TERRIBLE customer service, among many other questionable - carrotmuffins
TERRIBLE customer service, among many other questionable issues at this dealership. I feel compelled to write this review in hopes it saves others the headache and so they can take their business elsewhere from the get go.
Before I begin - I am well aware that there is a significant interruption in car deliveries at this time. Knowing this, I called around to several Kia dealerships in the Southwest to see if they could help me. I recently switched jobs, my previous job was providing me a company car which I no longer had access to. I needed a vehicle as soon as possible and was looking to purchase a new Kia Forte LX within the next two weeks from the time of my phone call. Each dealer that I called told me the same thing - you need to put down a deposit to be considered for the car, but I cannot guarantee what is coming in, and if you want to order it, it will take 6 months to arrive.
I called London Kia and explained my situation. I was connected to Angelo on August 12. I made him aware that I was in need of this vehicle as soon as possible and within the next two weeks, otherwise I was without a car. He told me "we get those shipments in every week and the LX model comes in those shipments. You need to put down a deposit to secure your spot, but we will definitely have it in the next two weeks because we get those cars all the time." He charged a deposit of $1000 (which I found odd off the bat because other dealers only said they needed $500) and then began the process.
One week goes by - the car doesn't show up. I go to the dealer to see if the car came and he says no, the longest you'd have to wait would be 2 months maximum (???) but I'm getting another shipment next week. Next week comes, I don't hear from him. Then, the following week I get a phone call - "I have two Forte LX's coming in, there's a customer who's interested in the white, if he passes it up then it's yours, otherwise you'd get the grey one." I took this to mean that the car was coming in. I asked "Is it there now?" He says "By the end of the week for sure." The end of the week comes, and there's no car.
The following Monday I reached out AGAIN asking where this car is. The response I got was "Hi _______ i just get a 2023 forte GT Line with 18000 km and the price is $28995 and you get a one more tear warranty 6 /120000 its pre-owned this vehicle new is $31500 plus taxes". which is NOT what I was looking for, because the car wasn't there. CLEARLY, he DID NOT KNOW what was coming in each week, and was giving me the run around from the time I put down the deposit. He assured me I was "next on the list", yet now, we are already passed the timeline for when I needed this car. I called the dealership and asked to speak to a manager (Sam) and was told that she needed to take a message because he was busy, and that I'd hear from him the next day. I made it very clear I didn't want to deal with Angelo anymore and wanted to speak to a manager directly. Never got a call from the manager. Instead, I get a call from Angelo saying the manager called him letting him know that I called the dealership. Now, his angle is "unfortunately we are at the mercy of Kia and we don't know what's coming in." Then WHY take a deposit when you know I am on a timeline and I NEED the vehicle in 2 weeks????? Absolutely unbelievable and an incredible waste of time. He only refunded my deposit after I had to call and complain - never once offered a refund on the deposit prior to that when he knew full well he didn't have the car I was looking for putting me in a major bind. If the manager couldn't care enough to call me back to rectify this situation professionally, I am hoping a public review will help people make a more informed decision as to where to spend their money on a vehicle.
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