Updated December 12, 2017
Response to Nick Dumi's Concerns Over the Safety of Our Cars (Squeaky Brakes)
On November 13, 2017, Nick Dumi wrote several online reviews stating that our 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB (Red) was in poor mechanical condition, that the brakes weren't properly maintained and that he felt unsafe while driving.
While Nick's concerns are definitely valid (many customers ask about squeaky brakes), we wanted to respond to his statements in more detail than we are able to do with a simple "review comment".
TL;DR (Summary)
Nick Dumi rented our 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB, racked up 72 driving violations, 79 speeding violations, drove it for 225 miles over the course of 9 hours, and tried to get a refund for squeaky brakes (something that high performance carbon ceramic brakes do). After we offered him a partial refund and an opportunity to drive a car that doesn't use ceramic brakes (and don't squeak), he threatened to write us a bad review. Two days after he rented the car, he wrote 4 reviews questioning the safety of the vehicle and has since been BTFO after we published this detailed report. 😂
- ClaimTruth
- The Ferrari 488 GTB was in poor mechanical conditionThe Ferrari 488 GTB was in perfect mechanical condition
- The brake pads were completely wornThe brake pads were brand new
- 50 miles outside of Vegas I noticed the brake light indicator and multiple other prompts came on after thatThere were zero dashboard lights on before, during, or after Nick's rental
- There was a horrid squeal coming from the brakesTrue ("horrid" is an exaggeration, but yes, the brakes do squeak)
- [There was] a lot of play with the brake pedalWe test drove the car before, during, and after the incident and the brakes behaved as expected
- I returned the car shortly after I picked it upNick drove the car for 225 miles over a 9 hour period
- I was treated very poorly from Josh and AttwoodJosh (alone) kindly explained why ceramic brakes squeak
- [They] told me it was my fault and that I abused the carTrue (72 driving violations and 79 speeding violations)
- They offered me a full refund to not write a review about my experienceWe offered Nick a partial refund for his trouble as well as a free rental in a car that doesn't use ceramic brakes
- They posted my personal information on their websiteWe posted only his name and last 4 digits of his payment card — all other personally identifying information is blurred out
So how did it go down? What really happened?
While it's not possible to control what someone claims to be true online, we can at least share evidence of our business policies, maintenance records, and customer service protocols. Below is a detailed timeline of events leading up to, during, and after Nick Dumi's rental.
Our Fleet Manager, Jesse Tang, servicing the 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB three days before Nick Dumi's rental period.
Nevada Statute NRS 484B.653 classifies this as Reckless Driving and is a misdemeanor offense with a fine up to $1000 and/or jail up to 6 months.
Nevada Statute NRS 484B.650 classifies this as a Aggressive Driving and is a misdemeanor offense with a fine up to $1000 and/or jail up to 6 months.
Continuous willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property can be classified as a category B felony and has a fine up to $5,000 and/or jail up to 6 years.
Read detailed driving report →
Read detailed speeding report →
Nick Dumi (top left, backpack) speaking with Josh Rowe about getting refunded for the squeaky brakes.
Unlawfully filing a fraud claim with a bank is classified as Chargeback Fraud (a type of Credit Card Fraud) and can be considered theft in a lawsuit.
NOTE: We have taken every precaution to ensure that Nick's personally identifying information remains private via blurring out any private details, sensitive information, or personal bias etc.
Read the full BBB complaint →
How do you know we're telling the truth?
One thing we do to ensure our cars are up to speed (pun intended) is keep detailed maintenance records. Below is a screenshot of our maintenance records of the 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB (Red) showing the date and time of its tire replacement and brake servicing.
We also record and store all of our CCTV camera footage specifically for incidents just like this. Below is footage of Jesse Tang, our Fleet Manager, replacing the brake pads and tires of the 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB (Red) on November 7, 2017 (two days before Nick booked the car).
We also keep records of where the cars are located, how fast they are driven, whether they are speeding, etc. Below is a screenshot of Nick's entire driving history in the car.
We also store recordings of every single customer phone call, text message, and interaction for the exact purpose of training new booking agents or fighting chargeback fraud. Below is a screenshot of every touch point between our company and Nick Dumi.
What about Nick Dumi? Will he get away with the defamatory claims and chargeback fraud?
Nick Dumi violated our rental agreement, driving policies, published false/defamatory claims and committed chargeback fraud (a type of credit card fraud). While we are not able to win every defamation/fraud case, this one is pretty cut and dry.
Below is a chart of our sales data in relation to the impact of Nick Dumi's falsified reviews. While our total revenue remain relatively unaffected (only a 7% drop), it's clear that Nick's public statements have affected the amount of revenue made from our 2017 Ferrari 488 GTB (Red) pretty dramatically (a 62% drop compared to the sales data from 2016).
Following our overall revenue trend, it would be safe to estimate our Ferrari 488 revenue from December 1 - 12, 2017 to be around $12,374. Since our actual revenue during this period was only $4,781 we estimate the net negative impact of Nick's falsified reviews on our company revenue to be an average of $632 per day.
What kind of person is Nick Dumi? Is he just a concerned customer?
While it's hard to judge the character of a person without spending time with them, it's safe to say that a person's actions are a reflection of who they truly are.
Below is a screenshot of Nick's Harsh Driving Report showing 72 total driving violations (45 of them marked "severe") during the 9 hours the car was in his possession.
Read the detailed driving report →
If Nick was really concerned over the safety of him and his passenger, why did he get 79 speeding violations over a 9 hour period?
Read the detailed speeding report →
If Nick was really concerned over the condition of the brakes, why did he drive for 225 miles before contacting us?
Is there a lesson to be learned here?
We are fully aware that Nick Dumi is like many customers who are somewhat shocked to discover that the $353,000 car they just rented is squeaking all the way down the Las Vegas Strip (this is not the expected behavior for newcomers to exotic cars).
So, based on our experience with Nick, we've made some improvements to the way we handle the issue of squeaky brakes from the way it's presented in our Rental Agreement, to how we display this information on our website, to how we train our booking agents — across the board we've made it as clear as we can to everyone that high performance racing carbon ceramic brakes squeak.
Conclusion
Everyone deserves to get the best possible treatment from everyone. Whether it's the friends we keep or the customers that support us, we know that at the end of the day, we cannot make everyone happy.
So in the end: Please know that we serve you guys to the best of our ability and we love to keep every single customer the happiest possible! 🤙🏽