Richmond BMW Midlothian — Local services in Midlothian

EDIT: Revised to remove names and post an update! As soon as the general manager realized what happened, he gave me a call (after hours, even) and explained the situation. The whole thing was an honest mistake, and an extremely rare one, at that. We talked for a long time, and he even offered to help me look for my next car. The next morning, he followed up by sending me some other vehicles that fit within my parameters. Additionally, he made a point to defend the sales rep I was working with, emphasizing again that this was a mistake and there was no malicious intent. That hit me hard, because I have a lot of respect for a boss who's willing to stand up for his employees, even when a customer is upset. I changing my review from 1 to 3 stars because of the eagerness to correct the situation, and the good character of the people who work here. I DID end up finding another car elsewhere, but I'm appreciative of the people here who cared enough to help me even when they really didn't have to.

ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW:

I’m so sad to say how disappointed I am with my experience here.

I was in a wreck over a month ago and lost my beloved 3 series, and have spent the past six weeks looking everywhere for my next BMW. And I mean EVERYWHERE! I was looking at listings all over the country, and checking inventory every single day.

And a couple weeks ago, I thought I found it. A red 2015 M235i convertible, with all the packages and features I wanted, and within my budget. As soon as I got an insurance quote, I told the sales rep that I was ready to buy. Things seemed to be going fine… I was prepared to pay for shipping back home to Texas, and we discussed the cost of a screen replacement (since it was delaminating) as well as getting new badges put on the car. I said I was willing to pay for those repairs, I sent in my drivers license and proof of insurance, and I called in almost every single day to ask what else was needed from me. I spoke to multiple sales representatives, and was always left with the impression that things were in the works and that I’d be informed when the car was ready. Well…that never happened. I called again on Wednesday (December 4th) and was told that the car had sold the previous morning.

I was confused, and devastated. I thought it was made abundantly clear that I was 100% intent on buying the car, and was just waiting for repairs to be done so we could get everything finalized. I don’t know if the car was sold by mistake, or just blatantly sold to someone else because they happened to see it as soon as it was back on the sales floor. Either way, I have no idea what happened because my calls were never returned after that, and my requests to contact a manager were never seen through. I just want to know what happened. But all of a sudden, it seemed like nobody wanted to talk to me. The ONLY person who cared enough to help me try to get an answer was Dylan from the online sales team, and I’m very grateful to him. Shoutouts Dylan.

I know this has turned into a wall of text, but to say I’m upset at the lack of communication and organization from this dealership would be a massive understatement. Again… I understand mistakes happen, and maybe this was an honest mistake. Or maybe they didn’t care and just wanted to sell the car as soon as possible. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m exhausted, emotionally drained, and back to searching for the right car.

If you’re looking for your next BMW, I’d strongly consider looking elsewhere. ESPECIALLY if you’re an out-of-state buyer. Part of the reason I love BMW is that you can always expect a certain standard of service and excellence, but that standard is simply not...

Midlothian BMW isn't just a fancy big name dealership on the Midlothian Turnpike. They are the epitome of customer service.

I was a typical, current hard times car buyer. I was getting by with my trusty old '94 Civic. Then it developed a major engine problem which was not worth repairing, nor did I have the means for a major repair. I decided on getting a replacement to use to go to work. I've been seeing and reading about the Fiat 500 Abarth. I figured the good gas mileage and its supposedly torquey motor would be a fun replacement.

I went online to look for one that I could afford but had low miles. I narrowed my search down to five dealers in my general area. After sending out my not so good credit info, three never called me back and one called back days later telling me of my loan rejection. The day after I sent out emails of intent, Robert Jackson from Midlothian BMW contacted me. I wasn't expecting much because of my credit record, but right off the bat he was very courteous and professional. He set me up with Justin Maurice of their finance department. On the same day, Justin was able to find a lender willing to work with me and I was able to put in my downpayment.

Midlothian BMW is an hour and a half drive from where we live. We took a rental car to Richmond, planning to drop it off at the rental lot a good three to four miles from the dealership. We told Robert of our plan and asked him if they offered a customer pick up service. He offered to pick us up personally. He also figured out and let us know ahead of time that the address that we had for the rental lot was closed and that they had moved to a different location. This saved us the experience of pulling up on a vacant lot. He was there when we arrived, very cordial and accomodating. The car was waiting for us in front of the dealership when we arrived, all serviced, washed, waxed and detailed. We test drove the beast of a Fiat 500 Abarth, signed the papers, hung out a little bit in their pristine showroom and we left with the new member of the family.

It was, overall, a million dollar experience for a simple car shopper like me. I definitely recommend shopping at Midlothian BMW for your next brand new sports car or your next beater. Both of which you can be assured will be quality cars and that you will definitely receive outstanding...

My experience with Matt Underwood was the worst customer service interaction I’ve ever had with a BMW SA. He was rude, condescending, dismissive and extremely unhelpful in addressing my concerns around my car’s drive performance and AC issues. He asked no probing questions to diagnose my stated concerns, he never once initiated contact with me to explain the technician’s notes, and he didn’t even bother to tell me my car was ready after it had been serviced and was sitting for hours. I should note that I took my car in for routine maintenance for an oil change. It took a day and a half for me to get my car back. When I noticed the tracking system had showed my service was complete (but not ready for pickup) for at least 2 hrs, I texted him to request an ETA and he never responded. I finally went to the service center and saw my paperwork and keys sitting on a table and Matt was not around. He hadn’t even processed my service order yet, so another SA had to assist me. I also asked about my rear brakes which were recommended for repair on my last visit, but were documented as passing on the current visit. When I mentioned this to Matt, he responded, “oh that’s weird.” When I initially scheduled the service appt, I asked the rep for a SA recommendation to which she replied that Matt is often requested. However, his lack of knowledge or unwillingness to provide it, integrity and overall demeanor were not at all representative of his title or the service I’ve become accustomed to at other BMW locations outside RVA. Considering the premium I paid for my car and continue to pay to have it maintained and serviced, this interaction was deplorable and truly unacceptable. I still do not know if my car in fact needs rear brakes and my concerns regarding a vacuum leak have gone unaddressed. Midlo BMW really should better coach their SAs on relationship building, customer service and diversity training. None of the interactions I’ve had at this location have been stellar, but this one in particular was beyond poor. When you take your car in for service you want to be able to trust that you’re getting the service you pay for and you’re being treated fairly with decency and respect. That was not at all...