Centaur Subaru

Great, until you have an issue.. The 2019 Subaru Ascent that I purchased from Centaur in May of 2019 was my second Subaru from Centaur. I previously owned a 2010 Outback, and have h The 2019 Subaru Ascent that I purchased from Centaur in May of 2019 was my second Subaru from Centaur. I previously owned a 2010 Outback, and have had Centaur complete the majority of the servicing on the vehicle over it's lifetime. I returned to Centaur thinking that this was a standard experience and I knew what I was getting into with the vehicle and the dealership. The experience I ended up in was far from what I expected, and not in a good way. Issues with the Ascent started before the 10000km check-up, and continued and became worse through January 2020. By the end I was talking to the Service Manager (Todd) daily as they could not figure out the issue with the Ascent. (Possibly electrical, were advised they were looking at replacing a transmission @ <24000km). The vehicle averaged more than 1 day in the shop per month that I owned it. Obviously an issue with the vehicle itself, which left me stranded and without a vehicle I had any sort of confidence in. While the Service team were pleasant, the dealership lacks standard customer service options that others offer (e.g. shuttle service, loaner vehicles, etc.) to be able to assist customers who might be in similar situations with extensive issues with a Subaru vehicle. I know that it doesn't happen often (that's why I bought my 2nd subaru in the first place!), but they should have the tools and resources to be able to manage these situations. A C-Train ticket doesn't really cut it for those who do not work or live close to this service. While the issue with the Ascent was not Centaur's fault, I strongly believe that as Subaru Canada's representation it was up to Centaur to help resolve the situation. After repeated visits with no resolution, we requested that they provide buyout and replacement vehicle options. The Service Manager was helpful in discussing the issues and gathering information on what we wanted in a replacement vehicle. He seemed to actually care that there was an issue with the Ascent. This is where the situation took a terrible turn for the worse. We arrived on the day and time that we had arranged to discuss the options with the Sales team. We were directed to the Sales Manager (Albert) whom we were told was up to date on our situation and was "working on it". We waited around and even went on a test drive as he was speaking with someone. Once we returned from the test drive, he was still dealing with the same person. It was at this point that we were passed off to a Sales person (Alex). Alex was not briefed on our situation at all. We recognize that there's a major difference between selling someone a new car, and dealing with a situation like ours (where we had to do something about a vehicle that was not performing). It became evident that while we had repeatedly been told that Albert was "working on something", he had done absolutely nothing in advance of our visit. We were at the dealership for over 2 hours, with time spent providing information on the Ascent (which had been at the dealership for the previous 3 days due to the electrical issues). The Sales Manager at no time spoke with us directly, but rather through Alex as he repeatedly went back and forth, many times waiting for Albert, or even assisting other prospective buyers while we waited. Alex eventually returned with an offer, telling us that it was the best possible deal. Looking at the numbers, it was obvious that they treated the Ascent as though it was a voluntary trade in, and gave us less than a fair trade in value. After the fact, in speaking with the other dealership in Calgary, as well as other brand dealerships, the value that Centaur gave us was more than $2000 LESS than anyone else would have offered (And this does not include the $3000 that they charged us for replacement all season tires/rims for the Ascent). We did not use this as a trade in with anyone else as we knew of the service issues and that the vehicle was a lemon. Additionally, NO cost concessions were made on the 2020 Outback that we wanted to replace the Ascent. At one point Alex even stated "We still need to move product and make margins", which he later told me that Albert had told him to tell us this. This is totally not an acceptable way to speak with customers in our situation. Follow-up conversations with Albert (by phone) went absolutely nowhere. While he tried to explain that he "thought we did a really good job", he had no interest in listening to constructive feedback, nor even hearing me out on the frustration that this situation had caused us. He even went as so far as to call me "hostile" when I asked simple questions that a professional could have easily addressed in a respectful manner. This experience proved that they took no responsibility or accountability for the situation or for finding a solution for us. They were simply in it for the money and could not have cared less about us. I have completed multiple surveys sent to me by Subaru Canada and Centaur and no one has contacted me regarding the issue. Overall an extremely disappointing experience especially considering I had previously been a long time customer of Centaur. I would hate to think what they would do to a first time buyer! Buyer beware! More