Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Davidson Automotive Group's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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  Davidson Automotive Group

  5871 Rome Taberg Rd PO Box 271 Rome, NY 13440-1735

• 

  Davidson Automotive Group

  18579 US Route 11 Watertown, NY 13601-5325

• 

  Davidson Automotive Group

  3690 State Route 31 PO Box 2760 Liverpool, NY 13090-1031

• 

  Davidson Automotive Group

  18423 US Route 11 Watertown, NY 13601

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/21/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My 2016 **** **** *** was taken to Davidson **** in Watertown, New York, with under 52k miles due to the check engine light. This was on or around 10 January 2023. I picked up the truck on 11 January 2023, after paying $457.76. Less than a week later the check engine light was back on. I return my **** to Davidson **** early for an appointment on or around 26 January 2023. I had to continually call Davidson **** to inquire when the repairs would be completed. I was informed Davidson **** reached out to **** Corporate because Davidson did not know why the check engine light was on. Davidson **** assured me they would keep me informed on the status of the repairs. As weeks turned into months Davidson **** did not maintain contact with me. As I continually called, I was informed **** Corporate was to blame for the delay due to a lack communication and the fact **** Corporate wanted specific information in various formats and the format would changes each time Davidson **** sent information. On or around Tuesday 04 April 2023, I called and was informed my **** would finally be completed. On Friday, 07 April 2023, I again called to find out the status of the repairs and why the repairs were delayed. I was told Davidson **** stopped the mechanic from finishing working on my vehicle to repairs needed on another vehicle. I was beyond furious! I hate to think race had a factor in their decision to again delay the repairs on my vehicle so I asked what could be more urgent than a vehicle that had been waiting for repairs since January? I did not receive a satisfactory answer. After paying $457.76 for the initial repair on 11 January 2023, I paid $3,247.25 on 11 April 2023. Again my 2016 **** **** *** had less than 52k miles on the odometer. This is ridiculous based on the way Davidson **** and **** Corporate handled this situation with total disregard for customer service and a total lack of professionalism, integrity and pride in the product they produce and sale.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/03/2023

  Hello *****, we appreciate you taking the time to share the feedback of your experience. After reviewing your statement and comparing notes with the service manager, we are all in agreement this is an unfortunate delayed situation and understand the frustration this has caused. The time your vehicle was with us, we do apologize for not being as prompted in calling you back, however, we were working diligently with **** to diagnose your vehicle's concerns. This was a very difficult repair and required multiple sets of eyes that did extend over a period of time, resulting in another technician finishing the repair.  In good faith to help make up for the delay, and knowing your vehicle is completely out of the manufacturer warranty based on years, we were able to secure assistance from **** to help relieve some of the financial burden. As shown on the document, we were able to secure $4,793 in repairs and took off an additional $400 to help make up for the delay. As of now, we can only offer a sincere apology for the inconvenience, but hope your vehicle is running smoothly. If you’d like to chat further please email me at ************************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/04/2023

  Better Business Bureau: 
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. The fact is my vehicle was supposedly repaired when I brought it to the dealership early January. Within two weeks I had to bring the vehicle back to the dealership due to the same issue. If the dealership was diligently working to resolve the issue, I would not have to repeatedly call on the status and receive the same response as I had weeks before.  In addition to be told that the dealership stopped repairs on my vehicle because another vehicle had some sort of priority is shameful and unexcusable! When I directed my inquiry to the service manager he did not even try to justify the action. 
   
  Regards,
  
  ****** ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/27/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My car that is only 2 years old would not start with the key fob this morning. I was able to get it started with the key however I am very concerned about this as it has never happened before. The car dealership did not have any appointments for 10 days and would not troubleshoot with me over the phone or offer any other solution. They do not have any car loaners and told me I will have to go without a car or rent a car. They did not feel bad my car was having starting issues and wanted me to wait. I have had several bad customer service experience incidents with this car dealership and something needs to be done.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/04/2023

  Hello, We're sorry to hear you're having key fob issues and possibly other concerns about your vehicle. It does our general manager has reached out to you to stop into our store to look at your vehicle, as there as been no actual appointment set up. During your visit with us, we were able to provide education on your key fob and the concern with your vehicle, which there didn't appear to be any. When you do have a service concern, please reach out to us to set up an appointment to give us the opportunity to look at your vehicle. Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/16/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In September of 2022, my shifter cable broke and had it replaced. Shortly after, we received a recall notice in the mail for a shifter cable bushing. I brought the recall and the receipt to ******* **** to see if it constituted for a refund.
  
  The service tech said he wanted to still take a look to ensure the repair was done properly. While scheduling an appointment, he discovered that the recall to my VIN ***************** was already done on 11/4/2022 at Davidson **** in Liverpool, NY.
  
  Several issues:
  - my car has never been to this dealership since I purchased it in 2018, with 38K miles on it
  - my car has not had any recalls except for this one, since purchasing it
  - miles recorded on the report are for 54293, I have almost 130K miles as of today, 11/16/2022.
  
  When I called Davidson ****, Cassie did not listen to me. She kept arguing that it was impossible and that ******* **** did not have access to their recall service reports.
  
  Cassie took down my information saying the service tech would dig and then call me back. They never called me back and have not returned my calls

  Business Response

  Date: 11/28/2022

  Hello *****, we do apologize
  for the confusion this has caused. We have been made aware that our General
  Manager, Jeremy M**** has contacted you explaining the issue **** has caused by
  mistaking that the vehicle is still under the previous owner’s name and used the
  wrong VIN #. We have already contacted **** through their warranty system and undone
  recall for your vehicle. It appears on our end that the recall is showing “active”
  for your vehicle. Please reach out to us if you need further assistance

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/20/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I asked Davidson Chevrolet to confirm that my truck had the latest software/calibration files in my TCM because my vehicle randomly had put itself into 4 wheel high while the selector was in auto mode upon shut down. I had already fixed the issue by clearing that fault myself but did not have the know how to check the software to make sure it was up to date and did not want this to happen again with the winter months coming up.
  
  I suggested this after reading bulletin NO. PIP5250 which was the only information I could find online that discussed this particular issue. I had to explain that there was a Bulletin about this issue when I arrived at the dealership because they erroneously had me down for a TCM replacement when I showed up to my appointment which is not what I wanted or needed.
  
  The dealership took my truck to the back and confirmed that the software was up to date. They then took it upon themselves to relearn my TCM without discussing that course of action with me. In taking this course of action, again without speaking to me they charged me $150.12…
  
  Over the past 9 years my wife and I have owned a 2013 *******, 2015 *****, 2014 *********, 2014, ********* and finally our current 2014 ********* and 2018 ********. That’s 6 ******. I have never had a dealership work on one of my vehicles and not discuss the course of action with me or discuss the cost of that course of action.
  
  The money is not the problem. It’s the shady business practices of this dealership. Re-learning my TCM does nothing to solve the issue that I had/am having. The fix I from GM from their own service bulletin is to insure that your vehicle is in 2WD when it is shut off if the issue persist and you have the correct software. Nowhere in the Bulletin does it state to re-learn a customers TCM.
  
  
  V/R,
  
  *** ******  

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2022

  Mr ****** contacted us on 8/23/22 to set an appointment for service on his 2014 ********* *********. At that time, he advised us that he needed his TCM (Transmission Control Module) reprogramed. He did not advise of any issues with the vehicle that he was having. At the time of scheduling, we advised Mr ****** that our standard reprogramming fee is $139 plus tax as is our practice when customers request to have a module reprogrammed. This fee is also applicable for a software version verification as the only way we know if the software is current, is to perform a reprogram on that module.  When Mr ****** arrived for his appointment on 9/20/22, it was again discussed that we would be programming the TCM as well as the charges. Mr ****** did not mention to us that he was having any issues with the vehicle at the time of check in. Mr ****** then signed our Repair Order (attached) authorizing the TCM to be reprogrammed.  Good Afternoon, When we attempted to perform the reprogram, we found that the software level within his TCM was up to date. When the TCM is accessed in an attempt to reprogram, the vehicle must then go through a TCM Adapt Reset procedure. This was completed following the verification of the software update.  When we were checking Mr ****** out upon completion of the reprogram, he became frustrated as he "has never paid to have any reprograms done at any other dealership he went to." We advised him that we have a standard fee, which he agreed upon, for this service unless the vehicle is under a warranty that covers the reprogram. His vehicle was not under any warranty at the time his vehicle was here.  At that time, Mr ****** brought up to us that his issue is covered by a bulletin and should be covered under warranty. Only after the requested repairs were completed was it brought up to us that he was having a problem with the vehicle. He advised us that he has read online in multiple forums that a software update for the TCM should fix his issue of the vehicle getting stuck in 4 Wheel Drive. We advised Mr ****** that in order to verify that his vehicle's issue fell under the specific bulletin he was referring to, we would have to perform a diagnostic to verify that the specific bulletin he was referring to, was in fact the issue he was having.  The bulletin that Mr ****** is referring to, ******* (attached), does, in fact, instruct us to reprogram a module. However, the module it instructs us to program is the TCCM (Transfer Case Control Module) and not the TCM in which Mr ****** asked us to program.  If Mr ****** would like us to verify the software version of the correct module, the TCCM, we will be more than happy to take care of that for him at no charge due to the confusion as to what module actually needed to be programmed. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/07/2022

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below. 
      When I initially called to schedule my service appointment, as you can imagine I explained my issue with my vehicle. I don't think that anyone schedules to have their software checked without an explanation of why they are requesting it. I let the service department know that I had reset the code in my transmission so my truck was "fixed" but I did not want to run into any issues with the winter coming. I also referred to the aforementioned bulletin during that call. The representative who received that call simply scheduled the service and never mentioned a cost associated with checking my software.       When I arrived to the dealership I again explained why I was there... Again referring to the service bulletin and yet again no conversation about any cost. I did not find that out of ordinary because I asked for my software to be checked and if not up to date I assumed that it would covered under the bulletin considering it is a known issue to *****.        I became frustrated when I was checking out simply because I never asked for a reprograming. I asked for the software to be checked to make sure it was up to date. I explained this to the service manager and was told regardless I would have been charged. Bulletin or no bulletin. I am increasingly frustrated now that the service department apparently had no idea why they were servicing my vehicle to begin with and never actually looked at the problem I was there for.      Davidson ********* has loose ideas when it comes to being honest about what the truth of the matter is. People don’t generally waste this amount of time and energy for no reason... $150.00 is not a large amount of money. I consider myself lucky that thats all it cost me to learn not to trust this business. 
   
  Regards, 
  
  ****** ****** 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/06/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I wanted a brand new Ford ******** & was talking with someone from the dealership who tried to push one I didn’t want onto me. I didnt want a white one & that’s all they had, so he texted me and said if I “really can’t live with white when new fords are few and far in between” that they ”guess they can wrap it in blue for an extra cost.” I asked to deal with someone else (Nick) and ordered one exactly how I wanted it. fast forward three months, my car arrives end of May and I go to pick it up. they presented me with numbers the showed $840 a month after 5k down and would not explain to me why. they ran my credit score, which came back at a 740, & would not answer me when I asked what they were charging me for an interest rate. I wanted the car so I just said I will refinance in a few months. it took them HOURS from then to even give me paperwork and once they did, I saw my interest rate was 8%!! they tried to tell me i had no auto history so my interest rate would be higher, mind you this was my third car on my own & my current interest rate was 2.9%! they then pushed an extended warranty on me for $20 more a month, $20 isn’t a big deal, i signed the papers. a few weeks go by & i decided to refinance early & try to get copies of my paperwork sent to me because the copies they gave me weren’t readable (board one illegal) because the ink never transferred over. i had to repeatedly text/call again because they refused to give me copies of my paperwork. fast forward a couple weeks after that, I’m trying to cancel the extended warranty and get my money back because I don’t need it or want it (5 weeks after purchasing). I texted Nick 3 times before he answered and left multiple voicemails for their financial department with no answer or call back for weeks. He finally tells me it’s been cancelled & i wait. 9 weeks later & 7 text messages & 3 calls later, he refuses to answer me and I was informed by the Chevy dealer that they intact never cancelled or made an attempt to.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/20/2022

  Hello,
  We’re sorry to hear about
  your initial buying experience. When determining credit, we always try getting
  customers the best rate possible when working with our lenders. It is all based
  on number of open accounts, total level of debt, repayment history, etc. During
  this market, we have seen rates significantly increase month-to-month, and
  always tend to be higher on longer terms.

  
  We have been made aware that
  your paperwork has been overnighted to you. We apologize that it did not print
  as clearly as it should. Your new paperwork should help break everything down
  for you. Also, in regards to your warranty, as seen attached, was cancelled and
  a refund check was issued to Community Bank for $2186.79. We appreciate you
  making us aware of the situation. Please reach out to our customer experience manager,
  Alekzandra at 315-836-4344 if you have any further questions.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/04/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I brought my ***** **** here for Rear brake service, tire rotation, and transmission service. Later the night after getting my car back from service, I noticed a lug nut  was falling off. After looking further, 3 lug nuts off that same wheel (rear passenger wheel) came off with my finger strength, no wrench needed. I took a photo,  put  the lug nuts back on with my own torque wrench, and I called the dealer and brought the car back the following day. Davidson went through the car for me,  noticing nothing wrong with the lug nuts. They did replace a few on my car which had the aluminum cover beginning to weather. I spoke with the service  manager  when dropping my car off originally and explained to him the issue, how I was very upset over the service as my wife who is 8 months pregnant drove  the car that  night. If it was not for me seeing their mistake of failure To torque bolts properly, the wheel would have fall off while driving, potentially killing  someone, my wife,  our baby, or seriously injuring someone. Because Of my awareness I was able to prevent such an event. Speaking to the service manager, I   told him that I wanted money taken off of my bill, and no free service compensation from the dealer. Upon picking my car up from Davidson, they washed my car,  checked the car for further issues, and left me 2 free oil change vouchers, I was refunded no money. Davidson service tightened the lug nuts with an impact gun  and torque sticks, and no human checked for mechanical error. No employee checked for proper safety measures, had they did, they would have noticed the lug  nuts were not properly torqued to ***** specs. I brought my car to Davison and trusted their work, assuming it was safe to drive my car. But it wasn’t. Since then, I  have called the dealer 7 times, never speaking to the manager Stan directly. Calling me once, and not returning my calls since then. No one has been helpful, no  one understands how terrible this could have ended because of their error.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/08/2022

  When reviewing your recent visit, we understand your frustration and concerns. To help accommodate as mentioned, we provided a loaner vehicle to do a full vehicle inspection for any damage on your vehicle, a complimentary full detail that was requested and provided two oil change vouchers.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/09/2022

  ****, you're right. We will go ahead and issue you a check for $350 for the inconvenience and frustration we have caused. Below is the information that was provided. Please let us know if this is correct. Again, we appreciate you taking the time to let us know of the situation and we'd like to help make this right. Please reach our to myself, Alekzandra at ###-###-#### if you need anything else. **** ******** *** ******** Ave *****, NY  ***** Daytime Phone: ###-###-#### 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/12/2022

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. Will you be sending a check in the mail? If so my address is: **** ********
  
  *** ******** Ave***** NY ***** 
  
  Regards, 
  
  **** ********
   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My car broke down and the part that broke has a recall on it. Service at **** said they’d be able to fix it but not for 3 weeks. Customer service at **** explains a loaner or rental would be provided. Service says otherwise, I wouldn’t get one. Tried speaking with manager and left voicemails. No calls returned. I am a single full time working mother and if **** customer service says I get a loaner/rental but then am told different from someone else.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2022

  Good morning, We’re very sorry to hear
  about your vehicle breaking down. We understand that can be very frustrating
  for many. When reviewing the appointment, the vehicle was brought in by another
  individual and it never specified that a repair was needed. He was just looking
  to have the recall completed. The recall that was needed was the Transmission
  Shifter Cable Bushing - Safety Recall 22S43. As you mentioned, you contacted **** regarding to the wait time and needing of a vehicle. It appears there was some
  miscommunication on ***** end. As we reviewed the necessary documents (attached)
  to complete the recall, it states on page 3, “Rental vehicles are not approved
  for this program." When working with **** on repairs, **** will provide a case number and approval for rental vehicles during certain situations. **** however, did not provide either in this matter.  We did mention to the customer that
  there could be some wait time as these parts are on a national back order, as
  we have 30 open repair orders for this exact recall. Luckily, we did have a
  customer cancel their appointment for this exact recall the same day. Our General
  Manager, Jeremy M**** quickly called you back to let you know we do have the
  part available. You were then not satisfied with this answer and proceeded to
  call him a “liar.” Despite this, we truly wanted to help you out. We were
  successfully able to complete the repair within the same day your dropped off
  your vehicle. Again, we do apologize for any miscommunication our manufacture claimed,
  but we’re happy to know we could help get the recall taken care of you in a
  timely manner.