Plaza BMW

by KevBarOne on 07/18/2018

June 19, the [non-permissible content removed] of Plaza BMW sensed blood and moved in for the kill. The previous day, I had given a car there a quick test drive and liked it, then returned June 19 at 3 p.m. to do more shopping. I had intended to check out several other vehicles at Plaza before deciding what to buy and had told them that before coming. When I arrived, the salesman said someone had made an appointment to see that car at 3 p.m. At first, I didn't believe it, but the person showed up, really was very interested, a drop of my blood entered the water and [non-permissible content removed] reacted instantly. Against my intuition and contrary to my typically-cautious approach, I allowed myself to be manipulated into buying a car I had not checked out carefully enough. A 2018 BMW 430 car with a $54,000 sticker price, a certified service loaner with 5,000 miles on it, and I paid $41,700. That night, I discovered it did not have blind spot monitoring, a safety feature very important to me. I had acted uncharacteristically quickly, without looking as carefully as I should have, and somehow overlooked that fact. The morning of June 20, I emailed them about my disappointment. No reply. I returned on June 22, hoping they’d help me get into something I liked better without too much pain. My Plaza BMW salesman escorted me next door to a Plaza Mercedes salesman. I test drove an SUV. He offered to sell to me for the full sticker price of $50,000 and give me $36,000 for the trade-in. Disappointed, I returned to Plaza BMW. They said they couldn't help me with anything other than a BMW. I decided on a BMW X3 SUV. But they didn't offer me a very good deal on it. They were merciless, didn't care in the least that I was remorseful about the car purchase. The next day, I went to BMW of West St. Louis and my experience there was 100% better. One week after buying the car from Plaza BMW, I ordered a new X3 from BMW of West St. Louis. Their prices are more competitive at BMW of West St. Louis and they truly try to help you get the car you want. Their reputation for service and everything else at BMW of West St. Louis is better. Plaza BMW cannot be trusted. After 18 years of dealing with dealerships I liked, I went to Plaza BMW and found them to be the sort of rotten apple that makes car dealerships look bad. Plaza BMW, and apparently all the Plaza dealerships, are exactly the kind of dealership you want to avoid. Best never to set foot in there. They are waiting to eat you alive. So far, so bad in this story of Plaza BMW. It gets even worse. I decided to try to sell the car myself while waiting for the delivery of my SUV. I advertised it at $39,950 and settled for $38,500. The buyer checked it out and considered it carefully, as I should have done. Then, we met at the DMV to do the deal and he went out to give it a final walk-around before completing the transaction. He found a spot on a wheel-well where the car had been repaired. In the bright sunlight, with him pointing at it, the imperfection was obvious. But, until then, we had both missed it. The now-tentative buyer suggested we get it checked out right away at the Plaza BMW body shop. We went in the car to Plaza BMW. The sales manager and another employee came out and looked at it, said they had no record of it being repaired and that it would have been impossible for them to have missed that when they inspected the car before selling it as a certified BMW. So, too bad, I was on my own. We went around and around for some minutes, with me saying I had not known of any damage until that day and them saying it could not have been damaged when they sold it to me. We asked them if Plaza's body shop could look at it right away and they said they could not help with that. They would have nothing to do with it. There I was, screwed again by Plaza BMW. That's not what I want from a car dealership.

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by KandM on 09/25/2014

We wanted to get a 2015 X3 BMW. I spoke to Danny our sales person. He worked with us and got us the deal we wanted. We had to finalize the price on the phone since we were not planning on driving 2 hrs. if its not going to workout. Danny discussed all the details with us on the phone. We went there and everything went smooth and great. He took the time to answer all our questions and made it a great experience. Got our car and we are happy with it.

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by Mcollector on 08/09/2014

I live in Portland, OR and found a 2007 Z4M roadster, with only 11,000 miles on it, online at Plaza BMW and was treated like royalty by the staff. They returned my calls instantly, replied to all my emails and did everything they said they were going to, except for being honest about the car. I had a bad feeling when the time it took to return my calls started to drag out, immediately after they got my money, but I never would have imagined that a respectable brand such as BMW would allow any car to ship in the condition this car shipped in. This "non-smoker" car stunk of cigarettes, had burn marks on the seat trim, ashes BEHIND the clear plastic of the instrument cluster, shredded floor mats held together with 3 strips of duct tape, hair and ashes in every nook and cranny, drinking straws and toothpicks in the glove box, clouds of dust if you touched the headliner, rips in both seat backs, a loose front bumper and the grand finale'...no temp plate or ANY proof of registration. I couldn't even legally drive it off the truck. The response from the salesman "we don't typically send temp tags out of state". After sitting in my driveway for 3 days, I got the temp tags. Now, I cant get anyone to return my phone calls or emails, the promise of sending me the parts to replace the things that were not mentioned in the full disclosure has gone unfulfilled for a week now. To sum it up, I never would have bought a car sight unseen if not for a great experience I had a month earlier buying a similar car, sight unseen as well, but this one from a Group of true Enthusiasts that sell Autos. That made me feel that people did have integrity, and if I did get a salesperson with less integrity, I was still buying from a BMW dealer, and BMW isn't going to rip me off, right? Based on my experience, I would never buy a car from this place, even if I was there to test drive and smell it first. They've proven that the one time sale is their #1 priority and NOTHING else matters. Does that sound like a place where you would want to spend $32,000? Oh, and the $31,600 "out the door" price, was actually $31,600+$195+$250 "out the door". If the parts that were promised me are sent and the detailing costs are reimbursed, in all fairness I would be happy to post another or amended review. It's been a week and phone calls, texts and emails are all being ignored but you never know.

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by steveau06 on 08/04/2014

First, Plaza Motors BMW violated their legal obligation to notify buyers of hail damage and fix it. More importantly, they refused to pay the dealership in Chicago where I live, violated another contract on their "We Owe" form. Not only that, but they (Business Manager Thomas P. and General Manager Ed F.) forced me to have the car brought to them in St. Louis so they could make all the fixes (again in writing) from the estimate at a dealer in Chicago. The worst part is, they went back on their word and didn't fix everything, did an embarrassingly poor job on what they did touch, and were very rude to my family that went out of their way to bring the car to them and pick it up. I would never recommend Plaza Motors BMW to anyone. It's one thing to not trust the worthless car sales reps themselves; but an entirely different level when the Business Manager and General Manager lie to you and violate contracts.

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by LarryS1701 on 07/11/2014

My wife & I had the pleasure to purchase a new 528xi from Plaza last night - It was the culmination of several weeks of work with the superb sales staff, driving multiple vehicles, and finally having our Salesman (Mike K - Ask for him!) find exactly what we were looking for and getting it shipped in to the store in a single day - fabulous! Tom in Finance was also a pleasure to work with, and spent far more time with us going over all the possibilities, with absolutely no pressure to buy any extras whatsoever (but we decided to add on anyway). We met several managers over the 3-week effort, and all were eager to help us get the exact car we needed at the fairest price they could find -- and we were successful... VERY successful. If you want an extremely well built & finely appointed car from a Sales, Management & Finance staff that strives to find the right car for you at an extremely fair price, then you've got to visit Plaza -- Thanks Plaza, I'm a new customer for life!

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by SteveL_in_STL on 06/19/2014

I've had the pleasure of purchasing two new BMW's from Mike K. and Jason C. this year and they are by far, the best team I've ever dealt with. It's refreshing to see someone go above and beyond and to actually listen to a customers needs. Definitely recommend them for a BMW purchase and look forward to the day when we are ready to replace either of the two new toys. SteveL in St. Louis

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by adolan1 on 06/03/2014

I had the pleasure of doing business with Plaza last week. The client advisor, Kent, was considerate and accommodating. He made the process enjoyable, and allowed us to make decisions without any pressure. His consistent followups throughout the week demonstrated genuine care. I am very happy with my purchase, and plan on purchasing my future vehicles at this dealership.

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by twhayde on 04/07/2014

Recently leased a 3 series GT from Plaza. I was assisted by Paul P., who did a great job. Tom, the sales manager, also was great. He allowed me an extended test drive so that I could drive it a bit and my wife could look at it. This really accommodated our busy schedules, and also helped convince me of the slogan "Ultimate Driving Machine." Tom also helped get me very aggressive pricing; I was exactly where I wanted to be after research on Edmunds, TrueCar, etc. I recommend them highly.

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by firstbmr on 03/06/2014

Just purchased a used BMW 135i Convertible. The sales representative was very helpful and provided all information asked of him. We made the purchase quickly with a short negociation on price where we came very close to my price. They did not waste my time with the usual stall you until you give up. So ask for Paul on your next visit. Ed the general manager introduced him self and was very friendly. Enjoyed my experience. LOVE THE CAR!!!

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by audcat on 06/23/2013

As an executive professional, I expect to receive a high-quality of service from providers that I interface with, because I pay a premium for their product offering. It is my opinion and apparently that of other clients, based on the reviews, that Plaza BMW offers high-end products and low-class service. Dan from Finance is the worst financial services professional I have ever encountered at a high-end auto dealership. Let me begin this disaster and complete waste of my time from the very beginning. I live in Chicago and work in St. Louis on business. Each week I travel approximately 1000 miles, in my BMW 5 Series... after all it is the "Ultimate Driving Machine." In March, I had my 2012 BMW serviced at Plaza. I was given an upgrade to drive. I was so impressed with the upgrade that I was 90% ready to trade my car for the bigger engine. After getting pricing and weighing the pros and cons, I decided to keep my car and purchase the extended warranty instead. I originally spoke with Nesbit (unsure of correct spelling) in finance and he quoted me a price of $3800. I thought the price was a bit excessive. After a few days, I thought I should go ahead and make the purchase of the warranty. When I returned to BMW, Nesbit was out of the office and Dan stepped in. Dan quoted me a different price of $4900 with a $250 deductible. I informed Dan that the price was incorrect. He told me that Nesbit misquoted the price and the price goes up each time I get closer to 50K miles. Needless to say, I left Plaza BMW very frustrated about the new price and misquote, according to Daniel. I contacted my original dealer for a quote and received a quote of $4200. So, I decided to wait and I'm glad I did. I waited for two months. I called Plaza BMW last Thursday and I got Dan again. I informed Dan that I was "shopping" the price. He quoted me "his cost" of $4500, if I purchase the service plan for $2295 with the extended warranty for a total of $6795, with no option to finance. After giving it some thought, I said, I'll call you back. Again, I shopped the price. Friday, June 21, I called Westmont BMW. Jason from Westmont quoted me $3695 for the 6 year/100K warranty and offered me the cash savings of $300, if I paid the amount in full instead of opting for the 18-month interest free plan. I was ecstatic! Saturday, June 22, I was again at Plaza negotiating a deal for purchasing a new Mercedes and thought, I better purchase the warranty for the BMW since I'm here and Plaza will match the price. Upon arrival, I asked for Nesbit and I was informed that he had just stepped out and guess who was right there -> DAN. Dan took me into his office. Closed the door and proceeded to provide me with yet another quote. I told Dan I had spoken with him earlier in the week. He pulled up my information and said, "I'll sell you the warranty at $100 above my cost. My cost is $4150 and your total will be $4250." I gave him the option of redeeming himself by telling him that I had a quote from Westmont for $3695 for the 100K warranty and offered me the cash savings of $300, if I paid the amount in full instead of opting for the 18-month. He asked me to go and get my insurance car, because he wanted to see my VIN number. I told him to "look it up, Plaza has serviced my car and my VIN number was in the system." He said, "Service use a different system and I can't look it up now!" I said, "Wow! I'll make my purchase from Westmont." He shook my hand and said, "Thanks for coming in!" After this encounter, I've decided that I will no longer do business with Plaza BMW. I will not refer anyone to Plaza BMW. This was the second unprofessional encounter I've experienced with Plaza BMW. The first was with the Internet Sales Manager and telling that story would be a waste of time. It has been my experience that the sales and finance team at PLAZA BMW are very UNPROFESSIONAL, RUDE, GREEDY and LAZY. I say LAZY, because of Daniel's refusal to: A. Walk over to service to retrieve my VIN number and telling me to go to my car to get my insurance card. B. Lookup the quote I received from Westmont BMW on the system. Dealing with the sales and finance folks at Plaza BMW is a complete waste of time. If you call or write them about pricing 10 times, they will give you 10 different price-points. If you don't want you buying experience to become a nightmare, STAY AWAY FROM PLAZA BMW.

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by bytemerc on 03/23/2009

Dropped by Plaza tonight to look at a 2002 BMW 530 with only 47k miles. Check the link: [violative content deleted] When I called and asked for a price the answser was $13.800 and I was told that the radio display had some pixels out and would be replaced. A quick search for this year and model indicates prices are between 13k and 16k with an average price of 14k for this area. The Internet ad says "Check out this immaculate vehicle - inside and out. Has this vehicle even been driven?" The answer is Yes! The right side of the front bumper was not attached to the car. The front tires were cupped, wearing unevenly and made obvious road noise, one head light was damaged, the front wheel wells were missing portions of the fender lining on both sides. The car had been well cleaned so it is unlikely the damage was over looked. There is no way the asking price accounted for the damage. When I detailed the issues to the sales person he said that I could not expect them to fix anything but the radio and that the bumper was only missing a bracket. I have had great experiences with their service department over the 10 years I have owned BMWs. My first experience with the sales department was very poor.

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