Ciocca Subaru

We needed a number of things serviced on our car, including state inspection, tire rotation, a re-programming of the computer due to a recall as well as having a piece of under body trim re-attached. We live in Reading, PA, so we made arrangements to bring our Subaru Forester in on Dec 9, 2016 for service. We made an appointment for 10:30am and arranged for a loaner car, figuring my wife and I would do some Xmas shopping, since we had been told that the work would take about 3 hrs.. I took a day’s vacation to tend to this. My wife and I arrived right at 10:30am and as they were writing up the work order the gentleman waiting on us said he was running behind and wasn’t sure when he could get to our car. I indicated very clearly that I had taken vacation to do this and driven the 45 minutes from Reading and I wasn’t planning on this being an all day event and that I wasn’t prepared to spend all day in Allentown. He said he’d try his best. My wife and I left and went shopping and were just finishing lunch at around 2pm ( so now 3-1/2 hrs has gone by ) when her cell phone rang and it was the same man from the service dept calling to let my wife know that they had not started the car yet, but wanted to make sure we were good till later in the day, maybe as late as 6pm. My wife handed me the phone and needless to say I was more than irate! I told him that I would be there in a few minutes to get my car and I hung up on him. A few minutes later one of their service mgrs. called ( Lauren?) and said she would try and put two people on my car right away and see what they could get done – I told her do not start working on my car – I had to head home as I had 4 dogs at home that needed to be let out, that I could not waste anymore of my day dealing with their ineptitude. I went back to the dealer and let Lauren know in no uncertain terms how unhappy I was. Their salespeople really sell their service dept and when I finally needed service I find out an appointment isn’t really an appointment for anything other than spreading out the customers so they’re not jammed filling out work orders all at one time. She asked what Ciocca could do to make things better and my wife told her to buy back our lease – she thought my wife was kidding – my wife was dead serious. I then asked to speak to the salesman who we leased from. His name is Christian Rivera – one of the nicest young men you will run into. I let him know that the service people were really screwing him and the other salespeople by doing such a poor job holding up their side of the business. We had bought a Forester in Oct 2105 and my wife had a terrible roll over accident and her Forrester was totaled, and then we leased this one to replace that vehicle in Dec 2015. Christian worked with his sales manager and offered to have their service dept come to our house in Reading, pick-up the car, leave us a floater and return the car – all in the same day. Christian told us to call him the following week and it would be all arranged. My wife did just that and decided to give them the benefit of the doubt. She called the next week and my wife made the arrangements for Ciocca to take care of everything on Wed, Dec 14th. Ciocca picked the time and said they’d be by at 10:30am to get her car and leave the loaner. So on Wed, Dec14th, shortly before 10:30am, the service dept calls and indicates that they wanted to get directions before they head to Reading to pick-up the car. They indicate that they are running behind and won’t be there for a while. My wife asks how they expect to get the car, head back to Allentown, service it and get it back to her by evening. They tell her she’ll have the loaner, so they’ll just bring her car back the next day on Thursday, Dec 15th. Nice idea but we are leaving for vacation on the 15th and need the Subaru. She told them to forget the whole thing. When we came back from our vacation I had my regular mechanic perform all the work other than for the computer recall. Once again an appointment means absolutely nothing. And once again I let Ciocca know how unhappy I was, and they are very sorry once again and they are short-handed and on and on and on. And I should have known better – you know the expression – fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. The chance of them getting their act together in a few days was probably unlikely, but I fell for it anyway. I once again let Christian know that for having bought two cars in a year, as well as sending others to Ciocca, that I felt terribly let down by their service. They really push after the sale to have their customers give them 5 star ratings about the experience they had at Ciocca, which we did at that time. Now it’s time to single out the service dept and rate them for what they are worth – which is NO STARS. Mr Ciocca ought to be ashamed of the effort they are all making in the service dept. I for one will never buy another car from them and my wife’s offer on how to make this good still stands – buy back our lease Mr Ciocca!