My purchase was a 2024 new PHEV Sportage. As background I have been driving Hybrid vehicles since 2007. My last was a Kia Optima which was a fantastic car and I could get as many as 1200 km's out of a tank of fuel. In buying the PHEV my rationale was to do my around town errands using the plug in fuel source. Then gas and hybrid on longer trips. The first month I had the vehicle this worked to plan. Filled the car once in a month. Now 17 months later it has gone major league downhill. I first reported the charging / hybrid problems 17 months ago. 1.) Electric and gas were running at the same time and I was depleting mileage on both. No one can tell me why and no one can tell me how this is fuel efficient. 2.) On a long drive to Calgary for example, my hybrid will only engage on a downhill. Never on a flat surface. If it does engage the maximum number of supplemental kilometers I can achieve is 2. No one can tell me why the hybrid will not kick in and nobody can tell me why the mileage is so putrid. 3.) When the car is running on fuel, the hybrid system never charges. The charging batteries never gets above 2. On my Optima, all the batteries would charge and then I would get 10 - 30 km's of supplemental range. Nobody can tell me why this system will not charge? Kiara is my service advisor and I know she has been doing as much as she can to get answers. On November 5th, I met with the service manager and the sales manager to discuss the problems. They committed to investigate what the options were and they would get back to me. On December 5th I went into the dealership to find out what was going on and low and behold the service manager had been fired the day before and the sales manager was nowhere to be found. No one ever got back to me. On December 22nd I took the car in at 7:30am for a 2 day assessment involving the Kia National service centre. I was given a loaner without a charger. This loaner was replaced by another vehicle which was filthy dirty along with torn paper floor mats etc. On the 22nd I worked with a different service advisor because Kiara was on vacation. He said he would keep me updated. In the afternoon of the 23rd I dropped into the dealership because I heard nothing. Coincidently, the tech was on the phone to the service centre. Elham the service advisor said they will be a while. I booked an interim appointment for the 29th. So, I took my car home with his promise he would call me on Christmas Eve morning to let me know what the go forward plan is and determine whether the appointment on the 29th was needed. I waited and waited. No call came on the 24th. When I went in on the 29th Elham was there to take my car in. I asked him why he did not call. His reply and I quote, " I had too many things to do." In my world of customer service, if I had a customer with an unresolved 17 month problem, they would be at the top of my list to call to keep them happy. So, I waited for my car and a little while later Kiara came back in. She said take your car I will get a plan together and get back to me by no later than the afternoon of the next day. As it happens, on the afternoon of the next day, I was running errands right near the dealership so I dropped in. She had no answers. It seems there is little cooperation. I suggested maybe it was time to involve the GM, Mr. Nasir Balkhy. He did not show his face. He got the parts fellow to come and talk to me. Dan was very good. He listened. He understood and he is going to try and get some things done to correct this issue. However Mr. Balky, if I were in your shoes with the opportunity to listen to a customer's 17 month non resolved problem I would be running down the stairs to listen to this customer and try and help in any way I could. This is your business. Your livelihood. Your staff would have appreciated your help in trying to resolve this issue or at the very least put a plan together. Because of your choice and I repeat your choice not to take 5 minutes and come to speak with me, you have abandoned me as a customer and your staff who are trying to do their best to help me. You can speak to anyone I have worked with at your dealership. I have been patient. Polite. Doing what they have asked me try. In no way have I been rude or ignorant. If you had of taken the time, this would be a different review. I have worked for 30 years at your level. Always and always, customers of my business were the first priority. How do you expect to have your customers be repeat customers with service like this? Back to the Sales Manager Brennen Strasser. On the 22nd we chatted about new vehicle opportunities. He said he would get back to me. I stood right in front of him in the dealership yesterday and he did not acknowledge me or even greet me.... but you know the answer, he still has not gotten back to me. This is a difficult situation. I understand. But to not get back to me for the second time is inexcusable as a manager of the organization. not over.. read more
