Ride West BMW and South Sound BMW
Complaint 130832 Details

If you are considering a motorcycle purchase from either Southsound BMW or Ridewest BMW you should think twice. Especially stay away from the "used-car salesman" Roman -- Instead head to Portland BMW where you won't have to deal with the lies and hidden second sticker shenanigans.

This is the complaint that I filed with the Washington State Attorney General:


Explanation of complaint:

On January 31st, 2012 I purchased a 2012 BMW R1200GSA Motorcycle. I started communicating with the sales staff at South Sound BMW in August of 2011. Over the six months between first interaction and actual purchase I interacted with three different salesmen. The first two at South Sound BMW Tacoma and the third salesman at their sister store, Ride West BMW in Seattle. All three salesmen informed me that a delivery and setup charge of $450 world be part of the sales price.

On February 31st: the day that I purchased the motorcycle I did have some problems with my sales person going back on certain concessions that were promised. Those issues are not part of this complaint but have been filed with the United States corporate headquarters of BMW.

At the time of purchase I inspected the sales agreement thoroughly. The $450 delivery and setup charge "Handeling" was added as I had expected. At the time of signing documents I failed to notice that MSRP was increased from the MSRP that I was expecting. When I questioned the added charge a few days later I was told by the Sales Manager that $495 was added for delivery from Germany to New York and that the "Handeling" charge of $450 was for delivery and setup (New York - Seattle). I logged my complaint with the sales manager that I never agreed or notified that I would have two different delivery/setup charges. My complaint went on def ears.

Since purchasing my motorcycle February 31st I accompanied a friend who was purchasing a BMW motorcycle from the dealer in Portland Oregon. At that dealership I was told that BMW North America pays the dealer out of the $495 for setup and that the delivery from Germany all the way to the dealership is covered in that price.

I was charged a second sticker price but not notified. I also believe that if you conducted a survey of all the past buyers from these two dishonest dealerships, you would find that 99.9% of the time they overcharged the consumer and never notified the consumer that they were really paying a second sticker. I am certain that you will find that the hundreds or thousands of customers that purchased new motorcycles from these two dealership have all been told that the $450 "Destination" charge was for delivery and setup.

Last week while confronting my first salesmen at South Sound BMW about why I was charged twice for delivery and setup he changed his tune changed and he said that the $450 charge was a CO-OP charge to help pay for having a nice facility and loaner motorcycles when having my vehicle services. Had I or the thousands of other customers been told that the $450 charge was a CO-OP fee we would have told them to pound dirt.

Please conduct a review of their sales and require these two stores to refund this money to the consumers they snow-jobbed. The practices of South Sound BMW and Ride West BMW is both unethical and unfair. Keith Thye is owner of both stores.



Expected resolution details: Refund EVERYONE that has been charged the $450 "Handling/Destination" charge.