The Collection Coral Gables wrecked my 996....

[gittledog]

I thought you all might be interested in what has happened to me in the past few days. I brought my 2003 Porsche 996 Cabriolet w/ 16,000 miles in for minor warranty work to The Collection. The car was flat-bedded there. On 4/27/07 I received a phone call from The Collection telling me that my car was involved in an accident while out on a test drive. The tech that was driving my car got ticketed for the accident. He failed to yield the right of way against 2 lanes of oncoming traffic while making a left hand turn. The damage to the car is roughly 10k. When I finally got to speak with the owner of The Collection, He told me that I was acting like his 15 yr. old daughter. All I want is to be made whole. I don't want to have to wait for the car to be repaired to then talk to him about a possible trade-in. That's what he suggested. I told him that I want him to buy my car for the market value just before the accident. Then I would buy another Porsche, not neccessarily from The Collection. I am awaiting counsels advice before this goes any further. Be wary of The Collection.....

Edited May 4, 2007 by gittledog

[Loren]

Incredible!

What a bunch of idiots - with that attitude you could end up owning the dealership.

Hope it all works out for you

[wross996TT]

Hope you give it to them good. That just s*cks.

[wdonovan]

For those who do not read this forum, there is a site www.ripoffreport.com. There may be other sites as well. One of the great benefits of the world shrinking through computer networking is that things are slowly getting toward being self-monitored, like Ebay feedback. I'd tell anyone and everyone who'd listen. In the courtroom end.... Go for big punitive damages. Set a precedent so other Porsche dealers do not hurt innocent people like us! The planet has enough dirtbags per capita. Make them pay. I'd be willing to limp into court on crutches and say he hit me if it helps. Get back to me if you need this.

Best of luck!

[fasterjames]

The Collection used to be a client of mine in a former career. We stopped doing business with them because of their poor ethics and attitudes. If you need someone good to go to in FL let me know. I still stay in touch with a few people at a couple of dealers. Sorry about your 996.

You can take the highline out of the dirt but...

[gittledog]

Thanks to all for your support and ideas......

[Izzy]

I hate to say it, but you should consider getting an attorney to make sure you don't loose your position as a consumer. They had the vehicle and wrecked it.

[ultramens]

He called you a little girl? that would ***** me off, go get an attonery and sue the crap out of them, that will teach them to call people a little girl.....

[ivanuf]

For those in other states The Collection is a high end multi-brand dealer (Ferrari, Aston Martin, Ect.) I got the feeling everytime I visited the dealer when I was in Miami that my old 996 was for them like a Camry in a sea of overpriced italian cars.

[whs]

That's not cool at all! The Collection is where the original owner of my car purchased it and had it serviced. I called and spoke to them about the maintinance history on the car prior to purchasing it. They were very helpful. As others have said, a lawyer is the way to go. Just make sure you include legal fees in the settlement.

[gittledog]

Counsel already on board.....

[porschinator]

LOL..acting like my 15 yo daughter. I would have hung up the phone at that time and speak face to face. I truly cringe when I hear TEST DRIVE. There are too many individuals that truly do not give a cr@p about other peoples property and test drive the car like they are in a Too fast Too furious driving scene.

If they jerk you around seek legal council and know your rights. Hopefully they will be willing to put what the car WAS worth and put it towards another ride. Good luck!

[kengorinthecollection]

Here are excerpts from the letter in response to the situation:

Dear Forum Members,

I am Ken Gorin, president of THE COLLECTION in Coral Gables, Florida. It has never been our practice to discuss our customers publicly. However, since [gittledog] has opened these discussions, I felt it best to respond.

THE COLLECTION prides itself in providing its customers with the highest level of customer service. Client care is, and always will be, our number one priority. We recognize that the situation with [gittledog] was unfortunate and have swiftly taken the necessary steps to ensure his satisfaction in the resolution of this matter. The same day of the accident, the claim was reported to our insurance company. The car was promptly and professionally appraised by the insurance company’s adjustor and our insurance company has agreed to pay for both the needed repairs and diminished value in this regrettable accident. In addition, we wholeheartedly encourage [gittledog] take his vehicle to the body shop of his choice.

Most importantly, we are thankful that there were no personal injuries as a result of this accident.

It is unfortunate that certain members of [other forums] have seen fit to make personal attacks against myself and my daughter. These comments are outrageous, hurtful, unwarranted and defamatory. We will not publicly respond further to these attacks. Instead, we will stand behind our outstanding reputation as one of this country’s preeminent luxury automotive dealerships.

Ken Gorin, President

THE COLLECTION

Edited May 7, 2007 by kengorinthecollection

[Loren]

Ken,

You are welcome to to post your comments or response here as long as it is not personal (see our board rules).

Some clarifying points:

1. This is not Rennlist -- this is RennTech.org.

2. No one here has made any personal comments about you or your family.

Please correct these mis-statements in your posting -- or I will be forced to delete your post (again please see our board rules).

[Loren]

Ken Gorin's response here is a good sign - at least I think so.

Now if he and his company make things right for gittledog I will be even more impressed.

gittledog - Please let us know the outcome to this unfortunate situation.

[magcuda]

just a buyer beware note, read that fine print on the repair order before signing. also most repair orders fine print are continued on the back.

[Chuck Jones]

As is typical in these sorts of situations....there seems to be misunderstanding on both sides. I think Ken misunderstood that his daughter was somehow being attacked here.....when I think it was a statement that gittledog was supposedly acting like a 15 year old girl. I don't think anyone's daughter is or has been singled out here.

All too often we only hear one side of a story....and there are invariably two sides, however we are not privy to the initial phone call or any subsequent offers to try to rectify this situation. I do not like to see what amounts to a civil matter tried in open forums like this. I can fully understand frustrations, anxieties, and the emotional toll something like this takes upon the party or parties involved....but the proper forum is through the respective attorneys....or better yet, through a good faith offer by the dealership to appropriately take care of the problem.

The best we can do is end up taking sides in a situation where we really don't have all the necessary information. Don't get me wrong, I can empathize with gittledog, and if it happened to me, I'd be just as irate. But I think the key word here is irate...and what frequently happens is that first emotional phone call gets the parties polarized right off the bat...then it goes downhill from there.

If I read this correctly, the dealership has offered to fix the car, let gittledog take it to the body shop of his choosing, compensate gittledog for diminshed value, and possibly other remedies yet to be agreed upon. Where this "leave my daughter out of it" came from I don't know, but it seems to be a misunderstanding that should be laid to rest post haste. Now before I incur the collective wrath of the gittledog supporters, I'm not on anyone's side. I don't know either of the parties. I just don't think that we should be making judgements about how this thing should play out until such time as the dealership has finalized what it is they intend to do. If they intend to give gittledog what he wants, then where's the beef? Again, playing these sorts of things out in public forums without sufficient details doesn't do either side any good. That's why they passed the lynch laws.

Ok...now you can kick my butt...

[Izzy]

Chuck,

good thoughts, if Loren wants to move this to the non-car issues (contributing member forum?) forum we could continue the stimulating vulcan-yoda discussion. I have some thoughts too just want to keep this thread to cars. I did a google search for "the collection" and this thread and one in Rennlist show up. So the dealer or someone they know told them about it.

[victor]

Hello Guys

I live in Miami as well, and my "The Collection experience" was not too sweet either!!

About two years ago, I had bought my 2001 996 cabrio with eight thousand miles on it.(beleive me guys the car is brand new)

I took it to The Collection wanting a Detailing job on the car (shampoo, wax, etc.) thinking it would be the most appropiate place to take my car.

Long story short, it took them over a week to return my car aaaaand, the canvas top was ripped.

They were very helpful and replaced my top, however until today every time I wash it, I still find metric screws from the top mechanism in my carpet, under the seats etc.

I find myself screwing them back up.

The top, well it is ok! Nothing like the original install.

What can I say, I would of had expected a more dedicated service from the very begining, not your typical Ford (no ofence) service like experince!

[gittledog]

I thought the reason for these forums was to make the Porsche community more in touch with fellow enthusiasts. If someone has a bad experience or a good one everyone should know. That is the beauty of the internet. Chuck Jones: Mr. Gorin said that I was acting like his 15 year old daughter.

[Chuck Jones]

Hello Guys

I live in Miami as well, and my "The Collection experience" was not too sweet either!!

About two years ago, I had bought my 2001 996 cabrio with eight thousand miles on it.(beleive me guys the car is brand new)

I took it to The Collection wanting a Detailing job on the car (shampoo, wax, etc.) thinking it would be the most appropiate place to take my car.

Long story short, it took them over a week to return my car aaaaand, the canvas top was ripped.

They were very helpful and replaced my top, however until today every time I wash it, I still find metric screws from the top mechanism in my carpet, under the seats etc.

I find myself screwing them back up.

The top, well it is ok! Nothing like the original install.

What can I say, I would of had expected a more dedicated service from the very begining, not your typical Ford (no ofence) service like experince!

Victor: Were it my car, I'd have it back to them and make them do it right so that you don't find screws lying about. There's no reason why a defect caused by the dealership shouldn't be made right...even if it takes several returns. Now, this presupposes that you aren't 50 miles or more from the dealership....distance makes a difference....especially at over $3 a gallon!! Not to mention the inconvenience of return trips.

[mpikounis]

I thought the reason for these forums was to make the Porsche community more in touch with fellow enthusiasts. If someone has a bad experience or a good one everyone should know. That is the beauty of the internet. Chuck Jones: Mr. Gorin said that I was acting like his 15 year old daughter.

I couldn't agree more with you - as long as the name and contact info of the person posting (you in this case) is known to the forum owner so he can disclose it in case it is required. This is the beauty of the internet and a very good reason for every professional to act responsibly.

[victor]

Good Day everyone,

Mr. Jones:

The thing is that here in Miami there's only one Porsche dealer that I know of and it is The Collection. ( I'm three to five minutes away)

The other one would be over in the Fort Lauderdale area " Champion Porsche" around fifteen or twenty miles from us!

Don't get me wrong, they have been very patient and friendly every time I've gone there specially the Parts Dept. guys; However I have noticed (and don't like it) that the guys in the bay area receiving your car drive away in them like getting out of the pits area in a Nascar race!

I'm by no means an old timer. ( in my 30's) I obviously know what it feels like to seat behind the wheel of such a fine car but, not all of us buy this type of cars to race them or simply go fast in them, it is the legendary history, the auto satisfaction, blah, blah, you guys know what I mean.

I feel they don't need to be mistreated either, that's all.

As far as The Collection, I"ll continue to visit but as I wrote in my previous post I"ll always expect the very best service and attitude from them.

Let's hope they can live up to our expectations!!

[Chuck Jones]

Good Day everyone,

Mr. Jones:

The thing is that here in Miami there's only one Porsche dealer that I know of and it is The Collection. ( I'm three to five minutes away)

The other one would be over in the Fort Lauderdale area " Champion Porsche" around fifteen or twenty miles from us!

Don't get me wrong, they have been very patient and friendly every time I've gone there specially the Parts Dept. guys; However I have noticed (and don't like it) that the guys in the bay area receiving your car drive away in them like getting out of the pits area in a Nascar race!

I'm by no means an old timer. ( in my 30's) I obviously know what it feels like to seat behind the wheel of such a fine car but, not all of us buy this type of cars to race them or simply go fast in them, it is the legendary history, the auto satisfaction, blah, blah, you guys know what I mean.

I feel they don't need to be mistreated either, that's all.

As far as The Collection, I"ll continue to visit but as I wrote in my previous post I"ll always expect the very best service and attitude from them.

Let's hope they can live up to our expectations!!

Victor: I'm sure that if you were to go into the service manager or one of the executive levels of the dealerships front office and tell them about your concerns with the service guys treating your car like they were vying for the pole position at Indy, you'd find that at the next staff meeting, the issue would be discussed. What I've found is that often, we don't give the folks in charge an opportunity to address the problem. We go ballistic right from the start, and what the hell....even a service manager or company exec doesn't like to be verbally attacked right from the get-go. I've always operated on the principle of looking at the objective. In a situation where you feel you've been wronged....your objective is to get the wrong corrected. To start off with a angry tirade usually doesn't accomplish the objective....it serves to polarize the parties and make the problem that much more difficult to resolve. Give them a chance first....then if they don't respond, or kiss off the problem...go for the throat. I've been pleasantly surprised a number of times when the problem was resolved to my satisfaction without having to go to the mat.

Victor...those guys want your business, and if you tell them you're going to have to go elsewhere if the service guys don't quit treating your car like something in a demolition derby....I'd be willing to bet that your car gets treated differently.

[CosmosC4S]

victor, 15-20mins away is no big deal! You are fortunate that you have 2 NOT 1 Porsche dealer in your area!

The closest dealer to me is 35 miles, and that's not too bad for me.

I know there are people who live even further away from a Porche dealer.

Edited May 11, 2007 by CosmosC4S