Mercedes-Benz of West Chester

I strongly recommend people avoid Mercedes Benz of West Chester, unless you want to be lied to, jerked around, and have your time wasted. Don't be fooled by their impressive showroom and customer serv Chester, unless you want to be lied to, jerked around, and have your time wasted. Don't be fooled by their impressive showroom and customer service lounge, or the fake perma-smiles of their sales people. And don't believe it when they tell you that they pride themselves on customer service and their reputation. Because they are as shady, deceptive and lacking in integrity as any car dealer I have ever encountered. Here are the details of my horrible experience with them: I called on a Wednesday afternoon about a specific certified used vehicle. I spoke to Bob Homberg, who said he was tied up with another customer and would call me back in fifteen minutes. He didn't call me back until the next day (Thursday), and apologized for not calling me back sooner. He then referred me to his colleague, Brenda Knauss. I made an appointment to see and test drive the car the next day (Friday). I drove a relatively long distance to get there, and when I test drove the car, it was immediately noticeable that there was something wrong with the alignment - which was a serious concern considering this was a certified used vehicle. They had their service department look at it, and 15 minutes later I was told that the problem was simple and fixed. I drove the car again, and it had the same problem. I made it clear that I very much liked the car but couldn't buy it in that condition. I told Brenda that if she could figure out what was wrong with the car, and it was a non-recurring issue, and if they could have it fixed to my satisfaction, I would buy the car. I was prepared to leave, and that's when Bob Homberg joined the mix. He asked if I would be willing to sign a purchase contract and pay the purchase price if he would make it contingent upon the alignment problem being fixed to my satisfaction. Obviously, they were very anxious to make a sale - as all car dealers are - to the point that they asked me to put down tens of thousands of dollars on a CERTIFIED car that I couldn't be sure would drive properly. I told Mr. Homberg that I couldn't begin the purchasing process until I knew what the problem with the car was and whether it could be fixed. Obviously, not wanting to lose a potential buyer, Mr. Homberg asked if I would be willing to test drive the car again after it was fixed, and he offered to drive it to me so I could drive it again. I told him that I would be willing to do that, and if the car was fixed to my satisfaction, I would buy the car. The next day (Saturday) I got two emails from Brenda Knauss. The first one said that they would take care of getting the car fixed and would let me know what the solution was. The second email, two hours later, said that their technician balanced the wheels and discovered that the rear right wheel was bent. She said that the car would be sent out to be professionally straightened. She also asked if I was still interested, in which case she would "follow through with the vehicle and be sure you have the first opportunity." I called her an hour later and told her I was still interested and would buy the car if the wheel was fixed and the car drove properly. That's when things got really interesting. She said the only way she could make sure that I had the first opportunity was if I was willing to put down a deposit (of $500 or $1,000) so she could start a buyer's order. Again, she said that the deposit would be refundable if the car wasn't fixed to my satisfaction. I told her I would think about it and call her back. She said that I could call her back any time before Monday morning and let her know, and if I were willing to put down a deposit, she would start a buyer's order which would mean, according to her, that they wouldn't show it to anyone else. It was surprising to me that they would show it to other customers considering it had a significant problem, but I guess they didn’t care about that. I called Brenda back on Sunday afternoon and left her a message saying I was willing to put down the deposit and to call me whenever she wanted to process it. I didn't hear back from Brenda until noon on Monday. She sent me an email saying that although she got my message, she was waiting to hear about another customer that was in process. This made no sense to me because I had been told that the she would start my "process" first thing Monday morning if I let her know that I was willing to put down a deposit, which I had done on Sunday. I didn’t hear from Brenda again until 8:00 p.m. that night at which time she told me they had sold the car to someone else. Why I had been promised the “first opportunity” I’ll never know. But what I do know is that it was complete lie, and I think everyone should know that Mercedes Benz of West Chester is completely dishonest and lacking in integrity. Since they made such a big deal to me about how much they are concerned about their reputation, I think people should know just what kind of treatment they can expect. Go somewhere else to buy a car. These people don’t deserve your business. More

Don't know how other dealers are because I haven't been. They charge absurd amounts of money, then screw something up (varies from significant to minor), but the lack of attention to detail relative to the They charge absurd amounts of money, then screw something up (varies from significant to minor), but the lack of attention to detail relative to the cost is astonishing. They "accidentally" wiped out the emission codes, kept my car an extra day, drove it around (110 miles) trying to reset the codes, and then returned the car to me with the out of gas warning light on! They had just done $2,200 worth of work (including a $1,200 brake job) and that's what a I get...my car back a day late, and with an empty tank. On a previous visit, they torqued the lug nuts so much they couldn't change my tires (summer to winter) without breaking the bolt and drilling it out! Part of the problem is not their fault, because the car is an unreliable POS, but they've always managed to compound the situation. I've had more than enough More