I would like to relate a really bad sales experience I received at Autohaus Pompano. I worked my way down the dealer list for Florida in my search for a 2005 SL55. My closest dealer had no new SL55's for sale. Next closest was Autohaus about 30 minutes from my house. I called and talked with a salesman. He told me about the inventory they had in stock.
My only day off is Sunday so I decided to take a drive down last week and look at the cars. The salesman I talked with on the phone was off so I asked for his friend he works with. He was busy with a customer so I get pawned off on another salesman. This guy knew nothing about the cars he was selling. He couldn't tell me what options were available or what was standard or what was new for 2005. I then looked over the 2 cars they had, a new silver/charcoal and a used silver/berry. My first salesman told me $119k for the used car. When I got prices at the dealership I was told $122k for the used car. I told him what the first salesman told me and he said he was mistaken. I ask what kind of discount they will give on the new car and he says they don't discount any AMG car. He then pruodly told me they marked up a new E55 $8k over MSRP. I asked him to see what the manager said about a discount and he wouldn't ask him. I decided to just talk to the original salesman the next day and see what he could do. I called him the next day and he said he would honor the price he gave me on the used car and would discount the new car $2k. I told him I had a trade and told him what I wanted for it and he said he would talk to the manager.
The manager calls me that day and says how he would like to set up an appointment to look at my trade. I tell him I work a lot of hours and my time is very valuable to me. I tell him I had the trade there on Sunday and the salesman that was helping me turned me away. He says that he will do whatever he has to do to earn my business including discounting the SL. I set up an appointment for Wednesday night after work. They appraise my car, give me some lease quotes on the 2 cars and tell me about another used 05 they have coming in the next day. I decide I want to look at the other car before I make any decisions and call the next day. The car wasn't going to be there until the next day so I call back Friday. The dealership closed at 7:00 and I call the salesman at 6:00 and tell him I'm leaving right now and will be there in an hour or so due to major traffic. He says no problem, they'll be there. I get there at 7:10 and most of the employees are gone for the day. I look for my salesman and can't find him. I see another manager and he pulls the car in to compare the 2 silvers side by side. I say I want to look at the Designo they just got in and he says it should be in the lot. I go looking around for it and another manager tells me the salesman left for the day and that they closed at 7:00 and I had to leave. He tells me to come back tomorrow. I'm fuming by this time and just decide to leave before I start yelling.
I call Saturday and talk to the salesman and ask him what happened. He tells me he forgot the dealership closed at 7:00. I stupidly drive back down late Saturday afternoon and am told the payments they gave me on the lease are wrong. They were to contact me today and let me know what the payments were. I called my salesman and he tells me he hadn't heard anything and would call me back. I never receieved the call.
Looking back, I should have not gone back after the mistreatment I received the first time. I can honestly say I have never been treated so badly at ANY dealership. I was treated a thousand times better when I bought a Nissan. Regardless of what payments they give me, I will never buy a car from Autohaus. I did find an extremely nice salesman at a different dealership and received a deal much better than I was originally quoted from Autohaus. I expect to pick up the 55 this week.

 

I agree. I always go to autohaus before i buy a car, somehow, they are always worse then everywhere else. Even with my old C230 coupe. They wanted $150 more a month then what mercedes of ft lauderdale told me. I called the guy up at autohaus to atleast ask if he can beat it, and he said if you can get that deal get 2 of them. Of course i said forget about autohaus, it was closer to where i live, but i went back to mercedes of ft. lauderdale and got it there. I did the same with my CLK430 since autohaus was to expensive. When it came time for me to buy my C55 i bought it from House of Imports in california and had it shipped here. Autohaus had one C55 and had it marked up about 6-7k over MSRP and i got mine for MSRP. I am one of the people that dont mind paying MSRP, but paying that much over is crazy.

 

Autohaus is the absolute WORST!!! Even my sales guy at another MB dealer told me they were crooks. I think they might launder money there or something cuz i dont know how they survive, but i guess they get the sucker born every minute. Most of the people i saw shopping there were older....ALOT older, so take that for what it's worth. Maybe they dont know how to use the internet. I saw a new CLS500 for 99,000. They justified the price saying it was loaded. They also have SL65's and CL65's listed for $249K.

How about this story.....last week when i was a day away from picking up my new CLS55, i called there just to test the market since i had one of the first cars coming in. The sales guy on the phone asked me where i was getting it from, and the thought why he wanted to know crossed my mind but i didnt think anything of it....but sure enough their sales manager Joe B called the dealership i was getting it from and tried to take it away from me. My sales guy told me the whole story and repeated to me how they were scumbags.

You should have asked here first who was a reputable sales guy who would take care of you. Of course we would have helped you out. My guy told me he would discount a new SL55 by about $8000.

T

 

I think one of MBs biggest problems is the attitude at the dealerships. Those kind of egos maybe warranted 10yrs ago .. but with the crappy cars they are putting out these days, the dealership needs to get on their hands and knees and beg for my business.

 

Well I agree autohaus sucks. But when was the last time you hard another dealer talk good about another? they will never do that no matter how good or bad they are.

Also, 8 grand discount on a NEW SL55? Thats kinda crazy that the dealer will sell the car for a couple grand under cost.

 

The deal I'm working on, I'm getting $10k off MSRP. The most I've heard of before this was $5k off. I'm going to finalize the deal today.

 

What dealer is this?

 

I disagree at least concerning the dealer i work with. But i think Autohaus is "extra special" in this regard. Hell, not just dealerships, but anyone in any walk of life who badmouths their competitors is directly hurting themselves. Most people see that. Maybe it's just the circles of people i deal with who realize this.

T

 

is absolutely THE WORST MB dealership anywhere, from sales to service and everywhere in between.

even if they paid you to buy one of their cars, they'd find a way to take it back from you at least twice over.

they cannot keep from disgracing the brand, but corporate does nothing because autohaus is at least advertised the largest dealer in the country.

try MB MIAMI, and ask for jason s. in the internet department.

if not there, then i don't know where to go ini S FL.

i'm looking forward to learning your future experiences, so that when i decide to go back for another dose of dealer, i can have an idea where to go down here.

oh, best service advisor in S FL...almog @ MB ft. lauderdale.

david

 

I bought my first mercedes from them, and bought the rest from somewhere else. Autohaus is the damn worst.

Back in 99 or 2k I saw and wanted the clk 430 cab. I got on the list for 2 of them put my deposit down the whole nine. The cars come in and they call my old phone # and don't bother to look up my new number and notify me that the cars are there. They sell both cars at a premium which at about that time was probably close to 10k, and with no remorse hand me back my deposit. I will never buy a car from them again. Im 25 and just bought my fourth mercedes. They really screwed up and lost a lot of biz. in the end. As far as buying a car Crown Eurocars in St. Petersburg gives great deals, you can have your car shipped to you and then have it serviced wherever you like.

 

I will agree with you 100% that autohaus has the "extra special" reputation in regards of being just plain bad in everything, sales, prices and service.

About talking about "good" about other dealers. No, i have no seen that with any car i ever bought. If i was to tell a salesmen about a dealer i been to, they will right away tell me something oh that dealers terrible or known for that etc.. Even when i used to work in car sales, we did the samething.

 

I've had nothing but good experiences with Mercedes of Fort Lauderdale and in particular with John Bradley (Sales) and Almog (Service).

 

so far, i've found the best reason to go to MB lauderdale is almog in service.

i cannot speak with equal enthusiasm about MB lauderdale's sales department.

down here, it seems there are some decent people in the dealerships, but one must find them by trial and error.

while still buying and servicing up north, i was surprised by a change in method at my favorite dealership, MB west chester.

talking simultaneously with the sales manager, who'd given me what i thought were decent deals in the past, and a salesperson, i thought i'd trade my 2002 CLK55 for a new loaded SL55.

they zealously attempted to sleaze me with an offensively low offer for my CLK, which they'd sold me perhaps a year earlier.

now, i know, their reasoning for the low offer was nothing but a lie because i'd already spoken with their used car people, who'd said they'd be able to sell my well-kept, low-mileage car for a very good number. it sounded like their spread would be ~ $20k retail. three new cars in four years from them. see ya' later guys...

please let me know where the deals are. i'd be happy to get my hands on a 55, but DEFINITELY not at retail.

thanks.

 

[QUOTE=david_101]so far, i've found the best reason to go to MB lauderdale is almog in service.

i cannot speak with equal enthusiasm about MB lauderdale's sales department.

Service is a foreign word which very, very few understand in South Florida. Almog does understand however!

I agree about the "general sales population" at MB Lauderdale save for Bradley. He's a very straight shooter, #1 salesman, very rarely works the floor for "walk-ins".

 

I think Mercreds Benz of Fort Lauderdale and Miami are the worst. I would never set foot in either deal after the experience I had with the service department. I buy all my cars from Ray Catena in NJ and have them shipped to here. I have been dealing with them for 10 years and no Problems. They are the second largest dealer in the country and I always get discounts even on high demand cars. Here is my story abouy MB of Fort Lauderdale. My Nightmare

 

I've been living in S Florida since 1976 and have been visiting as a small child since the late 60's. This place has become a melting pot with people from all over the counrty and even the world. Unfortunately the warm wheather and the wealthy seniors have attracted lots of unsavory characters. There are so many down here that brought their slick ways and their "horray for me and F/U" attitudes along with them that you can't avoid doing business or interacting with them in one way or another. This place has so many people that drive around in expensive cars and live in huge homes but don't have two nickels to rub together, but act like they're Donald Trump. If their home values would not have risen so dramatically in recent years they'd really be in deep *****. If I wasn't looking after elderly parents, we'd be long gone from here. Don't get me wrong there are nice folks too but they are becoming few and far between...what a shame.

 

your assessment of the S FL population is sad, but all too true.

insofar as autohaus is concerned, they were unpleasant about 10 years ago, when i first had the displeasure of shopping there. of course, i didn't purchase from them.

regarding trump, it seems to me that property values are what lifted his boat as well. casinos seem to be his anchor. LOL.