Berge Mazda

I write this note to expose deceitful practices of Berge VW in Mesa AZ.  My daughter, a 1st time car buyer, visited this dealership and spent almost 3 hours before they were unable to come to an agreement.  She walked and of course they stopped her in the parking lot.  Being only $500 apart, she and the dealership finally agreed to a price outside, a middle ground, which was fair, or so she thought.  They went back into the dealership and she initialed a white piece of paper, which was described to her as a down payment sheet - no final car costs of the car listed.  She initialed next to the down payment figure (her cash down payment as told) and off to finance.  Although they agreed to a price for the car, they failed to inform her that they were going to add a dealer prep cost AND a warranty above and beyond the agreed upon price.  The dealership prep fee was NEVER provided to her at any time, not even when the finance officer went over the sales contract figures.  It was not itemized, it was unscrupulously added to the cost of the car.  Although the warranty was itemized, even after she expressed several times she was not going to pay for a dealership warranty.  The finance officer said "it came with the purchase of the car." eluding to that it was included in the negotiated price.  She was so excited about her ability to negotiate and her new car, she lost sight of the extra costs which were not noticed until she got home.   After several texts and no return calls to the dealership management, we went down in person to address the matter.  The sales manager, Drew, came out with the papers from the sales day with the agreed upon price handwritten and the dealer prep fees written below as well on a deal worksheet.  This sheet didnt even have the prep fees listed (until Drew wrote them on the day of our visit) which he confirmed when I asked him.  So, not one sheet with the agreed upon price except for the down payment and the monthly payment.  Now to outline some deceitful parts.  (1) the dealer prep and warranty fees are in fine print (not obvious) to a buyer AND this was never a part of the agreed upon price.(2) the prep fee was not itemized on the final sales contract and was not disclosed to her by the salesperson and/or finance.(3) a warranty was added, even though she was adamant she didn't want a warranty, believing the added warranty came with the car.  (4) the lack of transparency exhibited only to make a sale is beyond belief especially from a brand name dealership.(5) knowing she was a "first time" car buyer, one would hope they would take care of her like they would their own wife or daughter - apparently not. We went to the dealer on 07/26 to address the two issues.  The dealership did remove the warranty but said it is included on the sales sheet - again it is but in fine print and without explanation.  When we expressed the concern over the dealership slipping in the warranty without explanation, Drew just shrugged his shoulders.   When we addressed the dealer prep fees, he said she signed the paper (remember, the paper with no figures on it except a down and monthly car payment amount).  Being a first time car buyer, how was she supposed to know?  She said nobody ever told her about that fee and it is not itemized anywhere on the final sales contract.  He said "we don't have to" "they are written on the paper" (in small print) and "that is the sales price" even though she agreed to a price ~2K lower than what was on the contract.  In the end, he did not feel they did anything wrong and that their practices are legal and he stands by them.  They did not rectify the final price back to the negotiated price per our request.  I suppose if Berge VW stands by practices that may or may not be legal, the fact they are operating in such an unethical behavior instills in me that they will do anything to undermine the trust and loyalty of a customer.  Until this situation, we were considering purchasing a

The place was clean and felt welcoming. The car was ready for me to look at as soon as I got there, which was nice. Trent was easy-going and I enjoyed my stay. The only downfall was the lack of people in finance, which resulted in a longer stay than expected.

I’ve been taking my car for service at Berge VW dealer in Gilbert for the last 6 years. I dealt with Bell Karam, Niko Atini and the service supervisor Vince, I found them to be very knowledgeable, trustworthy, friendly and have great qualities, and professionalism. I receive excellent and efficient customer service every time I take my car for service. They always go out of their way to make sure I arrive and leave happy. Thank you.