Future car buyers beware as I just wanted to share my recent customer service experience with Klein Automotive out of Clintonville, Wisconsin. We all work hard for our money, and all want to feel valued by companies especially when we are spending large sums of money at their location. Klein Automotive has had the worst customer service I have ever experienced.
My issue dates back almost a year to the day. After searching the Northeast Wisconsin area for a used Chevy Tahoe, the one I liked the most was a 2013 Chevy Tahoe LTZ at Klein Automotive. I walked in and the first person I met happened to be a salesperson, Matt Rindt. The sales experience was normal and my wife and I came in the following week to purchase the vehicle. This is where things started to get interesting. As I signed all the appropriate paperwork, I specifically asked that I get a spare key and a key fob for the vehicle. Matt agreed and gave me a spare key, but told me they would have to mail me a key fob as they do not have one in stock. I figure this should not be a problem, and I will have my key fob in less than a week, so I finish my paperwork and leave with my new vehicle.
Less than three weeks after buying the vehicle, my entire radio/sound system goes out. I call the dealership and tell them about the issue. They originally said that this issue is not covered and that I would be responsible for the costs. I then began to go through all the warranty paperwork and found that this issue was covered, so I had to make the 90-minute round-trip drive to the dealer a second time for this issue to go over the warranty paperwork and then they finally said they would cover the repairs. The sheer fact that they tried to fight repairing this issue should have been a red flag that they do not stand behind their products or the sales that are made at the dealership.
Now fast forward to the present, and I finally have to use the spare key that I was given because I misplaced my master key. I use the spare key to unlock the car door and put the key in the ignition. The key will turn the ignition, but will not start the vehicle. Needless to say, I was shocked that the only spare key that was given to me would not work, and now I was going to be late for work. Luckily, I was able to find my master key and get to work on time. That afternoon I called the salesperson, Matt, to explain the issue and he had no idea that the key did not work (he actually told me twice that he does not know much about keys for the vehicles he sells, key fobs, and costs associated with them). I figured this would be an easy fix, but I was wrong. The first thing that Matt says to me is "Ben I'm still looking for a key fob for you." It has been almost a year and he still had not sent me my key fob that I was promised during the sale. He said he was waiting for a Chevy Tahoe with the correct key fob to go to a salvage yard, so that they could reuse the key fob and mail it to me. I asked him why he just did not order one, and Matt said that is not what they do at Klein Automotive. At no point did he ever mention that I would be getting a used key fob or that I would have to wait roughly a year or longer to get the key fob during the sales process. He told me that it would be about a week or two at most before I received my key fob. Somehow I moved passed the key fob issue because the main issue I had was that my only spare key did not work, but he told me I had to speak with one of the managers, but that they were out of the office and I needed to call back the following day.
The following day I call and spoke with the manager at Klein Automotive, Rick Koeller, and describe what happened. Again, I thought was going to be an easy fix, but instead he basically just laughed at me and told me it was my fault that the spare key did not work. He said that if I had figured out that the spare key did not work in the first week after the purchase that they would cover it. I asked him if he uses his spare key on a weekly basis, and he said no. He then suggested that I should use my spare key for some odd reason. He also told me that "most of the dealers in the area do not issue spare keys for used vehicle purchases." I did not believe that statement since I have purchased several used boats and vehicles from dealers, and I have always been issued at least one spare key.
My wife and I were looking at purchasing a bigger SUV as we have outgrown her 2015 Ford Escape. We really liked some of the 2017 Buick SUV's that Klein had on their lot; however, we will not be purchasing another vehicle from them. We will spend our money elsewhere, and I suggest you do the same to prevent having to deal with their lack of commitment to the vehicles they sell and the customers they sell to. read more