Bob Bell Automotive

Up until this point, I have had mostly positive experiences with Bob Bell. I went there once to get a flat tire replaced and have had a few oil changes completed there as well. I think the last time I had an oil change, I waited about an hour and a half, and that was with an appointment. Kind of annoying, but it wasn’t a huge deal.
However, my interactions (or should I say lack of) with Bob Bell this week have left a very sour taste in my mouth and I won’t be returning there for service again. At my last oil change appointment they told me that I could use two new tires in the front and my brakes could use some work. That was almost two months ago. I called earlier this week to make an appointment to have all of that work done. The first time I called, I couldn’t get in touch with anyone and left a voice mail message. Never received a call back.
A day or two later, I called again. This time I selected the quick lane option because I knew someone would answer. The lady I talked to told me that she could only schedule oil changes and transferred me to the Kia service line. Again, no answer and I left another voice mail. Once again, I didn’t receive a call back.
I was obviously irritated at this point, but decided to try another route. I went on to the website early yesterday morning and sent an email explaining that I was trying to get in touch with someone to schedule an appointment. Not long after, I received an email from a lady who asked for my phone number and said someone would contact me shortly. I gave her both my work phone number and cell phone number. I waited all day for a phone call and never received one.
Against my better judgement, I decided to give it one more shot this morning. I sent another email to the lady who had contacted me yesterday. I explained that no one had contacted me yesterday and I was not very happy, but if someone called me today — that would be fine. Well, I sent that email at 7AM and it’s now almost 1:30PM — I haven’t gotten a reply to my email or a phone call. Obviously it’s too much trouble to get in contact with me to make the appointment, so I will take my business elsewhere from now on. Very disappointing.

Without a doubt, the worst experience and most inept organization I’ve ever experienced. I found a car on the internet that Bob Bell Ford, 30 minutes from my home, was selling. I saw subsequently bombarded by the internet sales team with multiple emails, texts and calls trying to land a sale. I engaged the internet salesperson who ended up running quotes for me across various financing and pricing scenarios. We agreed on a Monday to come in Thursday at 10am to buy the car in question. I asked if they wanted money down to hold the car and was told no. I arrived promptly at 10am only to encounter a gaggle of idiots led by the appointed «manager» who was rude, obstinate, and a complete jerk. I was told, even tough my name was on a fancy video board memorializing my 10am appointment, that another buyer had miraculously walked in to the dealership to buy the car in question, and only after they determined whether it was going to trade ahead of me, would they discuss the car with me. We turned and left.
We called the head of Norris Ford in Dundalk from the car who called us back in one minute. He had his top salesman call me 5 minutes later. They found a car in an hour and I bought it on the phone that afternoon. That’s how you do business.
As an aside, I also called the GM of Bob Bell Ford and left a voicemail. He chose not to return my call. Unreal.
Bob Bell Ford should be ashamed and The Ford Motor Company should be embarrassed that these clowns are part of their dealership network. If Zero Stars was an option, that would be my rating. One star is 100% higher than they deserve.

So before even reading all the stories, when you have about 90% of people that gave one star you should realize this is not a good place to go. I will not tell my entire horrible experience either as it is very exhausting just thinking about it. Bob Bell Ford truly only has one mission in its business. RIP PEOPLE OFF. THEY DO NOT CARE ABOUT ANYONE’S WANTS OR NEEDS. They will take every penny they can out of you. I have issues with the sales and service department. What everyone says about this place is true.

I scheduled an appointment to have my car serviced because the check engine lode came on and the engine began running rough suddenly. My appt was for 10 am, at 1pm, the car had not even been looked at by a technician. I’m not sure what the purpose of scheduling an appointment if the car is just going to sit for hours.

Do not ever deal with Bob Bell’s service department. They are the absolute worst service department I have ever had to deal with. My car has obvious issues that everyone can hear something is wrong and these idiots are trying to act like this is how my car is supposed to sound and BTW it cut out on me twice. The car is only a little over a year old and I bought brand new from them. About a week ago my car started sounding like a lawn mower and cutting out. Took it to them and they stated they can’t duplicate the problem yet when I picked it up it was doing the same thing right in front of him. He says that’s the sound of the fuel pump and that’s how it’s supposed to sound. So I say, pull in here one of the exact model of my car off that show room and pop the hood and tell me it sounds like this because mine didn’t until last week. I would have never bought a car that sounded like this. My old car, same model, had over 160,000 miles on it and never sounded like this. Absolute worst service department ever and everyone is so rude to you to begin with and wants to be mad at you when you treat them the same way. IF I COULD GIVE 0 STARS I WOULD. I feel sorry for the sales people because mine was great but the service department is horrible

I hate that I have to even give this place one star. I’m not even going to tell my entire story, all I will say is this dealership does not take accountability for anything and it should never take 4 months for a vehicle part. Read the other reviews and you’ll see this place is a disgrace. If you were smart, you’d avoid this place at all costs.

This place in my opinion is the worst place to call for parts bar none the people in the parts department are rude and act like your are bothering them I will never use them again! Thank god for apply ford!!!
People spend your money where it is appropriated!

I wouldn’t give this place one star. I have a 2014 Hyundai Veloster with 6k miles on it. I was having issues with the clutch, so I took it to Bob Bell for service.
When I explained to the technician that the clutch was loosing pressure and would not shift, he proceeded to tell me that I do not know how to drive the car. I explained to him that I have been driving a manual for twenty years, he offered me a driving lesson in my own car!
I cannot believe how I was treated. If I were a male I doubt that he would have spoken to me that way.
I called the Annapolis dealership and they were so kind. I am taking my car there for service.
Stay away from Bob Bell, they are rude and unprofessional.

I have gone here numerous times to get maintenance done on my Hyundai. I was here before the waiting room renovations and after. People made comments about their waiting room conditions and they really did listen to their customers feedback. There waiting room is now amazing! Clean, tidy, and very hospitable. There is even a bar with charging docks, large clean upgraded restrooms, and a great outdoor patio area. It is very open and makes you feel comfortable while you wait for your maintenance check. I drove up to their quick lane and was greeted politely by a lady who was so genuinely nice and professional. What I love the most is that the staff has a positive attitude and treats you with respect (and they smile).
I will definitely be coming here when it comes time for my next car purchase. :) They really make oil changes painless. Thanks Bob Bell!

Bought our new Hyundai 2 years ago from Bob Bell. This was our first Hyundai experience and we were looking forward to a good customer experience. The buying process was average. There was nothing exceptional yet we had no issues and left the dealership that day with our new Hyundai.
Our service department experience since that day however has been atrocious. The service advisors aren’t particularly helpful nor pleasant. They also don’t seem to know what is and isn’t covered under the Hyundai warranty. After multiple advisor/​warranty/​service related issues, we ended up going to a different dealership for service under the extended warranty we purchased at Bob Bell. Unfortunately, unless you use Bob Bell for the service under the extended warranty, you will be required to pay a deductible.
This whole service experience over the past 2 years has really soured us on the Hyundai brand. It’s the worse service we’ve experienced from a dealership. If we do end up considering another Hyundai, it will never be from this dealership.
This experience is for service experience on the Hyundai side only. The Ford side is a separate service operation.

They say «Free oil changes for life» but do not allow you to make an appt to get it done. It is only first come, first serve and every time I have tried to get my brand new car I bought from THEM done, there is at least a two hour wait. It is misleading and there is no reason for it when appointments could easily be scheduled. It is a useless sales trick to get us to buy from them.

Our experience was very poor. We were never greeted when we walked in, and our salesman knew nothing about the product he was selling. He pulled up the car on the internet and just read from the the features of the vehicle. He would not negotiate price and wouldn’t even speak to us when he was «number crunching.» What a waste of time.

what a waste of time… after several correspondence with their «internet rep» and getting a firm commitment of a lease quote for a specific car pictured on their web site… i made the 45 minute drive the next day to see the car… it was an employee demo… not a new car… the interior was messier and dirtier than my 9 year old vehicle… and i was handed off to a new salesman who was basically starting from scratch — who knows if they would have honored the quote negotiated the day before… after 90 minutes of wasting my time to see what they would quote on this demo… i finally left… after listening to him try to convince me that a demo is a new car… there is no communication between so called departments… forget about getting information based on an on-​line experience… i wouldn’t do business with them in any way, shape, or form…

Misleading pricing as others have already indicated. Called on a car that had an internet price $ 8000 below MSRP and then found that was with every incentive tacked on it, that nobody could possibly ever meet. Well, maybe if you’re military, happen to be in college at the same time, own a foreign car, lease a competitor’s car and finance through a credit union. Very rarely have I seen other dealers use this tactic.

My experience with bob bell hyundai was very pleasant. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend bob bell hyundai to all for smooth car buying especially with the help of mr. Rick berman. Thank you bob bell

Bob Bell Ford, Hyundai and KIA have been in the local community for many years, offering a decent selection of Ford, a few Hyundai, and a large lot of KIA.
Customer service is ok at best. I bought a car in mid-’08 from BB, and my experience was good at first. From the start we looked through a few cars, found the one I liked and got approved easily, it was after buying the car using Ford’s X-​plan which became a issue. At the time of purchase you’re required to prove employment and X-​plan number for the discount; we did this drove off the lot and in 3 weeks I got a call saying I needed to return to the dealership because THEY lost my X-​plan information?! Not my problem.
The service department is also a little below average, getting a oil change done is painless easy and depending on your arrival it can be quick. Having the CV-​joint repaired is another story; at BB they did the repair in one day, which was nice. However the desk employee who I worked with couldn’t remember me even though I first spoke with him in the morning and then mid-​afternoon he acted as if I just came in and dropped the car off on my third visit. They also claimed that they were going to call me, and when I had called and asked to speak to the manager they claimed he was going to call me back, little did they know I was on my way in to check the progress. When I came in 7 minutes later, there was the manager talking to his employee’s eating a banana when I asked about the call back, «I was (just) about to do it…» — right. They also couldn’t ensure the car was properly aligned, they claimed they didn’t need to do an alignment because the car was already aligned, even after the repair. When I asked if the service was preformed, there was a pause and a lot of scrambling to figure out if the service I asked to be performed was done. It took 48 hours, for the service representative to contact me back and say it didn’t need the service. A month later I took my car into a different dealer, they told me the car was out of alignment … :-/​.
Sales department is friendly and easy to get a long with, their also knowledgeable and able to help you get the right car, and at the right price for what’s in your range and needs.
I would say Bob Bell is one of the best dealers on Route 2, but that isn’t saying too much when compared to JBA, 2 stars.

2012 Kia Soul Exlcaim Shadow (non premium package) I called BECAUSE of the price I saw on their website. It was in green font, right at the top $ 20,042 call the Bell Yeah Price. Right next to as clear as can be **Freight Included** So they KNOW HOW to make information noticeable. Keep that in mind…
I spoke with Willis Shelley. The manager was to email me the next day. He never did. So I called the manager. Willis Shelley was out that day and had told me that. The manager gave me the price of $ 20,442. HUH? It went up? I wasn’t expecting this.
So come to find out that the price details were listed way way way way down at the bottom of the entire page. As FAR as you can get from the actual price. And there was NO reference by the listed price i.e. «more details below» in fact NO MENTION at all. The price had in it all the incentives which for this price was $ 500 for military. Why make the pricing details so far from the price? Well we all know from experience, to get you to call or drive in. They are called price leads… to lead you in. A very old and well-​known scheme.
Willis Shelley emails me a very short and simple: «talk to manager, know the price he gave» when do I want to close this deal. Okay so either the manager didn’t tell him I was not pleased or not but I felt he deserved to know why I went with another dealership. I said Thank you for all your help, I didn’t like the false pricing so went with another dealership, I suggested as I told the manager that they should make the online pricing more honest and clear.
Willis Shelley then does what all unprofessional and petty people do. He emails me back in a nice snippy, rude and insulting email that it’s not «his» responsibility for the website (I never said it was) and that I didn’t qualify for the military discount (which I already knew)…
Then said and this is a direct quote: «Our pricing is not false. You failed to read the ad from start to finish. My suggestion would be that when shopping on the internet, you read the product description from beginning to end.»
Okay so when dealing with this dealership expect tricks, schemes and pricing details as far from the price as you can get. In fact read under the rugs it’s probably there. And I would stay clear of WILLIS SHELLEY a clearly unprofessional individual who is very defensive and sensitive to complaints. He WILL insult. So petty.

Bought a new F150 and I knew I wanted a Ford and knew I wanted to get it at Bob Bell, it’s local.
I knew what I wanted, I went in said this is what I’m looking for. I already knew they had it on the lot and said what is the best deal you can give me? No hassle I got the truck I wanted for $ 900 under invoice which I was happy about. The saleswoman was very nice and polite. She went out of her way to help in whatever I needed and answered all of my questions. She knew her stuff which is not always what you get from a sales person now a days. Her name is Terry, look her up if you need anything.
The finance lady when I was signing all the paperwork was kind of pushy, really didn’t care too much in dealing with her. If I said I don’t want that type of coverage stop trying to use scare tactics to get me to agree to it, I said NO.
The parts guys are very nice, ordered some parts through them like a bug deflector and some all weather floor mats and they arrived very quickly and with no problems. Already had a few oil changes that were free and had no issues with it being done, took maybe 45 minutes each time with a tire rotation.
Overall I’m very happy, my wife is already planning on getting an Explorer from here in the near future.
Jason

I had horrible experiences with Bob Bell Ford on both sides. First with our 2007 Explorer, the transmission torque converter was going on it. I know this because my uncle is a Ford transmission mechanic out of state and this is what he told me along with my father-​in-​law who is also mechanic. We took it into the «service» department 4 times and they could never reproduce what we were experiencing so they wouldn’t fix it. When they finally did experience it, I had the service manager in the car with me. He said he’d get it fixed, but since their «transmission guy» did not experience it himself he would not fix it.
So fearing we had a lemon on our hand considering the Explorer only had 35,000 miles on it, we decided to trade it in. We went to Bob Bell Ford sales. We’re a family that doesn’t believe one has to have top notch items to be happy. We don’t need Navigation/​leather/​heated seats/​ect. All we needed was 4×4 on a base model Explorer. The sales lady showed us an 2011 Explorer for $ 50,000 with EVERYTHING. We told her we just wanted a base model and her response to us was, «this is as basic as you’re going to get.» She didn’t even offer to look elsewhere. She did NOT care about the customer and could careless about a sale.
Both these experiences have to be a direct reflection on Bob Bell himself. We proceeded to look around the area and luckily found Koons in Annapolis. They went out of their way to find our perfect car a state away and delivered it to us.
I believe the customer should always come first no matter if they want a $ 5,000 car or a $ 50,000, unfortunately Bob Bell does not share this belief.

I contacted Bob Bell’s Internet sales department after a bad experience at another dealer. They were quick, responsive, and accurate in their information and we did 90% of it by email (hence «Internet Sales»). They quoted me a good price on the model I wanted and, when I took in my trades, they made me pretty decent offers (a LOT higher than the other Ford dealer).
They did everything possible to win my business and all the staff I interacted with were friendly and professional. What I really liked was the the sales people I dealt with were not afraid to say «I don’t know the answer, but I’ll find out for you».