BMW of San Francisco — Attraction in San Francisco

I am writing this review to share the terrible experience that my wife and I had at BMW of San Francisco. We have been searching for a 2023 BMW m340i and found one online. BMW of SF has a nice selection of used/new cars, however the customer service (or lack thereof) was terrible from the beginning (sales) to end(finance). SALES: We had to talk to 3 different sales people just to be shown the vehicle! I understand that we are a young couple of mixed heritage shopping for an expensive vehicle and some sales people may make certain assumptions. However, we had expected a dealer in an inclusive city such as San Francisco to hire individuals who could look past stereotypes and at least pretend to be interested in earning our business.Our first sales person was Naomi. Not only did we feel like she didn’t take us seriously on the phone where she was unable (or unwilling?) to find the vehicle, when we arrived in person we were greeted with an utter lack of enthusiasm and quickly handed over to another sales person . The second sales person (let’s call him Houdini) was able to locate the vehicle after having us wait for 15-20 mins then just told us to go upstairs and “check it out”. After looking at the vehicle by ourselves we asked him if we could at least start the vehicle to hear how it runs. He said the battery was dead (even though the dash was lit and ac blowing). When he didn’t offer a solution and just stared at us, we asked him if he could jumpstart the vehicle because we wanted to test drive. Houdini disappeared and did not return. A third sales person approached us and asked if we needed any assistance. For the third time we explained that we were interested in purchasing this vehicle and would like to hear it run then drive it. I believe that is a standard request in any car purchase, especially a used car. The third sales person was able to immediately start the car ( without a jumpstart!) it was the key battery wasn’t dead, and put us on a test drive. We took a short drive. We were happy with the car other than undisclosed damage to the hood. They offered to fix it however it would mean multiple 2 hr drives for us. We understand that it’s not their fault we live far away but we thought a $500 discount would be a fair compromise. They declined. At this point, we told the sales person we would need to get a bite and decide what to do. We were unhappy with the service however we felt that after the search, pre-approval process with our bank, the long drive to San Francisco and dealing with reluctant sales people who had drawn out the process so long that we were just too far into the purchase to start from scratch. After 10-15 mins we came back and told them were ready to go. FINANCE: We had already informed them that we were pre-approved with our credit union and did not want our credit run with any other lenders. They said that’s fine but they would need to run our credit to release the vehicle since there was some issue with their computers. Because of their computer issue they had us sign a couple documents and they would get back to us when the rest was ready. They promised us that they would pull credit ONE time only.Unfortunately, that was false. I started receiving multiple inquiries (5 at this point) on our credit report. When I called the dealership to ask why these lenders were pulling my credit I was told it was because their software was down and not to worry about it. An obvious lie, everyone of those inquiries were intentional and exactly opposite to what we agreed. When I disputed this obvious lie to the manager, he completely lost his top and told me “ are you listening to me? “, and gave me more half-truths like“I’ve been doing this for 36 years, all the inquiries in a 30 day period will not affect you”. We are completely blown away by the behavior of not one, but multiple employees of BMW SF. Honesty and Integrity is not a lot to ask for when someone is spending $60k of their hard earned money for a used car. At this point we are not confident that this purchase was the...

I recently had the pleasure of visiting San Francisco BMW to assist my mom in finding her next vehicle, and I couldn't be happier with the experience, particularly thanks to the outstanding service provided by Nolan. Having frequented this dealership for previous purchases, I can confidently say that this visit stands out for all the right reasons.

Upon arriving at the dealership, Nolan immediately approached me and offered his assistance without any hint of pressure or expectation. He attentively listened to our needs and preferences, demonstrating remarkable patience throughout the process. Over the course of three visits, Nolan consistently went above and beyond to ensure we found the perfect vehicle to replace my mom's expiring lease.

What truly impressed me about Nolan was his dedication to providing exceptional customer service. During our visits, he tirelessly guided us through an extensive inventory, allowing us to test drive multiple vehicles and explore various financing options with ease. Despite spending hours at the dealership, we never once felt rushed or pressured to make a decision.

Nolan's professionalism and attention to detail were evident in every interaction we had. He kept us informed every step of the way, providing helpful updates and ensuring that we were comfortable with the progress of the deal. Thanks to his expertise and dedication, my mom was able to drive off in her dream car at a price that fit comfortably within her budget.

I cannot express enough gratitude to Nolan for making our car-buying experience truly stress-free and enjoyable. His commitment to customer satisfaction is unparalleled, and I would highly recommend him to anyone in search of a new vehicle. Thank you, Nolan, for your outstanding service and for exceeding our expectations every step of the way!

*ADDITIONAL REVIEW FOR ANOTHER PURCHASE MADE OVER THE WEEKEND!:

Purchased a second vehicle in two months from San Francisco BMW and am equally, if not more, satisfied than the prior purchase. My partner and I have been buying vehicles from San Francisco BMW for nearly 10 years, along with referring multiple family members and friends. What sets this dealership apart is the exceptional experience they create, rooted in their culture of excellence.

Our recent experiences with Nolan in sales have been nothing short of outstanding. Nolan embodies all aspects of top-tier customer service consistently throughout the vehicle purchase process. It’s refreshing to work with someone on a major purchase who is genuinely honest, kind, and an all-around wonderful person. The level of patience and commitment he routinely demonstrates is astounding. This dealership is incredibly fortunate to have someone like him on their team. As someone who has grown up in the car business, Nolan is undoubtedly a rare gem.

Additionally, we had the pleasure of working with John in finance again. John assisted us with the purchase of my mom’s vehicle and once again streamlined the finance process. He never pressured us to purchase anything additional we weren't interested in and explained all the important details in a clear and logical manner. A 10/10 experience with John again!

With this particular purchase, we also had the pleasure of getting to know and work closely with Rod, the general sales manager. Rod played a significant role in the process, leading by example and showing a genuine commitment to creating a rapport with customers. His above-and-beyond nature is truly commendable.

If you ask me, these three—Nolan, John, and Rod—are the dream team. I could not recommend Nolan and the entire SF BMW team more if you are in the market for a vehicle. Thank you, San Francisco BMW, for another exceptional...

I’m extremely disappointed with my experience at this dealership. I had shown strong and consistent interest in a specific vehicle that had just arrived — a hard-to-find model I had been searching for extensively. I was told it wouldn’t be ready for viewing until next Wednesday , and was promised I would be first in line to see it at 4 PM that day.

Leading up to the appointment, I followed up daily, requesting updates and photos. On the day the vehicle was released from service, I confirmed my appointment and began the two-hour drive from Sacramento to see it. While already en route, I received a text stating the vehicle had been sold that morning — despite the fact that I had a scheduled viewing time later that same day.

To make matters worse, no one bothered to call me out of courtesy, even though I had clearly expressed how much I wanted the car and how far I was traveling. When I asked to speak to the manager, I was told I’d get a call in five minutes — that never happened. I arrived at the dealership and spoke with the general manager, who seemed completely uninterested in hearing my concerns or acknowledging the dealership’s failure to communicate properly.

I reiterated to him how difficult this particular vehicle was to find, and instead of addressing the issue meaningfully, he offered me a vehicle that was completely different — an attempt to salvage the sale, but it clearly showed a lack of understanding or care for what I was actually looking for.

This entire experience felt like a waste of time and showed a total lack of professionalism. A simple phone call would have prevented this, but instead, I was misled, ignored, and dismissed. I will not return to BMW of San Francisco and strongly recommend that others look elsewhere if they expect honesty, transparency, and respect.

Response to sales manager Edwin: You must not be informed with all of the specific details to make a statement like that. You and your team should work on the logistics of how you handle your scheduling and not make false promises. Your sales rep sent me a video of the vehicle at 11:16am and stated that I could come see the vehicle as originally scheduled. While in route, he left me a text at 1:27pm stating that he called (which he didn’t and go ahead and check your phone records on that) and the car was sold earlier that morning even though I was told the earliest the car could possibly be seen was 4pm because it “wasn’t ready”. Not even a courtesy call was made that someone had even come and was looking at the vehicle. I understand you can’t hold a car for anyone but regardless you guys dropped the ball multiple times. Save your excuses for someone who wasn’t born yesterday. I hope you learn to take accountability instead of making excuses for yourself and your associates so that future customers don’t waste their time. And from the reviews, I can see that I’m not the only ones who’s had a similar experience. I’ve bought plenty of BMW’s from other BMW dealerships in the past and your dealership was by far the most disorganized and not what I have ever experienced from any other...