Central Ford

by upset_resident on 11/17/2015

In 2012 I bought a cobalt from Central Ford in Plainfield, with an extended warranty over the past few years this car has been in for service for multiple issues but the main complaint was a misfire on cylinder 2, brought in over 12x for the same issue to the point that I spent most of the past 3 yrs in a loaner car because it took them about a month each time to get my car back to me, kept telling me they have to send it to Chevy because they are a ford dealer and don't have the right equipment to diagnose and fix the car properly, I was told several times by the service department that this car is most likely a lemon, on 10/15/15 they took my car back in for the same issue a misfire I got my car back on 11/5/15 and was told it was fixed 11/6/15 less than 23 hours later my check engine light was back on, they refused to take my car back in for service because I owed 109.00, my emissions was due on 11/12/15 in which the car failed, at this point I was pissed and upset with the service dept. on how I was being treated that I went in to speak with someone higher up about my issues, at this time they agreed with what the service department have been saying for the past 8 months that this car is a lemon and I need to get out of it, I love my cobalt and didn't want to give up my car but the convinced me that it was a lemon and after all the $$ I spent trying to fix this car I agreed to walk away from it, I did purchase a brand new car from them on 11/12/15 because after all its not there fault that the car I purchased in 2012 was a lemon right? well since then I have been driving around in a brand new unregistered car because they haven't transferred the registration yet, but yet I see the cobalt driving around Plainfield today 11/17/15 still registered to me, I look at the used cars they have and see the cobalt listed for sale, mind you I cried when I left central in the new car because its not what I wanted but I had to get out of that lemon that I loved so much because central couldn't fix it.. less than a week later its fixed and for sale after 3 years of running around with [non-permissible content removed] trying to fix it when I had it but they couldn't fix it, or did they put a band aid on this lemon and now trying [non-permissible content removed]??? I am pissed and hurt by the actions of this dealership and service department, I gave up on a car that I loved so much just so they could make a buck, they are heartless and don't care about anyone but them selves , I am very dissatisfied

Read more

by abelincoln1 on 10/05/2015

My son and I went to Central to look at a Mazda 3. By the time we walked out of the showroom that day the deal on the table was $16,000 and 2.5% financing. We had also talked about a $500 trade-in. We dealt with a salesman and a sales manager. The negotiations went something like this. Sticker was $18k+. Dealer subtracted $1250 for the Mazda cash-back incentive. Then said he would just make the price $16,000, which was arrived at by applying some in-house cash-back. He also offered 2.5% financing. My trade-in was never mentioned in this final round of negotiations. When I left the dealership I left with the firm impression that the price would be $16,000 minus $500 for the trade-in, putting the maximum I would pay at $15,500 if I decided to buy the car the next day. My wife and son went to the dealership the following day to finalize the deal. They were told that the deal was $16,000, which included the trade-in. The manager showed them some notes indicating how he arrived at $16,000. I was not there and was not in a position to refute the manager's interpretation of his own notes. Again, I expected to pay a maximum of $15,500. At this time my wife was also told that the 2.5% financing was not available and the best they could do was 3.5%. She finalized the sales agreement and made a down payment, thinking this was the deal I had negotiated the previous day. These two critical figures changed overnight. In isolation I could remotely concede that one figure out of alignment could be explained away as carelessness in communication. But these are two critical figures that changed in less than 24 hours. It is difficult for me to accept the argument that the trade-in was included in the $16,000 since nobody actually said the words “trade in” when the number 16,000 was presented. It is entirely possible that the words "trade in" and "500" were included in the manager's notes during our final round of negotiations, but no one actually said those words. It is also difficult for me to think that the 2.5% offer was genuine, especially since the manager intimated (by muttering) that he might be able to go 2.0%. We ultimately were offered 3.5%. I cannot help but feel the manager took advantage of my wife in my absence. I felt comfortable letting her finalize the deal because I had no reason to distrust anyone at that time. I also felt the salesman, the manager and I had a meeting of the minds, and I had no reason to suspect that anyone would manipulate our understanding to his advantage for all of $500, a sum the manager apparently equates to the negation of good will. I am still trying to get over this awful experience. The next day I called and spoke with the salesman. After a discussion that was going nowhere, I asked to speak with the General Manager. I was told that "The Manager" was in a meeting. I'm not sure if he meant the GM or a sales manager, but chose not to pursue this line if inquiry. I asked that the manager call me after the meeting. I waited 10 hours for a callback that never came. That was 24 hours ago. I also followed up with an email. After 5 days manager finally contacted me and apologized for not calling sooner because the email I sent him was in his spam box. I am in fact a Network Engineer and have managed email systems for more than 20 years. I’ve been working on email since the days of the UUCP Gateway, which in Email Industry parlance is saying a lot. I get a kick every time somebody uses this line on me because in fact our email system is one of the most reliable things on the planet. Anti-spamming works by subscription to publicly available Spam Block Lists. It is unheard of for a non-commercial email domain to be included in an SBL. In the interest of gleaning a positive experience out of our nascent conversation I decided to let this slide. We discussed a financial agreement, the amount I felt I was cheated out of, after which I was asked to do Central a favor by toning down my online criticism. I was assured I would be called back within minutes. I get a call two hours later and am told that owner was out of the building and approval of agreement would have to await his return. These guys apparently only do face-to-face communication. After more than 36 hours of non-responsiveness, I advised GM that his inability to communicate in a timely manner was unprofessional and offensive and asked that he not communicate with me again. Once again, I have to say that an honest consumer has a right not to be lied to. Looking at the bigger picture it is obvious that a private company that sells items for tens of thousands of dollars each should make sure they have a reliable communication channel with their customers, as well as a robust intra channel. If a salesman of a $20,000 - $50,000 item doesn’t return your communication within seconds, he doesn’t want to talk to you for whatever his reasons may be. Be skeptical of lines like “I didn’t get your email,” “your email was in my spam/junk box,” “I replied to your email – you didn’t get it?” If you hear these words, you are being played. These things only happen in the mind of a car salesman. If a car salesman promises you a callback and you don’t get it, you are being played. He is trying to keep you off balance.

Read more

by Patriot_Nation on 09/22/2014

I went to central ford recently because they had the truck i was looking for in stock and took advantage of there $3500 for any trade in -DD-

Read more

by MikeTheMann on 09/20/2014

I recently purchased a Ford Focus from Central Auto Group. The sales staff was very friendly! I took advantage of the $3500 trade in special and feel I got a great price on the car. The GM, Felipe, was great!

Read more

by gailmarie2 on 08/22/2014

Both my boyfriend and I were interested in buying cars. The general manager and salesman were very pleasant, they listened to our needs and let us test drive several cars. We both found vehicles we liked and decided to purchase that same day. Purchasing the cars became a very smooth process and the finance person was most helpful in helping us decide what warranties were best for each of us in addition to shopping for the best interest rate. We both left very satisfied with the dealership and our purchases.

Read more

by mwfod on 07/07/2014

Having owned 21 Ford cars and trucks, and purchasing three vehicles (to the tune of $125,000+) in an 18-month period, I will NEVER buy or have Central Ford service ANY of my vehicles. They registered a brand new truck that I purchased incorrectly, to a company that does not exist, and we have been trying unsuccessfully for 6 weeks to have them correct the registration. It continues to fall on deaf ears and I continue to receive false promises about getting this corrected. The general manager has personally told me that he is taking care of it, yet we're going into our seventh week without a resolution. When I was looking to purchase this truck, I would receive two or three phone calls every day; after the sale and now that there is a problem, I receive nothing but empty promises. VERY UNHAPPY FORMER CUSTOMER, Mike.

Read more

by Connrailfan on 04/29/2014

Initially, I made contact with Central Ford through Edmunds.com. I received several responses from other dealers, but Central was quickest at finding the truck I wanted. I had misgivings because Central was nearly an hour away, but they were very easy to deal with. I was passed through several people and treated well by all. The truck I wanted was near Philadelphia and the salesman picked it up quickly and it was ready to sell to me the next day. My salesman was out the day I picked it up, but Central had another salesman cover the delivery who was very professional too. I talked to a total of four people in Central Ford's sales staff and they were all pleasant and easy to deal with.

Read more

by laurenmathers1 on 03/17/2014

I recently purchased a mazda 3 absolutely love this car and loved the experience I had at central auto group. very helpful salesman.

Read more

by kevin179 on 02/19/2014

It was a pleasant experience. We co-signed a lease for our daughter who could not afford much. They were willing to work with us to reduce the payments, and when all was said and done, the payments were as discussed.

Read more

by bobby542897 on 01/27/2014

I found our salesperson was very helpful in making the process as painless as possible, yet I was disappointed when our vehicle did not come with some of the features I was told it would have upon delivery. These features were in no way a deal-breaker, but I expect a salesperson to know everything about the vehicle they are trying to sell to me. A simple, "Sorry, I was mistaken..." is not a good enough excuse. The gentleman who resides at the center desk could use some people skills or just learn to not say anything at all. Other than these few gripes, everything was your typical car buying experience.

Read more

by bobby542897 on 01/24/2014

I found our salesperson was very helpful in making the process as painless as possible, yet I was disappointed when our vehicle did not come with some of the features I was told it would have upon delivery. These features were in no way a deal-breaker, but I expect a salesperson to know everything about the vehicle they are trying to sell to me. A simple, "Sorry, I was mistaken..." is not a good enough excuse. The gentleman who resides at the center desk could use some people skills or just learn to not say anything at all. Other than these few gripes, everything was your typical car buying experience.

Read more