Clear Lake Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram

I showed up today for an oil change, The service department opens at 7:00 and, I walked in at 7:08 however, as I walk through the doors and I’m standing in the middle of the office, two of the service clerks are talking amongst themselves, trying to get the store open and at the same time walking all but over me and, never even acknowledged I was there. I politely walked out and took my car to Gulfgate Dodge. Ill never go back there again. This was not the first time.

Trying to buy a car from them is like being taken back to the 1980s. The dealership uses classic bait and switch to get you into their dealership, and then the sales people use slimy, old school sales tactics to try and trick you into buying something completely different (and much more expensive) than what you are looking for.
There are way too many options available to car buyers to be bullied and lied to by a major car dealer. Save yourself a few hours and a lot of frustration and go somewhere else.

Please don’t waste your time with this Mickey Mouse dealership… spoke to Ashley Capp on the phone about a vehicle I wanted to purchase. I asked if it was still available. She said yes and sent pics of the car from her cell phone to prove it was on the lot. I called her hour later and again confirmed the vehicle was still there. She said yes come on in. I said I’m on my way. Arrived 45 mins later after driving in the rain across town. Ashley was nowhere to be found… I waited for 10 minutes to speak to a sales rep about the vehicle. He said the vehicle was sold the day before … I was livid to say the least. The sales rep was nice and honest but admitted that this happens on a regular basis. If you want to experience 1980’s sales tactics then this place is for you .If you want an honest and professional car buying experience take your business to another dealership. It’s my own fault I should have read the reviews before making the drive.

I experienced my first and last Clear Lake Dodge experience today. When shopping for a Renegade last week, Clear a Lake Dodge did not have the vehicle I wanted. So I purchased the appropriate new model from a local Jeep competitor. Only one hundred miles into my new Renegade I had already had the vehicle into the selling dealer twice for the same steering issue that I was falsely promised would be repaired before I took delivery of the Jeep. The selling dealer made it clear that they could not and would not resolve my Jeeps off center steering wheel. Hey, I only paid 25K for it, what do can you expect. Anyway, after two calls to Jeep customer service and an escalated claim, I was contacted by Jeep corporate and it was determined that I should bring the vehicle into the next closest dealer, which happened to be Clear Lake Dodge. Jeep arranged the service appointment and I arrived at 8:45 as instructed. By sheer coincidence, I ran into the Customer Relations Manager Michelle Paxton on the service drive whose name Jeep provided. I proceeded to explain my service issue in detail, however it was clear that her true concern was not my Jeep issue, but rather getting rid of me after viewing my Ron Carter temp tag bracket. She instructed me to move my vehicle even though I had parked it where I was instructed, and told me to speak wth the Service Drive Manager Tim FU Day. Before I could get a word out Day stated that they refused to work on my vehicle. And that I needed to take it back to where I purchased it for repair because the selling dealer was too close. When I pressed him for documentation stating that fact, he refused to provide any, and I took his business card instead. It was evident that Paxton had quickly filled him in prior to my speaking with him. I left and after reviewing my 2016 Renegade warranty info contacted Jeep customer service again.
In a follow up to my posting this review, I was contacted four seats later by Clear Lake Dodge in an effort to have me remove my posting. Here is the request, and response.
Good afternoon Mr Reed,
I am following up on the situation you reviewed us on. I apologize for the confusion in this matter. It is not our rule to deny anyone work when it can be done here. Unfortunately, when another dealer within reasonable miles have charged the factory and attempted a repair, another dealer cannot repair and bill Chrysler again. This is a matter if the dealer cannot fix, they must contact their factory rep for assistance. If their rep agrees they cannot fix and contacts our are rep, then and only then can I proceed. Im sure you were not informed of this and that is what lead you to the horrible, unfair review. I would ask that you contact Chrysler or the dealer and ask for their reps assistance. I would also ask you remove the review in the hopes that knowing we are not intentionally declining assistance you would not blame us like the review states. I would love to be your dealer of choice and will do what I can to assist you going forward. However, without the proper channels being pursued, my hands are tied. Im hoping this explains a little bit better our hesitation on taking your Jeep in, and can reset our relationship going forward. Please feel free to call me at any time for assistance or if you have questions.
Jeff Kuithe /​Service Director
Hello,
It is pathetic that your dealership employees are in no way as interested in treating their customers with the dignity and respect they deserve as you are in attempting to salvage your deplorable internet reputation. My service appointment was arranged by Chrysler customer assistance. Yet absolutely no effort was made by your rude and arrogant employees to assist me with my issue. Or contact The Rep. To get authorization for the work that Chrysler set up. There was no confusion on my or your employees part. A quick look at your reviews on other web sites clearly indicates this behavior is a culture at Clear Lake Dodge. My review is factual. And although I temporarily removed it while I gave your Customer Relations Manager an opportunity to respond to an email I sent her last night, I will be reposting it immediately along with your response.
Have a nice day,
Reed Robinson

Service department is horrible. Dropped off at 8:30 on a scheduled apt. 3:00 comes and have not heard so I called– only get voicemails which they do not return… no one pics up the damn phone… after 6 times I finally get the technician on the phone who tells me they have not even diagnosed the jeep yet. Really bad customer service. Super frustrating to deal with.

I went in after inquiring about a truck for work, was there for 5 hours. Spoke to the salesman on the phone and made an appointment. I clearly told him what we were looking for, how much our budget was and we already had financing. No need to check our credit for financial advice, we had it before hand, quite honestly for this reason. The first truck would have been perfect if it where an extended cab, otherwise perfect. The next was too many miles, dunno why he even brought it to view, remember I told him everything we were looking for before arriving. The third was perfect, beautiful even picked out by his finance manager. It was too much truck, price was too high. So, he took my car to have it appraised then asked for my phone to show the finance guys the deal we currently had after he had already written it down. Left me sitting for an hour after returning to tell me they needed something else, by then I didn’t care. I asked him to bring my keys so I could get something out of the car, an hour goes by he returns for something… no keys. To make a long story short, these guys worked hard to loose our business, I was there to leave with a truck one way or another. After trying to deal with these guys, I will never go back again. And strongly advise no one else to either.

Service is horrible! Will NEVER go back! Got oil all inside my vehicle. That’s just one of the issues. After FINALLY being able to get a manager on the phone, I’m not even willing to let them touch my vehicle again in attempt to let them try and rectify the situation. Not worth dealing with them. However, Sales Floor Mgr, Josh, is great. Too bad he has to spend his time cleaning up other’s mistakes. Feel sorry for him.

Clear Lake Dodge was one of the absolute worst experiences I’ve had, with customer service and in general. I brought my car in to have the heater fixed and they gave it back with the air conditioner broken, they wouldn’t fix my air conditioner that they broke there while they were fixing my heater, they told me it was a separate problem and wanted me to pay them to fix it. I dealt with Ike who was very rude, he actually called me a woman multiple times, he made very rude remarks and screamed at me. My repair was supposed to take two days and would have anywhere else, it took almost a month at Clear Lake Dodge. I was extremely unhappy with my experience at Clear Lake Dodge and I’ve encouraged everyone I know to avoid it at all costs, I hope you do too.

The service department is terrible. The service center made my appointment for 5pm. I get here and they stated the last appointment for oil changes is at 4:30pm. They also told me take exit 35 El Dorado and the exit number is really «28». Answering service don’t even know pricing to their services went from $ 30 to maybe even $ 50. Stay very very far away from this place! Trained monkeys can provide better service then this place!

I bought my first car from here, a used 2012 Chevy Cruze and the salesmen and advisors were NOT on the same page. So the salesman told me one prove and then when we got to do the paperwork the advisor told me a different price. Very frustrating. Then after I got my car there were a few problems with it that the company wouldn’t fix because the warranty had expired. LIKE THE ROOF LEAKING. They told me there was nothing they could do about it 4 DAYS after I bought it.

This place is terrible. It seems like every time I come here there’s new staff. If you are an experienced car buyer, don’t waste your time here it is likely that you will not get the results that you typically expect, such as pricing and incentives.
Our 2^nd Time with experience at this dealership. The first time technically was at the Fiat dealership next door. They are both related, similar issues at both.
The service department seems to need some work too probably new staff as well.
Maybe there’s new staff because there was a recognition of an issue in their attempting to fix the problem, but I digress.

I have had experience with both the sales and the service department here. The dealership is close to home and convenient, but I’ve had pretty bad experiences here. For the sales department my experience was a year ago when I went in to buy a Jeep. I inquired about ordering one and they told me they couldn’t do it. For service, I’ve come here a few times and each time I have always run into the same service manager, Ike. Ike lacks customer service skills and has generally been pretty standoffish and rude. He’s also rather offensive with stereotypical remarks regarding my Asian background. Last time, I inquired about a repair under warranty and before I finished my sentence, he quickly replied with a blank stare, «Nope. Can’t do it.» He suggested I look elsewhere. I suggest everyone else look elsewhere as well.
Ike has tried to bribe me a few times to leave a good review on Unilocal and Google with printouts in exchange for $ 50 service coupons. I did not take this offer. Businesses should earn good reviews — not bribe people for them. Dealerships are shady in this sense. Well here you go, Ike. You earned your dealership ¹⁄₅ stars! :)

The service dept suxs. They know nothing about turning and burning customers. I drop off my vehicle and takes 5 – 7 days to hear back from my service advisor. If you call them, good luck. The phone number just goes to voicemail !!! Get your act together Clear lake Dodge. You run your operation like a circus.

I called to schedule an appointment for service concerned about a recall letter I received in the mail from Chrysler for my 2015 Chrysler 200. (Two computer Recalls) They told me they could get me an appointment in a week. A week later on my way to my appointment the car dies in the middle of an intersection. I had to use my roadside assistance to get my car there. They told me my car should be ready in about a week. After a week went by I called to check the status of my car. I was told I would get a call back. That never happened! I tried calling back several times. Each time I got the same runaround.
It’s such a disservice to pay for something each month that you can not use and even more so to not have enough courtesy to call a customer back.

Had a terrible experience here. The sales rep (James) was very nice but new to the business and had to keep checking with the manager on everything. He finally led me to a more experienced sales rep. After test driving two cars, James took forever in getting me a finance quote and once it was emailed, the quote was $ 150/​month higher than the online deal. I will definitely not come back here: it was a waste of two hours and they do not honor online specials

Well if I would have written this a year ago it would have been 5 stars. In July I call (or tried) to call the service department, no answer just voice mails — I had a question about a part so I didn’t want to leave a message, so all the automated stuff said you can go on line an make an appt. well that didn’t work because I didn’t know what they needed from me. I did an online chat saying I can’t reach anyone and I have questions, they promised to have someone call me in 15 minutes, well that did happen but with «hello I hear your interested in buying a new fiat», un NO, oh sorry we’ll have someone call you back — Not. I finally got parts on the phone the week of the 21^th and they needed a vin # for the part, I gave that to them and they said it is for black leather, no it is red — are you sure? uh yes my car is red — well you have to bring it by because it shows black. So Friday the 30^th I take it in, someone comes out, writes the vin # down takes a picture to prove it’s red, I explain I want a 40k check up, this repair and a headlight repair, ok we’ll call you. August 6^th I call and she says the part will be in the 7^th and will call to set up appt.
I left 2 messages for Someone yesterday with whom ever answered the phone, I left 2 voice mails today — NO Responses. I ask to speak to the service manager and he isn’t in. All I want is, is the part there and when can I make the appt. My other option is to drive across town to the other Fiat Dealer. Which is the plan tomorrow if I don’t hear from anyway.
Yeah for Customer Service, and Chrysler wonders why they have issues? Love my Fiat, but nothing else from them.
And finally get a call — part is on back order and person I dealt with No longer there.

Found a price on their website, when we got there they prejudged us and said they don’t have a jeep at that price. I showed their website too them. Then they said they could not hit the payment their website said and we never saw a vehicle. Do not go here.

My Vehicle Information etc.:
Jeep Grand Cherokee — 2014 — Limited (Fully Loaded — Large Nav. Screen)
Purchased a lifetime warranty at signing.
We specifically asked the financial person at Helfman about the loaner process and if we get a loaner when the vehicle is serviced, he said yes. That answer to our question was the hinge to us buying or not buying the Jeep. Toyota was our other option.
Dealerships & Service Departments:
Clear Lake Chrysler — Clear Lake, Texas
Helfman Dodge — Katy, Texas
Thursday, July 2^nd 2015
I made an online appointment to meet with Lori on Friday, July 3^rd 2015.
Friday, July 3^rd 2015
​We brought the vehicle in for service to the radio (error message stating to bring it in to the dealer for service). We were then told that we would need to leave the vehicle there to be serviced on Tuesday, July 7^th 2015. Unhappily we left the vehicle and we were told we could not get a rental from them until the vehicle was being looked at. That is not what we were told when purchasing the vehicle. I cannot state this enough; we were told at purchase and specifically asked this question before purchasing the vehicle «do we get a loaner car when the vehicle is being serviced? The answer was yes. We purchased a lifetime warranty at the time of purchase as well. This meant to us that when something goes wrong with the vehicle we would not have to pay for parts or a rental car. This was the only reason my husband agreed to the purchase of a Jeep. He would have rather a Toyota Highlander since they have less issues and are not in the shop as much as the Jeep Grand Cherokee. We did our research for months and it took us over a year to decide on the vehicle and find the right one at the right price. We were very thorough about this purchase especially after being taken for a ride on our last purchase ten years prior.
Tuesday, July 7^th 2015
​No phone call all day, my husband tried calling to find out the status of the vehicle and was placed on hold for extended periods. Finally he was able to call Lori directly to get the status. The vehicle would not be looked at until Wednesday, July 8^th 2015.
At this point I have paid for a rental car for two days (understanding that my vehicle would be looked at on Tuesday, July 7^th 2015 I reluctantly paid for a rental on Monday, July 6^th 2015 because I had to go to work. I would have to speak with the manager about the loaner car /​car rental issue when picking up my vehicle).
Wednesday, July 8^th 2015
​No word about the status of my vehicle until 5:00pm I was called by Lori and told that a technician was just getting to it and I should have a diagnosis on Thursday, July 9^th 2015; Lori stated she would call me on Thursday with an update.
Thursday, July 9^th 2015
​No phone call; 6:30pm we called Lori thinking the service department closed at 7pm, Lori’s Voicemail states she is on vacation until Wednesday, July 16^th 2015. We then call the service department and was told they are closed (closing is 6pm).
Friday, July 10^th 2015
​I called to speak with the manager; I received Ike on the other end of my call. He stated the manager was in a meeting with corporate and he could assist me. I began to tell him the above. He received my name, looked up my info., took down my number and said he would go find out what the status was. He returned my call and being at work and not able to answer he left me a voicemail stating «The vehicle has been diagnosed and will need a completely new radio, I can pick up my vehicle at this time and the parts will be ordered, once the parts arrive I can bring the Jeep in and they will replace the radio while I wait.»
Saturday, July 11^th 2015
​We went in to pick up my Jeep and discuss the loaner vehicle issue. After a long time of waiting we found out through others conversations around us that they had misplaced the keys and we could not pick up the vehicle, I would have to wait until Monday to find out where the keys are. We were then given a loaner car to use until then. The vehicle we were given was dirty and smelled but worst of all I was told by the cashier that my service dog (ESA) was not allowed in the vehicle.
Monday, July 13^th 2015
​No call about the keys, by 5:20pm I called to find out the status so I could pick my vehicle up as soon as possible. At this point I no longer trusted Clear Lake Dodge with my vehicle. I called and was put through to Tim the acting manager. He was the one who was supposed to call me with an update about finding the keys. I wanted my vehicle while the part was being ordered, then decided I just wanted my vehicle to take it elsewhere. I also asked what time the official Manager Jeff would be in on Tuesday, July 14^th 2015. While picking up my Jeep we planned on scheduling a sit-​down meeting with him Tuesday morning. I was then told he too is on vacation. I told Tim I would be by on Tuesday, July 14^th 2015 in the morning to pick up my Jeep.
Tuesday, July 14^th 2015
​TEXT LIMIT.

Do not ever look to buy a car from here. I saw a jeep online that I liked and set an appointment for the next day. I got a message from a neighboring dealer letting me know that the salesman lied and told me it wasn’t on the lot. I found this to be true, but then also found out that the $ 24,653 listed online was actually $ 29,420. They said it was a mistake. It’s still there, 7 days later. They are obviously liars. They’ve updated their inventory multiple times since.
Bait and switch? Illegal? The salesman refuses to call me back. Their general manager is dodging my calls and one manager even had the nerve to say the car was sold 3 days ago to shut me up. I filed a BBB complaint, but it’s obvious they don’t care since their grade is an «f»
Don’t ever do business with these guys.
Editing to say that the salesman confirmed the 24k could be done, then backtracked later

We purchased 2 cars from Clear Lake Dodge one in 2012 second car in 2014.
Best experience I have encountered. Sales staff is great. Service Dept is awesome. Very honest and will do what it takes to please their customers.
Need service and cannot stay at the dealership? Free shuttle will take you home or to work with a great shuttle driver. Very polite, great conversations to make you feel comfortable. I am truly happy to deal with CL Dodge!
There is another Dodge Dealer, 0.1 miles from my home, a couple blocks away. Customer service is not even close to CL Dodge. Corporate Management has been notified about this other, dealership on I-​45, I will not name here.
Go with Clear Lake Dodge, you’ll be glad you did!
You folks with bad ratings, need to contact management whenever you have an issue with anything. They will make it right.
Sounds like unrealistic expectations. So it Took 4 days to get a part when you were told 3 days, come on really? Plates registered incorrectly? Simple to correct. These are «nit-​picking» complaints. Contact the sales manager OR service manager, that’s why they are there!
A worry-​free service contract is a must for a brand new car, your investment!
After my car was serviced, I received an email asking how my experience was, and any improvements that I feel are needed. They really go the extra mile folks. Some of these bad reviews are false.