John Kennedy Mazda of Pottstown

by UnbiasedLizard3 on 01/19/2021

Do not buy your car from a John Kennedy dealership. Their sales manager, Michael Armstrong, is [non-permissible content removed], raised his voice to my girlfriend & myself, and even took off his mask while we were in the same confined room as him. This kind of unprofessionalism & neglect to our lives is incredibly disrespectful. The other (non-John Kennedy) Mazda dealerships in the area offer significantly better prices and better customer service. Don’t waste your time. Story below: My girlfriend & I were emailing local dealerships requesting an out the door price on a specific car we were looking to buy before the end of December. We received responses from every dealership we reached out to with the exception of the 2 John Kennedy dealerships. We used emails found on their website, & even emails directly to people whom we received business cards from but received no responses. The day before we planned to buy the car, we decided to swing by the John Kennedy dealership in Pottstown as we were in the area. We already had an out the door price we were very happy with and a dealership expecting us the next day, but we just wanted to see if they would be able to match the price as they were a little closer to where we lived. We liked this due to servicing the vehicle down the road. We stop in and are quickly in a room with their sales manager, Michael Armstrong. We say we are not buying a car today but will be buying this specific car tomorrow and want to know if they have it and can match/beat the price. He pulls up his computer and starts the search the inventory. Unfortunately, they do not have the car in the color/trim/package that we want. What he does share is that they have the color in the trim one level up from ours. We said we weren’t opposed to that trim, but really didn’t think the increase in price justified the added features. He pulls out the invoice and provides us a price. Once again, I specify we are looking for an out the door price, taxes, fees, etc included. He says yup, and hands us a pen and sticky note to write down the price. The price stated is about $700 more than the car we had initially wanted, and it was including some accessories that we were actually interested in. Needless to say, we are pretty happy with this. We take his card, and on the way out of his office I stop and say “Hey, that price you provided is the out the door price, right? We want the out the door price with taxes, fees, etc all included.” Reiterating this as I want to make sure we are on the same page. He says yes, but has us come back in, runs the numbers one more time and shows us the same price as before. We thank him for his time and say we will call him tomorrow morning with our decision as to if we will but coming back in to purchase our new car from him. My girlfriend and I look up the trim differences and discuss if we want to pay for the “better” car, ultimately deciding we were going to. The next morning, I call Michael and ask what time we should come in to buy the car. We show up, and one more time we sit down to hash out all the details. I once again verify that the numbers provided yesterday was the out the door price and everything is confirmed. We move onto the financing manager’s office and get to the last page of the contract when I stop and question why there is a number that is $5,500 more than what we had agreed upon. The financing manager excuses himself to get the sales manager. Michael comes storming into the office and says “That was the deal. That is what we agreed upon right there. Look, I told you this and here it is [plugging numbers into a calculator and not getting the same value].” I calmly reply that we requested the out the door price with all taxes, fees, etc included. I asked why there is a difference and he says it’s due to the taxes and fees. I said I didn’t understand why that wasn’t included in the out the door price to which he scoffs and says in a very condescending tone “There’s always going to be taxes and fees, someone’s got to pay for it and we can’t just give them away for free.” My girlfriend and I are upset because we were lied to. We are also confused and ask for a minute to talk it over with ourselves. They give us the room and we decided we don’t like the car for that much more money and call the other Mazda dealership to verify if they still have the car and that the price was indeed the out the door price (it was). While I am on the phone, Michael bursts back into the room uninvited saying that this is where the numbers come from, shoving a piece of paper in front of us and plugging them into a calculator. Mind you, my girlfriend really isn’t speaking because she is visibly upset with being yelled at by a stranger and while I am also aggravated, I do not raise my voice or yell back. We say that we don’t like the car for this price and unless they are willing to do the original offered price, we are going to go to the other Mazda dealership. Michael laughs and says no dealership would ever in their right mind do that price and that the other dealership is playing the same game and that their price is too good, that they are going to raise the price on us too and I wasn’t given the correct price. He says he’s going to call the sales manager right now and prove that I am wrong, and he is right. Michael then, still fuming, takes off his mask. We are in the same office, less than 6 feet apart, with the door closed. While the phone is ringing & on speaker, I speak up and request he puts on his mask back on. He ignores me and when the sales manager doesn’t answer he says (still raising his voice without wearing a mask) “I bet you $100 of my own money that they won’t do that deal. They can’t do it.” I am done at this point. My girlfriend and I both want to go and have no desire to buy a car from such a rude business. I reply “Okay, I will let you know, but we aren’t interested in this deal. Sorry for the miscommunication & thank you for your time.” I am the only one to apologize at all during this interaction by the way. Not once does Michael apologize or anything to us. The finance manager comes back in & we ask to get our license plate back as it was put on the car we had planned to buy. We also ask if there are any issues with us leaving the deal how it is if it will affect our car buying at the other dealership. He was very polite & helpful. He gave us his card & just requested that we call him if we do buy the other car so he can shred all the paperwork. He gets us our license plate, & before we go, I quickly walk over to Michael’s office to once again apologize and say I’m sorry for the misunderstanding/how things worked out. He doesn’t look at me or say anything back, just ignores me. Incredibly rude and unprofessional once again. We go and buy the car from the other dealership. Great process. The deal is the deal they said, in & out in no time! I sent a follow up email to Michael a few weeks after the event to let him know he lost his $100 bet and can pay up if he is a man of his word (he isn’t). I also request an apology for myself and my girlfriend and want to know why I should ever return and even consider purchasing a car or getting our new car serviced at a John Kennedy dealership. He never replied. I advise against anyone from buying a car here. Their sales manager is [non-permissible content removed], he is disrespectful, and he has no regard for your wellbeing.

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by triplettt on 04/04/2011

I checked the dealer inventory on Edmunds and saw a CX9 in the color I was interested in at John Kennedy Mazda. I stopped in for a price check and was impressed with the sales staff. They have a no nonsense approach. I was quickly given a quote after they appraised my trade in. After a short negotiation, I was given what I thought was a very fair price. I bought the car and drove it home 2 hours after arriving. I recommend a visit to this dealer before buying.

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by leeharvey418 on 11/30/2009

After doing some online research, I found that John Kennedy Mazda in Pottstown had exactly the car that I wanted. I emailed them through the link provided on the mazdausa.com site in the morning, and asked if I could come in at three that afternoon for a test drive. They obliged, and after taking a spin in what would become our new Mazda3, we sat down with the internet sales advisor (Jared) to go over our situation. I was working with my credit union to get financing, but since Mazda was offering 2.9% financing for 60 months, I took the better deal. Both Jared and our F&I contact were very straightforward and respectful, and I never felt pressured to do anything I didn't want. After completing the paperwork, we were escorted outside to our freshly-washed new car. Jared took the time to go over the special features of the car, and showed us the setup options card that we are supposed to return at our first service to get certain features (warning chime volume, door lock functions, etc.) set up exactly the way we want them. In the end, I got a new, fully loaded 3 S GT sedan for more than $1,000 under Edmunds' TMV price, for about two hours of involvement on my part, including the time I spent on email communication. I would absolutely go back to this dealer, and recommend that anyone else do the same.

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by iskate on 01/27/2009

Went to John Kennedy Mazda yesterday afternoon requesting to test drive a Mazda 6. In my conversation with the sales person I said I need the payment to be under 300/mo. He looked up and said, "Oh, I don't even think I can do that." I said, "Well, I don't want to waste your time or mine." I obviously called his bluff because he eventually made it out to the lot to show me an isport (if you remember I asked to test drive a Mazda 6)....He questioned the numbers and terms I told him I had at another local dealership - which were at 309/mo.....when I quickly rattled off the numbers, he himmed and hawed at what he would be able to do. Unbelieveable - a car salesperson in today's economy who doesn't want to come down $10! I once again said I didn't want to waste his time or mine. I left. I would NEVER recommend John Kennedy in Pottstown!.

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by reallyoldguy on 01/27/2009

I recently purchased a 2008 Mazda Miata for my lovely wife Sally. I searched several dealerships in the Berks and Montgomery county areas to find the right place to spend my hard earned coin in this lean economy. When I finally fell upon John Kennedy Mazda I was skeptical (as any good car buyer should be!) at first, but soon found the staff to be very helpful. My salesman showed me several models, both new and used, while we discussed the options. He even took the time to show me a number of cars on-line that we could pursue. Once I settled on what I wanted and what it would cost. I told the salesman I would discuss it with my wife and we would cross check him against other dealers. I didn't return for two weeks as I continued to bargain shop, but my salesman was vigilant, but not aggressive. In the end I couldn't beat the deal that John Kennedy gave me, and I also had faith in the future service I would receive there. I will definitely purchase my next car there, but maybe next time I'll get a mustang for myself next door.

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by nmglfn on 07/15/2008

I was extremely excited to go and buy my very first brand new car, a Mazda 5. Unfortunately the new car that I was to receive was damaged. I understood, no big deal, they would replace it. When they told me they only could get it from a dealer in RI, I refused, because I didnot want my brand new car to have over 500 miles on it, especially if I did not put it on. Well the sales person obviously was not happy with that, and told me I should go somewhere else and not buy from them! I told them, I would wait until I could get the car in the color I wanted, but obviously that was not good enough for them! His manager called me and said that they could get the car in a few days. I finally get my car a few days later, no biggie. We go to the dealership, & we proceed with the paperwork. Obviously it takes awhilem, again no biggie. I had my husband and my son with me. We finish the paper work, and the sales man then proceeds to tell me to write up a good review for him because his end of year bonus depends on his reviews (After telling me to go somewhere else). Then instead of showing me how things work in the car, the salesman tells me, that I could read the manual since I had my son there, that I probably should go! I'm not an idiot, but he did not show me one thing in the car! My registration was due, and while doing my paperwork, the salesman says that they can renew it for me no problem. Well it's been since June 2 that I bought the car, and yesterday July 14, 2008 I was pulled over for having an expired tag. The cop was nice enough to just give me a warning. I called up the dealer, spoke with the manager, and I was calm (which is very unusual for me) and the manager said that the cop was wrong. He asked me what did i show the cop, and I told him that I should the cop all of my paperwork, and I told the manager that the cop said that nothing was processed and that my tags were still for my old car. The manager then told me, that he didn't know what I did with the paperwork, or what I showed the cop, but I was wrong. HE was so rude, that I had to hang up after saying a quick good bye. My husband then calls the dealer, they go over the paperwork, and then the manager realizes that they have the wrong date on the piece of paper. It says that my tags expired on 06/08 where they should have put 06/09. And all the manager said was, oh there's the problem, we messed up. NO APOLOGY FROM HIM ON THEIR ERROR!!!!!!!!!! After he was so rude and told me that I didn't have my paperwork in order. I absolutely detest this company. After spending over $20K and to be treated like utter crap is remarkable. I knew I shouldn't have bought the car from them, and that is my fault for not going to a different dealer (I should have paid a higher price for the car) And I'm not the only one who has had a bad experience here. My friend went there to get some service for her Tribute, and while in the waiting room, a service worker was walking away from some manager who was cursing at him, and dropping the F word like there was no tomorrow, in the waiting room in front of my friend! There is absolutely no professionalism here. I do not recommed this particular dealer at all!

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