Russ Darrow Nissan of West Bend — Local services in West Bend

I’d been shopping for a used Pathfinder for a few weeks when I came across one on their website. At that price, it was an okay deal but I saw that they were advertising an additional $3000 over KBB for trade-in vehicles. I read the disclaimer and it looked like the offer would apply to the vehicle that I was interested in. This was an attractive deal so I called last Friday to get more info and make sure that the trade-in offer would apply. The woman I spoke with told me that she was surprised that there was an offer so generous but that she had seen that deal work for others and saw no reason why it wouldn’t work for me. I called back the following morning to make sure the vehicle was still available and that everything would be in order when I arrived. (I didn’t want to to drive three and a half hours for no reason). I also mentioned to her that I had been debating buying new vs. used, so I would like to see a new pathfinder as well as the used one that we had previously discussed. She told me that the trade-in offer would not apply to the new vehicle because it could not be combined with the offers that were already applied to the new vehicles which I understood. I was told that everything would be ready when I arrived.

When I arrived, the person that I was told to ask for wasn’t there so I started from scratch rehashing all the details that I had covered with the woman on the phone. My new salesman indicated that there might be a problem with the trade-in deal, but proceeded to collect all of the details about my vehicle so that they could give me an offer. In the meantime we took one of there new pathfinders for a test drive. He then ran the numbers on the new vehicle (tax & fees).

After all this I said that I would still like to drive the used one. They then brought the used model up. When I was done test driving it was time to talk numbers. At this point I was told that I would not qualify for the three thousand above KBB. I explained that I had called ahead for this reason.

My salesman then went to speak to his manager, and they listened to the recording of the phone call from the previous evening. My salesman came back and reiterated that I simply did not qualify. At this point I was very frustrated and said that this was unacceptable and unless the manager had anything else to offer, I had no reason to do business with them. His GM then came over and said that he had listened to the recording and he could “understand why I might have gotten that impression”. He explained that the trade-in deal could not be combined with other offers and that the price listed on the website constituted and “offer”. He continued to say that he would be unable to help at all with the price of the used vehicle but he had some wiggle room on the new one and offered an additional $1000 off for my trouble.

By this time I was so frustrated, I told them I need to think about it. I ultimately left and drove another three and a half hours home... fuming mad.

Then as if all that wasn’t enough, Monday morning I missed a call from West Bend. When I listened to the voicemail it went something like this... “Hi, this is _, GM at Russ Darrow Nissan. I saw that you asked us for an offer on the vehicle you were trying to sell...”

For a second there I thought “maybe he calling to apologize”. Nope. Another sales pitch. Obviously he didn’t remember me. Unbelievable!

I don’t usually write reviews, especially not negative ones. I just wouldn’t want anyone else to go through the mess that I went through. I was treated very poorly and believe that this dealership employs deceptive advertising. I also believe that either their employees do not understand their promotions or they flat out lie about them.

Actually, my salesman hit the nail on the head, he said “those promotions online are just there to get people in the door”.

If you are considering doing business with this dealership I would definitely not...

We had a very good and enjoyable experience today purchasing a Pathfinder. Jacob and Rob went out of there way to help us find a happy medium to purchase the vehicle. Jennifer the financial guru worked her magic in securing a loan that fit my budget. So today may have been long but we returned home with a very nice Pathfinder. I would recommend going to Russ Darrow in West Bend, Wi for a new vehicle. Ask for Jacob or Rob, they're excellent in what they do and also very patient. Give them all 5 stars This is a addendum to the review, having the pathfinder for about 3 weeks. It has been a bumpy road. The car has been in for repairs already. I was having problems with the cruise control and the ABS. These components were not working right. It was found that there was a broken bracket in the front of the car, that held the sensors for this function. So the bracket needed to be replaced and all the sensors needed to be recalibrated, again this came at a cost. The cost of $1165.00 plus tax. This took the wind out of my sales. I thought what next, I haven't even paid my first car payment yet. Thank goodness, Rob stated that they would pay for half of the cost. My basic complaint would be with the person or persons in the service department that inspected the car to rate it as a Certified Pre Owned vehicle, To me this means that all of the components to the car are in working order to ensure a safe and drivable vehicle. In this case it was not. The person should have been aware of the chrome piece missing on the front of the car that logically would be a red flag that some damage was done to the front end no matter how small. The under carriage of the front end of the car should have been thoroughly inspected and this problem (damaged bracket) should have been fixed prior to it. being sold. So again I have the old adage of Buyer Beware. Remember ,that seeing a Certified Pre Owned label on a car to me means absolutely nothing. The doubt of the car being totally inspected will always be there for me and the trust in the persons in the service department that are suppose to do this job, is not there. I do again want to thank Rob and Jacob for there time and patience during this journey and being there to support and intervene during this time You guys are the best. April 11, 2024 This is a update for the last 6-8 weeks. My bumpy road has finally become a clear highway. After many weeks of discussions and the tireless, patience of Jacob looking for the right new vehicle he finally found me the right vehicle to replace the former car. He corrected the problem, that was created from my last purchased. I want to give my heart felt thanks to Jacob. Jacob went above and beyond the idea of excellence in customer service. I hope that the Russ Darrow family recognizes, they have a excellent employee in Jacob. It is because of Jacob I still trust in the Russ Darrow name. So if anyone is looking for a new or preowned vehicle from Russ Darrow Nissan please , look up Jacob to give you the best in customer service. Thanks Jacob April 29, 2024 Everything is going great, l really like the Murano, Thanks to Jacob , who saved the day. Due to Jacob's diligence in finding the right car, my faith and trust has once again been restored in car dealerships like Russ Darrow. So now it's on to planning my summer vacation in a vehicle I can trust. Please contact Jacob if you need a car, He will take great care of...

I had a great experience with Russ Darrow of West Bend. The people all treated me well, they were kind, they explained everything quite well, they didn’t tack on a bunch of fees, and they didn’t patronize me or act condescendingly.

I had been vigilantly looking for a specific type of used Nissan Rogue for over a month in the Wisconsin and Illinois areas. The price was slightly higher than I had been looking for, but they didn’t have crazy fees which offset the listing price. They also had recently dropped it $3k, it was Nissan certified, last years model (so newer than I expected to buy) and everything I wanted. I asked for the out the door price before arriving so I knew there would be a $400 doc/dealer fee, but that was it. That’s a reasonable dealer fee, unlike a $1000-2000 experience or destination fee ON TOP of doc fees at other dealers (like some in Illinois—Napleton and Kunes County Ford of Antioch). Some places will also charge in addition to the listing price for certified vehicles, but this was included in the asking price. It was a very different (good) experience compared to the other dealers I had been dealing with, especially those in Illinois. These guys were honest, upfront, kind, helpful, and the typical wholesome Midwest folk.

I will comment that they would not take my vehicle as a trade in, which was a downside. They tried, but my out of state title was complicated for them and my car was old with a lot of miles and not in great condition so if they could take it, they would only give me $100-200. That made a little more trouble for me, but I was fine with it and I plan to use Wheelzy to come pick it up who offered more. They also did not negotiate anything off the vehicle I purchased. I’m not sure it’s as easy to negotiate anymore at dealers since everything is online and they want to list their best asking price to get you in the door, but just be mindful of this, or do better than me!

Overall the car I purchased was in great condition, everything I could have wanted and a fair price. It came with 3 included oil changes from Russ Darrow locations and two keys which is also something. They were knowledgeable, helpful, and informative. They were also just kind and nice to work with. From the receptionists (Robin and Becky) to the sales people (Patrick and Carson) to the paperwork (Jeanne), it was a good experience for me. Carson was available via text for all my questions and very pleasant to work with--went through all the features of my car and accommodated a schedule change last minute. From my last experiences over the phone or in person at dealers who were deceitful, rude, difficult to work with, it was refreshing to be treated respectfully and to just have an overall good experience. I almost went with carvana or vroom after a bad dealer experience, but I’m glad I didn’t. They were able to do all title/registration/licensing very efficiently and a normal price even with me moving in the near future. It would almost be worth a couple hundred just for the experience here....