ComplaintsforDean Team Automotive of St. Louis

• Initial Complaint

  04/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a $50,000 GMC Denali from them 9 days ago. I drove the truck for 20 minutes then I noticed the rear end was dragging. I took it back to them and the mechanic says the whole back end of the tow system needs replacing. There are sensors that need replacing also. They gave me a loaner that is smaller than my vehicle. They said it will take 2 months for the parts to come in for them to fix the truck. I told them I wanted to back out the deal and they refused. GMC said that it was a safety hazard for me to have driven off the lot. This truck should not have been sold in that condition.

  Customer response

  05/16/2022

   Everything was resolved and they took care of me with excellent service. Complaint number is ********. Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  04/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a certified pre-owned Volvo S90 from Volvo St. Louis (**** Team) on November 30. By selling the car as certified pre-owned, the car is supposed to go through an extensive review and checklist per Volvo to ensure it's like new (for premium price). Immediately after purchasing I noticed the steering wheel was vibrating at highway speeds and pulled over to find out the tires had been severely underinflated. I filled with air and continued to drive. While driving at highway speeds the vibration continued. I thought it was a tire balancing issue and eventually called to schedule a service appointment (took almost 4 weeks to get scheduled). Volvo St. Louis charged me for a balancing and rotation, said it was good, I drove home and the wheel vibration was still present. Rotation had not been done as tires were marked. Had to wait for another appointment to be scheduled. They rebalanced again and charged me again. After calling back to complain that the steering wheel was still vibrating the service rep told me 2 of the wheel rims were actually bent. I asked him which ones and he said driver's front and passenger's rear (impossible to hit something like that). There was no visible damage and he said it was on the under car side of the wheel. At this point I became suspicious that the dealership had known the rims were bent, intentionally deflated the tires during the test drive and positioned them on the vehicle to disguise the vibration. There is no way they would have balanced the tires twice and not known the rims were bent. Volvo St. Louis said they would fix the bent rims (during yet another service call) even though their service technician said they were bent beyond repair. After attempting to fix the bent rims, they didn't even drive the vehicle (car app shows it was parked in the lot the entire time) to test it, and the problem persists. No response from Volvo STL General Manager after email and voice messages were left.

  Customer response

  04/28/2022

  The business reached out to me and directly resolved this concern to my satisfaction.

• Initial Complaint

  03/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I traded in a 2021 VW ****a for a new 2022 Atlas. The ****a was purchased out of state, sales tax was rolled into the loan. The original dealer was supposed to send the money to the state to pay the sales tax, however ended up sending me the check. The sales tax got paid after I traded in the vehicle and now the dealership will not give me my title even though the ****a is all paid up and will be receiving title from the state of Missouri. I am incurring late fees, this is not acceptable.

  

  Business response

  03/09/2022

  We are currently waiting on the lien release to arrive and once that arrives, we will release Mr. ****'s paperwork to him. Our General Manager has offered to pay for Mr. ****'s late fees.

  Customer response

  03/10/2022

  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.

  I have a lien release for the ****a if that’s helpful. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ****

• Initial Complaint

  02/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought my new 2021 VW Atlas R-Line in 09/2021 from the Volkswagen Dean Team of Kirkwood Dealership and chose to pay extra for the tires and rim warranty. On 1/1/2022, I hit an object in the road which resulted in my front right tire having a blow out and rim damage to both the front and rear right tire rims. I contacted Dean Team on Monday, 1/3/2022, to discuss next steps since I currently was driving on the "spare/donut" tire. I spoke with ******* in Service Dept. and he suggested I drop the front right tire off to be fixed and then he would schedule a time for me to then come in to leave my car to have the tire replaced and rims fixed since they were super busy. I did as he suggested on that Monday, 1/3/2022 and by Thursday, 1/6/2022, I called to inquire since I had not heard from him and he said to drop my car off Friday morning, 1/7/2022, to get everything fixed by the following Wednesday, 1/12/2022, since the rims needed to be sent off for repair. I once again did as I was told and did receive a loaner car. Long story short, I did NOT get my car back until Tuesday, 1/25/2022 after many excuses as to why it was taking so long. On top of that, the warranty covered the tire and rim repairs, but I ended up having to pay $882.56 for the alignment, recalibration, and a new strut, which was another surprise cost. They actually tried to charge me more but due to me calling other dealerships and learning that Dean Team was overcharging, they honored the cheaper prices. When I got my car back I was informed that a critter had eaten away at the insulation under my hood, which clearly occurred while my car was left sitting on their lot for three weeks. They tried to say I had to pay for the replacement, but they quickly agreed to do it themselves and order the replacement. It is now, 2/4/22, and I have not heard from them about replacing the ordered insulation piece and to top it off, my rear right tire keeps needing air, so did they even fix it? I'm furious!

  

  Business response

  02/11/2022

  I spoke with ******* regarding Ms. ***** and he said that the quote for alignment, recalibration, and front strut was shared with her prior to any work being completed on her vehicle. He also confirmed that Ms. ***** was able to find a lower price for recalibration at another dealership and ******* honored that price ($318).  
  
  ******* just informed me that Ms. ***** was in the dealership a few days ago and he was able to assist her. He found a nail in her rear right tire that is causing the loss of air.
  
  The insulation has arrived and Ms. ***** is returning on 2/15/2022 to get the insulation and right rear tire taken care of.

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a vehicle from Dean Team Hyundai with a promise to rectify the issues the car had. The repairs have not been completed. It has costed me so much time and money with the issues trying to get the repairs done. I have already replaced the windshield that I was unaware was damaged prior to my purchase and replaced the frame parts connected to the windshield. I have had a difficult time getting an oil change as the oil filter is damaged and has been reported to not have been changed for a very long time amidst Dean Team has indicated in maintenance reports that the oil filter and oil were changed. It has not been. The passenger rear door has been another major inconvenience that is still not repaired although the documentation “we owe” clearly states it should be rectified by the dealership and is not being honored.

  

  Business response

  12/21/2021

  I have tried to make a phone call to the customer on 12/21/21 at approximately 2:40 p.m. in order to try an clarify a few items about her complaint, but was unable to speak to her personally due to it going to voicemail.  As you can see in the attachment the vehicle did in fact go through our shop and had quite a bit of work completed on it to make it ready to sell on our lot.  A oil change was in fact completed on 10/12/21 with a mileage of 111,687 so I am not sure why Mrs. ***** would specify that it hadn't.  There is not a vehicle on our multiple lots that does not go through our shop, get all required inspections, get at the minimum an oil and filter change, if not more recommended items from the technician such as in the case.....for example: rear brake pads and rotors machined, air filter replaced, cabin filter replaced, safety and emissions inspections, key fob battery replaced, all four tires replaced, missing spare tire replaced, front and rear wiper blades replaced.  The allegations in this matter just are not factual and can be proven otherwise.  As far as the windshield replacement goes....as you can see on our safety inspection the windshield was in fact in tact and in good shape when the customer took the vehicle into her possession on 11/06/21.  The paperwork she has provided states that the repair was made on 12/20/21 which was due to damage on what looks like the driver side lower portion of the glass....this was 44 days and 4,786 miles after she purchased the vehicle.  I am sure the customer would have mentioned such damage if it were there directly in front of her field of vision at the time of purchase. The rear door "we owe"  that both she and I have submitted also states that it is valid for 30 days from the date of issuance, which we are well beyond those parameters at this point.  We would be happy to work with the customer on the door issue even after the expiration in order to do our best to make her happy but we cannot be held liable for damage to a windshield that was not present at time of delivery nor entertain the idea that the oil was not changed and that there is damage to the filter that we installed as that is not the case at all.

   

  Best Regards, 

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

• Initial Complaint

  12/20/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchased a car from them October 13th. Three days later, I noticed an oil leak. They gave me a 2 month warranty on the car. I took it back to them and told them about it. They said they will fix it, but I will have to pay half on the oil leak. It it under warranty still. They have had my car for 2 months. I am paying my note still. They have not given me the license for my tag.

  

  Business response

  12/21/2021

  Our Service & Parts Manager has been in contact with Mr. ********* regarding the status of his vehicle and we are currently in the middle of repairing this vehicle. We will continue to update Mr. ********* and BBB during this repair process.

  Customer response

  12/23/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:I haven’t received a call with an update of any kind instead they don’t answer my phone calls I had to use my wife phone to call and all I get is we don’t know as an answer
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *********

• Initial Complaint

  12/15/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The below was sent on the Dean Team website in the 'contact us' portion on 12/13/21. Not 5 minutes after I pressed submit I received a call from a Sales Rep asking if I wanted to purchase a new VW since I entered info into the website. I asked him if he even read what I wrote, he stated no. I explained that had he read it what I wrote he would have know it was directed towards the Service Manager about a specific issue with the vehicle I purchased in April and the experience I had trying to get the issue repaired. The short version is: How is it acceptable to purchase a car almost $50k and have squeaky/grinding brakes and be told it's normal. Why would I keep this car, purchase another VW, or even recommend the dealership?? This inquiry is directed to **** ********* with Service Management. Eric- My wife and I purchased a new 2021 VW Atlas in April of this year. We were very pleased with it until recently. The brakes starting squeaking and grinding very loudly upon start up, but after the car is running for a while it stops. To say the least, it is an embarrassment so an appointment was made to look further into the cause. The appointment was made for today 12/13/2021 and what we were told was that it's normal for the Atlas to do this??? How is that acceptable by anyone's standards for a vehicle that is almost $50k?? Why would anyone keep the vehicle with this 'known issue' with no resolution? Why would anyone recommend this vehicle or dealership if nothing is going to be done about it? Please contact me at the email or phone provided to discuss further and come to a resolution. **** ******

  

  Business response

  12/17/2021

  I have reached out to **** and look forward to speaking with him on the matter as I get directly involved with the manufacturer in order to try and find a resolution for the customer.  I did leave a voicemail and sent an email so we can better cross paths.

   

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

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I bought my car from Dean Team Volkswagen of Kirkwood in May of 2021. I got a flat tire on Sunday, November 21st. I couldn’t put my spare on because I had wheel locks on my tires that I was not provided a key for. I paid $150 in cash for a tow that Sunday night to Dobbs Tire and Auto. They could not get the wheel locks off my tires. I called the parts, service, and sales departments at Dean Team and they all said they could not do anything for me. I tried to get in contact with the manager Tuesday, November 23rd 4 times and I still have not heard back from them. I towed my car to a closed Volkswagen dealership in St. Peters and had to pay $40 in cash to them as well (insurance covered $100 each time). I paid $360.27 for two new tires, 4 new lug nuts to replace the wheel locks, and service fees.

  

  Business response

  12/02/2021

  Mr. ******** purchased this vehicle from us in May 2021. In the 6 months that have passed since the vehicle was purchased from our dealership, we have not seen that vehicle again. However, this vehicle has been seen by other service departments since the purchase date. 

  If a car is purchased from us with wheel locks in place, we always provide the wheel lock key with the vehicle when it is sold. If we do not have the wheel lock key to provide with the car then we take the wheel locks off completely and replace them with lug nuts.

  When speaking with our parts, service, and sales departments, all of our employees relayed the same message to Mr. ********. We would be happy to help in any way that we can, however, the vehicle would have to be brought into our dealership. There is not a way to look up key locks by the VIN so we would have to be in front of the car and try each one of our master keys on the lock to see which one is the correct match. 

  We tried to give our best advice to Mr. ******** but at the time of his flat tire he was not near our dealership so the tow to our dealership would have been more expensive than to a dealership that was closer to his location. Even though we do not like to refer our customers to other dealerships, we thought that this would be the best option for Mr. ******** so he could save money on the tow cost.

  Customer response

  12/03/2021

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: the wheel lock key should have been provided by the dealership on the date or purchase like the service and sales departments both stated. The extra tow expense, the first tow, and changing in tires and wheel locks removal should be paid for by the original dealership since I was not provided a key to remove the wheel lock myself. I paid $550.27 total for a flat tire and two tows when it should have been for two new tires and not two tow trucks, two tires, AND four new lug nuts to replace the wheel locks when all of this could have been avoided if I had been given the wheel locks to take it off and put on MY spare tire and drive it to a tire and auto center to replace the tires like I intended to do.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

  

  Business response

  12/06/2021

  We will agree to compensate for the cost of one tow.

  Customer response

  12/07/2021

  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. As long as the refunded tow cost is the $150 tow for the first tow that took 4 hours to get there, I will accept the offer
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ********

• Initial Complaint

  10/05/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I put a $2,000 down payment down on a car and the loan fell through and they are denying my request for my down payment back and making up things to try to keep the money.

  

  Business response

  10/13/2021

  We are currently looking into this complaint and will get back to you ASAP.

  

  Business response

  10/19/2021

  Mr. ****** provided us with unverified information and Exeter Finance rejected his contract that was provided to us by Mr. ******. Please see a direct email from the Dealer Sales Manager with Exeter Finance below:
  
  The recommendation is to return: in addition to Suburban Pro Studios registered agent (******* *******) verifying applicant freelances out of their studio and is not an employee of the business, which indicates 1099/self-employed, the POI provided indicates W2 and appears to match an available for purchase online generated paystub template located: https://www.thepaystubs.com/paystub-sample-templates, this confirms POI discrepancy. 

• Initial Complaint

  09/25/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchase vehicle in Sept 20. When I was looking to buy the car they wouldn’t give me my car keys to take my own car back (prior to paperwork signed) to remove items out of my car. Told me to take the Volvo, gave me a box to get my items out, come in Saturday to sign the papers. Durning that time they ran my credit score 3 times. Took in Apr for first service. Called checking in around 1 pm & at end of day wasn’t able to get through no status. Called next day was told it was done a long time ago & it was ready. No one contracted me. Talked to service manager, smoothed it over, confirmed my contact info. Sept 21, had second service due. Drop off Thurs for a recall & oil change. Was told it would be done that day. Called Thurs night bc windows down, car unlocked. Was in shop. Fri no contact. Stopped in Sat, asking for status & no one could help or check system. Was told someone contacted me, no one did. Received passive aggressive comments the entire time. Which I was not putting up with.

  

  Business response

  10/04/2021

  Ms. ********** was told that her vehicle would be ready for pick up on Thursday, September 23rd. After our service department performed maintenance on her vehicle they found a gash in her tire. Our service advisor called Ms. ********** on Thursday to inform her of the gash and to ask her if she wanted service to repair the gash. They called again the following day because they did not want to close her service ticket until they knew what she wanted to do regarding the gash. Service did not hear back so the ticket remained open. Our General Manager assisted Ms. ********** when she came into the store on Saturday because our service department is closed on Saturdays. It took some time to release her car back to her because our General Manager was trying to familiarize himself with her vehicle and the situation. It took longer than normal because our service department is closed on Saturdays but we were able to accommodate her and return her vehicle. We do apologize for the inconvenience that this caused Ms. **********.

*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. ↩