Dimmitt Cadillac Clearwater — Local services in Clearwater

My personal Experience with the Dimmitt Cadillac

Monday November 18th 12 noon I contacted Desiree Jessie regarding a 2019 Lincoln that was online. Desiree advised she would get right back with me. 2:48 pm, I reached out to Desiree via text asking about the Lincoln again. Desiree stated she just heard back from her sales manager and the vehicle is still going through the inspection but would be available tomorrow Tuesday. She apologized for the inconvenience. I told her I lived between downtown St Petersburg and the dealership so I will be getting a ride out to the dealership on Tuesday. We set the time for 5-5:15 Left work early on Tuesday November 19th to get to the dealership, received call from sales manager James saying there is a problem with test drive, the Lincoln was loaned out and wouldn’t be available till next day Wednesday. He assumed I was traveling from Tampa with my 813#. I quickly let him know that I lived between downtown St Petersburg and the dealership and told him I made that very clear with Desiree. I should have known/realized then that the lack of communication between the sales staff is somewhat of a problem. James then said he would arrange to have someone pick me up at work on Wednesday.

Wednesday 11/20/24 4:40pm Sales personnel Bobby picked me up from work downtown St Petersburg, drove the Lincoln back to the dealership as a test drive. Apparently, Bobby had another deal selling a Cadillac to another customer. Very little discussion about the car was discussed. I told him I would like to stay under 20k. Bobby was in and out of his office, saying hold tight I’ll be right back with you, closing another deal with another customer. Was like pulling teeth from him regarding the history of the vehicle and discussing anything in detail about the Lincoln. UGH! After he returned from dealing with another customer his response was it’s a one owner vehicle and Dimmitt dealership stands behind their vehicles 100% He left to speak to the sale manager and came back with we owe you an extra key and the amount just over 20k.

Was introduced to Naveed in finance who was very professional and pleasant to meet. High spirited very friendly and genuinely a good person. I purchased the extra coverage 50k mile bumper to bumper of course making me feel a lot better not knowing much of the history of the Lincoln. Navee took me back to Bobby in sales and told Bobby to have the vehicle filled up with gas. Bobby looked at Vee and glanced at me and stated we’ll it has gas in it? Vee basically told him to fill it up. Of course, Bobby’s dumb founded look and body language was to if why we needed to fill it up but said OK, with his response being let’s go get the gas card. I felt he was a little aggravated with this but at this point I was already frustrated with his shortness and me trying to pull any information out of him regarding the Lincoln. Left the dealership with the Lincoln at 6:50pm

Friday 11/22/24 9am back at the dealership with the Lincoln because of the engine light coming on. When I pulled into the dealership with the vehicle and started to tell Bobby I pulled out of the garage this morning and the engine light come on he seemed to be annoyed with me being there, he quickly grabbed my key left me standing and walked over to the corner office which I learned that it was the sales managers office. Keep in mind Bobby had Thursday off and went fishing. His sales manager and one other salesperson was more interest hearing about how many and how big was the fish he caught rather than dealing with my issue. I did hear the sales manager say every customer has 30 days from the date of purchase to handle any issues. Note sales manager clearly saw me standing out in the showroom floor area. No acknowledgement whatso ever. Your sales manager is way to comfortable, and his lack non-communicating with existing customers has has completely went by the wayside. Old school training and simply not acceptable. Both seemed to be aggravated that I was back at...

If I could leave ZERO stars I would!!! Issue with our sunroof motor on a 2019 XT5. First visit we were told that the sunroof needed to be recalibrated. That didn't work and were told that the sunshade motor and sunroof motor module were bad and that they were keeping the car to exhaust any other possibilities. The rental car loaner that was provided was a complete nightmare, but this isn't about them. After a few days, we picked up the car after a shocking charge of approximately $1100 and found our white roof liner all stained up with black fingerprints all over. After driving the car for roughly a month or so, the same issue comes back. Sunroof is inop. Take the car back and again they send us to that rachet rental car agency to suffer another less than pleasurable experience. They changed the motor AGAIN and off we go. One month passes and AGAIN, sunroof is inop. This time we refused to get a rental and want a Cadillac from the dealership or were not taking the car in. Finally, after almost three more weeks of waiting, we get a call that they finally found a loaner from Cadillac for us. Take the car in and mention that there is a water slushing sound coming from the roof, maybe this has something to do with the issue. Suddenly now after we told them that there is a sound of water slushing in the roof, they decide that the drains are clogged and that this is the issue causing the motor to continually burn out and charged us an additional almost $500. Picked up the car and here we go. Waiting to see what comes next. Hopefully that was the cure. An issue that I feel skilled technicians should have found on day ONE after being told by them that bad parts can come from stock as if we were brain dead customers. I do realize that there is always a very remote possibility that a part can be bad from stock but TWICE IN A ROW???? Come on now.... I wasn't born yesterday!!! This isn't the quality a professional establishment that bears the name "CADILLAC" should exemplify. Poor experience to say the least. If this problem doesn't return, I highly doubt we will be visiting DIMMITT CADILLAC EVER AGAIN!

*UPDATE: See the manager’s response below where he states he was going to call me? Guess what? He never called....

I’ve been a loyal BMW customer for years, but after seeing the new Cadillac Escalade, I was genuinely impressed and decided to visit your dealership for a test drive. I want to start by acknowledging that the sales representative I worked with was excellent—very knowledgeable about the vehicle and made the experience enjoyable. His professionalism and enthusiasm played a big role in my decision to move forward with a potential purchase.

Unfortunately, things took a disappointing turn during the actual buying process:

Undisclosed Market Adjustment: While the vehicle was listed at MSRP on the window, I was surprised to be presented with an additional $10,000 “market adjustment” during the negotiation. This fee was not disclosed upfront and felt misleading.

Additional $2,500 Fee: I was also quoted another $2,500 in fees that weren’t clearly explained or tied to any actual product or service—just another markup, from what I could tell.

$1,200 Dealer Fee: While I understand some fees are standard, this seemed excessive, especially when combined with the above charges.

Below-Market Trade-In Offer: To add to the frustration, the offer I received for my trade-in was significantly below fair market value, despite the vehicle being in excellent condition and valued much higher elsewhere.

This pricing strategy felt more like a high-pressure tactic than a premium car-buying experience. It’s disappointing—especially for a brand like Cadillac that’s positioning itself to compete with top-tier luxury manufacturers.

As a suggestion: If your dealership intends to sell a vehicle above MSRP, I recommend clearly displaying the actual asking price alongside the MSRP on the window sticker or online listing. This level of transparency would save customers time, frustration, and help maintain trust in your sales process.

Fortunately, there are other Cadillac dealers who are willing to sell their vehicles at MSRP and offer fair market value on trade-ins. It’s a reminder that transparency and respect for the customer go a long way in building lasting...