DEALERSHIP ASSESSING CREDIT CARD FEES, POOR BBB RATINGS UNDER OLD NAME…
UPDATE: ANGRY MESSAGE FROM GENERAL MANAGER: “WE’RE GONNA COME AFTER YOU!”
BY: CONSUMER DESK | BocaNewsNow.com
UPDATE at 5:33 p.m: We’ve received an angry message from the General Manager of BMW of Coconut Creek. Read the text at the end of this article.
UPDATED: 4:55 p.m. to clarify dealership was sold earlier this year but BBB posts continue under the Vista BMW name.
COCONUT CREEK, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — An exceptionally high credit card processing fee is leading BocaNewsNow.com to issue a warning to the tens of thousands of BMW drivers in the area: you may want to avoid BMW of Coconut Creek which is a assessing a three percent fee for anyone paying for anything with a card. In a world where the average credit card processing fee is roughly 2.2 percent — and lower for high volume businesses — BMW Of Coconut Creek’s fee is as notable as we believe it is egregious.
While passing on credit card processing fees to consumers is legal under Florida law, it is a highly questionable practice and often not utilized by legitimate companies and merchants who prefer to write-off the fees as a deductible cost of doing business, instead of passing fees on to customers who they hope will be longtime patrons of the business. BMW of Coconut Creek clearly knows it has an image problem. It requires customers to verbally accept the fees at least two times during the course of a transaction, then actually has the fee listed as a line item on the service report generated for maintenance at the dealership.
Want tires? Prepare to pay cash or pay a fee. An $1800 tire purchase — four tires for a car — leads to a $54 fee. Routine service? You’re paying a three percent fee if you use a credit card. How about an alignment? That’s going to run you three percent on top of the dealership’s charges if you pay with a credit card. Buying a car? Initiating a lease? Want to pay with your credit card? There’s apparently not enough profit for BMW of Coconut Creek. The dealership is going to assess a three percent fee.
Multiple calls to BMW of Coconut Creek seeking comment from management were sent by an operator to voicemail. The calls were not returned within a reasonable period of time. The dealership was formerly known as “Vista Motor Company” which had an F rating with the Better Business Bureau and was not accredited. We note that Vista Motor Company sold the dealership to Morgan Automotive Group early this year. However, searches for “BMW of Coconut Creek” redirect on the BBB page to Vista Motors. Multiple complaints posted to the BBB were made after the sale, and remain unanswered or unresolved by BMW of Coconut Creek.
While the credit card surcharge is notable, so is the company’s apparent push for transactions to be carried out in cash — something few companies want in 2024 and certainly a choice that could make a business a crime target. Thieves tend to be disinterested in credit card transaction records. But they do like cold, hard cash. We also note that cash transactions are more difficult to document, record, trace, and verify — however, anyone paying with a credit card at BMW of Coconut Creek must show a photo ID.
If you experience fees, surcharges, or credit card processing costs that you believe are unacceptable anywhere in South Florida, send a note to BocaNewsNow.com using our news tip section, above. We will soon publish a list of area businesses assessing fees.
UPDATE at 5:33 p.m: We received the following message from a man claiming to be the General Manager of the dealership. Our return call went to voicemail. “My name is Tim Kramer. I’m the General Manager of BMW Mini of Coconut Creek. You’ve just posted a slanderous ad and a consumer alert about avoiding BMW of Coconut Creek. Gonna give you a real short period of time to drop this. I’ll have my legal team on this in the morning. Yeah. My name is Tim Kramer. I’m the General Manager, BMW Mini of Coconut Creek. Need to hear from somebody or we’re gonna come after you.”
It should be noted that Gunther Volvo in Coconut Creek is doing the exact same thing, charging 3% for using a credit card, and not letting anybody know prior to the work being done. It is disgraceful.
I had work done at the VW store last week and was told at the cashier when I went to pay my bill about the charge for using my credit card. Think this really stinks to be honest as it has always been just the cost of doing business. So instead of paying this bogus fee, used my debit card instead and didn’t get the 3% charge. Am not a real fan of Gunther VW but since they’re so close to home, held my nose when I went in there.
The guy at the BMW store has nothing to complain about really. The Boca News just reported about their new 3% fee for using a credit card, now a known fact and not slanderous at all. Don’t understand why the general manager didn’t just own it, they are charging this bogus fee. They didn’t lie here or say anything detrimental to the business, just a heads up about their recent policy for using one’s credit card. How in the world is this slanderous towards the BMW dealer is my question for Mr. Kramer if he is indeed who he says he is. Knowledge is power Mr. Kramer, something I guess you never learned wherever you went to school. I, for one, thank the Boca News for reporting on this very important fact and educating the consumers of South Florida…they educated we consumers. I would never buy a BMW product in the first place & if I did, would probably avoid this service facility because I hate these ridiculous fees which for all these years have been part of the cost of doing business.
So, thank you to the Boca News for letting the public know about this new way to scam more money from the consumers of South Florida and shame on Mr. Kramer and his business for charging this ridiculous fee! You’re just pissed because now a larger portion of the public knows about this fee and might decide to go elsewhere for the same services the BMW store provides.
If the goods or services are defective or unsatisfactory the customer has little or no recourse if they have paid cash.
At least with a credit card a customer has some back up in these types of transactions.
A fact I’m sure Mr. Kramer knows all to well. I just don’t get why all these years they’ve never charged this bogus fee but come 2024, they decide to do it? And then to scream slander when the Boca News publishes this fact…does he really think the public wouldn’t find out about it? All they really did was let the public know about this new fee. They left it up to the public now to either continue to use this BMW service facility or find another local shop, which there are plenty to choose from, who do not charge this credit card fee.
Let’s make this GM famous on X , Twitter & Facebook.
Why don’t you also include Schumacher Dodge-Chrysler-Ram-Jeep all locations? They now also charge a 4% fee if you use a credit card!!! Outrageous.
Green
I believe there was a 7% charge if a credit card was used with this AIR CONDITION company
There was also very HIGH PRESSURE to sign a yearly service agreement WHILE the technician was at the place of repair
Told company on a SATURDAY that I would CALL them MONDAY .. The technician showed up MONDAY morning WITHOUT NOTICE stating he needed to VERIFY the previous technician’s assessment that the leak was coming from the unit upstairs.
I personally won’t go to any establishment that charges this 3% fee or if I do, I’ll either pay cash or use my debit card. All these years, credit card fees have been part of the businesses cost of doing business and that was that. Now it seems that when 2024 rolled around, some places have started to pass this fee onto the consumer. And BMW of Coconut Creek is the first to cry slander when a local newspaper reports on this new fee they charge. From what I read, in no way did they slander BMW of Coconut Creek, they just reported it, so don’t see Mr. Kramer’s issue here. Newspapers report the news to the public, either good or bad, so as to educate us all. Then it’s up to the consumers to either use that knowledge or not. I am the kind of consumer to use that knowledge when I spend my hard earned income like most folks do in 2024.
People can choose to do what they want here, either use the place that charges this fee or to go to places that do not. Establishments that charge this bogus fee can’t cry when folks refuse to pay the fee and go somewhere else. Really, it’s all about the cost of doing business where the consumer gets to frequent businesses they feel meet their needs. It’s as simple as that!
Gunther Volvo in Delray Beach charges a 3% fee as well.
Gunther Volvo in Delray Beach charges a 3% fee as well. Craziness!
“Bogus fee”?
No one ever says it’s bogus that hard working business owners have to pay for their customers points, miles, and cash back programs.
What’s “bogus” are the exorbitant fees charged to merchants by the card issuing banks! They’re the real culprits here, but always seem to get a free pass.
I bet the processing fee is probably non-refundable too.
Poirier Auto Services, Pompano Beach, is also charging a 3% fee.
Very hard to find a mechanic that doesn’t charge a CC fee for processing.
Mr. Tim Kramer must have been having a bad day. Or maybe he is just ignorant. Or both. His lawyer ought to straighten him out. He is talking about libel, not slander. Libel refers to a written statement, slander refers to a spoken statement. But, most importantly, to prove either, the statement has to have been made with knowledge that it is false. Here BocaNewsNow was just stating a factual matter. NO ambiguity. They are charging 3% to use a credit card. Case closed.
Phil Smith Kia is also charging.
Many restaurants have been charging the fees. People pay it. The credit card fee isn’t anything new. Just more businesses are passing it on.
I bet the BMW dealer will take your personal check! No fees there.
Look into Grieco Chevy of Delray’s predatory $1,000 cash fee on new vehicle purchases.
Also Schumacher Lincoln is also charging a fee now. They put this into effect the day I picked up my car with no prior notice.
The VW dealer in Pompano (formerly Vista,) also charges a free for using a credit card. Same people I suppose.
I refuse to go to Gunther. Next stop is a dealer in Miami, I guess!
Their is a cost to the business to use credit cards. You pay for the device (a monthly charge) and you pay a percentage. These charges are getting higher. Soon most small businesses will need to pass along these charges because profit margins are so narrow these days that we’ll go broke without them!
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