save them the time and effort and just told them to stop after that, then I looked at this lady (Alpha-Rex Salesperson) and just simply said, “I was just here to see the Transit and make sure it was something I wanted, I had and still have no intention of buying anything today,” as I said this, I swear I heard something like steel snap together behind me, as another nice couple behind me sat down at a desk as the salesman confusingly blabbered statistics and useless information to sound like he was saying something valuable to them. As they got comfortable in the fictitious trap I saw, I glanced at my phone and realized how much of my “well day” I had wasted here and I quickly became irritated that I had to endure all this unwanted pressure and persuasion just to drive the car. I looked back from the couple, completely forgetting I had been excited in any way a few hours prior, now irritated, and continued with the woman, “I’ve explained my situation quite a few times now and I’m not buying the car, I appreciate the information and your time but that is all I needed. This is not decision between which flavored bag of chips at the grocery store that I’m buying with my hard earned money, it’s a $20,000 vehicle! and I apologize but it takes longer than a few hours for me to make that choice.” We shook hands and he gave me his info, which I knew I’d never use, as I walked comfortably back to my car worth thousands more than they offered. I was very upset that I wasted nearly all of my day off being pressured and schemed at. As I drove home, I went over in my head how the saleswoman had impressed me thoroughly with her knowledge, tactics and nearly flawless technique, as she elaborated on benefits each reason I had given them to buy or disadvantages to not buy the car immediately, as if she had rehearsed it somehow. If I had walked in slightly considering buying she probably would have been able to get me to sign, she was good. However, had I not been so irritated from the experience or if I were easily manipulated and threatened under pressure this story could be much different, maybe it would have been better that way. Chapter 3. –The Purchase I went home from that dealership to think for a few days and make sure I wanted to buy it, knowing I did, just not from that dealership. So I went online just searching for a place that had more than two or three Transit Connects. I found one, and immediately knew I was going to call in “well” from work the next day. I not only saw the same model I wanted but 30 other options to choose from! So I could look at multiple to determine what I most desired, like the perfect $20,000 bag of chips I had been looking for but not only that, I also saw it advertised at $3,000 less than what the previous dealership offered. I called the number on the website assuming a salesman would call me first thing in the morning since it was 10pm that night. Much to my dismay, about 14 or 15 seconds after I hit “request information” or whatever I filled out online for more information, I got a phone call. My friend was right next to me and can attest to my initially strange and creeped out response, which then changed to a less creeped out assumption it must be some automated robot response program but then, the unthinkable happened, I answered and it was a real-live woman from the dealership, her name was June(name hidden to protect people that work for a living and to denote the month I bought the car). She sounded very polite and professional and had no idea I was going to buy a car from her within the next day or two whether she sold me on it or not. I basically told her the same story as the first dealership and mentioned I’d like to come meet her to see the large selection of Transit Connects at her dealership, unfortunately having to once again mention I did not need the high pressured schemes. We set up a meeting for two days post hence. I started getting excited again and was quite impressed how quickly, comfortable and easy June made it just by being the first to call me. Sure enough, the next day at work I received two calls, one from someone at the same dealership trying to take June’s excited new prospect and another from some general Ford prospect filtering person asking the same info which I assume they already had in front of them from the document I filled out online. I told the other Salesman I had already spoken to someone else there and would be meeting with her and will make sure she was the one that would benefit from any commission, not some random person who arrived at work with a prospect e-mail in his inbox who called before asking his co-workers if they already spoke to me. He sounded defeated and politely asked me to call him if I needed anything. As I pulled the phone away from my ear, I heard a faint “snap,” then a slow grinding noise, followed by a loud “clink” in the background, seemingly identical to what resetting a bear trap sounds like. First order of business was to sell the G6 or at least have a back-up plan for when they offer me nothing for my Pontiac G6 worth something. Two days, plenty of time for me to sell my car for what I wanted, I hoped. I had heard people using CarMax to buy and sell cars but never thought of using them. I figured it was worth a try and would at least give me some leverage against their insulting trade-in-offer I had foreseen in my future. I’m very glad I did though as I went there that night to get an offer $4,000 more than what the dealers offered for my trade and exactly what I was expecting I should get for my car, with a buffer for them to make $3,000 or so on top of that. Along with zero investment for them since there were no repairs or even cleaning that was needed. I took the price offer sheet and kept it in my sight for the next two days. “This is the ticket,” I said to myself each time I looked at it. Just under the CarMax logo the print seemed to blur to my eyes and all I could see was – WINNER! I arrived at Lindsay Ford of Wheaton, Maryland(11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902). A few minutes late from traffic but June knew that, as she had called while I was on the road to make sure I was still coming in. She had already sold me with her responsiveness and a simple phone call or two but she had no idea of that or how much it was appreciated. I knew I was selling the G6 to whoever offered the most but assumed I would be returning to CarMax so I was ready to buy a Ford Transit Connect. I arrived and a valet person took my car like I was at the Ritz-Carlton and I didn’t even have to tip, just assumed they were already trying to take my car so I made a joke about that to June as she introduced herself. However, very impressed with this easy, comforting service as I just arrived to yet another Dinosaur nest of wooden desks. She didn’t even bring me close to her desk, she just simply said, “You want to go see some Transits?... Let me go grab a key for a car we can take over to where they all are.” Like Darth Vader said while fighting Luke Skywalker, I whispered to myself, “Most Impressive!” The 30 Transit Connects were in a separate lot a few blocks away. On the drive there we made small talk about ourselves and it turned out she had family near where my family was from. She didn’t scheme or squabble one bit, just made me feel comfortable as we arrived in Transit Heaven. The clouds made of brand new 2014 white Transit Connects. Every shape and size. Every option variation. I went back and forth like a kid at a playground checking out all the possibilities. I narrowed it down to two similar models with slightly different options. She pulled one next to the other and just kind-of sat back checking them out herself, so I could stare at each and peacefully make a decision. Moments like that must have been what our Founding Fathers thought Freedom in America should feel like because it was rather liberating. I chose the model for me, we drove it around briefly as I had already driven one but just wanted the perfect one if I’m spending $20,000. I parked back into it’s spot in Transit Heaven, she wrote the car I.D. number down and we got in the car we arrived in to head back to the dealership(Dinosaur Nest). I was very excited at this point, everything was going too smoothly and easy I thought. Everything was coming together as I had hoped when I first saw the car and I was ready to experience the pain of the bear trap so I could achieve my overall goals. We got back to the Sales Floor and June told me to grab a coffee as she fills some paperwork out and gets the pricing info from the Sales Manager(SM). She had me sit in a communal area in the middle, away from her desk or maybe I just sat there on my own out of fear. Either way I wasn’t in my imaginative trap and didn’t feel like it either. Then her and the SM came over. First, the price was more than that which was posted online. Which the SM explained is because of rebates that weren’t explained on there and, “we need to check that because that shouldn’t be on there at such a low price.” False-advertising I figured, but how do they get away with this garbage? Advertising thousands of dollars less by claiming if you’re a Veteran, who happens to also work for Ford, who happens to also want the specific model, that happens to also be whichever one specific discounted model no one wants - Then you get that price? Either way it worked and tricked the-xxxx-outta-me because it got me in the door. None of that mattered as I was going to buy it either way and just became complacent that that’s just how these people do business. He came back over with a slightly lower price along with another low offer for my trade in(but slightly higher than the previous dealership). I quickly reached in my pocket and whipped out my “Winning Lottery Ticket” offer from CarMax. The SM paused, speechless, because he was just trapped by a Raptor. He quickly started squabbling and shuffling papers nervously trying to make up something. All he could do is frantically go over to the “Pit-bossasuarus” Alpha Salesperson for support and to help him out of my trap. If it was as easy as CarMax to buy a car here and they didn’t need to do this back and forth scamming and scheming, I would’ve already been out of here two hours prior. But it wasn’t and they needed to scam me for the highest dollar possible. Strangely, he came back with an offer $2000 more than originally yet $3,000 less than my other offer. Along with the somehow lower “discount” offered on the car price itself. Like one of those Infomercials: “Widget” Originally Three Billion Dollars -$3,000,000,000! Yours today for Four Easy payments of $19.95!! +shipping&handling&whatever-scams-schemes-squabbles-scoundrels-get-away-with. Wow! What a deal that sounds like, how could I not buy it? With their new made up price, I decided it was time to go for it and get this done. Just needed to sell my car to CarMax first. They assured me we could do everything today I’ll just need to come back with the check once I sell my car. I had already been nearly sold before I arrived, which was then made certain within the first 20 minutes with my fantastic saleswoman. However, being in the middle of the Sales Floor listening to these people, feeling like I was just being tricked and swindled left and right. I became less and less sold with every word the SM said. If I didn’t do it now I was going to leave this dealership like the last one to never return which would just prolong my goals and I also couldn’t take many more “well days.” So June and I went back to the Transit lot, moved my car away from the others and put a SOLD sign on it, another comfort from a someone providing exceptional customer service. I had signed, did all the paperwork but had to drive my old car home since I am unable to drive two cars at once. Chapter 4. – Cashing The Winning Ticket for a Dinosaur Egg A fossilized Dinosaur Egg is worth a lot of money, however it’s also pretty useless and can’t do anything other than just sit in one place while others imagine what it could have been as they stare at its’ exterior. Keep that in mind as I continue this story. A week went by as I continued to stare at my “Winning Ticket.” I got my Title for the G6 and everything in order to go sell it and then pick up my new Transit Connect. I arrived at CarMax handed them my offer I had been keeping an eye on like someone was trying to take it, along with my car keys. They double checked my car had me go into a cubical-like area, sign some forms and then gave me a check for thousands of dollars more than any dealership or car-buying company had offered. The whole process took maybe 30 minutes and I was out the door to hop on the WMATA train to Lindsay Ford of Wheaton, Maryland to pick up my new car. I passed my sparkling new Transit Connect that June had her people bring to the front and get ready for me to drive off as I walked into the dealership. I already had my keys, just needed to hand them my check for my enormous down-payment and get to work on my dreams, business and future with my new car. A technician came over with an 8mm nut driver attached to a large, powerful unneeded impact driver just to put on my temporary license plate, my FIRST temporary plate valid thru 8/5/2014. I thought nothing of it and had no premonition of my soon-to-be be intimate future with this paper and its’ power to turn my $20,000+ purchase into a Dinosaur Egg, unlike my premonitions of their sales schemes I couldn’t foresee anything. The plate was on, I could drive away a happy law-abiding customer – At least until they had time to cash my check. Chapter 5. – From Transit Heaven to “You’ll Hate xxxx At Lindsay” Their slogan, “You’ll Love It At Lindsay” was fairly accurate with my saleswoman every minute up to actually buying the car which made my love diminish slightly but was expected. The next few weeks however would turn my dreams, plans and hopes to near dust as I began to “Hate It At Lindsay.” A few days after the purchase, I was notified of a job opportunity in Michigan. Amazing timing, near family and away from my current job, perfect! I put in my two-weeks the following Friday and started packing immediately. With my new empty and extremely spacious Transit Connect I was able to fit all my necessary possessions in the back. I knew I had the temporary plate for Maryland but I’d have to worry about that once I was in Michigan. And besides, it was only July,22nd 2014 and I still had two weeks left for my temporary plate. Plenty of time for someone at the Lindsay Ford of Wheaton, Maryland(11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902) dealership to copy a few papers and make a phone call or two. Or so I thought. I arrived in Michigan and rested after a long drive in my exceptionally comfortable new car. Feeling pleased with my purchase and satisfied my ideas were coming to fruition. Although, the excitement of moving, beginning a new chapter of my life and starting a business would soon all be extinguished and transformed irrevocably into an amalgamation of anger, dissapointment and hopelessness. I called the dealership and explained my situation on August 4th,2014, one day before my temporary plate expired. Luckily for the dealership I was taking a trip for a week and didn’t need my car that week so wasn’t worried if it took a few days to get me what I needed. I was transferred to a man in the Finance Department by the name of Bill Dufrain(11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902). He sounded a little confused about everything transferring between states and said he would call me back after he spoke with someone who knew more on the subject. An hour or two later I received the one AND ONLY call back from him I would ever receive. He stated I needed to fax my new Michigan Drivers License and Insurance. Since I had already been at the Secretary of State in Michigan twice now trying to get things resolved outside the dealership, I already had all the documents he needed to complete the process. I said, “Ok great, I’ll fax these over to you in a few minutes. Let me know when you get them.” I waited two hours, faxed everything again from a different fax machine as well as call the number confirming the annoying buzzing network screeches of a fax number and just to make sure it was going through. Everything was working great, except for the Bill. So I called him back. He said he received the documents and didn’t seem concerned that I would’ve appreciated a call back or for him to work a bit more expeditiously than he was used to. He claimed he could take care of it with everything I faxed and would be, “working on it” for me. I felt comforted and even wrote “Thank You for the Amazing Service” on the Fax. It sounded like I could return from my trip with everything completed and legally ready to drive it. I didn’t get cell phone reception where I was so when I entered a service area I got numerous notifications. None were from Bill Dufrain. I was irritated but not quite angry yet since I was still working on getting business ideas together and enjoying more days of freedom before I would start work on a job I had the opportunity to work on. I called the dealership and asked to be transferred to Bill Dufrain. I got his voicemail. So I left a courteous message asking him to return my call about the status of my license transfer situation. I took another flight again for a few days on a business trip, so I wouldn’t need my car for another couple days and thought, “certainly I’ll get something from this guy when I return it’ll have been nearly two weeks then.” Nothing! I called immediately upon my return in mid to late August. Asked to be transferred to this guy and to my surprise he answered, which was also THE LAST TIME I ever spoke to him. “Finance Department, This is Bii…” as I just cut him off, stating my name and asking if he had any information on my situation. He stammered, fumbled words and just sounded like a moron, even tried to play dumb and put some of the problem on me, “Yeah it’s me Bill, why haven’t you returned my message from a week and a half ago?” I could hear his brain cells bouncing around on the other end of the phone, trying to align themselves to what was happening. “Oh you’re the guy with the out-of-state license!??...duhh.. yeah, we are working on it. It just takes some time since you didn’t register it here and the bank has the title.” As if he completely forgot about me and must’ve put my fax into the garbage bin because it just required too much work. I questioned him why he told me to fax my info making it sound as if he could complete the process quickly two weeks prior. I didn’t ask for it next day, he had a week and a half to do something! I really just wanted an update since I was unaware of where we were in this process. I knew it may take a few days or a week and was completely fine with that. However I am not fine having no one return my calls nor giving me an update on how much longer I’d be waiting. All I heard were squabbles and finally, “We are working on it. I will get back to you.” Bill Dufrain said, the last time I heard his voice. Chapter 6. –Fool me Once, Shame on Me - Have Me Wait in DMV Line 5 Times, Shame On You! At this point I couldn’t drive my car, which meant I couldn’t work. Which made me question why I was paying for this “Dinosaur Egg” these people had sold me. I could just look at it and imagine what it could have been as my drive motivation and excitement faded rapidly. “I’ve been scammed. xxxx, they got me good,” I thought. They got all of my money but didn’t have to do or try to do a single thing for me afterwards. By this time I had already been to the Michigan Secretary of State(SOS) twice trying to go around this dealership from xxxx. I called family members and friends asking to borrow their car because I couldn’t drive my own to accomplish these tasks. The SOS needed a current title or valid registration of which I had neither and told me to call the bank because they hold onto the title until the car is paid off. I left and I called the bank. They needed an “Out of State Title Request Form” from the bank where my loan was from. So I went back to the SOS for the third time now waiting in outrageous lines over and over because of my incompetent car dealership. I went up to the counter frustrated and asked them to fax this document the bank needed. I also asked for a temporary license plate so I didn’t have to bother other people for their cars and so maybe I could work. My request was denied. Of course, they were not open on the weekends and said it would be taken care of early next week. I allowed ample time for them to fax it. Waited six days then I called my bank to see if they had received this document…. Turns out the fax had never through and the bank never got it a week later. Meanwhile as I waited trying to take care of it by other means I had received a message on 8-27-14 from Kathy Minor of Lindsay Ford(11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902). Her message sounded as if she was irritated but was at least trying to resolve the issue and get rid of me. “Hello, My name is Kathy…….in order to take care of everything I need you to fax Ohio Driver License and Ohio Insurance. Please call myself or Bill……Thank you.” I never said anything about Ohio but it somehow turned into another state. The funny part was she had asked me to fax the same exact documents I faxed to Bill a month ago! They were certainly in the garbage or underneath the coloring books on these peoples desks. I returned her call the next morning, no answer. I tried again an hour later, same result. “They must be at lunch, probably a huge Lindsay Ford luncheon funded by ME. I’ll call back later today,” I said to myself. I called back around 4:00pm…… I screamed into the phone just before the beep, as the answering machine picked up for the third time in six hours. Left a message that I needed to fax some documents to Kathy Minor, explained my problem and I needed an update. I stopped trying to deal with the dealership at this point and was just focused on circumventing them and handling it with the bank. I immediately went back to the SOS in Michigan before they closed. Luckily I had been here so many times these people started to recognize me and made sure I got a “Return Pass” as to not have to wait anymore because they knew I’d probably be back. I went to the front of the line with every personal I.D. document and car-related item I had. Walked up with haste like someone had a knife to my back. Put my things on the table and in a stern voice stated that I needed this faxed and it never went through. “I need you to fax these documents, to these numbers, and I need copies of everything, please. Now!” The lady went to get the manager who was very understanding of how absurd this paperwork process was. She was also compassionate enough to realize I couldn’t work or drive. But only after I came for the fifth time about to cause a scene did I get my Michigan Temporary License. Valid from 8-27-14 through 9-27-14. I had all my copies and knew the fax went through. Just had to wait 10 days for the bank to process things. I called the bank two weeks later and they had received everything however, they did not have the title yet. The dealership had never filed it or sent it to them. All this waiting for nothing. Going around them wasn’t going to work so I’d have to call them back. Chapter 7. – The Ol’ Bait n’ Switch Two weeks after I had left my message with no response, I called back. Still… No Answer! I left an angry voicemail that no one has returned my calls, I can’t drive this “Dinosaur Egg” I purchased for over $20,000 and explained my situation again and made certain they knew that Bill Dufrain was incompetent. I also noted that my second temporary plate was going to expire in three days. The next day I received a call from someone named Barry from a Virginia phone number, some other branch of Lindsay Ford(11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902). Not even a response from my own dealership. This Barry guy I spoke to tried to be as cooperative as possible and understand my frustration. What did he need? The same xxxx I had been faxing to these people for TWO months! I told him give me ten minutes and I will fax it. I called back 20 minutes after it went through. Barry answered, knowing it was me without a polite hello, “…Yes sir, we’ve got it and we will be working on it.” I replied, “Ok, Thank you for your help. Please update me when you have any details on this issue.” I wasn’t going to be angry with him since it seemed he was just someone people who don’t work, pass their work to. No reply from this Barry person for two days so I called his number back. I got the voicemail of someone else, not Barry, and left a message with him explaining how angry I was and I had two days left of my second temporary license. At this point I was more than defeated. I had a job to do and risked getting a ticket or arrested so I could make money, so I could then pay for my Transit Connect, so I could then just hopefully use it like anyone buying something for thousands of dollars would hope. I left that message on a Thursday, my plates expired that Saturday and just as I was about to call the dealership back six days later on Tuesday. I got a call from Kathy Minor on October 1st,2014. “…Did you get the documents we need you to sign?” I nearly laughed, “What documents? No one told me I should be expecting anything. I faxed Bill TWO MONTHS ago. Faxed Barry A WEEK ago and asked him to update me but haven’t heard from him” She said she would send them through FedEx, some Power of Attorney documents I needed to sign so they could legally take care of everything in my name since I was out of state. A politely asked her, “If there’s any way you could send a temporary plate, a dealer plate or something until this is resolved I would greatly appreciate it as I can’t drive my car or work. And I need to do these things to pay for the car I bought from you. Update me with any information you have too please.” I didn’t get a comforting, yes I can send that or a no, unfortunately we can’t do that but, “I’ll see what I can do.” I knew I wasn’t getting it, that would require doing that thing I discussed earlier where she would be compensated for taking a piece of paper that says “Temp Plate” on it and putting it in the envelope with the other documents. I wasn’t going to wait for me to get the documents, send them back and then hope to God, Zues or whomever they took care of it in a timely manner when she got them a week later. I was going to go see them in person and make something happen! Little did they know, I had purchased a flight from the Detroit Airport to Dulles in Virginia and would arrive there on Saturday October 5th, 2014. I received Kathy Minor’s FedEx the night before, not surprised the least bit there was no temporary license if even for one or two days, then signed it and put it in my backpack as I would be at the dealership soon enough! Chapter 8. – Taking Care of Business and Not Working Overtime or Any Time I arrived at Dulles airport nice and early that Saturday. Organized all my documents and tried to stay calm on the hour long WMATA train ride to the dealership in Wheaton, Maryland(11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902). As I wondered how many other people on this train or in the entire city, had just gotten off a plane to go to their dealership to give them two pieces of paper and then return the following morning. Probably not many, I figured. I must be lucky. I arrived with my backpack full of a days worth of items with my documents held firmly in my hand, passed a gentleman filling a car with a small lawnmower gas can then walked in like I was the only one there they needed to help. First I asked for June, my fantastic Saleswoman and the only person who did their job properly since I handed them a $10,000 check. She had left a voicemail with me back in early August to see how everything was going but I didn’t want to bother her with the truth. No one answered when I returned her call a few days after, not even a voicemail where I could leave a message. The girl at the front desk playing Facebook on her phone said she no longer worked there. “Oh, Ok well is Kathy Minor here?” I replied. “She’s not here today the Finance Department doesn’t work on weekends.” Not phased at all with that remark I said, “Oh, well I have a delivery for her and I just flew from Michigan is there anyone here who does work, working, that I could speak with?” “One moment please,” she said as she put down her cell phone for the work phone to accommodate my request. – In from the back comes Kyle Bacon, Finance Director(11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902). Sounds important but then again so does a Title and Legal Documents for your $20,000 purchase. I explained how I just flew here and needed to deliver something to Kathy. He was very sympathetic and apologetic to my absurd circumstances. “I need you to get these paper to Kathy and I also need a temporary plate because I have already yelled at my SOS and got one from them, which is now expired and until these papers are taken care of I need to drive my car,” I proclaimed. I also informed Kyle how I politely asked for one to be sent to me with these documents but to no avail I had to come here in person. I gave him my papers, the same papers which four or five people at Lindsay Ford had at this point and he went to the back to copy them. Returning roughly four minutes later with a temporary plate until 12-7-14 along with my papers. I felt somewhat relieved. Mission accomplished! Well, not really but I got my papers on her desk faster than sending them could have got them there, Kyle physically did that thing you do to get compensated for helping a customer trying to resolve a problem AND I have a temporary plate(my THIRD one now). I stood in the middle of the Sales Floor and explained my situation with disregard if anyone heard, as I did not care at all and hoped they did. About 30 minutes goes by and he informs me certain people and their dealership in general have had trouble getting back to people and performing basic customer service. Which after I heard, “Squabble…squabble…excuse…squabble…unreasonable reason…excuse,” then followed by more squabbling. I was very courteous with him and beyond anger now since I just needed someone to understand. He was also very accommodating with me and so I was even nice enough to give him some suggestions. “Get a corkboard titled-Unhappy Customers- make it noticeable to everyone and make sure people follow-up. All I have wanted was an update from anyone, I have been able to make things work on my end somehow and figured this paperwork would take some time but not three months!” He agreed with something like that helping the dealership, mainly just trying to keep me calm I think so I didn’t cause more of a scene essentially helping to release currently trapped meals to break free from this “Dinosaur Nest.” He did a good job of that and whether he cared or not about what I was saying, he made it seem like he did. Kyle handed me his card and said he will follow-up with me. “Please, just update me,” I nearly begged as I continued, “put post-it notes on these papers, talk about it in your meetings. Most importantly JUST call me back. If you’re not working on Monday, have someone else call. Or call me on your day off to tell me what you had for breakfast and that there were no updates yet…. Anything. I don’t know where Kathy is sending these documents or what I need to do on my end when I’m back in Michigan.” He had helped quite a bit and I thought showing up in person had made a large enough statement supporting what he had agreed was wrong with his dealership. For some reason I felt ok as I headed back to the Metro Station that Saturday, October 5th, 2014…..Man, am I an idiot! Chapter 9. – (Final Chapter Left “Un-Titled”) Just Like My 2014 Ford Transit Connect Today is October 23rd, 2014. I bought my Ford Transit Connect on June 6th,2014. I have not gotten a single phone call, message, e-mail, regular mail, apology, morse code signal or anything from Kyle Bacon, Kathy Minor, Bill Dufrain, the guy named Barry or anyone relating to Lindsay Ford at 11250 Veirs Mill Rd, Wheaton, MD 20902 since I left there the afternoon of October 5th,2014 after flying there from Michigan for a piece of paper to use my car which I’ve got another month on. Until this temporary plate expires I plan on mailing free copies of this to those who may be interested whilst posting this on every review site I can find until I have MY PERMENENT LEGAL LICENSE PLATE. Also, since I’m a few miles from the Ford Motor Company World Headquarters in Dearborn, maybe I’ll swing by there too. SOMEONE! Please help me, so I can do that thing no one at Lindsay Ford does, so then I can pay for my Transit Connect that I won’t be able to drive soon, again. Help me reclaim my aspiration, dreams and hope of my currently clouded future! Below, a few possible resolution options for this with varying degrees of work strenuousness and complexity which Lindsay Ford will likely pass off again: 1 - I would like someone from the dealership to fly to Detroit, take public transportation to wait in line at the Michigan Secretary of State, then pay for my plate and Registration stickers, followed by a stop at a hardware store for a screwdriver to put my plate on for me sometime between the hours of 2am and 7am at their earliest convenience, please. 2 - They may also forego that time consuming endeavor by emailing me a free voucher for Ford’s fantastic 3M vinyl wrap service then simply mailing my title or Michigan Registration which could’ve been accomplished three months ago. 3 - Both #1 or #2 would help advertise my business or will suffice for my trouble. But if these options are too much work; It would also be fine to buy billboard space anywhere in America and on this billboard, list the steps I need to take to obtain my documents because I will never see them either way and my car will be a billboard soon anyway. (Please Note: This option allows you to do the least amount of work as I do not care where it’s located or how much it cost.) Sounds absurd? So does faxing the same thing to five different people, seven different times - becoming recognizable at the DMV - spending time you couldn’t work writing a 12 page children’s book that Lindsay Ford might comprehend - paying hundreds of dollars to fly across the country for a piece of paper allowing you to work and then pay for the item you won’t be able to use soon - and finally, NOT having the required legal documents or updates on how to obtain them, six months after you agreed to pay over $20,000 for a Dinosaur Egg! More

After market accessories I bought my vehicle in 2005 and contacted the dealership about warranty work for the undercoating that was applied back then. Samantha from the access I bought my vehicle in 2005 and contacted the dealership about warranty work for the undercoating that was applied back then. Samantha from the accessories department represented Lindsay Ford very well and because of her positive attitude, dedication to working with the customer and overall pleasant experience has bumped this dealer to the top of my list for future work/purchases. Great job Samantha! More

wonderful experience! Our experience with Nicole Wallace was very great. She was very honest with us and friendly. Her customer service attitude was great--she answered a Our experience with Nicole Wallace was very great. She was very honest with us and friendly. Her customer service attitude was great--she answered all of my questions! She was a pleasant to work with! The finance man, Bill made signing all the paperwork easy! He was very nice and approachable and made our experience great. I would recommend this dealership for anyone who is looking for a great Ford car or truck! :) Sincerely, A very satisfied customer (Christine Dove) More

salesman great experience !!!! Good and very high customer service. I got the car that save day and fast paper work, Everyone in the dealer was super nice !!! great experience !!!! Good and very high customer service. I got the car that save day and fast paper work, Everyone in the dealer was super nice !!! More

Investigator Great experience and customer service. Maribel Rosales was great! She was extremely friendly, upfront, and knowledgable. I would recommend my friends Great experience and customer service. Maribel Rosales was great! She was extremely friendly, upfront, and knowledgable. I would recommend my friends to come to Lindsay Ford and see Maribel More

A place to be rudely treated by disorganized staff What an AWFUL dealership! While they have better prices than some, you must wade through a pile of discounts you don't qualify for, fees that aren't s What an AWFUL dealership! While they have better prices than some, you must wade through a pile of discounts you don't qualify for, fees that aren't stated outright, and the feeling of being swindled. They will not write anything down in a clear manner, and use terminology that non-car-dealers don't understand at a speed designed to leave you signing before you know what you are doing. Employees at the management level were shouting insults at each other across the sales floor on one of my visits, and every visit included the disorganized losing of the paperwork I had completed previously, as well as being made to wait long times with no explanation. My last visit, while waiting next to a father/son that were waiting as well, I was asked about my experiences shopping for a Ford Fusion, as they were just beginning the search for the same car. I shared that my customer service experience had been much better in Frederick, but that the prices seemed to be able to go lower here. I did not advise anyone to go somewhere different. I was shouted at, across the sales floor, by the manager in charge of used car sales (who I'd had no interaction with). Because I had been telling other customers to shop somewhere else, something I told him was not true, he told me to leave. While I may not have been advising people to avoid this place before, I am now. Ridiculously rude, disorganized, and mismanaged. Not worth your time or money. Quite the opposite. Avoid them. More