Rick Case Mazda

Before going in to any dealership make sure you know the laws and procedures for purchasing vehicles that have changed. Everything was excellent except for miss communications all around. Steve did a great job with conveying information even with an irate consumer on his hands. We have not purchased a car in several years and things have changed drastically. It is just as much the consumers responsibility to be informed about this as it is the dealers responsibility to verify the information and convey that to the consumer. We were caught blindsided but Steve was able to save our experience with his good attitude and professionalism. Mike Tart did an excellent job as a salesman. We were comfortable the whole time and felt like he was really trying to take care of us. Though our circumstance wasn't ideal, it was a learning experience on all parties.



Also, I would rate it 4 stars, there was confusion but for the most part the rest of the experience was good. I need to log onto a computer to change it.

I recently purchased a 2012 Mazda3 from Rick Case Mazda in Duluth. It was the worst consumer experience I have ever had, and I would recommend that anyone in the market for a Mazda look elsewhere.



My original review was too long, so here is my main gripe with them, omitting the dozen or so other things they did wrong:



I was in the process of moving while buying this car. That means I had both an active address and a future address at the time of purchase. The sales team was well aware of this fact, and it didn’t seem to be a problem when they were trying to get my business. I filled out the paperwork as they instructed, with my old address. Then, out of nowhere, when Rick Case was completing my title work, the address became a problem. My title and tag work got delayed to the point where I needed to drive 45 minutes to the dealership to get an extended temporary tag.



Now ask me if anyone reached out to me about this prior to the deadline. Ask me if anyone showed any concern that my temporary tag was about to expire and put me at risk for fines or impoundment.



The only contact I received from Rick Case Mazda on the title delays were as a result of ME following up as the deadline approached. At that point, the sales manager, Chris Whiten, assured me that he and his team were working diligently to get the issue resolved but that the blame should fall solely on the Fulton county tag office for changing policies and slow communication. He assured me of this ONLY AFTER I had emailed him, about a week before my temporary was set to expire. And on the day I emailed him, that just so happened to be the exact day that the Rick Case title department reached out to me for proof of residence. I’m supposed to believe they weren’t just sitting on my paperwork for 3 weeks before I followed up?



And once I sent proof of residence, ask me if I got any update about what was going on. I had to send several emails and call the office several times to get a firm grip on what was happening. Extracting information from Rick Case Mazda was like pulling teeth. One email I got from the title department, responding to my request for an update:



“(Your title work) was sent back to me because the proof of residence you sent me is not the same address as the one on your paperwork.”



Boom. End of email. This exchange occurred one day before my tag deadline. I was given no instructions or assurances on what the next step would be. There was certainly no sense of urgency on their end to get this done for me.



Chris was adamant that Rick Case Mazda was not at fault for the delay. Maybe he’s right, or maybe he’s full of it. I tend to think the latter.



Regardless, they could have reached out. A phone call from a real person, apologizing for the inconvenience and assuring me that things would get handled, would have been nice. A phone call BEFORE I had to hunt them down for updates would have been wonderful.



As of my last conversation with Chris, he apologized for the delays (even though he claimed they weren’t Rick Cases’ fault) and assured me I would have the tag in my hands today, Monday.



Well, it’s Monday afternoon. I am on the final day of extended temporary tag. As of 3:30pm, I had heard nothing from Rick Case. I just emailed them (I’m the one initiating contact, AGAIN), and even though Chris had promised me he would try to get someone to bring me my tag, I have just learned that I’ll have to go get it myself from the tag office (which closes in about 20 minutes) or wait until Wednesday. I would have been happy to go get it myself from the beginning until Chris offered to get it for me and bring it to me.



This is beyond unacceptable, especially when I was assured I would have the tag in my hands this afternoon.



My transaction with Rick Case Mazda has been bungled from beginning to end. I’ve received poor customer service, horrendous communication, and outright disrespect at times.

Hey Folks wanted to let everyone know about my expierence at Rick Case Mazda. I called about an 05 Mazda Tribute that they had listed on their website for the special internet sales price of $9990.00. I talked to Will Barnes who turned out to be a manager and he said they had the vehicle and we arranged for me to come and look at it. In the meantime, I did my research and found out that the KBB price for a 05 Mazda Tribute is around $8400 in excellent condition. Im not quite sure how a vehicle that is 7 years old could be considered excellent! Edmunds stated that the true market value is $7423. Anyway I drove 35 miles one way to see the vehicle. When I got to the dealership a salesman had to find Will Barnes. After a few minutes I was introduced to Will, who within 30 seconds shoved me off to another salesman named Brian Nowlin (this ticked me off due to the fact that Will told me to ask for him when I got there). We talked about the price and I showed Will KBB price. He looked it up on KBB as well to confirmed roughly the same price that I found earlier ($8400). We went for a test drive and I liked the vehicle for the most part. I did notice that the vehicle had a few scratches and a ding or two also the dash around the radio was worn (far from excellent). Then we came in and he asked me to make him a offer. I offered $7500 which did not include the $599.00 doc fee (a scam) and the title fee of $19.00. Which with sales tax would run the price up close to $8800.00. Brian took my offer to the sales manager to see what could be done. After about 10 minutes Brian came back and said that the dealerships cost to own the vehicle was $9500.00 (pure Bull). I thought wow the dealership claims that they have $9500.00 in the vehicle when it retails for between $7400-$8400. Im still trying to figure out how a business can put more money into a car then what it is worth. I also noticed on the window sticker in the vehicle that the KBB price was $12900.00, which is pure Bull! Even Brian could not explain the high price even after he looked it up on KBB s website. I notice on the Carfax that the vehicle was purchased at an Auction. Back when I worked in the service department of a car dealership they would buy cars at Auctions for about half of what they retailed for. They would list them at retail so that they could double their money. Everyone should know that a dealership makes more money on used cars then on new cares. Needless to say I walked out of Rick Case Mazda with a bad taste in my mouth. Please stay away from them, they are trying to rip people off on their priced. The salesman Brian Nowlin was a nice guy, but I have no use for Will Barnes. Car salesmen, lawers and politicians are all crooked. STAY AWAY FROM RICK CASE MAZDA!!!! Also I probably would not go to any of the other Rick Case dealerships.

My sales rep, LeKisseh Portalatin, was an excellent professional. I did have some doubts about returning to Mazda but she has tremendously changed my mind. Her knowledge of the business influenced my decision in purchasing the car. With her on the staff, they will continue to be a dealership that consumers come to.

Mr. Gary was a class act. Definitely recommend this man and this dealership.

Mr. Fenn was very kind, he explained with detail every step in the purchase. He managed every inconvenience and was willing to understand our needs!

After purchasing 8 vehicles in my lifetime, my experience with Rick Case Mazda & Grey Fenn (in conjuction with the business team) has by far been the most relaxing & pleasant!

Ah, I must say that I had a really good experience and the service has gotten a lot better. In fact it seems to improve upon each visit. I think Mike Freeman, David Andy are great.

Try calling this dealer on the phone after you have a made a purchase there, you can't get thru to ANYONE! None of the office staff is ever available or helpful with my experience. Sure, they'll sell you a car, but they don't care when you get the title, registration, etc. worked out. Once they get your money, the customer service is finished. Take my advice, go somewhere else.