I purchased a car from Fitz, and I really wish I could say I had a great experience buying my dream car. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
A couple of weeks before purchasing my car, I stopped by the dealership to get a trade-in quote for my previous vehicle and was offered $15,000. I returned a week later, worked with a different salesman, and was quoted $16,000. I decided to explore other dealerships to compare offers and eventually found one willing to give me $17,000.
When I returned to Fitz to look at their inventory, I didn't mention that they had previously quoted me two different amounts. Instead, I showed them the $17,000 offer from another dealership, which they agreed to match without hesitation.
Fast forward to the day my new car arrived. Earlier that morning, I had taken my trade-in to one last dealership for an appraisal, and they offered me $20,000!
When I arrived at Fitz, I test-drove my new car, and everything seemed just about perfect, except for a buzzing noise I wasn't familiar with. Since this was my first hybrid, I asked the salesman about it, and he assured me it was normal. **Spoiler alert: IT WASN'T.**
I proceeded with the purchase, but throughout the process, the managers repeatedly asked whether I would be trading in my previous vehicle. I explained several times that I hadn't made a decision. They were extremely pushy, which I understand is somewhat expected at a dealership, but it became frustrating. They clearly knew they could make a decent profit from my trade-in and continued offering different incentives to convince me.
After what felt like the billionth time being asked, I finally told them their offer was too low. I made it clear that I wanted $20,000 or nothing. They seemed to think I was bluffing, but I absolutely wasn't. Eventually, they offered me $100 more than the other dealership's $20,000 quote. I still declined, lol.
Moving on to the actual vehicle...
Not even two days after purchasing my car, the buzzing noise continued, so I brought it in to be inspected. As it turns out, there was an issue that required a replacement part. The service center had to order it, which meant waiting another week for the repair. So much for that noise being "normal."
THEN, I discovered another issue involving a protection package I had purchased for my vehicle. What I thought I was paying for wasn't exactly what I was receiving. After speaking with an employee at the service center, I learned that some of the information provided to me by the dealership during the purchase was incorrect.
The package was intended to protect my vehicle's paint and interior. However, it was evident that the exterior product had not been applied properly. I requested that they redo the application thoroughly, and wouldn't you know it? Like magic, it actually worked the second time! Unfortunately, the interior protection product left noticeable spots all over my rear seats, creating yet another issue I had to deal with.
As you can probably tell, this was far from the experience I expected when purchasing my dream car. And believe me, I could go on.
I do want to acknowledge that there was one employee at the dealership who genuinely made an effort to help. This individual apologized on behalf of others, listened to my concerns, and did their best to resolve the issues and retain me as a customer. I truly appreciated their professionalism and willingness to help.
Ultimately, my biggest disappointment wasn't just the issues themselves, but the overall lack of attention to detail, inconsistent information, and what felt like rushed service throughout the process. When someone is making such a significant purchase, especially one they've been looking forward to, they should be able to trust that the information they're receiving is accurate and that the services they're paying for are being performed properly.
**Salespeople shouldn't feel obligated to provide answers to questions outside their area of expertise.** A simple, "I don't have the answer to that right now, but let me find someone who does," goes a long way.
I really wanted to walk away from this experience feeling excited about my new car. Instead, I found myself dealing with unnecessary frustration, multiple service visits, and issues that could have been avoided with better communication and quality control.
It's unfortunate because buying a dream car should be a memorable experience for all the right reasons, not the wrong ones. read more