AVOID
The experience was very "old school". Being asked not to leave for lunch (even though we were with a hungry 8 year old), being asked to sign purchase agreements before we had fully decided. Very fast-talking, high-pressure. Perhaps we should have walked away right there and then. But we were where we were and didn't want to start the whole process again.
While I've had much better experiences elsewhere that were low pressure and felt more trustworthy, I put those experiences down as the possible exceptions. The problems continued, however. We purchased a 2020 Kia Soul EX (and it's a lovely car). When picking it up it was towards sunset (the time we were asked to come) and about -10 out (again, with a small child). The process felt somewhat rushed. There was not circle check or co-inspection with the sales team. Just a fast-talking explanation of the interior features, and away we went. That was a Saturday.
The next morning, Sunday, was bright and sunny. I walked out at about 9am to see the car and take it for a spin, when I noticed that our brand new car had severe scrapes at the front, as if it had been scraped against a concrete wall. The paint was scraped wight off, the lower bumper was scraped and the reflector mirror was scraped. In addition we discovered that the rear windshield wiper was broken.
We phoned the dealership, and happened to get our sales person on the phone on a Sunday. He just said bring it in, and was in disbelief, saying it "was a good car". I insisted they had delivered to us a damaged vehicle, sending the manager photos of the damage (which would have been difficult to see at pick up).
We kept asking what the process would be, and could not get straight answers, were just told "bring it in, bring it in". We desperately needed a car for the coming week, and were hesitant because it looked like the bumper might have to be replaced. Asking for a straight answer was like pulling teeth. More fast talking, obfuscation.
On Monday, my wife spoke to them again, trying to get an answer as to what would happen next. We were just told to bring it in - repeatedly. We KNEW we had to bring it in, but would it have to stay there? Would they give us a loaner? How would they fix this, and how did they manage to give us a damaged car?
Again, it was like pulling teeth. My wife became increasingly frustrated. I called the manager, who was not in. I asked for the New Car Sales manager who I spoke to. I started to explain what had happened, and he said "Can you make a long story short, they already told me and you have to speak to customer service" at which point I cut him off. He was clearly not interested in hearing from me, and I lost my cool. We HAD been speaking to the customer service/sales person, who would not answer simple questions. We JUST wanted to know what their plan was. He said they would give us a loaner car - I said THANK YOU, that's all I wanted to know. BUT - why could the sales person not tell us that? He said that the sales person would not be authorized to give us a loaner. To which I responded that if he lacked that authorization, why was I constantly being told to speak to him? I was phoning the manager because I was absolutely not satisfied with the answer (or lack of answer) I had been given.
At every step this has been frustrating and sorely lacking in ANY kind of customer service acumen. We totally felt like numbers. At no point did anyone say anything like "Scratches? That's not acceptable, we're sorry and we will make this right." That's all we wanted, and this, while frustrating, could have been a different story - but it's been accusatory (the manager said they would review the security footage to ensure they gave us the car like that), and rather than deal proactively with the situation, we just get spoken AT, as if WE did something wrong. And that's the feeling we are left with. Surely if you're buying a new car, that's not the feeling you want? I mean, it's absolutely unacceptable to be given a damaged vehicle when you've purchased a new vehicle, but then to be left with this awful feeling just really ruins the whole experience. Perhaps you'll have better luck. Are you willing to take that gamble?
We are still awaiting resolution. read more