Bad Dealer Dealings - List Your Bad Dealer Experience

[rockadile]

With a clear incoming slow down in everything, whos excited to watch dealer lots start to backfill as preordered cars arrive and consumers looking at 5k+ markups (likely underwater already) and incoming 5% min apr. I forecast some schadenfreude and I hope these bad actor dealers all go bankrupt. so many poor souls will be underwater in 6 months.

Never underestimate the powerful combination of 7+ year loans and poor consumer decisions.

 

[AshMan]

Never underestimate the powerful combination of 7+ year loans and poor consumer decisions.

Just wait until the defaults come in on all these underwater cars. good luck getting financing Imagine paying $1000+ a month on a 6 year old car

 

[voxel]

I don't foresee new/used prices falling because of various issues that JoinYAA have mentioned: lack of fleet sales, rental agencies buying up auction cars, carmakers struggling to produce enough cars (we used to have 4M cars available... now it is 800K available).

The average age of cars is something like 12.5 years. Cars don't last forever and they will need to be replaced.

 

[LAM]

Parkway Family Kia in Kingwood TX.
I communicated via email with a salesperson and scheduled a time to come in to test drive and have my trade in appraised. He was not there so I test drove with someone else and he would not give me a price, but a range of over MSRP offers.
The salesperson finally told me via email that for the SX model it's usually marked up 12k, but that they accept reasonable offers.
It seems like they don't have their things together including professionalism.

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[movnviol]

Parkway Family Kia in Kingwood TX.
I communicated via email with a salesperson and scheduled a time to come in to test drive and have my trade in appraised. He was not there so I test drove with someone else and he would not give me a price, but a range of over MSRP offers.
The salesperson finally told me via email that for the SX model it's usually marked up 12k, but that they accept reasonable offers.
It seems like they don't have their things together including professionalism.

There is no "reasonable mark up". The manufacturer has already stated on the sticker what a "fair" retail price would be. The rest is pure thievery.

 

[LAM]

There is no "reasonable mark up". The manufacturer has already stated on the sticker what a "fair" retail price would be. The rest is pure thievery.

I agree and it pissed me off even more when they couldn't be up front about it. He also tried getting me to settle for a lower trim because there would be less mark up.

 

[AtomSharp]

I wish I would have found this thread prior to my out of state purchase from Jeff Wyler Kia of Cincinnati. I flew in from Chicago on Feb 15, 2022 to pick up my vehicle around 2pm and got them all the info they needed prior to signing closing docs so I could drive back to Chicago. I was hoping for a speedy closing considering the deal was cash and no financing needed to be secured. I arrive to the dealership and was not greeted upon entering and had to go looking for someone to help me. I finally found my salesmen and we started the paperwork, all was good I thought. We complete the paperwork in a matter of 5 minutes and I ask if I can see the car before officially purchasing. He unfortunately does not know where the car is and needs to look for it, which took about 10-15mins. It was in the service department and unfortunately has not been washed or gassed up yet. We complete the paperwork and then I wait for the finance department to finalize the deal. The finance guy comes up to me and says I will have you sit with the new guy because I have to go pick up a prescription from across the street before they close. As I am waiting, the whole staff is picking out new clothes from some vendor out of a van and paying no attention to the customers that are at the dealership. After waiting for about an hour and a half for the new finance guy to sign off on the deal, I finally get called into his office where we complete the deal. I ask him about when I would get the title and he says probably a couple weeks, which I thought was pretty standard to allow funds to clear. I get out to the newly cleaned car and ask for the keys, which they hand me one. I ask about the second and the salesman says they'll ship me the other because he doesn't know where the other key is. Apparently the GM of the dealership was playing a joke on him or something, which was not appreciated and seemed like a bait and switch to me. I drive home to Chicago much later than I planned due to the clown show at this dealership. I wish this was the end of the saga, but it wasn't. Fast forward two weeks and I inquire about the title. They tell me I should be getting it any day now, so I wait and wait and wait. I follow up a few more times and they say it will be coming. I escalate the issue to the GM and he finally tracks it down after the salesman and sales manager do nothing. The GM tells me it is still with their finance department after over a month. My temp plates are set to expire in a few weeks and can not register the vehicle until I receive the title. I express my concern to the GM and he says "What do you want me to do about it? Submit your complaint to Kia...what are they going to do? Shut me down?" What wonderful customer experience! I ended up receiving my title 5 days after my temp plates expired. Please use this as a sign to NEVER use one of Jeff Wyler's dealerships ever again. They are run by a bunch of clowns that could care less about the customer because the vehicle is in such high demand. Please take your money elsewhere. If it wasn't for my twins being due that week I would have went elsewhere.

I have an UPDATE!

The Telluride we ordered from Berwyn Kia finally came in last weekend (5/21/22) a full 9 months, almost 10 months after we initially ordered it. I thought all was well and we could simply pick up our Telluride and be on our way. During this whole process I did mention I already had a Telluride that I purchased and was going to sell to Carvana to make up some of the cost ($62,578 after taxes) we paid back in February. Carvana was offering us $61,307 which I thought was a stellar deal and we would only be out $1k and some change, which I was willing to take considering we had the car for a few months. The dealership told me to bring in the vehicle because they could beat Carvana's offer. So we arrive Tuesday 5/24 at around 2:30pm thinking this would be a smooth, in and out closing because we were paying cash. Long story short, they could not beat carvana's offer and there was a difference of $500 or so with the tax savings we would get. Their assessed trade in value that they took from Carmax was $56k. I politely told them I would rather get the difference of cash from Carvana and that I would just purchase the car we ordered. The used car manager then went to the manager, Vince Moreno, to speak with him away from the salesman's desk. Then they come back and state they will no longer be selling us the car we ordered. At this point we've been sitting there for over 2 hours and my wife needs to get back to feed our twins that are left with a family member at home. My wife mentioned that she needed to get back to feed our children and Vince states "You will not rush my staff and tell me what to do at MY dealership." He then storms out like a child and tells the salesmen to get us out of there. The salesmen is shocked and says he has never seen anything like it and that he is very sorry. I go talk with Vince and he is still refusing to sell us the car and starts yelling at me in front of his whole staff, if we weren't about to make back $5k in the original purchase price I would have gone Will Smith on his ass. They could care less if we walked out, they could sell our new Telluride for $10k more. So finally we agree that we will sell him our existing telluride for the new one at their set price. I know the difference is minimal but it is our car and we can do whatever we want with the car we purchased at a completely separate dealership. We even showed him the bill of sale that specifically lists out pricing and that we were not looking to make any money off of the sale of the existing car. So in the end we made up some money and got the car we wanted with the interior we wanted, but just wanted to point out how unethical Vince Moreno was at Berwyn Kia. Shame on me for telling them we had a Telluride already, I guess. So please stay away from this dealership as well!

 

[Tell22SX]

It’s a zoo out there with these dealerships. GREED iS their mode of operation and screw the consumer. No ethics no integrity consumers beware once your car arrives be prepared for being treated with disrespect. Heads up to all that have orders with this dealership and beware all that have orders period. Your about to see the unbelievable practices of dealerships in our new market pricing stick up your that place with a SMILE!

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[movnviol]

Good thing here on Long Island there is a car dealer every 1000 feet. Problem is.....they are all owned by a few people, so they basically corner the market and get you one way or the other. The best place to name them and shame them, is on social media. Kia could not care less about the customer. I was screwed at $7000 over sticker and that was my fault. I was able to claw back $750 from the dealer when I threatened to sue over some shady paperwork regarding free oil changes. The paper work they had me sign releasing them from any further litigation , would have made Johnny Cochran proud. I will never be buying another car from or getting my car serviced at South Shore Kia on Long Island.

 

[mark_s]

Lokey in Clearwater. Wanted just under $13k ADM, offered $4k over, they wouldn't budge much. Told them I won't contribute to that nonsense and went 15 miles down the road for only a just under $2k dealer fee.

 

[ddavid1101]

Nothing is binding unless you have a signed agreement. MSRP is Manufacturers SUGGESTED Retail Price. As I said prior, I complained to Kia Corporate and they replied that they do not and will not get involved with selling the vehicles. If you end up getting a different offer, what you end up with is a "civil dispute" that you can go and try and sue in civil court. I am glad to see that Cadillac Division of GM, sent a warning to Cadillac dealers that if they mark up the Cadillac CT5v-Blackwing, they will be punished by GM. They will cut off the dealer allotments of vehicles.

My story is similar to yours, I was told I got the car at MSRP, gave cc for deposit but they never charged the card. They asked me to finance in order to get MSRP price, so I got pre approved. They initially backed out giving some excuse that I was asking for updates too often. They said I dont have a hold on the car till the credit is approved. We argreed to proceed chugging it to setting expectations and communications gaps. Got Finance paper UPSed to me, I signed all and sent back. couple of days later, they called and said car arrived and wanted to confirm the cards and amounts for deposit pull. I resent the authorization forms. I also told htem I will pick up car in 3 weeks as we are off on vacation which was explained multiple times on calls and emails to sales rep and manager. Ultimately while on vacation, they sold it to someone else. I was calling while in europe to get ETA and see if I can book flight to them to pickup and drive back. No one picks up or they said they will call back to confirm. mutiple calls a day, eveyrday for a week till I called manager cell, who told me to talk to dealer manager which he called said that someone should have told me a month ago that they were not going to proceed.

Keep in mind, this is after signing all finance or order docs along with POA docs and sales rep asking me showing proof that I have added VIN to insurance. While the docs are one sided signed (me as buyer, not the seller) it's still quite far along to just say "oh someone should have told you" especially when I called everyday to just get an update and everyone just ignoring or stonewalling me.

So I was planning on complaining to Kia Corporate which sounds like goes nowhere. How about regional managers. How about BBB? and lastly Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as this is pretty much a credit app where credit was pulled and docs were signed. I have had success with BBB and CFPB around complaints with other companies(retail, banks, etc) and even Kia around getting title updated etc (they gave me a point of escalation to get things moving).

 

[rcoplien]

Dealership name and state?

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[ddavid1101]

Dealership name and state?

Sale Auto Mall, Kinston NC

 

[Schlegel]

My story is similar to yours, I was told I got the car at MSRP, gave cc for deposit but they never charged the card. They asked me to finance in order to get MSRP price, so I got pre approved. They initially backed out giving some excuse that I was asking for updates too often. They said I dont have a hold on the car till the credit is approved. We argreed to proceed chugging it to setting expectations and communications gaps. Got Finance paper UPSed to me, I signed all and sent back. couple of days later, they called and said car arrived and wanted to confirm the cards and amounts for deposit pull. I resent the authorization forms. I also told htem I will pick up car in 3 weeks as we are off on vacation which was explained multiple times on calls and emails to sales rep and manager. Ultimately while on vacation, they sold it to someone else. I was calling while in europe to get ETA and see if I can book flight to them to pickup and drive back. No one picks up or they said they will call back to confirm. mutiple calls a day, eveyrday for a week till I called manager cell, who told me to talk to dealer manager which he called said that someone should have told me a month ago that they were not going to proceed.

Keep in mind, this is after signing all finance or order docs along with POA docs and sales rep asking me showing proof that I have added VIN to insurance. While the docs are one sided signed (me as buyer, not the seller) it's still quite far along to just say "oh someone should have told you" especially when I called everyday to just get an update and everyone just ignoring or stonewalling me.

So I was planning on complaining to Kia Corporate which sounds like goes nowhere. How about regional managers. How about BBB? and lastly Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as this is pretty much a credit app where credit was pulled and docs were signed. I have had success with BBB and CFPB around complaints with other companies(retail, banks, etc) and even Kia around getting title updated etc (they gave me a point of escalation to get things moving).

Report then to your State Attorney General ASAP! Who was the dealer btw?

 

[ddavid1101]

Report then to your State Attorney General ASAP! Who was the dealer btw?

Sale Auto Mall, Kinston NC

 

[ddavid1101]

Report then to your State Attorney General ASAP! Who was the dealer btw?

I'm in TX and the dealer is in NC, which State Attorney General would I report to?

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[movnviol]

You would have to find a whole bunch of other people who were treated the same way as you were in order to get satisfaction. No "crime " has been committed. You have suffered no financial loss. Only your time was wasted. Kia will NOT get involved with dealerships because they are independently owned and operated. The best way is to shame them in the court of public opinion. Find out if they have social media and slam them on there. BUT.....be careful not to "slander" or "defame" them.......or they can come after you saying that they lost sales because of your posts. Do it in a "unpolite" manner. The Attorney Generals will sometimes go after the dealers if "civil laws" have been broken. Dealers DO NOT give 2 sheets about their customers. They know that you need transportation and will eventually come to them no matter what. Here in NY I don't think I have ever saw a dealer go out of business for bad practices, they might just change their name. These dealerships do really want the 5 star ratings on social media. I have bought 2 brand new cars in the last six months worth over $160k. They send me emails asking for nothing less than 5 stars rating on the sales or service. I give them the stars they actually deserve. Just paid $130 for a stupid oil change at a Jeep dealer. I will be back to doing oil changes and rotations by myself. They have a $190 p/hr rate. How much does your boss pay you per hour ?

 

[movnviol]

For over a month now, I have not been able to use my cell phone Kia Access App to remote start /lock doors etc. I went to 2 different dealerships for help and they were utterly useless. I have gone online and found no help. Today I called the Kia Customer Svc number and was told that there was a 5 minute wait, to enter my home # for a call back. Over one and a half hours later they finally call. I didn't have the heart to curse out the old lady who called. She put me in touch with someone that actually found out that my car was "somehow" changed to a Massachusetts bought car and THEREFORE not allowed to access the remote functions. Kia hates Massachusetts due to their "right to repair laws" and is punishing owners who live or purchased in Massachusetts. I was given directions to go into my car and receive a code to "restart" my access. As of right now, that isn't working either. I will have to go to the dealer AGAIN to try and solve this issue. I can't wait to receive ANOTHER customer review of my Kia.
I do like the car......BUT.....I will NEVER BUY ANOTHER KIA. I must also add that their NAVIGATION system is horrible !! I have resigned myself to use my WAZE APP on my phone to get where I need to go.

 

[StephenCantrelle]

For over a month now, I have not been able to use my cell phone Kia Access App to remote start /lock doors etc. I went to 2 different dealerships for help and they were utterly useless. I have gone online and found no help. Today I called the Kia Customer Svc number and was told that there was a 5 minute wait, to enter my home # for a call back. Over one and a half hours later they finally call. I didn't have the heart to curse out the old lady who called. She put me in touch with someone that actually found out that my car was "somehow" changed to a Massachusetts bought car and THEREFORE not allowed to access the remote functions. Kia hates Massachusetts due to their "right to repair laws" and is punishing owners who live or purchased in Massachusetts. I was given directions to go into my car and receive a code to "restart" my access. As of right now, that isn't working either. I will have to go to the dealer AGAIN to try and solve this issue. I can't wait to receive ANOTHER customer review of my Kia.
I do like the car......BUT.....I will NEVER BUY ANOTHER KIA. I must also add that their NAVIGATION system is horrible !! I have resigned myself to use my WAZE APP on my phone to get where I need to go.

The dealer won't be able to help. You need to call the Kia Connect Call Center phone number 844-886-9411. They will likely need to do a reset and if that doesn't work then they may need to open a ticket to fix the issue.

 

[movnviol]

I was FINALLY able to get my phone app to work. I discovered that somehow Kia changed my vehicle location status from a NY purchased vehicle to a Massachusetts vehicle. Apparently, Kia is anti-Massachusetts due to their "right to repair laws" and punish them by not allowing certain apps to work. I don't understand their mentality on this BS. They had to change my vehicle back to a NY purchase and then the re-download the app again. It thinks that I just purchased the car and appears to have restarted my 1 year free use.