Ripoff Report Needs Your Help!
X  |  CLOSE
Report: #1264999

Complaint Review: Criswell Automotive - Gaithersburg Maryland

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: Frederick Buyer — Frederick Maryland USA
  • Author Not Confirmed What's this?
  • Why?
  • Criswell Automotive 84 Bureau Dr Gaithersburg, Maryland USA

Criswell Automoative Criswell Jeep Deceptive Pricing and rude Sales Service Gaithersburg Maryland

Show customers why they should trust your business over your competitors...

Is this
Report about YOU
listed on other sites?
Those sites steal
Ripoff Report's
content.
We can get those
removed for you!
Find out more here.
How to fix
Ripoff Report
If your business is
willing to make a
commitment to
customer satisfaction
Click here now..

I had the worst experience with Criswell Jeep of the Criswell automotive group.  There use of deceptive pricing of pomoting a internet price which isn't in fact the internet price.  They call it dealer discounts but it isn't really dealer discounts.  What they do is put every possilbe promotion and call it their dealer discount but then tell you that isn't the price.  

They claim they do that to compete with Virginia dealers.  I don't understand that at all but that came from their sales maanger and their GSM Sam Hall.  He then put a spin on it that it isn't their terminalogy it is Chryslers but every other dealership has their own terminolgoy.  He then changed his story and said the IT department puts the information on the web site.  When I asked about that, he changed it again and said it was the marketing department.

In my opinion these guys are dishonest you can't believe anything they say.  To understand if what they said was true I called 10 MD dealerships and 10 VA dealerships to get in writing if their price posted on the website was infact my price.  Each one of them said yes that is the price I would get the car plus tax and tags obviously.

None of them said no, we have to check or dealer discount to see if it includes rebates that I may not qualify for, however a couple of them asked some questions to see if I did qualify for additional discounts such as a member of a credit union.

Below is copies of the web site and the text exchange I had with them.

This is from Sam Mills from Criswell:

Ok. I see where some confusion may arise. The initial page has the generic disclaimer that comes from Chrysler. Even in their disclaimer if you look at the third paragraph it states you may not qualify for all rebates and to see dealer for details. If you don’t mind, hit the blue  “View Details” icon under the sale price next to the picture of the wrangler. When it opens up, scroll down, that is the disclaimer for each individual vehicle from us. You will see it also states you may not qualify for all rebates. Also states plus freight, taxes and tags. Long story short, all our competitors advertise with these rebates or more. So we have to also. But regardless, we should have called you. I agree. Even though the rebates are supposed to be added back in, here is what I will do for you because of the miscommunication and that you are a repeat Criswell customer. At the least, if I disregard/eat the rebates, the price should be 34988 plus freight of 995 for a total of $35983.00 plus tax, tags, and Maryland processing. But I am willing to go one step more. I will split the freight and sell you the car for at $35500 plus t,t,p.  Will that work ?

I don't think I was confused

This is the text chat I had

 

Me:

what is the lowest price you will give for the 2015 white Sahara 2 door automatic you have on the lot

+1 (301) 882-3121:

Thanks for texting Criswell Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM! We received your message; a representative should respond shortly. Send STOP to opt out.

Hello this is Foster Gambrell, III responding to your text

Me:

thanks if it's a good price I will bring a check today

+1 (301) 882-3121:

do you know the stock number? is it lifted?

ah, i see it...it is the lifted one...are you planning to title in MD?

Me:

yes i am

+1 (301) 882-3121:

ok. give me a couple of minutes here

$36883 plus taxes and tags

Me:

dude your site says 34k you just jacked the price up. I was expecting you to go lower not higher

+1 (301) 882-3121:

it says 34988, not including taxes, tags, destination, or processing

it IS a $41K wrangler!

Me:

I understand give me your best price without tax and tags. it is also a 2015

+1 (301) 882-3121:

$36883

that's the best price I can give you. my manager might do better, if you are here

still there? i am at fgambrell@criswellauto.com

301.

212.4404

Me:

I am thinking

+1 (301) 882-3121:

ok

Me:

ask your manager 32500 plus tax and tags

+1 (301) 882-3121:

nope, can't that that to him

Timothy Lally:

ok thanks

+1 (301) 882-3121:

MAYBE $36 plus taxes and tags

Me:

the price on your website is 34998 plus tax and tags now you want to charge 36 tax and tags I don't think you are getting it have your manager call me because I am annoyed I thin I am going to post this on your Facebook page and get other opinions. 

+1 (301) 882-3121:

can i get your number?

Me:

301XXXXXXX

+1 (301) 882-3121:

thanks for contacting us today. is there anything else i can do for you?

Me:

yep have your manager call me

will he or she call me?

+1 (301) 882-3121:

The merchant has declined to receive further messages from this number.  The message will not be relayed to the merchant.

 

As you can see they decided not to respond anymore so I went to Criswell 

 

Here is the web pages and the email I sent the owner hcriswell@criswellauto.com

 

I am a customer of Criswell Auto and have purchased my last two cars from Criswell, a 2012 Camaro Convertible, and a 2015 Corvette Stingray.  Both times I have had excellent experience working with the sales team in the Chevrolet dealership.
 
Today I had the worst experience and feel that I have been part of a bait and switch scam along with just rude service and being lied to by your sales manager.  I am in the market for a new Jeep and thought I would give Criswell the business because of my experience the previous two times.  I don’t know if I will ever do business with Criswell or recommend your organization to anyone I know.  I am seriously contemplating forwarding this information to my friends in the government regarding bait and switch because this clearly, in my mind, is a clear case of it.  After reviewing my email I would appreciate a response.
 
Below is the text exchange with your salesperson I had regarding getting the best price.
 

Me:

what is the lowest price you will give for the 2015 white Sahara 2 door automatic you have on the lot

+1 (301) 882-3121:

Thanks for texting Criswell Chrysler Jeep Dodge RAM! We received your message; a representative should respond shortly. Send STOP to opt out.

Hello this is Foster Gambrell, III responding to your text

Me:

thanks if it's a good price I will bring a check today

+1 (301) 882-3121:

do you know the stock number? is it lifted?

ah, i see it...it is the lifted one...are you planning to title in MD?

Me:

yes i am

+1 (301) 882-3121:

ok. give me a couple of minutes here

$36883 plus taxes and tags

Me:

dude your site says 34k you just jacked the price up. I was expecting you to go lower not higher

+1 (301) 882-3121:

it says 34988, not including taxes, tags, destination, or processing

it IS a $41K wrangler!

Me:

I understand give me your best price without tax and tags. it is also a 2015

+1 (301) 882-3121:

$36883

that's the best price I can give you. my manager might do better, if you are here

still there? i am at fgambrell@criswellauto.com

301.

212.4404

Me:

I am thinking

+1 (301) 882-3121:

ok

Me:

ask your manager 32500 plus tax and tags

+1 (301) 882-3121:

nope, can't that that to him

Timothy Lally:

ok thanks

+1 (301) 882-3121:

MAYBE $36 plus taxes and tags

Me:

the price on your website is 34998 plus tax and tags now you want to charge 36 tax and tags I don't think you are getting it have your manager call me because I am annoyed I thin I am going to post this on your Facebook page and get other opinions. 

+1 (301) 882-3121:

can i get your number?

Me:

301XXXXXXX

+1 (301) 882-3121:

thanks for contacting us today. is there anything else i can do for you?

Me:

yep have your manager call me

will he or she call me?

+1 (301) 882-3121:

The merchant has declined to receive further messages from this number.  The message will not be relayed to the merchant.

 

 

As you can see I got annoyed because I can’t understand for the life of me why your website would say 34998 but you jack the price up to 36,883 almost 2K more than the website.  What really bothered me was that I asked for the manager to call me, he asked me for my number which you can see I gave.  He asked if there was anything else, and I said yes please have the manager call me.  Then they block my number.
 
At that point I was annoyed not by the price but how I was treated so I went to the dealership to confront the Sales Manager, Ale Toueg,  and ask him about this.  Right then I knew he was lying to me when I asked about the text exchange.  He claimed he didn’t know who it was and when I told him the Salesperson’s name he said he would get him and find out.  You could tell, he was stuttering and made up excuses.  Owning my own business it is rare when someone asked to speak to the manager or the owner that the employee would not give that person a heads up.  I would have rather him be a jerk and say he didn’t want to talk to me.
 
I asked him about the bait and switch tactics because I never had this experience before.  He rattled off the disclaimers on the web site on the promotions that I may or may not be entitled to.  He also said he has to price it that way to compete with the dealers in Virginia?  What does that mean?  I translate that as you have to mis-advertise pricing to compete and lure customers into your dealership to try and jack up the price?  The salesperson didn’t mention that but below is your ad. 
 
This is the first page you see on your website.  Notice it says dealer discount not dealer discount and separate amounts for other potential discounts, or is it asteriskthat could state this may not be the price.
 
 
If I click on Lock In ePrice I get the following window.  I assume this means I am locking in 34,988
 
 
This is the page when you click on View Details  Once again there is no asterisk that indicates the price could change.  Nothing that says tax and tags are not included.
 
 
At the bottom of the page you have this but it is confusing?  It says that the sale price includes rebates and incentives everyone will qualify for?  But they lied and said no that is not the case.
 
 
I didn't get an email back from the owner because I assume that is how he does business.  You be the judge, do you think Criswel is deceptive in their pricing?
 

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 11/01/2015 01:46 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/criswell-automotive/gaithersburg-maryland/criswell-automoative-criswell-jeep-deceptive-pricing-and-rude-sales-service-gaithersburg-1264999. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

Search for additional reports

If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:

Report & Rebuttal
Respond to this report!
What's this?
Also a victim?
What's this?
Repair Your Reputation!
What's this?
Featured Reports

Advertisers above have met our
strict standards for business conduct.

X
What do hackers,
questionable attorneys and
fake court orders have in common?
...Dishonest Reputation Management Investigates Reputation Repair
Free speech rights compromised

WATCH News
Segment Now