Jimmy Dugan

Review of Park Place Lexus

Here is my "park place Experience".. First off I h...

Here is my "park place Experience".. First off I have worked in the auto industry for over 8 years and NEVER seen anything like this. Unfortunately it makes sense why people are scared of dealerships, its because of people like Tony C. at park place Lexus who put a bad rep on the industry workers.
I purchased a battery from park place Lexus (07/18) for my wife's 2014 Lexus GS350 F-Sport which included a 2 year warranty (I have the receipt for it and there is a sticker on the battery). I installed it myself since I worked at a shop. Last week her car would not start and cut off while driving. I noticed near the battery where the cable connects was loose. The next day was my day off so I decided to take it to my local Lexus dealership and just get it taken care of thinking they can do a battery test and fix anything if needed.
My friend and I pull into the service drive of park place Lexus for the very first time and it was a sad experience. We were told to wait in the car for a service advisor and then Tony comes to my window to ask "whats going on". Halfway into answering him he cuts me off and said "Its for sure not the battery the car wouldn't just cut off like that". Tony is in sales and just trying to line me up for a bigger service bill but thats the wrong approach. After I mention the cable connection may need to be tightened he said "pop the hood". Realizing it could be the battery/connection he said "come to my office", where it got even worse.
We walk into this nice dealership and thought ok maybe it will get better. Sitting in his office he asks for my vin #, typically a service advisor would already have gotten from the car. Then starts asking for the receipt and tells me that since I installed the battery myself it is no longer under warranty and I should go back and fix it. I was confused as to why he wasn't even trying to help me get it fixed or quote me some services. He kept insisting I need the receipt which I said I can pull up for him since I bought it from their parts department. I asked if I show proof if he can just test the battery he responded with "take it back to whoever put it in and have them fix it". I then realized that since we are NOT WHITE like him and have tattoos that he totally thinks we just stuffed someones Lexus battery into my car to try to get a free one!? His job is to SELL services and the fact that he was asking us to leave was shocking. Im sure if I showed up in my usual suit and tie this would be a different story.
As we are leaving his office I still hadn't got a price for anything so I turn back and asked how much to check my battery since Im already there. Still sitting in his chair he responds "$75". I literally started laughing, not because the price but because if his approach was different I may have been ok with spending a little extra to just get it done on the spot. When I get back to my car it had chalk marking on the window so after going back in to let Tony know he wiped it off and left my window looking nasty (refer to pics).
Now for the good that came out if this experience. I decided to drive to my local Auto Zone. A gentlemen greeted me with a smile and asked how he can help. He walked me out opened the hood and said "looks like the cable is loose, let me tighten that up for you". Then said "ok now that its tight, let me do a quick battery test". He completed a battery test and tightened up the cable under 5 minutes with no charge! The battery tested low and recommended replacing. With no hesitation I agree and purchased a new battery (picture of receipt attached). The head tech comes from the back and said "Lexus batteries are harder to pull out because of a bracket, I got this" and installed the battery in 100 degree weather for free with a smile. Not only did I get REAL CUSTOMER SERVICE, not some fake fancy BS..I also saved on park place's $75 battery test fee and $150 labor to install. So I decided to take the savings and "gift" it to the 2 guys who helped me out as a small thank you.

Be kind, Be respectful and NEVER pre judge!