Step One Subaru Fort Walton Beach

I have been a longtime customer of Step One Subaru (FWB) and have purchased 9 vehicles over 20 years. I have never experienced anything but smooth and considerate sales support, congenial and effective service, and I feel as if I have come to know many of the personnel as friends. Strongly recommended! These are nice people who care about doing good work.

My experience with Step One Subaru Fort Walton Beach was absolutely unacceptable. From the sales process to the follow-up afterward, every step was riddled with mistakes, miscommunication, and a complete lack of accountability. First, the salesperson handling my purchase was constantly distracted — running around doing other things throughout the process. Because of this, several details we verbally agreed upon were missed or forgotten entirely. When I later pointed out these mistakes, she denied ever agreeing to them. The financing portion was even worse. The finance representative scrolled right past the payment breakdown during signing, only pausing long enough for me to initial the page without actually showing me the numbers. I later discovered that the price entered into the contract didn’t match what I was shown or told, and the amount Subaru was supposed to take over from my trade-in balance was not applied properly. Instead of honoring what we discussed, I only received a fraction of the agreed-upon amount. I came to this dealership with three very clear priorities: A reliable car that wouldn’t have the same issues as my previous vehicle. A price within the budget we discussed. The remaining balance on my trade-in to be taken off the price of the new vehicle. Subaru failed on every single point. The new car began burning oil almost immediately — completely bone dry within two weeks of purchase. When I brought it in, I was told “nothing was wrong,” which is simply not believable for a car with no oil. To make matters worse, when I reached out to Subaru corporate, the representative I spoke with twisted my words and attempted to rewrite my experience to fit their narrative instead of actually addressing the issue. After posting a negative review, the General Manager of the dealership called me and said he wanted to make things right. We agreed to talk again later — and since then, he has completely ghosted me. I’ve called his cell phone, left voicemails, texts, and even messages through the office. Every time, I’m told he’s “busy” or “at lunch.” He has never once returned my call. This has been the most frustrating and disappointing car-buying experience I’ve ever had. I would strongly caution anyone considering purchasing from Step One Subaru Fort Walton Beach — the lack of professionalism, integrity, and accountability here is astounding.

The GM contacted me today to apologize for poor service that I received for my key. We discussed the issue and he said they cut the emergency key for and would reimburse my time and expenses. That was not necessary but was appreciated. They even offered to deliver the key and reimbursement. To me they above and beyond to correct a problem.