Oakville Mazda (QEW) - Bad experience

[RTEnthusiast]

I know you guys are raving on about this place, and while the saleslady (Michelle) was VERY nice and helpful, the sales manager (Merin or something) was rude, abrupt, and difficult to deal with.

I went in there looking at a pre-owned 2006 Mazda3 GT 5-spd (97K) that they have priced for $10,999 on "blowout".

Now, over the phone, they said the car had nothing wrong with it. After I drove the 45 minutes to go see it and take it for a spin, a few things became uncovered.

-The car had a terrible wheel balance/alignment problem. Ridiculous vibrations from the steering wheel at all speeds.

-The brakes are noisy, but that's probably because it's been sitting there for at least 3 months.

-RUST! The door seams on the bottom are rusty, there's rust under the hood, as well as in the engine bay.

-Bit more wear on the steering wheel than I'd expect for 97K, but that's fixable easily. It's not a deal killer for me.


So, I go back in and without any negotiation, the price OTD is $12,488. I also tell them what I was quoted by Achilles Mazda on trade-in for my Chrysler, with a written appraisal from them.

The saleslady says this is fair; and goes inside and comes back quickly with the manager's initial words:

-Trade-in offer is too high (My counter offer was; screw the trade-in, let's make the sale price first)
-He isn't willing to move much on this car.


So I say; you know what, have the rust and wheel balance issue taken care of, and I'll sign for $11,750 right now. I was very polite and (I've been in sales before, I know how this works) respected everything she said and had to offer.

The sales manager then comes out and says "that offer is unreasonable. I take great offense to your statements. I hand-pick all my used cars and can attest to the fact that there's nothing wrong with them. I'll take $500 off the total invoice price of the $12,488 if you sign right now."

Me: "Will you take care of the rust?"
Him: "No way. Not for that price."

I walked out. I've never had such a rude sales experience before. Frankly, this car's been sitting here since August or September. He should be motivated to move it... especially if he has a buyer standing there with cash in hand.

Jesus.

[bluemazda3]

should of talk to Jason.. maybe he could have helped..

[RTEnthusiast]

Who's Jason?

[ThatGuy19]

Is it the white sedan? I looked at that one a while back. It's been sitting on the lot for awhile now and I remember it have some bad rust, to which the salesman I had said it's a 4 year old car and that's normal...

[S.F.W.]

Who's Jason?

Jason Guttman
President, QEW Mazda
Contact: j.guttman@QEWmazda.com or 905-827-4242
TM3 Handle:QEWmazdaPrez

[Noisy Crow]

Who's Jason?

From the affiliate dealership section:

"As always, feel free to contact Jason Guttman, the President of Oakville Mazda, if you have any feedback. j.guttman@qewmazda.com"

Send him an email.... he's usually pretty good about responding, although he might be off for Christmas / New Years.

[Jeff-TheBiz]

Who's Jason?

If you change you mind and decide to go new, don't wait until after you visit Mazda of Toronto to ask 'Who is Jeff?'

[RTEnthusiast]

If you change you mind and decide to go new, don't wait until after you visit Mazda of Toronto to ask 'Who is Jeff?'

Thanks buddy! I actually called you a couple days ago and we spoke for a few minutes. The new ones are well out of my budget at this point, even with 0% financing. If you did pre-owned, I'd be over there like a mouse on cheese.

[JonsMazda]

I am also dealing with an issue with QEW Mazda, Jason is currently on vacation till Jan 3rd.

[bman13]

Damn. I'd need to count to 10 after speaking with that sales manager.

[Impressive]

I'm pretty sure with a 2006 your rust is still covered under warranty. I have an '06 and I got the 2 specs of rust I had on her taken care of by Mazda (Direct Mazda in Mississauga). I don't get that sales managers deal with the rust, Mazda Canada will pay for it anyways.

[RTEnthusiast]

What's the rust protection warranty? I'm now looking into an '05 GT sedan and may drop a deposit down on Monday.

[W1CK3DD3M0N]

I also went there and didnt like it much, was looking at an 07 mazda 3 gt, in white, had rust on the side where the windows were..and the 3rd brake light, and didnt drive that well at all, so i took my business elsewhere and couldnt be happier

[mazdaskit]

What's the rust protection warranty? I'm now looking into an '05 GT sedan and may drop a deposit down on Monday.

its 6 years

[aris]

To be honest I wouldn't buy the car if it's rusted

[S.F.W.]

its 6 years

not for the entire car. Just the wheel wells, and door frame.

[RTEnthusiast]

To be honest I wouldn't buy the car if it's rusted

I agree. Based on the 3's track record though I'm planning for the future.

[philipfreire]

God job on walking away from that. Let that car sit and sit until some sucker buys it. Don't be one of those. And check of Jeff at MoT, he will hook u up fairly and reasonably.

[DualSoul]

God job on walking away from that. Let that car sit and sit until some sucker buys it. Don't be one of those. And check of Jeff at MoT, he will hook u up fairly and reasonably.

Except he's looking for a preowned/used vehicle, which Jeff doesn't deal with. :P

[Krakor]

I hate to say it but I am hearing and reading more and more about sales issues at QEW Mazda.
Jason really needs to get a handle on this.

I had an experience as well with my boss looking to buy a cx-7.
Needless to say they went elsewhere.

Service and sales experiences are so much more important now that the economy is still recovering.

Price will always be an issue but it doesn't have to be the only issue. Sales people need to understand that your attitude and personality can dictate how the deal goes.
You could be less expensive but the experience isn't great.
So you go elsewhere where you get much better service but pay a little more for it.

Jason you gotta get your people to understand this.

[SKYMP3]

Rust repair DO cost money and it is not in the low few hundreds bill. It will be like 1 k to do a good job depends on the spot. Dealer don't have their own bodyshop and they need to send it out to fix it and they are the one who needs to pay for the bill. It took me 1 week to fix a rust on my hatch that's like penny size (under warranty)

I don't think dealer will pay that bill unless they still make a respectable profit after the rust fix. Dealer will just wait someone to buy it as it is. If you don't like the rust, just move on and look for something else, perhaps that's why the cost is a bit lower due to the rust.

[B&T's 3]

If you want great sales and service, deal with Chris at Select Mazda.They are truly exceptional. In twenty four years of car ownership dealing with many manufacturers including premium cars like Porsche, no dealer has ever gone so far out of their way to make me happy as select mazda in Hamilton. Unbelievably good.Not just once, but every time I'm there!

[Booter22]

Good day everyone,

Just wanted to make a point in regards to rust and perforation so that everyone is clear as to the process. I do disagree with the fact that Mehran would have said he would not fix the rust or perforation on that vehicle. I can say this with confidence because Mehran and I work closely together on the used vehicle inventory to ensure satisfaction of the customer in regards to questions, repairs or anything at all. As soon as it was noted to him from the interaction with the customer he asked me the fallowing day what my thoughts were. Be it a dealer car, customer car or any other Mazda perforation claim. It MUST be inspected by a body shop. Once the inspection is performed the body shop is required to take labelled VIN identification pictures that will be sent with the estimate to Mazda Canada. Once these images have been reviewed We (as in the dealer in question) will receive an authorization to proceed with repairs or there has been times when Mazda has asked for more images or more detail. In regards to the original concerns of the interaction I can not and will not speculate as I was not there or involved. However I will say that Mazda has authorized the repairs of the vehicle and work will be started January 17th. If there are any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to ask.

[RTEnthusiast]

Good day everyone,

Just wanted to make a point in regards to rust and perforation so that everyone is clear as to the process. I do disagree with the fact that Mehran would have said he would not fix the rust or perforation on that vehicle. I can say this with confidence because Mehran and I work closely together on the used vehicle inventory to ensure satisfaction of the customer in regards to questions, repairs or anything at all. As soon as it was noted to him from the interaction with the customer he asked me the fallowing day what my thoughts were. Be it a dealer car, customer car or any other Mazda perforation claim. It MUST be inspected by a body shop. Once the inspection is performed the body shop is required to take labelled VIN identification pictures that will be sent with the estimate to Mazda Canada. Once these images have been reviewed We (as in the dealer in question) will receive an authorization to proceed with repairs or there has been times when Mazda has asked for more images or more detail. In regards to the original concerns of the interaction I can not and will not speculate as I was not there or involved. However I will say that Mazda has authorized the repairs of the vehicle and work will be started January 17th. If there are any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to ask.

I appreciate your response.

However, I was a serious buyer ready to make a deal on that car the very same day. In fact, I actually signed on a very similar GT sedan (black with leather) with nearly IDENTICAL mileage a couple hours after leaving that dealership.

If you guys were serious about making your sale, Mehran would have come outside with me and taken note of the rust, rather than simply saying "No, I'm not going to fix it".

Since you guys actually photocopied my driver's license and copied down enough information about me prior to taking the vehicle for a test drive, you had the opportunity to call me and ask if I'm still interested in the car. You know what? If I had received that call on time, I may very well have agreed to buy that car, and there wouldn't be any negative publicity about QEW Mazda. Your dealership was initially my first choice to take my new Mazda 3 for service, after the raving I've heard on these boards, but after this, you can forget it. I'm now going to be taking it to Direct.

I hate to be hostile, but after such a negative review, a common sales courtesy would be to at least call the customer and see what can be done about making it right, or that someone is doing something about it.

[Booter22]

I appreciate your feedback; I will of course forward your comments and concerns to our sales team. Enjoy your new Mazda.

[Direct Mazda Service]

Your dealership was initially my first choice to take my new Mazda 3 for service, after the raving I've heard on these boards, but after this, you can forget it. I'm now going to be taking it to Direct.



I will be looking forward to seeing you come here for service.

Regards,

Dave Smith
Service Manager
Direct Mazda

[RTEnthusiast]

Is it the white sedan? I looked at that one a while back. It's been sitting on the lot for awhile now and I remember it have some bad rust, to which the salesman I had said it's a 4 year old car and that's normal...

Forgot to mention; when I asked Mehran how long the car had been sitting here, he said, three weeks or so. Then I pointed out that in the photos posted on their site in pre-owned inventory, the car had greenery and trees all around it, yet we're here at Christmas.

Just saying.

[QEWmazdaPrez]

RT,
I appreciate the post, and the insight into your concerns with the vehicle you were looking to purchase. I'm not sure if you thought that the price for the vehicle and the response from the Assistant Manager was rude, or the approach. With respect to the vehicle, I'm sorry that it wasn't the right vehicle for you, but with used vehicles, they are all unique. Some have a little more wear and tear than others. What I can tell you about our used vehicles, is that we recondition our used cars more than any other Mazda Dealer. I'm sorry you didn't have an excellent experience with the vehicle or the Assistant Manager. I'm glad that Michelle was very nice and treated you well.
I have discussed the issue with the Assistant Manager, and we are looking at removing the rust on the vehicle and the other work you have identified (in addition to how you felt).
In sales, I appreciate that dealing with thousands of people, there is no business that can satisfy the needs of 100% of the people out there (Dealerships, on average, only sell 1 out of 4 customers). I think most dealership have received both good comments and negative comments about them. Anytime I get feedback from a customer, we meet with the managers and the team to learn what we can do differently.
Thank you all for your feedback, and if there is anything I can do to help now, or in the future, please contact me directly.

[Krakor]

I have to give credit to Jason (President of QEW Mazda) he means what he says and he says what he means.
I continue to deal with QEW Mazda because I know that if I have any concerns, they are taken care of.

I told Jason the other day that I hate having to call him about anything because I know how busy he is, but he told me, no matter what, get in touch with him. He is always willing to help.

I like that and I will continue to take my vehicle there for service and look at my next purchase with them.

I found that many dealerships have their good points and bad points. What's most important to me is how the issues are addressed and dealt with.

[Iceman_F1]

I have to give credit to Jason (President of QEW Mazda) he means what he says and he says what he means.
I continue to deal with QEW Mazda because I know that if I have any concerns, they are taken care of.

I told Jason the other day that I hate having to call him about anything because I know how busy he is, but he told me, no matter what, get in touch with him. He is always willing to help.

I like that and I will continue to take my vehicle there for service and look at my next purchase with them.

I found that many dealerships have their good points and bad points. What's most important to me is how the issues are addressed and dealt with.

Very good points. While I can't say anything about their sales team (I found out about them after I had bought my car), their service team has been great ever since I've been going there. They've gone out of their way for me a few times when they didn't need to and I've seen them do the same to others not on the forums so they treat everyone the same. Tiffany even said that the more a person goes there, the more their service team gets to know their cars and the more they want to do right by the cars to show they care. One of the best service at a dealership I've seen.

While Jason is correct in that they can't please everyone all of the time, it does show that the team does care about peoples concerns and tries to make things better. While the OP had a bad experience, by letting people know in a place like this, in a well said manner explaining things without getting too heated, it lets people talk about this in a calm matter and try to fix things going forward.

[JonsMazda]

I have to give credit to Jason (President of QEW Mazda) he means what he says and he says what he means.
I continue to deal with QEW Mazda because I know that if I have any concerns, they are taken care of.

I told Jason the other day that I hate having to call him about anything because I know how busy he is, but he told me, no matter what, get in touch with him. He is always willing to help.

I like that and I will continue to take my vehicle there for service and look at my next purchase with them.

I found that many dealerships have their good points and bad points. What's most important to me is how the issues are addressed and dealt with.

+1 Jason all the way! As I have been dealing with him as well.

[prinsesa]

Meh, I wish I had the same service you all had.

[JonsMazda]

Call Jason, he'll deal it.

[Kinn]

Have to Give Jason the +1 here. It doesn't make up with the poor experience you had (and they were punished for that by losing the sale) but you don't usually get the President of the company offering you a public apology.

[shu5892001]

I hate to say it but I am hearing and reading more and more about sales issues at QEW Mazda.
Jason really needs to get a handle on this.

I had an experience as well with my boss looking to buy a cx-7.
Needless to say they went elsewhere.

Service and sales experiences are so much more important now that the economy is still recovering.

Price will always be an issue but it doesn't have to be the only issue. Sales people need to understand that your attitude and personality can dictate how the deal goes.
You could be less expensive but the experience isn't great.
So you go elsewhere where you get much better service but pay a little more for it.

Jason you gotta get your people to understand this.

Totally agree, I would rather pay a few hundred more to have a pleasant and enjoyable buying experience rather than buying from some one as if I owe them money...

[921]

My last visit to QEW wasn't very impressive. I wanted to purchase a 2011 Mazda 3 GT-E and trade in my 2007 Mazda 3 GS (89,000kms, warranty still, GT upgraded OEM parts). They simply tell me my car is worth $5500 (Sales Manager did my appraisal I guess (Myron?!). Wasn't too impressed with with his attitude right when I shook his hand. So, I go to Erin Mills Mazda, and they offered me $8500. I negotiated, signed papers and am awaiting my car to be delivered this week.

Very dissappointed with QEW Mazda's sales team... i'm sorry but you guys are starting to go down the drain in customer service...

[RTEnthusiast]

My last visit to QEW wasn't very impressive. I wanted to purchase a 2011 Mazda 3 GT-E and trade in my 2007 Mazda 3 GS (89,000kms, warranty still, GT upgraded OEM parts). They simply tell me my car is worth $5500 (Sales Manager did my appraisal I guess (Myron?!). Wasn't too impressed with with his attitude right when I shook his hand. So, I go to Erin Mills Mazda, and they offered me $8500. I negotiated, signed papers and am awaiting my car to be delivered this week.

Very dissappointed with QEW Mazda's sales team... i'm sorry but you guys are starting to go down the drain in customer service...

Mehran... same guy. Surprised he hasn't smartened up.

BTW, $8500 is all your '07 GS was worth? I'm surprised. I'd have expected at least 10.

[921]

I've gone to a few dealerships already and they offered me the same pretty much in that range... except QEW Mazda... I'm happy with my deal, thats what matters.

And yeah Mehran, that's it... needs to go. The second I looked at him, I knew he's bad news.

[RTEnthusiast]

Someone needs to get Jason in this thread. He seems like a stand-up guy from what I have heard on here.

[921]

I will still go for service, because they are still customer service friendly... Just upsetting about the sales dept.

[PR3Y11]

actually i was there earlier today and mehran got me that mazda 2 to test drive, he was going to let me drive it out myself but since i didn't know my way around oakville he offered to tag along if i wanted (needless to say i took that offer) from our meet today he seems like a really nice guy, not sure if something's changed along the way but i had a good experience with him and everyone there. they were all very nice. the receptionist needs to post up a pic of her crazy sir even though it's not a mazda, and john is very good to deal with and very helpful. i for one will definitely go back there.
john, i'll be waiting for that march/april special with the special note you mentioned ;)

[zzz3]

My last visit to QEW wasn't very impressive. I wanted to purchase a 2011 Mazda 3 GT-E and trade in my 2007 Mazda 3 GS (89,000kms, warranty still, GT upgraded OEM parts). They simply tell me my car is worth $5500 (Sales Manager did my appraisal I guess (Myron?!). Wasn't too impressed with with his attitude right when I shook his hand. So, I go to Erin Mills Mazda, and they offered me $8500. I negotiated, signed papers and am awaiting my car to be delivered this week.

Very dissappointed with QEW Mazda's sales team... i'm sorry but you guys are starting to go down the drain in customer service...

i got offered 1/3 of my trade in by qew mazda when i was shopping around (not sure if it was the same manager, but the manager i spoke with was quite young); the sales person was great though. needless to say i bought elsewhere but i still go to qew mazda for their service department which is excellent if not the best in the west end of the GTA.

[Booter22]

Thank you for all of your feedback.

If you have sent Jason a pm or email and have not heard back he will be returning Monday Feb 28th and these concerns will be addressed.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

[RTEnthusiast]

Just a bit of an update/resurrection to this...


I was at QEW (Budds now) this afternoon to get two cars detailed. John Boot always takes care of me and even though I don't own a Mazda anymore, the experience dealing with him/the service department at this dealership is like dealing with family. Unparalleled and phenomenal. John, let me know what kind of coffee you want next time.

Secondly, I had the honor of meeting BoyRacer, who gave me a ride in his awesome Speed3 (thank you for the offer to drive it!), and made a new friend. This experience definitely reassured me of the brotherhood that is TM3. (Funny enough, BoyRacer was with me when I had the following experience:)


Part 2; I received not one, but two e-mails from this dealership offering either "top-dollar cash" or a "substantial discount" on either selling my car to them or an upgrade towards a vehicle they had. I spoke with Andrew, a great salesman who is helpful and very nice to deal with.

The VMR value/wholesale price on my Mini Sport is about 13-14K. Similar cars on AutoTrader are ranging from 13K to as high as 17-18K. Now, when they did the appraisal, I was expecting to get a lowball offer of $10K (was looking at a new MX-5). Of course Mehran the sales manager or whatever he is, shoots back with a brilliant offer of $5,000. Not only this, the guy wasn't even polite to deal with. Honestly speaking, after my experience with him last year in this very thread, I would think that the guy would smarten up. I know of more than a couple of you that I've spoken with on this forum that have had terrible experiences dealing with this specific individual.

See, I'd like to reiterate; I don't have an issue with a lowball offer. I do have an issue with rude service, a lack of politeness, professionalism, and clear profiling. I may look like a 22-year old visible minority. However, I personally hold an OMVIC license and used to sell cars a few years ago (Acura North Toronto in Thornhill), and I know how to profile clients. Therefore, I know that when I walk into a dealership, I know how to present myself. I'm nearly finished my education as a lawyer and, not tooting my own horn, but make more at the age of 22 than any car salesperson at a dealership. I was nothing short of offended and appalled by this individual's approach; this is Strike 2 for the same guy!

[mounir]

$5000 for an '05 Mini Cooper? :chuckle
What would his appraisal be for a MZ3... $1000 ? :P

[Sebi]

I was offered $3,500 for a 2007 GS a few weeks ago...

[JonsMazda]

I was offered $3,500 for a 2007 GS a few weeks ago...
Oh good! Saves me a trip.

[boyracer]

@RTEnthusiast : The pleasure of our encounter was all mine. Enjoyed our conversations. About the ridiculous low ball offer.... shameful, absolutely shameful. I couldn't believe my ears. My jaw still hurts from when it hit the ground.

If only the sales were as reliable as the service department. I must say that so far I have not had a bad experience with them... fingers crossed

[Fack_Dude]

I guess i would get an offer of 500 bucks for my piece of sh!t....lol

[boyracer]

I guess i would get an offer of 500 bucks for my piece of sh!t....lol

LOL, you mean $450

[RTEnthusiast]

I'm appalled at the fact that nobody from QEW (Budds' Mazda) has bothered to respond to this yet. John, you may want to bring this to someone's attention.

[Booter22]

Apart from andrew and i, i dont think anyone else from our dealership is on TM3 as andrew and i do a decent job to maintain i suppose, and of course as its a sales concern and a bit over my deparment. im not sure how the "quotes" work, i cant comment on that. but of course i have said something to our sales deparment, im not sure if they have said something to mehran or not. but dont worry it didnt go unmentioned.

[RTEnthusiast]

Apart from andrew and i, i dont think anyone else from our dealership is on TM3 as andrew and i do a decent job to maintain i suppose, and of course as its a sales concern and a bit over my deparment. im not sure how the "quotes" work, i cant comment on that. but of course i have said something to our sales deparment, im not sure if they have said something to mehran or not. but dont worry it didnt go unmentioned.

Responses like this (and the level of service I get from Booter every time I go in there) is the sole reason I still have faith in car dealerships. :)

[Kaiserhead]

I was offered $3,500 for a 2007 GS a few weeks ago...

Seriously, Budds is low-balling trades after sending multiple emails and mail-outs begging QEW Mazda's customers to trade in their cars????

Their emails and letters claim higher than average offers for trades, if they're low-balling, that's bush league and not a great way to introduce themselves to customers who were very happy with the previous owner of the dealership.

Consider them on dealership probation.