Purchased a 2016 GTI from Cowell VW about a week ago and it’s turned into one of the worst experiences ever. Really unfortunate as I was extremely excited to own my first VW, but that excitement turned into a 1 week headache.
Pros:
-Sales rep (Jacky) and finance rep (Kelly) were super professional and great.
Cons:
-Took me 2 trips to the dealership to get them to do what they promised
-Car was damaged twice while in their care
-Very negative experience with manager (Patrick)
--Instead of taking ownership of their mistake the manager just denied and lied
--Showed ZERO respect to me as a customer and to his employee
Got here Aug 13. Saw the car and loved it! Before purchase car had a minor scratch on the door and rims which we agreed the dealership would fix. It was close to their closing time so finance rep took my credit info and said she would call me in the AM to sign.
Next day I hear nothing. I call and am told the finance rep will get back to me ASAP. Few hours go by and no phone call, although I did receive an email from her addressed to someone else asking them to schedule a time to pickup their 2017 Golf lol.
After a few calls to my sales rep he books me an appointment at 3PM the next day with the finance rep. I say I need to talk to her before as I have questions on down payment, finance rates, etc. Says she call me in the AM.
Next day at 2PM I receive a call from a new finance rep (Kelly). She answers my questions and meets me at 3PM. Kelly also notices the last finance person put the wrong sale price in for my financing. I’m also told I need to take the car back on Monday for them to fix and detail.
Arrive there on Monday and am given a courtesy car with 5 tires stuffed in the back seat and trunk lol. Go back to let them know. After a few mins a sales guy notices me standing and asks If I’ve been helped and he’s nice enough to remove the tires.
Go back next day to find that only the rims are fixed. They claimed they touch up painted the scratch – to me it looks exactly like it was before. No detailing – see pics. I also noticed there was huge mark on my headlight. I let the sales rep know, he brings out his manager (Patrick) who says “we didn’t do it”. After about 10-15 mins of arguing and threatening with "I have pictures of the car before I dropped it off" they call service to provide answers. Service guy says we didn’t do it either lol. He then brings some chemical and removes most of the mark on the headlight.
This has already been a nightmare. I ask about the detailing that wasn’t done and the manager kind of yells at the sales rep “I need that loaner car back now”. At this point I just felt uncomfortable. I’m advised that I will need to come back so they make sure to detail the car and I would get a tank of gas for my troubles lol.
Come back 2 days later. Hand over keys and they bring my car around to show to the detail guy. I notice a paint chip on the passenger side door. Pull up pictures I took 10 mins ago and car was fine. I show the sales rep and he says they will try and fix.
I come back after a few hours to pickup the car. Everything looks good. Car is detailed, the paint chip touched up. I get home to notice that one of the rims looks like it’s pealing. I check my pictures of before I dropped the car off and rim looked fine. Oh and they didn’t fill up the tank either lol.
At this point I think I’m better off just not even going back. Considering that last 2 times I’ve given this dealership my car somehow it gets damaged!.
Despite the lack of quality and customer care by management and the service folks, the sales rep (Jacky) and the finance person (Kelly) were great – if it wasn’t for them this would be a zero star review.
It’s my first time owning a VW and I was super excited on the first day. Wasn’t asking for a lot, just do the work you say you will and stand up to your promise of customer service. I would have honestly not expected to have such a negative experience with such an established dealership, especially as they have so many good reviews!
I’ve been coming here for over 3 years now for all of my VW Golf needs. Service is always impeccable and I never had a single issue. These guys go above and beyond.
I would also like to single out Jon. He is an exceptional guy and always went an extra mile to deliver the best service he could. If you go to Cowell, ask for Jon — you will not be disappointed!
I've bought several vehicles here over the past 21 years and have always received excellent service. They are helpful and friendly and I feel like I am being valued. I wholeheartedly recommend.
I bought a new GTI at Cowell a couple weeks ago. Mark and Alex in sales, as well as Jocelyn in the business office, were outstanding. All went above and beyond to be accommodating, profession and friendly. Super happy with my car, and have already sent someone else to Cowell. 5/5
My wife and I bought a new 2020 Tiguan from Cowell Volkswagen earlier this month.
I had three dealerships picked to check out for prices, deals, etc.
The first dealership was able to provide me with a mediocre price but only provided me with an okay experience. The last dealership also guaranteed beating the price by x amount of dollars.
Cowell was the second dealership we went to. Jerry provided very good service, was attentive to our needs and was able to match the trade-in value of our vehicle with the first dealership. Jerry gave me a very reasonable price with a 4 year maintenance package and was able to convince me to not visit the last dealership.
This actually worked better for us because we live 5 minutes away from Cowell versus a 15-20 minute drive to the last dealership.
A week or so after buying our new vehicle, we noticed that the a/c wasn't working (it might not have been when we bought it- surprisingly it was rainy and cool during these days) and addressed this with their service department.
Our concerns were addressed by Kong in sales and Derek in their service department and we were provided a loaner Tiguan.
During this entire process, there was a slight miscommunication that happened, but Aaron, their assistant GM was able to sit down with me personally, and explain the reason why the a/c wasn't working and some of the common maintenance oversights with new cars in their inventory. Our a/c was fixed and Aaron was able to make things right for us.
Aaron's personal touch and professionalism provided me with the reassurance to continue visiting Cowell Volkswagen for all my future needs. Aaron keeps Cowell Volkswagen well-run and comes off as a very meticulous and detail oriented individual.
We had a positive experience with Cowell Volkswagen and would highly recommend them for your vehicle needs.
Our family experience here was fantastic! We were provided top service from Kong, Gil, Kelly and Jocelyn. They were able to help us get out of our lease and get us into a used q5 that met our family needs. Gil and Kong are very great at consulting and Kelly and Jocelyn helped us with getting the best financing options possible. We had a poor experience at a previous dealership when they provided us a quote for our lease trade in and The Cowell team saved us thousands and got us into the perfect vehicle for us. Our family highly recommends Cowell VW for all your VW needs.
I had a very good experience. Gil was fantastic. He’s very knowledgeable and extremely friendly. He helped with every step of the way.
A friend recommended Gil to me and I’m glad they did . I’ll definitely pass the recommendation on. Thanks Gil!
Great little dealership. Professional and walked me through everything before I made the purchase. Attentive salespeople who aren't pushy. I've been happy with my Atlas so far. Drives like a much smaller car with a lot of versatility inside.
I would not recommend based off the experience I have seen them provide my brother. Vehicle was released to him in a manner not appropriate for street driving. Issues became apparent as soon as the vehicle got on the freeway. Vehicle was unable to be driven at freeway speeds. Although management insisted it had passed inspection with all issues taken care of.
Very untrue seeing that it has been in and out of the shop consistently since he’s owned it. With issues such as : complete transmission rebuild, throttle body, thermostat, 3/4 rims bent and not in working order. Paying more money in shop fees then anyone should with a newly purchased vehicle. Roughly $9600 in this first year of ownership on repairs alone. Being left without his vehicle 4 months of that time.
Management failed to mention at all about a supposed 30 day power train warranty, until this date was far passed.
Higher expectations were had from what we thought was a reputable dealership.
I visited this dealership with no serious intentions, because I came for my friend, but Peter really left a great impression. If I would get myself a new car, I'd definitely look for him. Nice showroom.
I bought a car here around three month ago and the Cowell team made a flawless car shopping experience.The sales person,Chang, did a great job to help me.
My new Arteon is my fifth cars and I can't find a single problem.
Thank you Cowell team.
It's my second time to buy a car at Cowell Volkswagen, appreciate for Chang Qin with so much help and useful information. He is a very kind and friendly guy with provide some sincere opinions. I will no hesitate to recommend him to my friends whoever wanna buy a car.
I bought a car from here around two weeks ago and I just want to say how easy of an experience the Cowell team made car shopping. Before visiting Cowell, I was completely stressed out about buying a car as it was my first time. The team quickly alleviated that stress with their great customer service, understanding, and honesty. The sales that assisted me, Alex, did a great job showing me all the options that I had within the price point I wanted. Furthermore, in the proceeding steps, Kelly made the financing options stress-free and informative, due to her attentive nature in understanding what I want. I can't say nothing but good things about this dealership, so if you are in need of a car be sure to check out Cowell Volkswagen.
Tyrell is a super friendly sales here! He was super helpful, and knew the perfect questions to ask in order to help me find the perfect car! The whole team here is awesome :)
It was my first time buying a new car. Great shopping experience. The sales person Constance helped us a lot! She’s so patient and knowledgeable, explained every single question very well. Gonna go back here again because of the excellent customer service.
Great experience with Nick and his team thank you! I purchased my first Volkswagen Golf and could not be happier with the service. It was informative and I always felt that my interests were first and foremost in ensuring that I had the right car for me. Thanks again for all your help!
We had the heater on our 2018 Tiguan repaired here after another VW dealer messed it up while fixing the air con last summer. Cowell Volkswagen service was awesome! Fast service . Courteous staff , knowledgeable mechanics. Highly recommend. Reply to owner: Customer name is not Blair.
I had such a great experience with this Dealership and thanks to Gil and Bussines office and Jack for helping me out. I love it ! Will definitely Recommend my friends and family.
Came here for servicing. Great experience from the moment I walked in (Information desk staff were cheerful and helpful) to checking into servicing, and then servicing from Jackson. The staff were extremely pleasant to deal with, very informative and good about explaining how long the estimated servicing would be and what I could expect to have checked prior to. They also have a courtesy shuttle that drops you off while you wait. Overall very happy with this branch and I plan to return here next time.
I bought my golf r yesterday in the dealership, everyone was so nice, especially Mark, Kong, Patrick, Sia, Chang, Steve,and Brian, you guys were amazing, thanks for helping me to get my dream car, I would like to give you 10 stars out of 5!!!
I bought my car 4 yrs ago and this review might be late but I believe its worth it to post because of the service I got. John went above and beyond to help find me the car I want. Back then I didn't have a regular income and I only had a fixed amount that I had set aside for a car for work and he helped me find a reliable car within my budget. Went to Honda initially across their dealership and the salesperson there just laughed at me and said "you cant have anything on that price!" like seriously! . But luckily I met John from a friend, and he gave me a beautiful Jetta 2015 Trendline which Ive had for four years now, very happy with it, no issues at all! Highly recommended place to get reliable car and service!
I am happy to get my first car from Cowell VW! Jacky Ku was my sales person, very patient and knowledgeable. It was a very nice buying experience here at Cowell Volkswagen!! Strongly recommended!!!
Just picked up the car from Cowell and must say that my first experience with them has been great. Definitely understand why so many people recommend them!
Long story short, front driver side door panel got damaged during repair, service advisor was quick to offer repair and or replacement. In the end, they opted to replace the door panel entirely.
I’ve had negative experiences at other dealerships and tire shops that didn’t want to take responsibility for damaging customer vehicles so it’s definitely a refreshing change with Cowell!
Will definitely bring my car here from now on even though I purchased it through a different VW dealer.
Just picked up the car from Cowell and must say that my first experience with them has been great. Definitely understand why so many people recommend them!
Long story short, front driver side door panel got damaged during repair, service advisor was quick to offer repair and or replacement. In the end, they opted to replace the door panel entirely.
I’ve had negative experiences at other dealerships and tire shops that didn’t want to take responsibility for damaging customer vehicles so it’s definitely a refreshing change with Cowell!
Will definitely bring my car here from now on even though I purchased it through a different VW dealer.
A great car buying experience. A big thank you to both Nic and Aaron for their professionalism and honesty while taking the time to help me make an informed decision that best suited my needs. I will definitely be going back when I need help with my next vehicle.
Last Sunday I went in to look at and test drive a Touareg. Within an hour of arriving I had driven the car, made an offer, got accepted and approved and was driving my new vehicle home. Not only did the salesman Jacky make it a quick, easy and pleasant experience but the finance and insurance department were extremely professional and made it a very smooth process. Overall very impressed with the service here!
I purchased my first car with Cowell Volkswagen. The sales representative, John Vu, gave me a great deal on a lease. He was friendly and informative. I moved from ON to BC and had issues with my license and insurance and John was nice enough to drive me to the nearest ICBC to obtain my BC driver's license in order to get the best insurance rate before driving the car off the lot. Every other staff member I dealt with was also very friendly and helpful. I would recommend this dealership to anyone and am very happy that my first buying experience was a positive one!
We were with my family looking for a car golf sport for my son. We were in the dealership for more than 15 minutes closely examining inside and outside of the cars in the showroom that we were interested. During that time not a single employee receptionist or a sales person etc approached us in any way. This is despite the fact that we observed 2 or 3 sales person at their desk or walking the floor. This has not been our experience in any other dealership. I suggest you train your staff to be more attentive to serious customers.
I've just purchased my third vehicle from Cowell with the help of the rep Chris. I consider him the best rep I've met before. He's enthusiasm and professional, always in good manner and ready to answer any questions about the vehicle. The whole progress was relaxed and with pleasure. After sales service was pretty good as well. I do recommend Chris in the Cowell Volkswagen as your next rep.
Update - August 13, 2019
Be careful, you will get charged for diagnosing if you do not accept their offer for repair. Even though the repair should have been covered by the warranty. Lowering my score from 5 to 2.
I bought my first ever VW at this dealership about a month ago and didn't want to leave my feedback until "honeymoon period" is over, so here I am.
I have nothing but the best to say. It was awesome from start to finish. I was greeted by the reception, introduced to Louis and walked through the process. Once my vehicle arrived I was escorted to sales team then insurance. Finally I was introduced to a young fellow who walked me through how to use my new vehicle features. It took about 2 hours from the moment I arrived to sit and drive off from the parking lot.
A month from now I am scheduled to come in for a service so they can check and adjust if and what is necessary.
Thank you Cowell VW. Great experience from start to present.
John Vu at Cowell Volkswagen is an exceptionally friendly, patient and professional salesperson. He went above and beyond to make sure my buying experience was nothing short of amazing. I am very grateful for everything he was able to do to ensure my family was able to get a reliable vehicle. Thank you to John and the team at Cowell Volkswagen for all their help and kindness!
I was assisted by a rep name Chris. He was very polite and ready to help answer any questions that I had. Although I did not end up purchasing a vehicle through this dealership (due to stock availability) Chris still did everything in his power to help me find the vehicle I wanted. He went out of his way to walk me to the dealership that had the vehicle I was looking for. Overall amazing experience. I will definitely refer everyone I can to this dealership. Thank you Chris!
I drive all the way from Langley to get my servicing done by them. Great service and very skilled technicians. We bought our last 2 cars from them as well and it was smooth and service was also excellent.
Alex and the finance manager's were great. They got me approved within the day and Alex got me the best deal possible after visiting a few other dealership around the lower mainland.
Thanks for all the help!
Leasing my new 2019 Jetta through Cowell Volkswagen was a smooth and seamless experience. For me, one of the most important aspect of a purchase is how efficient the process will be. It has to flow and be on the quicker side of the spectrum while being provided with all the key information I am looking for. The people at Cowell Volkswagen achieved just that. They also made me feel special and I truly felt like a valued customer. Thank you Cowell Volkswagen!
I have had a great experience here at this Cowell VW location. After my purchase of my car, Kenny came up to me and gave me a very detailed explanation of how my car works. His explanation of the functions of the car was clear and concise. I was able to understand the capabilities of the car thanks to his help. Overall, the experience here at this location is top notch.
Excellent service, had the pleasure of dealing with Philip and Kenny. They both listened to our needs and not to mention the outstanding customer service they both provided. Both Philip and Kenny are very knowledgeable and friendly. Overall great experience buying a car from them. Would definitely recommend this dealership!
Jacky the salesmen was fantastic to deal with made everything so easy. The ladies in finance were awesome! If I could give them extra stars I would. Overall great experience buying a car from them!
The first thing that comes to mind with Cowell Volkswagen is that you feel welcomed here. We had Gil Santos assisted us with our new Atlas. He was very personable and we were sold on the spot! Me and my family really enjoyed the thorough explanation of our new vehicle with Franny. We really appreciate her good work ethnic when it was raining hard outside and she was putting on the licence plates. We will come back for sure!
Gil Santo was fantastic. So helpful and informative. He made the entire car-buying process enjoyable! Very happy with my vehicle. The service manager Al even came out to answer some of my questions before the purchase. He was very knowledgeable and supportive.
I will recommend Cowell Volkswagen to anyone looking for a new or used vehicle!
Thank you very much.
Richard
Been going to Cowell VW for past 6 years. Service has been great with Jackson. Alex who sold me my car has been great and it's still working surprisingly. Picked up my new car few months back and Franny was super helpful. Can't wait to see the new store!
Every time i'm in for service, Jackson has been great. Glad to see Alex is still there. Very rarely you see car salesman stay in one company for so long. Also glad to have met Franny whom helped me with some features on my car that I didn't quite understand even though it's been almost a year since I bought at this store. Great job everyone!
I'm very satisfied with the purchase of my Golf at this dealership. Leo, the sales representative did a great job with explaining the features and benefits of the vehicle. Everything went smoothly on delivery day. Franny, the delivery specialist gave me a thorough walkthrough of my new car to make sure I understand how everything works. I will be back in this dealership for another Volkswagen!
Danny was super helpful! He and Jocelyn were really patient and were really genuine when talking to me and my family when we were purchasing our car. When we picked up our car, we enjoyed our experience with Franny as she went through with us how to operate the vehicle. We are happy with our purchase and would definitely recommend this dealership!
Would highly recommend! Nick and Kristen had provided me world class customer service. Kristen was very welcoming and ensured a seamless process for me. Nick was super knowledgable on his craft and helped matched my wants/needs into one perfect car for me.
I purchased new VW Tiguan in 2014 and at the beginning was very happy with it. At the end of the same year there was a recall on gas pump and VW in Richmond BC scheduled to have it fixed. Shortly after problems started. When try I start my vehicle it is often delayed and sometimes completely skips. I took the car to the same dealership at least 6 times and they replicated the problem couple times and changed different parts but problem still exists. Last couple times I was told that they can't replicate the problem and can't help me.
Also, within the year from the date of purchase carpet on the floor of the driver side ripped in one spot. Car is barely driven, kept well and super clean. I was told the hole in the floor is wear and tear and warranty would not cover it. I was extremely disappointed with the quality of product and even more disappointed that VW dealership would not stand behind the quality and address what I strongly believe is product defect.
I am strongly disappointed with Cowell VW!!!
Great service department. Cathy, is a service writer and her knowledge and manner are exceptional. This facility is a long way from home but well worth the drive
Cowell is having the best lucky to hire a employee like Eric, he is the best service person in Canada from my last 25 years
Really helpful
Service here is pretty pricey, but the parts by themselves are pretty reasonable.