Bad Dealer Dealings - List Your Bad Dealer Experience

[alexdrums]

Watching Tellurides coming in, monitoring through cars.com and CarGurus. Seeing the prices easily go over the 50K mark, 51K, 52K just AT STICKER w/o dealer markups & add-ons. Seems like the normal price point for SX AWD now. If you add lots of options prices easily go to mid 50K! Never though this was possible but here we are. Getting hard to justify a new vehicle over $50K plus tax. Being priced out of the market (at least for me). Too bad because I love the vehicle. But perhaps the thrill is gone for me.

Yes, well first they added the EX premium package, then they raised the price and destination, tacked on an extra $300 for the Prestige Package, and now finally the Nightfall package. All this shit adds up! The key is to figure out what is going to be important to you, and just order from a reputable dealer. Is a certain shade of paint really important to you? That’s 500 bucks. How about a Tow Package that you will only use 1% of the time...add 800 bucks. Oh yes, and I have just got to have a black plastic grill and some ugly-ass black wheels! Add another $1,300. Oh, and then I have to get captain’s chairs and some blinged out wheels! $1700 bucks. Who wants an old bench seat, anyway. But it’s not actually a bench seat, it’s a wide seat on one side, and a captains chair on the other side, and both have the functionality of the captain’s chairs...plus a center console and room for one more kid in the car! But for some reason, everyone wants to pay extra and not get that!

 

[mgoblue]

Watching Tellurides coming in, monitoring through cars.com and CarGurus. Seeing the prices easily go over the 50K mark, 51K, 52K just AT STICKER w/o dealer markups & add-ons. Seems like the normal price point for SX AWD now. If you add lots of options prices easily go to mid 50K! Never though this was possible but here we are. Getting hard to justify a new vehicle over $50K plus tax. Being priced out of the market (at least for me). Too bad because I love the vehicle. But perhaps the thrill is gone for me.

You don’t _have_ to get all the options. A base SX AWD is 45k and of course there are other trims at price points below that.

 

[NightRider]

Hilarious, they are charging you a $1k premium for the pleasure of purchasing a $1,295 option, which of course makes no sense at all. It’s a markup by any other name.

Exactly, still a markup.

 

[ClosingTime]

New forum member here. Just purchased (3 days ago) a '21 SX AWD Nightfall edition for my wife. Window sticker had an added $5K "market value adjustment", but sales negotiations eliminated most of that. Main complaint was a $400 military discount that the salesperson and co-worker told me did not apply to this vehicle. All I could find online about it was "on select models" so I figured maybe since demand was so high, they were not offering any discounts. Now I see online they are offering this discount on their other identical Tellurides and I confirmed through Kia that it should have been offered. Not sure why they would lie about this as it seems like the $400 would not actually come out of dealer profit and have not heard back from salesman. Any hope that they can apply this discount after the fact? I have military service documentation readily available. I know it is only $400 we are talking about, but hey every dollar counts! Thanks...have found a lot of useful info already from this forum.

______________________________

 

[StephenCantrelle]

New forum member here. Just purchased (3 days ago) a '21 SX AWD Nightfall edition for my wife. Window sticker had an added $5K "market value adjustment", but sales negotiations eliminated most of that. Main complaint was a $400 military discount that the salesperson and co-worker told me did not apply to this vehicle. All I could find online about it was "on select models" so I figured maybe since demand was so high, they were not offering any discounts. Now I see online they are offering this discount on their other identical Tellurides and I confirmed through Kia that it should have been offered. Not sure why they would lie about this as it seems like the $400 would not actually come out of dealer profit and have not heard back from salesman. Any hope that they can apply this discount after the fact? I have military service documentation readily available. I know it is only $400 we are talking about, but hey every dollar counts! Thanks...have found a lot of useful info already from this forum.

Unfortunate as it is incentive directly from factory.. dealer loses nothing to pass those savings to you. If you financed with Kia I would call Kia directly and ask if they can apply. 866-331-5632..

 

[Familyman20]

New forum member here. Just purchased (3 days ago) a '21 SX AWD Nightfall edition for my wife. Window sticker had an added $5K "market value adjustment", but sales negotiations eliminated most of that. Main complaint was a $400 military discount that the salesperson and co-worker told me did not apply to this vehicle. All I could find online about it was "on select models" so I figured maybe since demand was so high, they were not offering any discounts. Now I see online they are offering this discount on their other identical Tellurides and I confirmed through Kia that it should have been offered. Not sure why they would lie about this as it seems like the $400 would not actually come out of dealer profit and have not heard back from salesman. Any hope that they can apply this discount after the fact? I have military service documentation readily available. I know it is only $400 we are talking about, but hey every dollar counts! Thanks...have found a lot of useful info already from this forum.

Any reputable dealer could/should mail you a check for the $400 military rebate if it wasn't applied. Say what you will about the Telluride supply and demand in a free open market, it just boils down to greed. Some stealerships appear to be more polished at pulling it off is all. Shameful but its all about the bottom line and instant gratification for the sale. Military service should be a no brainer here imo, even if the vehicle was built out of unobtanium

 

[StephenCantrelle]

Any reputable dealer could/should mail you a check for the $400 military rebate if it wasn't applied. Say what you will about the Telluride supply and demand in a free open market, it just boils down to greed. Some stealerships appear to be more polished at pulling it off is all. Shameful but its all about the bottom line and instant gratification for the sale. Military service should be a no brainer here imo, even if the vehicle was built out of unobtanium

Agreed.. could always call and ask GM about being credited the military discount since sales consultants were wrong... You should 100% get the discount

 

[UA757-222]

I’m a new member here and thanks to you all I was able to order at MSRP with Peak North Kia with Dave who has been fantastic. Living in Phoenix, it appears everyone is selling at a high Markup. I did want to share a bad experience from Mark Kia in Phoenix.

After doing my research here and learning that MSRP deals are out there and not too hard to find either, I emailed Joshua at Mark Kia that I had a few different options that would allow me to pay MSRP or a $2000ish mark up there includes window tint, interior exterior treatment, etc. I then told him I would rather stay local and give him my business. His reply to my email was a very short and condescending, “That is the way every Telluride is selling right now, there are no dealerships that aren't charging a mark up on them right now!”.

Other dealerships around the valley and up in Prescott have been very professional with telling me they aren’t budging. While I don’t agree with it, I respect their honesty. But this guy just makes my skin crawl with his deception.

So thanks to you all, the only thing I’m giving Mark Kia as a bad review for lack of integrity and price gouging their customers.

______________________________

 

[HisNameWillBeRambo]

I would stay away from Stevens Creek Kia in San Jose,CA. First the internet sales person emailed me, I told him exactly what I wanted, never heard back. Then I get an email three days later saying he’s been emailing me for 12 days with no response and am I still interested. So I emailed him back again and said yes I’m still interested, silence for weeks. Just emailed me again saying I couldn’t have both Prestige and Nightfall...um excuse me?! So they clearly don’t have a good system in place and I wouldn’t trust them with any contract.

 

[Dansnes]

I would stay away from Stevens Creek Kia in San Jose,CA. First the internet sales person emailed me, I told him exactly what I wanted, never heard back. Then I get an email three days later saying he’s been emailing me for 12 days with no response and am I still interested. So I emailed him back again and said yes I’m still interested, silence for weeks. Just emailed me again saying I couldn’t have both Prestige and Nightfall...um excuse me?! So they clearly don’t have a good system in place and I wouldn’t trust them with any contract.

I too bought from Stevens Creek with a horrible salesperson.. Ali I think was his name. I still bought it and love the car, just not the salesguy.

 

[HisNameWillBeRambo]

I too bought from Stevens Creek with a horrible salesperson.. Ali I think was his name. I still bought it and love the car, just not the salesguy.

That’s exactly who I was dealing with! I’m glad you got your car though

 

[Dansnes]

That’s exactly who I was dealing with! I’m glad you got your car though

funny.. So I am an extremely mellow, low-key guy and I have NEVER talked to someone like I spoke to him after our interaction was complete. He was such a jackass I actually told him that he needs to find a new line of work. He was terrible. I asked for a few small things like a quote on a trade in, price for LED light upgrade, etc and he basically ignored anything that involved any type of effort or work. And he charged me $3k over sticker. Oh well. I got exactly the vehicle I wanted.. just wish some other dealer had this exact spec.

______________________________

 

[reigndeerz]

funny.. So I am an extremely mellow, low-key guy and I have NEVER talked to someone like I spoke to him after our interaction was complete. He was such a jackass I actually told him that he needs to find a new line of work. He was terrible. I asked for a few small things like a quote on a trade in, price for LED light upgrade, etc and he basically ignored anything that involved any type of effort or work. And he charged me $3k over sticker. Oh well. I got exactly the vehicle I wanted.. just wish some other dealer had this exact spec.

Ha! I worked with Ali too and found him such a pain to deal with!!! He was also completely not interested in being helpful.

Ended up placing a deposit for an incoming vehicle at Hilltop Kia at MSRP.

 

[Huntsw1]

Avoid Napleton Kia of Fishers!

Had two internet salesman and the sales manager lie straight to my face. The first one said they had a telluride available at msrp (it was in fact already sold and they sold it with a 5k markup). The second one told me I could come in a order a telluride like I want and it would arrive in 2-3 months. When I showed up for the appointment (which they assured me was the only way to order), they told me this was not possible.

Third was from the sales manager himself that promised he would call me in a couple of days when they got their next allocation and he would sell me one for msrp. After several followup calls and texts, two weeks later I have been ghosted.

I have never dealt with such a shady dealer before and will never let my friends or family do business with them.

 

[Smitty311]

Curious if anyone here has insight into this. A listing popped up on Autotrader for an Everlasting Silver SXP+T (which is what I'm hunting for). Called the dealer (Bill Dodge in Maine), and they say it's a customer's order that they put a deposit down on a month ago. Okay...so I ask if they're sure, and if so, why they created a listing. They said they can't control what Kia posts on their website for them. Even if that were true, (which I find hard to believe), that doesn't explain the Autotrader listing. If I'm not mistaken, someone at the dealership had to create that custom description. If this is normal, then I fell like there would be a TON of listings on Autotrader and on dealer sites for cars that can't be sold.

 

[rbfromma]

Curious if anyone here has insight into this. A listing popped up on Autotrader for an Everlasting Silver SXP+T (which is what I'm hunting for). Called the dealer (Bill Dodge in Maine), and they say it's a customer's order that they put a deposit down on a month ago. Okay...so I ask if they're sure, and if so, why they created a listing. They said they can't control what Kia posts on their website for them. Even if that were true, (which I find hard to believe), that doesn't explain the Autotrader listing. If I'm not mistaken, someone at the dealership had to create that custom description. If this is normal, then I fell like there would be a TON of listings on Autotrader and on dealer sites for cars that can't be sold.

I was told similar by a dealer when I called on a new listing on their site. They said that it is tied to the delivery of the vehicle and auto-populated.

______________________________

 

[Smitty311]

I was told similar by a dealer when I called on a new listing on their site. They said that it is tied to the delivery of the vehicle and auto-populated.

Weird. But why go through the effort of creating a separate online listing? If I were the customer that ordered it, I'd be pretty pissed if it looked like they where actively trying to sell it out from under me.

 

[jw_tx21]

Weird. But why go through the effort of creating a separate online listing? If I were the customer that ordered it, I'd be pretty pissed if it looked like they where actively trying to sell it out from under me.

It generates calls. That's their objective. Even if it wasn't autopopulated. They aren't trying to sell out from under customer, but it is a great way to generate sales leads. A listing on Autotrader shouldn't qualify that dealer for the Bad dealer listing. You should perhaps remove that dealer's name.

 

[Smitty311]

It generates calls. That's their objective. Even if it wasn't autopopulated. They aren't trying to sell out from under customer, but it is a great way to generate sales leads. A listing on Autotrader shouldn't qualify that dealer for the Bad dealer listing. You should perhaps remove that dealer's name.

I'll agree that it generates calls. I called three times trying to speak with different people just in case the first had been misinformed! But beyond that, I'm not sure it's effective since this has soured me towards that dealer, and the trust is gone. Sure, they don't need my business (Tellurides sell themselves), but eventually that kind of fraudulent advertising could hurt them. They have two other Tellurides - just post those!

 

[jenfowler78]

Route 6 Auto Mall Kia in Swansea, MA....

While they were originally selling at MSRP, they are now selling over. In addition, they are not honoring written agreements with customers for MSRP and are not being upfront and honest about their changes, rather trying to slide that markup through without you noticing. And when they know they are doing this, they are awful at communication. I've been trying to get updates from them for weeks -- they were even refusing to answer any of my questions because "my file was with my salesperson and he was out". Unless you want to pay over MSRP and risk being screwed by them, stay away.