ComplaintsforFremont Ford

• Initial Complaint

  03/14/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased **** truck from Fremont Ford on November 2022. At the time of the sale, the person that helped us with the contract recommended we added the warranty that would cover any damage, service or repair to the vehicle until it reached the five year purchase/60,000 miles (which ever came first). We added the warranty for a total of $8,250. On Jan 5 2024 I had an appointment schedule for oil change. I took the vehicle at 9:15 and the service representative gave me a paper with the mileage of the vehicle and the service they would perform he mentioned that for the next visit I should get the vehicle checked since the car would probably have ****** miles by the next visit or if I wanted them to check it now since I had the warranty and before it expired. I left the car for service and before the warranty expired to get check now. I asked how much did I have to pay for that because I was told I had warranty for five years/60kmiles. Employee told me, dont worry about it. Around 4pm they called me the service was complete so I went with my husband and turns out we had to pay $1600 because they did the 30k miles check up and the oil change. We talked to the manager because we had the warranty that covered all services and we only left the vehicle for oil change and a check up but they argued they completed work for a truck that has 30k miles(my car didnt have 30k miles and the employee had said dont worry about it assuming the warranty would cover). We had to pay the money in order to take our car. On Jan 6,2024 we went in person to cancel the warranty. Its been more than two months and the refund has not been processed. I called corporate they said funds were available to the dealer on Jan 9 my refund was $4,800 so i already lost another $4,000 from the warranty that in that year I didnt use nor did it cover the oil change. Ive been trying to contact the dealer and spoke to finance/sales manager and they say they will get back to me. Not corporate or dealer have helped with the refund check!

  

  Business response

  03/15/2024

  ******,

  Please see the attached check copy.  The original refund check was mailed out 2/15.  Since it had not cleared, we reissued on 3/11 and overnighted the attached check.  It was just received yesterday.  Terribly sorry for the confusion.  When we tried to call you, the person stated wrong number.  I have updated our file to include your number that you provided here.  Once again, I apologize for the delay.

   

  Sincerely,

  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  08/18/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I bought a truck here February 2023 and purchased the extended warranty for $4000. I talk to ******* (one of the finance guys) at the beginning of March and I filled out the paperwork to get the warranty cancelled and get the refund applied back to the loan which would take 6 to 8 weeks.Towards the end of May I still do not see the refund applied to my principle, only the payments I have been making. I call on May 24 and got hold of ******* and he checks my account and does see that the warranty was cancelled on March 10th. He says he will need to contact the business department and would call me back, no call back. So I call the dealership again on June 23 and this time got a hold of ******* (finance guy that did my paperwork). I told him what was going on and he tells me that he will need to contact the business department, but since it was a Friday he probably wouldn't get an answer until the following week. I did not received a call back.After calling every week with no answer, I decide to contact the general manager on July 14th, I think his name is *******. I tell him the situation and he says he will call me back. He did not call me back, but he did have ******* (who is the finance guys manager) call me on Saturday. I explain the situation and for me to call him on Monday (July 17) afternoon around 12:30pm. I call him at the designated time but no answer, so I leave a message. By July 18 I am tired of all this, so I make a final call to ******* (around 12:30pm) and state that if I did not hear from him after today I would be filing a complaint with the BBB. I get a call from ******* around 4pm that day and he states that the business department has just issued the refund and that I should see it in a couple of days. I asked him why it took so long and he stated it was the business department just taking long to issue the refund.It is now August 18th and I still do not see the refund applied to my principle. Where is my refund?

  

  Business response

  08/21/2023

  **************,

  I apologize that you are having to go through this hassle.  There was an error on your contract so it was just getting stuck every time.  We have opened a case to resolve the issue.  However, since this is not your fault, we have decided to refund the entire amount and we will deal with **** Protect to get the contract fixed.  I have attached a copy of the case opened with **** and the check for the refund that will go out this week.  Thank you for your understanding in this matter!  Please me know if you need anything else.

  Sincerely,

  ***************************

   

  Customer response

  08/22/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  07/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Order Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a truck that I really like on July 1st 2023. I called before I came and was told that the vehicle was marked up $7000 above MSRP. I really wanted the vehicle and reluctantly accepted because I understood the market situation and that I wouldnt be able to get a much lower price in the near future. I came in and talked to ****. I told him that I wanted a low down payment for the vehicle and was really going make double but wanted the freedom to pay less in case a month or two of hard times. He came back with a financial institution and number I felt acceptable.Later I signed papers with *****************************. During the process he offered multiple warranties and extras and I turned them all down. Near the end he says he occasionally gets some kind of credits and was offering something called triple care for no cost to me. I didnt pay much attention to it because it was free and sighted all the paperwork.Next day I look over the forms a bit more and see that I was charged $675 for ****** care and $999 for something called Sparton Recovery. I was never told there was a charge verbally for any of these things. I was told triple care was no additional charge and told ******* was on the vehicle but never told it cost anything. I should have more attention to details when signing the contract but honestly never expected to be hustled like this. I bought many cars before and everything seemed so routine till now. This has never happened to me before. I had gone back July 2nd and was told by **** that ******* should have told me. I talked to ******* and he said **** should have told me about the price of ******* and that he didnt charge me for triplecare because my monthly price didnt go up. Obviously it was just added to the figure without me knowing when I got the first quote.I want to only pay what was agreed and that is 7k above MSRP + tax. I think thats a fair deal. I did not expect to have my loan to be packed like this.

  

  Business response

  07/05/2023

  Dear Mr. ***************** go to great lengths to ensure that our customers understand what they are buying.  I apologize that my team let you down.  I have attached the contracts that you signed for review. 

  My sales management has made contact with Mr. ******** and the ****** care is going to be cancelled and fully refunded.  However, the Spartan is hardware installed and cannot be refunded since it is activated.  We will process the refund right away. 

  I apologize for any inconvenience.

  thank you for your business

  Customer response

  07/05/2023

   
  Complaint: 20266782
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Your business is predatory and deceptive. I was never told verbally by anyone that there was a cost associated with any of these things. They were added to the invoice. Sure I signed it. Your finance person and sales person repeated the same line. Its included . Im not an english major, but that would imply no additional charge. The way the contact and presentation were done it would seem that the price on the line would just be an indication of the value of the item. Youve stuffed my contract and know it. Its a ****** to see if I would notice or not.
  

  In addition I have a new concern. Spartan is apparently a service that caters for you. Its not a service for me. From what Im reading its a repo service. Apparently you guys can track me and shut my car off anytime you want. Thats pretty creepy and concerning. Are my wife and kids safe? Who has access to this technology? You made me pay for YOUR asset protection. Not mine. I pay insurance.

  ***********************

   

  Ill of course accept the *********** refund, but request a refund of what you charged me for Spartan as well. Also need information on how to remove it. At the very least refund me all the profit and commission youve made from adding Spartan without me knowing if you are sincere about making things right. Just charge me the actual cost that you pay for it and Ill take responsibility for being adult and letting hustle me. Most importantly Id like it disabled. Its an invasion of my privacy.

   

  
  ****************

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I leased a car with ********** Fremont. CA. I sold the car to CarMax on 4/23/21. ****** made multiple attempts to pay **** dealerships and **** Corporate, but they would not reply to calls or emails. The Dealership would direct us to the corporate, and the corporate would direct us to the dealer. However, after multiple attempts, finally, after 2 months, they accepted the payment from ********************* CREDIT COMP then reported to the Credit Bureaus that I delayed the payment for ***** after I sold the car to Carmax in April.I called multiple times to ask them to remove the delayed payment because the delay was caused on their end.This has been impacting my credit report for over a year and still, they don't want to remove it.I learned that they had done this to many other customers, and local car dealers want to avoid buying/trading cars whose title is held by Fremont Ford. This is their common practice. They do this because they lose business if their customers sell/trade their cars and they don't want that.

  

  Business response

  03/30/2023

  Fremont Ford does not report anything to the credit bureau. If you are trying to dispute the credit bureau report, you will need to contact **** Credit at ************.

  However, You did not own the vehicle (It was a lease), so you had no right to sell the vehicle to Carmax in the first place.

  Customer response

  04/01/2023

   
  Complaint: 19871948
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  Firstly - Please find the screenshot where you reported late payments. Knowing that Car was sold and CarMax was responsible for making the payments as per the attached agreement section "Lienholder Information," you still marked me at fault where it should be CarMax.

  
  The question here is, did you accept the payment of time? CarMax and I made multiple calls and emails, and you did not accept the payment on time. You made us go to corporate, and corporate sent us to the dealership. Per the email attached by CarMax it clearly states that they tried making the payments.

  
  Regardless, my simple ask is please issue a letter of ""Pay-for-delete", stating credit agencies to delete the late payment from my report". which means you received the payments regardless, and request *************** to remove these late payments from your credit report.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Arbas Siddiqui

  ************

• Initial Complaint

  02/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 1/31/2022 I bought a vehicle from the Fremont Ford dealership. I also bought GAP coverage (Deficiency waiver addenum). At the moment of the purchase, I was told that I can cancel it anytime. Since then I tried to cancel this policy numerous times reaching out to the dealership via email and by phone, but I was never refunded. I attach the cancellation form as well as GAP agreement.I hope you could help me get my promised refund back

  

  Business response

  02/22/2023

  I have sent the owner an email requesting miles and date of cancelation. Once I receive it, gap will be canceled immediately. It usually takes 6 to 10 weeks for the lien holder to receive the cancelation check. Please let me know if there are any other questions.

  Sincerely,

  ***************************, GM

  Customer response

  03/06/2023

  ******, thanks so much for your help, they ignored me for >1 year and now I finally received the check. Kudos to BBB!

• Initial Complaint

  10/31/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  On 10/07 we worked with **************** the Internet Sales Manager at **** Fremont and ****************** General store Manager who sent us the Electronic paperwork to secure the recall free **** Expedition 2021 VIN# FMJU1MT6MEA63191. **************** verbally confirmed that the car has no open recalls. On 10/17 we wired $20 000 down payment to Fremont Ford. On 10/21 we received the paperwork to sign and ************ papers stated 1 open recall Underhood Fire. We checked all available VIN check websites and all said open recall. We called **************** and he tried to talk himself out of this, without any success and he surely didnt want to send it in an email or writing.. Do you wonder why? Well, I sent him a text message saying I will contact NHTSA and **** tomorrow morning, before I sign and send back the paperwork, to get it confirmed, that there are no open recalls. **** should know! 30 min. Later I received a call from Mr. ** saying after more digging and looking into the car, we noticed the recalls were not taking care of, but its no problem because all you have to do is take it to the dealership and get it done when the parts come in Of course, I follow the remedy to park a $70k car outside in ******** Winter, bc it could catch on fire. 10/24 we stepped away from the contract due to breach of contract and sent an email to **************** ****************** and the General Manager **************** to refund our $20k down payment no later than 11/01 by service tracked mail or wire transfer. As of today we have not received any communication from Fremont Ford nor have the $20k been refunded to us. We will contact ******** and also reach out to ******************* president of **** Fremont if we dont get this resolved asap. This Dealership has absolutely no knowledge of out of state sales. The car was sold to somebody else on 10/26 who did not do research and bought a car with a recall and no fix. Good for him, but I need me $20k back asap. Stay away from Fremont Ford if you can!! Check your VIN

  

  Business response

  11/11/2022

  Terribly sorry that you had a bad experience with my dealership.  Let me address the issues at hand:
  1- We issued the refund check on 10/27, but it was not mailed until 11/7 because the owner was out of town with a family emergency.  I have attached a copy of the check.  I can happily re-issue a check if you do not receive it by Thursday, 11/17.
  2- Although we are allowed to sell vehicles with open recalls per ****** guidelines, we do not participate in that practice with recalls as serious as this one.  The recall was performed, and you were given the wrong information by the sales person.  The recall was done, but had not been processed by **** warranty.  Unfortunately, sometimes it takes up to 4-6 weeks to process on their end.  Then we have no idea how long it takes third parties to record. 
  I apologize for the inconvenience.

  Let me know that you received the refund check

  Sincerely,

  ***************************, GM

  **********************************

   

  Customer response

  11/15/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. 

  BUT  Oh Boy, the emergency excuse statementFremont Ford sent the contract, for me to sign tracked and overnight! But guess what The Fremont Ford  business office sends out checks to customers, in my case $20.000 (twenty thousand dollars downpayment) by regular mail, without a tracking number or any proof, even though I asked for it. Its just common sense you would think. When you step away from a contract, with Fremont Ford due to issues with the dealership, youre not a potential costumer to them anymore and worthless to them. We asked for the downpayment to be returned on11/1 and 11/3 we started to talk to our lawyer and *****

  We didnt know where the check was and Fremont couldnt tell us either since $20.000 were sent without a tracking number. I received mail from Fremont Ford 11/8 and noticed the letter was stamped by the postoffice on 11/2 ( picture can be provided) and we received the check on 11/8 . Thank God! BUT as you can see the emergency excuse is just another questionable statement to a customer. 

  ***************, we received the check with First-Class mail on 11/8! Very doubtable that the check was sent on 11/7 as you stated above, due to emergencies of family. Something doesnt add up again, but Im not surprised!

  Anyway, all we did was trying to buy a used recall free **** Expedition Platinum from Fremont Ford, but it was impossible.

  At this point, Im extremely happy this nightmare with Fremont Ford is over and we decided not to get the car from them.

  On 11/1 I bought a car from another dealership, who was very competent and very knowledgeable in OUT OF STATE car sells and shipping. On 11/11 ( 10 days later) the car arrived at my doorstep from **** to ******** 

  Make sure you do your research and call **** and NHTSA to get your recall repairs confirmed. The car might be recall free now, but was not at the time of my possible purchase!

  Thank you ********  and thank you BBB for stepping in.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  07/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I've taken my company vehicle for repairs to Fremont ford almost 2 months ago, I've been told several time that service will be complete "next week" this has gone on for over 6 weeks now. I attempt to call weekly for updates though getting a response has been impossible, I'm place on hold indefinitely until call hangs up.My level of frustration is through the roof, this operation has little to no regard for the revenue loss my business is loosing by continued delays in completing service to my vehicle. I have not once received an update that was not initiated by me. How this business is still alive is beyond my understanding. Online reviews have them at 1 star, I see their track record on your site (BBB) is abysmal.

  

  Business response

  07/27/2022

  Unfortunately, ****************** shipped ** broken glass numerous times.  We have contacted the customer and came up with a solution to get them on the road.  I believe the customer is happy at this point.

• Initial Complaint

  07/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  They asked for $10k markup on Mach-e that we reserved 9 months ago. They denied delivery once we refused to pay. VIN: *****************

  

  Business response

  07/14/2022

  This conc ern has been resolved with the customer.  I believe he is now completely satisfied.  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  05/12/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 03/22/2022 My 2016 **** Focus was checked by our mechanic, and found lost Communication with (***) Body Control Module DTC U040. Recommendation was to bring the car to a **** dealership for further troubleshooting and repair. On 03/24/2022 we brought the car to Fremont Ford. RO# ****** Tag#*** They held on to the vehicle to attempt to replicate the issue. Fremont Ford was unable to replicate the issue, and the vehicle was returned to me on 03/29/2022 and I was billed $255. Problem was not resolved and it continued to be an issue.Brought the vehicle back on 03/30/2022 for the same issue. RO#****** Tag#*** Fremont Ford held on to the vehicle for a couple of weeks and was finally able to duplicate the issue. A new Body Control Module and 2 replacement keys was recommended. New Estimated repair is $1880.38 and 2 new keys will cost $225.00. Service Advisor *********************** stated that the Body Control Module is on back order and will take some time to receive. After a couple of weeks, I tried unsuccessfully to contact ***** for an update. For the entire month of April 2022, I was not given an update from anyone at Fremont Ford. All my calls were never answered and I never received a return call.On 05/04/2022, after weeks of failed attempts to get and update from ***********************, or anyone from Fremont Ford, I went to the dealership to ask for the status of the *** back order. An individual supposedly named *****************, who supposedly the Director of the ************* stated that the *** part is in stock, but is located in 2 service departments, in the entire country. He will try to have the part sent to Fremont Ford. As of 05/12/2022 I have not heard any updates from anyone from Fremont Ford. Again failed attempts to contact Mr. *** or anyone from the service department. My car has been at Fremont Ford for almost 2 months. Paid $255 for nothing. No loaner car was offered. No updates from anyone. No one will answer my calls.

  

  Business response

  05/16/2022

  I spoke to customer about this issue and explained how **** parts are difficult to give proper estimates.  I told him that we apologize for poor communication; the advisor was out on medical leave.  ***, the service director is going to contact customer this week to see if parts arrived yet, and we will expedite the repair.  We settled the dispute of the $255 with the customer.

  Thank you,

  ***************************, GM

• Initial Complaint

  05/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased new 2021 **** Raptor for $14k over sticker ($79,155 +14,000) on 4/14. During the process of negotiations on my trade in and figuring out the financing, they were showing a APR of ****% for 72months, which is well above what i could have gotten from other lenders, found out they didn't even run it through **** credit (I asked the finance manager and he was like oh **** credit rate would be like 6%). So obviously they were getting a commission/kickback from TD Auto. Fast forward to after signing contracts on small tablet and the finance manager ****** pushing the extended warranty and speeding through the details on the contract, they changed the APR to ****%. So now stuck either paying more interest or having to rerun my credit to refinance to get out of the current loan that should have been done right in the first place. I did not catch since i was in a hurry to get out to pick up my kids, but the finance manager kept wasting time trying to sell the extended warranty, which he lied and said i could only purchase at that time and couldn't get it elsewhere at a later date. Upon doing more research I found that the extended warranty can be purchased later and also found it a lot cheaper at $1445 instead of the supposed dealer cost of $2640. When I called to discuss and cancel with the Finance manager he denied saying that i couldn't buy another time and i had to push to get it cancelled. Brought up the APR change and he said thats between me and the sales manager which doesn't make any sense. I figured buying a car at a $14k **** up plus taking a little less on the trade that they would be trust worthy and helpful given they are making a large profit on the transaction. Never have had a car buying experience with such shady tactics, and upon reading more reviews of the dealer, sounds like i'm not alone.

  

  Business response

  05/05/2022

  I have spoken to the customer regarding this complaint.  We were not able to come to any resolution.

  Customer response

  05/05/2022

   
  Complaint: 17131883
  
  I am rejecting this response because: The General Manager offered no resolution, just said i can refinance and cancel the extended warranty. which still doesn't correct any of the unethical business practices they have with change APR rates in hopes the buyer doesn't catch it and also lies about having to purchase the extended warranty through them. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  05/19/2022

  There were no unethical practices happening. We pulled the paperwork and the apr on the contract is LESS than the quote the customer signed. At this point , the customer has cancelled the warranty and they will receive a refund for that. Customer also states that they refinanced the vehicle. It appears that everything is resolved. Im not sure what other issues need attention. 
  

  Customer response

  05/26/2022

   
  Complaint: 17131883
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the same response as before, they lied during the process and refused to make it right, had to go through refinancing the loan to get out from them not doing whats best for their customers. Logged a formal complaint with **** Corporate as well. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

  

  Business response

  07/01/2022

  We acknowledge receipt of your complaint.

  Customer response

  07/12/2022

   
  Complaint: 17131883
  
  I am rejecting this response because:Still has done nothing to make right, caused me a hassle of having to refinance a loan and deal with cancelling an extend warranty that i was lied to about. Worst dealership i've dealt with and unethical behavior. Dealerships like this should be put out of business 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩