Perry Ford of Santa Barbara

Bait and switch? Deception? All they care about is getting your money? You decide.\r \r I contacted Perry Ford/Mazda of Santa Barbara to help me buy a new F-250 King Ranch. They said they found my vehicle at another dealership and sent me a window sticker. The information on window stickers includes company codes and jargon. No where did the window sticker indicate that the truck was a King Ranch, so I emailed them several times to confirm the details of the truck. Their email replies were vague and confusing, but one reply in particular was: ""Yes, this is the truck you asked for."" When I asked to see a photo of the truck, they said they could not provide one because it was coming from another dealer. Unfortunately, I trusted their word and paid for the vehicle in order to drive it off the lot once it arrived at their dealership. When the vehicle arrived and it was not what I asked for, they tried to get me to pay them more money to have it painted to look like what I asked for. I refused to take possession of the vehicle, and told them I wanted my money back.\r \r Perry Ford fought for a month to keep my money. Every level of the organization pushed to make me take that truck. They threatened to deliver it to my house on a flat-bed truck. With no reconciliation in sight, I had to hire a lawyer for the first time in my life. \r \r My attorney reviewed the contracts and email exchanges I had with the dealership and quickly confirmed that I had a solid case and would likely win in arbitration (I had signed away my right to take them to court in the course of the sale). It was only after I made it clear that I was prepared to go into arbitration with Perry Ford that they began to negotiate with me. First they offered to buy the truck back as a ""trade-in,"" for significantly less money, though it had never been driven off the lot. Then they wanted to keep $3000 of my money in order to ""rectify the error."" Days before Perry Ford would have had to pay $3200 to begin arbitration, they agreed to give me my money back. Although relieved by the outcome, I was not reimbursed for the attorney fees. Furthermore, this was an extremely stressful experience for me.\r \r My biggest complaint is that it is clear at every stage of the negotiation that Perry Ford knew exactly the vehicle that I was asking for and still deceived me into paying for a different vehicle. This dishonesty is unethical to me, and I hope other consumers do not suffer the same fate.\r Please check the reviews before you choose a dealership. There are several Ford dealerships in Ventura, Oxnard, and the valley with much better reviews who give much better (read: honest) service. Finally, always lay hands on the vehicle you intend to purchase before you pay for it. This is probably obvious to most people, but it wasn't to me. I thought I could trust my local dealership . . . . more

Their repair department is simply crooked. Six months ago my Ford E-350 van had the AC compressor and and aftermarket AC hose replaced by Vreeland Ford in Buelton at a cost of $2300. A few months later the AC failed and I took my van to Perry Ford in Santa Barbara because it was closer I was told that ""all work was warranted by Ford for one year"". The leak was found in one of the two aftermarket hoses. I was told by Jeff in the service dept that if it was the same hose that was replaced recently at Vreeland Ford, it would be covered by warranty, if not, I would have to pay. I agreed. The leak was found but no one could tell me if it was the same part that I already had replaced. After several days of nothing happening (seems everyone at the Ford dealers are sick all the time), I picked up my van, paid $180 diagnostic fee, and brought it back to Vreeland Ford in Buelton where the original work was done. They quickly identified that one of the connectors that they had replaced became loose. They tightened it and the problem was solved at no charge. I asked Perry Ford to refund the $180 diagnostic fee since the problem was covered under warranty and they refused. Jeff, the Service Advisor who told me it would be covered under warranty if it was a recently replaced part, now told me that the Service Manager decided that there is no ""Ford Warranty"" for any repairs that include aftermarket parts. I asked ""If I get my Dodge truck fixed at your Ford repair shop then the warranty is not good at other Ford Factory Service Centers?"" He replied NO. Funny, because if I get any vehicle fixed at Sears, I can get warranty work done at any other Sears. I will contact Ford Motor Co and eventually Perry Ford will refund that money even if it involves small claims litigation. BTW I also had my turbo rebuilt at a cost of $1500 during my same visit to Perry Ford so the disputed amount is only a small part of my overall bill. This experience just highlights their petty thinking. They want your money and don't care at all if their charges are justified or whether the customer has a legitimate complaint. It's extreme arrogance. In order for me to get the refund that I am due, I will need to write letters to Ford Motor Co, file legal claims, etc. \r \r Bruce Goetting, MD\r Montecito\r more

All they care about is making money and getting good feedback on surveys. But they don't actually give good service to earn good feedback. They don't even return calls! more

unable to remove review Cons: They have no professionals there more