I purchased my second Aston (2010 vantage) from Aston Martin Newport Beach in late June/early July. I purchased my second car from them because my first purchase in 2009 was excellent. Unfortunately, this time around something has drastically changed with the dealership.

There appears to be a new finance manager who is so incompetent that the initial enclosed trailer had to be turned away in July. I didn't even finance the vehicle with the dealership, but after multiple phone calls and emails by myself and my bank the finance manager failed to fill out one simple document that delayed the deal from closing for nearly two weeks.

I did receive the vehicle in early July (it is a great car) and Newport Beach paid for the delivery because of their mess up, but now it has been nearly 3 months and I do not have the title for the vehicle. Again, somehow the finance manager has failed to provide the Department of Licensing with the necessary paperwork. The most frustrating and amazing thing is that the guy has not returned a phone call or responded to an email. Two and a half weeks ago the guy was supposed to "check on the status" and he has failed to respond. At best I can describe this guy as flippant. My temporary registration expires on September 25th.

I originally bought this car because of my previous purcahse and positive experience with James Peac0ck the general manager at Newport Beach. I also frequently referred others to him. However, this experience has been such an awful experience I will not purchase another Aston from this dealership. James continues to make excuses and now will not return phone calls or emails. I get this odd feeling the finance manager is a friend of James because initially I was given multiple appologies and excuses about him being "new" and not knowing the process. I just don't buy that excuse-you return a phone call or email, that is not something that requires training...return phone calls from customers, simple.

I saw some negative reviews online about their service department, but has anyone had any negative experiences with this dealership lately?

 

I too hate when people just can't return a phone call or email. If there is an issue, at least return the call/email and let the customer know whats going on...in this day and age I feel service like this in unacceptable, whether you are purchasing a Kia or an Aston Martin...

 

Thanks for the information. i was going to do a service with them since they are closer than Galpin (dealer i bought the vehicle from). I had to call their service team 5 times before i received a return call (took them 3 days). i also noticed they only have one service team member as all the calls went to Debra's voicemail. Was not impressed with their service. I usually service my Mercedes and receive wonderful service all the time.

If you're looking for an alternative dealer i had a very good experience dealing with both Jen and Stuart (brand manager) at Galpin Auto. However, i've only had my vehicle for a few months and have not serviced it yet.

 

When I was searching for my vantage, I spoke with MANY dealers across the country. The only dealer I found pleasant and professional was Galpin. Specifically, Stuart Macintosh. I like to give him credit whenever I have an opportunity. Personally, I would drive more miles to deal with people I trust than to stay local and work with someone I didn't. I did not end up buying from Galpin because I got a better deal somewhere else but I sure did appreciate Stuart's knowledge and professionalism. He stood head and shoulders above the rest. If your having issues with Newport Beach before you bring your car to them, imagine the storm that lies ahead when they have your car in their possession!

 

Mike, did you get a lot better deal at Newport Beach vs Park Place?

 

My experience with James has been outstanding. I would buy from them again for sure.

 

what recourse do you have if you don't get the title and registration? can you do it yourself and chargeback the documentation fee?

sounds like they are too busy and just don't care.

hope you are straighten out the paperwork with the bill of sale.

 

Oh man... that sucks about what is going on with your car. I remember back in the summer when we were talking about the cars. I hope you got it all straightened out.

 

Bit of an update:

The finance manager at AM Newport Beach overnighted the document to me last week. Unfortunately, the guy didn't do what he was supposed to do. Instead, he registered and titled the car in California instead of sending me the documents to register/title the vehicle in Washington.

Good news is there is a title and registration. Unfortunately, I now have the hassle of getting everything transfered to Washington.

I don't get the feeling they are too busy, I just truly think this guy is incompetent.

Oh well, in the end I will get the title stuff cleared up with some leg work of my own, but I will NEVER buy a car from this dealership again.

 

I had a similar problem when I bought my used V8V from a Porsche dealer in Texas (I'm in Georgia). It took about 3 months, and many calls from me, before they got me my registration in Georgia. Over that time they gave me 4 different temporary tags, which I later learned is not exactly legal.

Once these guys make the sale, their motivation to provide top notch service is reduced, especially when you are not local to them and are unlikely to purchase from them again.

 

Hey guys. This is my first post here, and sadly it's negative. I purchased a 2009 V8 Vantage last month from the Aston Martin Newport Beach, and the experience was FAR from good. I had a good idea of what I wanted and came across the car I wanted on their website. They had it listed as "in immaculate condition." I live in Florida and have never spent this kind of money on a car before, so as you can probably imagine my hesitation buying a car of this magnitude unseen.

I initially called inquiring about the vehicle and was told they already had several buyers lined up and that it was basically the first to show the money takes it. They were unwilling to reduce the price at all. No big thing. I was willing to pay the price. I had sent several emails and left several messages with very spotty correspondence from them. The salesperson I was dealing with was named Gary Briggs. He stated the car was flawless and in perfect condition. Even with the poor communication, I decided to purchase it... After all it was an Aston Martin dealership so I just assumed things had to be legit.

I wired the money and waited, and waited, and... waited. I called that afternoon but couldn't get through to anyone. I called the next day 3 times with no return call. Finally on day 3, I was able to get him on the line stating that they did receive the payment and not to worry, things were moving along. I had to have a trucking company ship it and they agreed to have this set up. They did but it took over a week to finally ship and 12 days transit time, when I was told it would only take 6.

Once I received it, it had several scratches and scuffs. None of which were from the transporter as they were all clearly marked on his sheet from when he picked it up. So much for perfect condition. Also there was no title or any registration info that I needed to register it. Not even a temporary tag. It took 2 days to finally get James Pea**** on the phone and long story short... I had to wait over another week before I could even drive it. I called twice to complain about the scuffs and of course have had no call back, so I just gave up out of frustration.

Needless to say I will not do business with them again. I felt like they had no interest in me once they received my money and was definitely lied to about the condition. Don't get me wrong. The car is beautiful, but is also definitely scuffed up. Heck I didn't even get a thank you card, letter, etc. I've had far better experiences dealing with my local Chevrolet and Dodge dealers. At least they care and appreciate me as a customer. You would think when several negative reviews show up online, that the Aston Martin corporation itself would look into things. After all it is their reputation in the end.

Again sorry for the negative first post. I just had to share my experience with what I consider a very poor excuse for a luxury car dealership.

 

You should not give up in frustration, or let the sales guy off the hook. Every dealer needs to know that they have dropped the ball. Most want to know where the weak points are, as they are graded by AM on customer service.

I would suggest calling the dealership operations executive and follow up with an email to him outlining your complaints. Mention that a lack of hasty response will result in forwarding the issues to the AM national office, which is also in CA.

I would give the execs the opportunity to make this right, as I suspect that they don't know anything about a transaction unless it goes south.

 

I also had many bad experiences with AM dealers across the country. Most acted like they were doing me a favor letting me buy their car. I will tell you that it delayed my purchase for many months because I thought how strong is a company that treats its customer base so poorly? Moreover, I would say that of all the cars I've purchase over the years, Aston Martin was one of the lower satisfaction ratings I would give (Sales Only). Just the opposite than expected. Highest would go to Jaguar of Sudbury MA. But BMW, Mercedes and Audi were pretty sweet too.

 

I have a friend who purchased his brand new DB9 from Newport. When they delivered it to NV, it did not have an MSO, which he needed to register the car in NV. A contact with the Finance Manager indicated he has never heard of an MSO. Finally another contact in the dealership got it and fed-exed it so my friend could register his car.

 

UPDATE:

I finally got the car registered a couple weeks ago with absolutely NO help from AM of Newport Beach.

The finance manager at Newport Beach is clueless and is absolutely no help whatsoever. In fact, his lack of knowledge actually makes the situation more difficult-he would be better off not showing up to work and creating all of these problems.

I will NEVER do business with them again.

They are fortunate they are selling such a great car...