I purchased a 2013 Mazda 3 from Jake Sweeney. The car I originally saw on the internet the night before was “sold.” The salesman showed me a different car. I test drove it and it was okay but I told the salesman I needed one with cruise control. He said they could add it. I asked where would it be placed and what type. I was told it would be a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel across from the radio controls like all the other Mazdas. My father was with me and can attest to the fact that I was promised a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. I said okay as long as they put a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. They were also to add Bridgestone tires which they did.
They put a cheap Rostra cruise control on the steering column that 1) worked erratically and 2) was not visible. The cruise control company claims it works. It is erratic and dangerous. You never know what will happen when you push one of the buttons. When I asked the salesman why I did not get the Mazda cruise control he promised, he said they would have to put in a new wiring harness and they can’t do that. I asked him why he did not show me a different car with cruise control and he said “they told me they could do it.”
Here is a list of my complaints about the cruise control:
The on/off button was so wobbly, if it was just grazed with something like a fingernail or sleeve, it turned the cruise control on or off. When I showed it to Mike Bonin and the sales manager, they agreed and said maybe the cruise control guy could tighten it.
I was given numerous stories about how it was supposed to work. It was totally erratic. I called Mike Bonin he called the company and he told me (a) below.
These are some of the stories I was told on how it worked:
Hit the accelerate or decelerate button and it would go 1 mph up or down per depression.
Hit the accelerate or decelerate button and it would go 2 mph up or down. (from the test drive with the cruise control company man)
Hold the accelerate or decelerate button down and keep it down to change your speed. (from the test drive when it reacted differently than (b).
The cruise control company man who test drove it with me drove it less than one mile on the expressway and basically said however it worked at that particular time on the test drive was the way it was supposed to work.
Incidents I experienced of it not working safely/properly:
I hit the set button at 65 mph it revved the motor and took it up to 70 mph and set.
My fingernail grazed the button when I went to put my signal on to change lanes and it shut the cruise control off on the expressway.
I tried to decelerate and there was a long delay before it reacted (cruise control man said that’s the way it works.
It got turned on when I was driving and I have no idea when or how that happened.
I hit the decelerate or accelerate button and sometimes it recognized the push and sometimes it did not.
It does not set below 35 mph. Generally OEM’s set at around 20.
It downshifted my car to third gear (on the expressway) when I hit the decelerate button. My speed was 55 mph, the cruise control should not have downshifted my car to third gear.
Information from the makers even says the new 2014-2015 is more accurate than the models for previous year cars. If this 2013 cruise control worked accurately why would they say they improved it? I also included reviews to the Better Business Bureau but they would not post them because there is no phone number for the reviewers. The reviews for the Rostra 2013 Mazda cruise control came from Amazon and Summit Racing Verified Purchase. They basically verify what I was telling them about the Rostra cruise control’s operation. I can provide these documents on request - I did not know how to attach them to this original submission.
I told them to take it off because it was dangerous. They said they will only compensate me $200 for not having cruise control on the car I bought even though the deal with Mike Bonin was for a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. They asked me what I wanted and I told them $1,500 thinking we would negotiate. The manager is claiming I demanded $1,500. I paid $16,000 for a 2013 Mazda3 SV that did not get the promised Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. I could have easily bought a different car with cruise control for that amount, even a Mazda 3 with cruise. Now I am stuck with a car with no cruise control due to them lying to me. (There is no other after-market cruise control they can put on. They are saying they fulfilled the contract. I am saying they did not because the deal was for a genuine Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. I would never have purchased a car without factory cruise control.
The manager has told me he does not care about my business because they’ve been in business 100 years.
The manager treated me disrespectfully and made numerous slanderous statements in his response to the Better Business Bureau. When talking to him at the dealership he commanded me to stop arguing with him by saying it did not work consistently. He said they fulfilled their obligation to me because he claims the Rostra cruise control works. When the manager used the Lord’s name in vain and I asked him not to do that; he got angry with me and refused to test drive the vehicle. I know for a fact they never even drove my car to see what I was talking about; how can they say it works? The man from the cruise control company took it for a test drive of less than one mile on the expressway and when I questioned the erratic way it operated he just said “that’s the way it works.” When they had my car to take the cruise control off, they did not have it long enough to test drive it and the mileage had not changed beyond the distance from the dealer. The manager accused me of yelling and screaming, I did not. He stated I threw my key “with a big hook on it” and hit him in his face which is downright slanderous and not one bit funny to say someone did when they did not (I think the manager thinks his Better Business response is funny.) He has “banned” me from coming onto “his” property (as if I would ever want to have anything to do with “his” business again.) His response contained lies and downright slanderous remarks.
I contacted Mazda USA and they said they do not have a technician knowledgeable enough to change the wiring harness to add the cruise control at any of the local dealers. Jake Sweeney Mazda did not fulfill the contract I made with Mike Bonin for a genuine Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel.
Be forewarned before buying a car here. They do not do what they say. Once they have your money, you are of no use to them.
I have been protesting their dealership and they think it’s funny. I have spoken to so many people who said they ripped them off or treated them disrespectfully. It’s sad that businesses like this stay in business through one time sales. These big dealerships think they can’t go down but look at GM and Chrysler. People need to stop buying at dealers like this; dealers need to learn the customer is important also - not just taking their money.
Jake Sweeney Mazda West Reviews
I purchased a 2013 Mazda 3 from Jake Sweeney. The car I originally saw on the internet the night before was “sold.” The salesman showed me a different car. I test drove it and it was okay but I told the salesman I needed one with cruise control. He said they could add it. I asked where would it be placed and what type. I was told it would be a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel across from the radio controls like all the other Mazdas. My father was with me and can attest to the fact that I was promised a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. I said okay as long as they put a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. They were also to add Bridgestone tires which they did.
They put a cheap Rostra cruise control on the steering column that 1) worked erratically and 2) was not visible. The cruise control company claims it works. It is erratic and dangerous. You never know what will happen when you push one of the buttons. When I asked the salesman why I did not get the Mazda cruise control he promised, he said they would have to put in a new wiring harness and they can’t do that. I asked him why he did not show me a different car with cruise control and he said “they told me they could do it.”
Here is a list of my complaints about the cruise control:
The on/off button was so wobbly, if it was just grazed with something like a fingernail or sleeve, it turned the cruise control on or off. When I showed it to Mike Bonin and the sales manager, they agreed and said maybe the cruise control guy could tighten it.
I was given numerous stories about how it was supposed to work. It was totally erratic. I called Mike Bonin he called the company and he told me (a) below.
These are some of the stories I was told on how it worked:
Hit the accelerate or decelerate button and it would go 1 mph up or down per depression.
Hit the accelerate or decelerate button and it would go 2 mph up or down. (from the test drive with the cruise control company man)
Hold the accelerate or decelerate button down and keep it down to change your speed. (from the test drive when it reacted differently than (b).
The cruise control company man who test drove it with me drove it less than one mile on the expressway and basically said however it worked at that particular time on the test drive was the way it was supposed to work.
Incidents I experienced of it not working safely/properly:
I hit the set button at 65 mph it revved the motor and took it up to 70 mph and set.
My fingernail grazed the button when I went to put my signal on to change lanes and it shut the cruise control off on the expressway.
I tried to decelerate and there was a long delay before it reacted (cruise control man said that’s the way it works.
It got turned on when I was driving and I have no idea when or how that happened.
I hit the decelerate or accelerate button and sometimes it recognized the push and sometimes it did not.
It does not set below 35 mph. Generally OEM’s set at around 20.
It downshifted my car to third gear (on the expressway) when I hit the decelerate button. My speed was 55 mph, the cruise control should not have downshifted my car to third gear.
Information from the makers even says the new 2014-2015 is more accurate than the models for previous year cars. If this 2013 cruise control worked accurately why would they say they improved it? I also included reviews to the Better Business Bureau but they would not post them because there is no phone number for the reviewers. The reviews for the Rostra 2013 Mazda cruise control came from Amazon and Summit Racing Verified Purchase. They basically verify what I was telling them about the Rostra cruise control’s operation. I can provide these documents on request - I did not know how to attach them to this original submission.
I told them to take it off because it was dangerous. They said they will only compensate me $200 for not having cruise control on the car I bought even though the deal with Mike Bonin was for a Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. They asked me what I wanted and I told them $1,500 thinking we would negotiate. The manager is claiming I demanded $1,500. I paid $16,000 for a 2013 Mazda3 SV that did not get the promised Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. I could have easily bought a different car with cruise control for that amount, even a Mazda 3 with cruise. Now I am stuck with a car with no cruise control due to them lying to me. (There is no other after-market cruise control they can put on. They are saying they fulfilled the contract. I am saying they did not because the deal was for a genuine Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel. I would never have purchased a car without factory cruise control.
The manager has told me he does not care about my business because they’ve been in business 100 years.
The manager treated me disrespectfully and made numerous slanderous statements in his response to the Better Business Bureau. When talking to him at the dealership he commanded me to stop arguing with him by saying it did not work consistently. He said they fulfilled their obligation to me because he claims the Rostra cruise control works. When the manager used the Lord’s name in vain and I asked him not to do that; he got angry with me and refused to test drive the vehicle. I know for a fact they never even drove my car to see what I was talking about; how can they say it works? The man from the cruise control company took it for a test drive of less than one mile on the expressway and when I questioned the erratic way it operated he just said “that’s the way it works.” When they had my car to take the cruise control off, they did not have it long enough to test drive it and the mileage had not changed beyond the distance from the dealer. The manager accused me of yelling and screaming, I did not. He stated I threw my key “with a big hook on it” and hit him in his face which is downright slanderous and not one bit funny to say someone did when they did not (I think the manager thinks his Better Business response is funny.) He has “banned” me from coming onto “his” property (as if I would ever want to have anything to do with “his” business again.) His response contained lies and downright slanderous remarks.
I contacted Mazda USA and they said they do not have a technician knowledgeable enough to change the wiring harness to add the cruise control at any of the local dealers. Jake Sweeney Mazda did not fulfill the contract I made with Mike Bonin for a genuine Mazda cruise control on the steering wheel.
Be forewarned before buying a car here. They do not do what they say. Once they have your money, you are of no use to them.
I have been protesting their dealership and they think it’s funny. I have spoken to so many people who said they ripped them off or treated them disrespectfully. It’s sad that businesses like this stay in business through one time sales. These big dealerships think they can’t go down but look at GM and Chrysler. People need to stop buying at dealers like this; dealers need to learn the customer is important also - not just taking their money.