I'd like to share an experience that I recently had at Route 44 Hyundai in Raynham, Massachusetts. I want to preface this by saying that I have never written a negative review of a business in my life. That changes today.
In August 2013, I purchased a 2013 Sonata GLS from Route 44 Hyundai. It's a long drive from my home, over 50 miles each way, but the price was good and I was somewhat swayed by the dealership's claim that they are the "#1 Selling Hyundai Dealer in New England." Another big selling point was salesman Fred Bailey's declaration that the vehicle was a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicle, which as defined by the Hyundai website, is "a high quality, low mileage vehicle in like-new condition." It is put through a "comprehensive 150-point inspection" and includes the manufacturer's 5-year/60,000 mile new vehicle limited warranty.
I have discovered that while the car may be a CPO, the warranty doesn't mean squat. Let me explain.
As part of the sale agreement, Mr. Bailey agreed to have an automatic starter installed (my trade-in had one), two scratches removed, and the backseat fabric cleaned.
I returned in a few days and was given a loaner while my car was serviced. A week later, I came back to find that the starter had been installed, but only one scratch had been removed and the backseat was still dirty.
Days later, I returned and waited while the scratch was to be repaired and the seats cleaned. However, when the car was returned, the seats had been scrubbed but the scratch remained. I took the car home without having the second scratch fixed.
Within weeks, I discovered that a dashboard auxiliary power jack wasn't working. Once again, I drove the 50 miles to the Raynham dealership and waited while the jack was serviced.
In mid-December 2013, with just 14,000 miles on the vehicle, I nearly had a head-on collision when I attempted to turn left on a snow-dusted major road - the car did not turn, but instead went straight. Fortunately, I was able to avoid the accident.
I took my Sonata to a national tire chain, Sullivan Tires, where I was told that the front tires showed unusual wear for 14,000 miles. I replaced the tires and have not had an incident since, despite road conditions being far worse than the night of the near-accident.
In February 2014, I discovered that the passenger-side headlight was working erratically - sometimes it would light, sometimes it wouldn't. When I took the car to my local Hyundai dealership (Bill Dube Hyundai in Wilmington), they explained that the previous owner had apparently made an alteration to the headlights. Repairing the problem light would not be covered by the Hyundai warranty because the alteration was not factory standard.
When I contacted Mr. Bailey, he expressed surprise that his service department had missed the alteration during their original inspection and proposed that I return to the dealership if I wanted the lights restored to their original factory standard.
I told him that, while I wanted the lights fixed, I did not wish to return for yet another service visit - roundtrip from my house is 100 miles. Since I already had several problems with the vehicle in the first five months, I requested to use my local dealership for the headlight service.
Fred told me he would check with his boss. Approximately one week later, he called to say that they would not pay another dealership to do the work, and that, since the problem had not been reported within the 90-day Massachusetts used vehicle warranty date, they were not bound to make the repair at all. He was very clear - if I wanted it fixed, I would have to pay out of pocket.
When I expressed displeasure with this response, Mr. Bailey told me he would consult his superiors again. The next time I spoke with him, he said that if I brought my vehicle to their service department, they would not charge for labor, but that I would still be responsible for the bulbs, totaling approximately $120. I asked him: why should I pay for something that preexisted prior to my purchase, and by your own admission, should have been caught by your service department? He reiterated that his dealership would cover the cost of labor, but I was on the hook for the (apparently pricey) bulbs.
I was so dissatisfied with his response and my overall experience with Route 44 Hyundai that I have opted to pay more money to take the vehicle to another Hyundai dealership. As for Route 44 Hyundai, their signage will never cross my windshield again.
In closing, I will just say this... you know how in your neighborhood, there's this tiny used car lot? It has something like twelve cars and a BMW that is oddly under-priced. There's a shack on the lot, but you never see any customers or salespeople, for that matter - the place is always closed. You will get better service at that lot than you will from Route 44 Hyundai.
Be afraid. Be very afraid. read more