MINI Yaletown

Wow. This has to be the worst customer service I have ever gotten. They told me I had to bring in my mini and they did service I never asked for. Then they said I approved the service which is a total lie. They always say I have to get service when I bring it in… which is a lie… it is a recommendation. I will never go
Back to this place.

Amazing service. We came in looking for a mini comparing it to few options. From the beginning with the valet parking to the amazing warm smile from the receptionist was delightful.
We met the salesman named Vincent he was truly a class act. Helpful knowledgeable. Best of all not push at all. I hate pushy sales people.
We will consider our decision. But we were super pleased with the experience. If you do go in ask for Vincent you won’t be disappointed.

Great experience. We’ve bought 3 cars over the last 5 years and gone through many cycles of researching all types of vehicles. We have test driven just about every segment at more lots than I would care to remember. We’ve gone to dealerships, preowned dealerships, car lots.
This was by far the best experience we’ve had. The staff, all of them were courteous and inviting. We felt welcome and comfortable as there were no pressure sales tactics.
The facts and details were presented to us and the process moved along at a good pace. Comprehensive service records and Carproof were readily available and our salesperson Vince was very knowledgeable about the product down to older vintage models. When we were incorrect about some specs he had a way of educating us without any condescension which was evident at other dealerships.
The negotiations were pleasant and the price was fair for both parties.
I would recommend this place to anyone interested in a Mini.
Vince was professional and gracious without being stuffy. Best salesperson we have come across in the lower mainland.

If you are even entertaining the idea or notion of getting a Mini, you need to do yourself a favour and visit Mini Yaletown. The minute I stepped in the door I was greeted by their friendly staff. I was happily greeted by Sharon Mehrtash and she spent the afternoon answering all my questions and concerns about the Mini. Having driven only Japanese cars I had quite a few questions to ask! No pressure sales, on my own schedule, I never imagined the whole experience would be so stress free … Spec. out the details of the car, insurance, payment and delivery. It’s not often the Sales Manager, Gerry Allin, would come by to ensure that they would do what they could to make you happy with your purchase. The whole staff made my experience most enjoyable in purchasing a new car. Gerry … You were right, I do smile every time I get behind the wheel. :)

I just wanted to let everyone knows that Philp in mini yaletown took extremely great care of me and my frd during our car trade/​buying experience. I will be referring friends and family to him and yaletown mini for sure !

I came in with my mom last week to help her decide which car to get. As we walked in Sharon greeted us. She was a delight to work with. Friendly and super sweet. I didn’t know much about the mini vehicles. But once we were done. I knew everything I needed to know to convince my mom that minis were the right vehcile for her. I was super happy with the service we both received.
Anyone needing a test drive or questions answered. Sharon is the perfect saleswomen to help you with any needs.

I recently purchased a Cooper s from mini Yaletown and It was the best experience and service that I have ever received. I was assisted by a girl named Sharon Mehrtash and not only did she go above and beyond to ensure I was fully satisfied, she was patient and flexible to meet me
On my schedule. Before this I had been to a few other places and did not feel comfortable and more pressured by the sales people but mini Yaletown was my best experience and I have recommended Sharon to my friends. I couldn’t be happier with my car and experience ! Thanks Sharon

Mini yaletown is a really nice location and very welcoming. I always wanted to purchase a mini and once I entered the location I was very impressed. I was approached by Sharon and she was very sweet and had great answers to all my questions. She helped me narrow down what I was looking for and find the perfect mini. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase. I loved the service and atmosphere that Sharon set and I will definitely go back to her when I plan to purchase my next mini.

I have to say, I was not impressed with the service my friend and I experienced at Mini Yaletown a few weeks ago.
I heard an ad on the radio for a Mini Cooper lease — only $ 258/​month. We went off to visit the showroom, which is right downtown Yaletown. There might be customer parking somewhere, but it isn’t clearly advertised — we paid $ 4.00 for street parking.
I expected the lease payments to be a bit higher than advertised, considering we’d need an automatic transmission. We sat in the car, chatted with the salesman (who was friendly at this point), etc. When we asked what the total monthly lease would cost, he asked us to come to his desk (RED FLAG!).
He said he would give us an extra $ 1,000 off, which he made clear was only valid for 48 hours. Even with that discount, the monthly price was $ 391. I can understand the cost won’t be exactly as advertised, but $ 135/​month more than the advertised price is a little ridiculous. Total scam. We drove the car anyway, since they had gone through the hassle of driving it up onto their car elevator and whatnot. When we came back, the salesman was waiting for us, ready to make a deal. When we told him it was over our budget, he became rude and forceful, pressuring us to lease the car. We said we would have to think about it and either come back or call him later. He responded by threatening to do away with the $ 1,000 discount if we left. He also asked where we were going, so I told him Fiat (which was true). He immediately started badmouthing Fiat, saying the build quality is terrible, they’re not reliable, he didn’t think my friend would be satisfied with a Fiat, blah blah blah. This offended both of us greatly. We left.
He called a few times after we left — twice that evening, while we were at Fiat (a much better experience, btw), and once the next morning. I answered. He practically begged for our business. Sorry, but we liked the car, the prices, and the customer service better at Fiat.
I had an opposite experience buying my Mini 4 years ago at Mini Richmond. If you’re in the market for a Mini, I’d skip Yaletown and try a different location instead. You’ll thank me later.

Pretty chic here, no kidding, it’s Yaletown; nice to see they have a lot more models to choose from, thought they only had their famous roadster, but have several additional models: 4 seater, 4 door, 2 doors w/​4 seats, some with 2 sunroofs too.
Just kicking around tires for now, literally, as I do admire its parking ability, can squeeze into anything in DT. The trunk space is my downfall.
But the «Product Advisor’ (no car salesman on his business card) Robert pretty helpful, offered to email me some quotes. Lease allowance is 24,000 km which is a bit better than some.
Free Van Houtte coffee ;)
Nice seating lounge too.

The service is ok however avoid buying Minis if you want a reliable car. Mini cars are known for their unreliability however not as bad as Volkswagen or many other European cars.

That was one of the best car buying experiences I have ever had.
I was so happy that Mike was the one who picked up my call, he was such a pleasure to work with.

I appreciate that the service one receives from a provider may vary from those experienced by others. Frankly, I find this quite unfortunate as I believe service must be consistent and always be a reflection of a firm’s commitment to customer satisfaction.
I recently bought an off-​brand vehicle from Yaletown Mini. Initially, they seemed quite pleasant and accomodating; for example, I was allowed to take the vehicle to its original dealership for an inspection. While that was appreciated, what was not appreciated was the amateur sales process exemplified by a pre-​purchase generic email sent to me «thanking me for my interest in buying a Mini…». This was sent to me after I walked away from the process and before the sales person called me back to re-​negotiate. Nice that there is no time taken to tailor emails to potential clients.
When I came back from the inspection at Open Road Audi (a professional and respectful dealership — 10 stars for them!) on a Friday evening, I handed them the keys and said I’d be back on Saturday to purchase the car. I had not yet signed anything. At 1 pm on Saturday, the sales rep calls and demands: «where are you». A «Hello Michael, what time can we expect you» would have been somewhat more professional. I told him I was shopping with my wife. He said «you promised to be by today». Well today still had 5 hours left. I assured him I would be by shortly and if he could have the car detailed I’d be most grateful. Detailing is the least one can expect when buying a new (or new for me) vehicle and this one had a huge mudprint on the driver side mat. He then said, «well you have been the only person driving it». Seriously. I’m about to buy a car from him and cleaning it is too much to ask? This sales fellow really was going out of his way to provide exemplary service. He also said that I’d better get down there fast as the finance manager was «really busy as it is the weekend». I was certain that if I am about to finance a purchase, they will make time for me. Sure enough, when we arrived the place was deserted.
I bought the car (as promised). Now, when buying a used vehicle, a dealership must keep the previous owner’s identity private. In this case, the previous owner’s SFU exam papers were in a folder under the seat and his cd’s were still in the player. Thanks for detailing the car and sharing the previous owner’s information.
And I then received another generic email, thanking me «for purchasing a new Mini. We hope your new Mini provides many years of…». I know it was an Audi and not a Mini/​BMW product. Still, a personal email of thanks would be a nice touch. Yaletown Mini is, in my opinion and experience, terribly insincere.
When I called the manager, Chris, to offer constructive feedback (I am in marketing, after all), I could tell from his silence on the other end of the phone that he did not appreciate my comments. His only comment was the sales person is «young and still had a few things to learn». Well, Chris, that is your responsibility. I mean really: educating new sales staff about good client relations is critical, and taking a moment to craft a personalized email to a new client is a basic courtesy.
I see from another Unilocal review below that another client had a similar expereince with Yaletown Mini’s management. While he and I may be in the minority, our experiences may — and likely will — influence potential purchasers to drive elsewhere.

Mini Yaletown has always treated me very well.
Their service never seemed fake or pretentious. I know BMW owns them, but I cannot say the same for BMW dealerships. The showroom is easy on the eyes and although parking is not always the easiest to find in Yaletown, it’s easy to get here by walking or skytrain.
The dealership itself does an amazing job at keeping their customers happy. The main person I at the dealership that helped us is Albert. If you’re looking for a car, ask for him. He’s never pushy and seemed fairly honest.
They do need to work a bit on the staff at their terminal location though. (Where they do their servicing for the cars) I’ve always had little mess ups with scheduling or misunderstands of what I need/​want. I need to repeat myself a lot even though I’ve asked notes to be made on their computer. But that’s a different story and I won’t factor that part into my review.

Their sales department either comes off as snobby or else superficial with poor follow– through with what they say they will do, which if you are trying to make a sale, is just shooting yourself in the foot.
I spoke with sales manager type person and he did not follow through. I spoke with another sales person. Neither did he follow through. I have to say I am not a very demanding and stubborn person. Quite the opposite really. I guess they only want to deal with who they feel like.
I own a Mini and am considering buying one again. When I do it won’t be from Yaletown.

In the past I have leased a vehicle at Autowest BMW and Mini Yaletown and I have to say the service on both of these could not be more different.
As a single working female, I always get nervous when I go into a dealership because they usually try to talk to «the man» I am with. Whether it is a friend, my father, or brother. Even thought I am the one that will ultimately be purchasing the car. When I first got my Mini Cooper in September of 2009, I had dealt with Ryan. He was very warm and easy to connect with. He didn’t care that I came to the dealership on my own and wanted to test drive a car. He treated me as thought I was going to buy 10 Mini Coopers — and that was new to me. When I came back that evening to show my dad the car, he spoke directly to me and although was very friendly with my father, he made sure I was taken care of first. At the end of the second test drive, I ended up leasing the vehicle.
Throughout the year, many things had changed. And unfortunately a little over a month ago, I needed to get out of my lease because I would be doing a lot more travelling in the next year or so. I was so surprised that Chris, the Sales Manager took the time to speak with me and try to figure out a way for me to get out of my lease. He was very friendly and although I wanted to get out of my lease, still treated me like a good customer.
I eventually found someone to take over my lease and I am saddened to not be able to zip around in a Mini anymore.
I just have to say that the people of Mini Yaletown make car-​buying (even for women) enjoyable and not a bit stressful.

Those minis! I want one so bad…
However, I can’t afford it, but I still walk by Mini and wish, oh wish that I can buy one. They have Mini Next, the John Cooper convertible, the normal one… I don’t even know they kind of all look the same. The retail space is very neat because it opens up to the street and the doors are almost like a garage door. The cars are parked in the service area and the retail area which also makes good eye-​candy.