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Terrible Service Experience - Borton Volvo, MN

4.4K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  njb8199  
#1 ·
Absolutely TERRIBLE.

Run, don't walk. Run.

I read a LOT of negative reviews about Borton before I brought our 2005 Volvo S60 in for a repair. For some reason, I didn't believe that THIS many people could be so unsatisfied with one dealership. I now wished that I hadn't give the dealer the benefit of the doubt.

The customer "service" was absolutely horrendous. The service department was EXTREMELY rude. Aggressive, smug - plain out rude. The two people I encountered in my TWO trips for the same repair were terrible. "Doug" was one of the rudest customer service reps I have encountered in any situation. Terrible business practices employed by their group. All of the negative reviews are true. If you see a positive review on this place - it was written by a Borton employee or a delusional idiot.

I wouldn't advise ANYONE except my worst enemy to bring their car to Borton for repair or service. My car will NEVER under ANY circumstance return to Borton. Terrible, terrible customer service. I can't imagine how our two experiences here could have been any worse.

You've been warned. Choose elsewhere. Positive reviews for Gorsche and Uptown Imports are everywhere. It is too bad it took us $850 to find this out.

Awful.

I've never in my life "reviewed" any company for any service or product I have purchased. But I have felt compelled to do so in hopes that NO ONE has to go through this experience.
 
#2 ·
Re: Terrible Service Experience - Borton Volvo, MN (Jeff W)

You need to relay this to Volvo Corporate.. though I've heard it makes little difference, at least they'll have another complaint documented. Also keep in mind that the Better Business Bureau processes complaints, and if they receive a pattern of these same types of complaints from others, they can warn consumers:

http://minnesota.bbb.org/
 
#4 ·
Re: Terrible Service Experience - Borton Volvo, MN (stev vanveit)

What happened to "there are two sides to a story"?
 
#5 ·
Re: Terrible Service Experience - Borton Volvo, MN (scootss60)

Quote, originally posted by scootss60 »
Also keep in mind that the Better Business Bureau processes complaints, and if they receive a pattern of these same types of complaints from others, they can warn consumers:

http://minnesota.bbb.org/

BBB will do that only if, after investigating the complaint, they feel that a business organization is at fault and not willing to remedy the situation. Incidentally, Borton's rating with the MN BBB is A+.
 
#7 ·
Re: Terrible Service Experience - Borton Volvo, MN (scootss60)

Quote, originally posted by scootss60 »
You need to relay this to Volvo Corporate..

Looks like Volvo Corporate is now aware of it.
 
#8 ·
Re: Terrible Service Experience - Borton Volvo, MN (Jeff W)

Which Borton location? There are two, one in Golden Valley and one in Minneapolis, and AFAIK the service operations are run separately. It'd also help if the problem was detailed -- what happened? What car? How did you handle the situation?

My source who works there tells me GV is better than Minneapolis for service, which I believe he considers due to the demographic being higher end in the Western suburbs, not to mention the really close competition from Lexus and Audi stores in the same area.

My only service experience has been in Minneapolis, having the USB/iPod interface installed in my 2007 S80 V8 (documented here with followups on how it actually works, since I found nothing like this elsewhere: http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=125667).

Overall, I'd give them 3 out of 5 stars. They had a hell of a time getting this part to work in the car and as it turned out, the part needed some special undocumented software in the CEM to work. The 3 stars is for persistence, a free loaner and the idea that the guys in the shop were actually trying to fix the problem.

The missing two stars is for really poor communication setting up the initial appointment; they told me two hours but when I dropped the car if it was "sometime tomorrow morning" -- I'm an IT consultant and largely work out of my car; it fubar'd my schedule for the next day not having my car full of stuff.

Plus my service adviser rubbed me the wrong way. Personality? Maybe, but in her job I expect a little more effort in the warmth department. Hopkins Honda certainly had this going for them. The service manager was a decent guy and threw in free rubber floormats for the nuisance of making this part work.

It wasn't a normal service so I don't know if I can judge everything by that, but I bet I can expect the blowoff experience from the service advisers in the future but if I get pissed and rattle cages as I did a little with my above service they get a lot more responsive; but I think in general the technicians in the shop do a decent job.

I liked the guys at Glasgow automotive who inspected my car before I bought it; unfortunately their shop is in St. Paul (I live walking distance from Borton Mpls) and even worse, their lot is unfenced and is in a really crappy neighborhood in St Paul. Closer and a better neighborhood and I'd be all over that place.

I'm unfamiliar with Uptown Imports, but according to Glasgow they do not have VIDA at their shop which could be a minus from a diagnostic perspective. Glasgow claims to be the only local independent with VIDA.