[HairyKnuckle]

I was contacted by a dealership's Sales Development Team after doing a TRUECar request on a specific KIA Optima model I wanted. He told me he could locate for me a specific vehicle I was looking for and he had a match very local to my area. I wanted to put money down at that time but he said I needed to visit his KIA dealership location about 30 miles away. I made sure the Development team resource had an appt set up for me with the sales manager and I had the Manager name I was supposed to talk with.

I took time out to drive to this dealership and the Manager, whose name I was given, did not have an appt with me but had a conflicting meeting at that time. When his sales man tried to find the vehicle that the Sales Development team committed a price to me on, he couldn't find it. The closest vehicle was 300 miles away that matched my criteria. The Manager tried to explain to me it must of been sold, but could not prove that it was sold. And then he told me that he wouldn't of sold it for the price I was quoted for anyway because the type of vehicle I was inquiring on was 'selling so hot'.

The Sales Development team obviously was expecting me to settle for a different color or configured vehicle that they did have in stock once I arrived to the dealership. I hate these dealerships wasting my time with these bait and switch tactics. KIA better get their act together or else their sales growth they are so proud to quote the past 3 years will dwindle because potential customer satisfaction issues. I wish JD Power would survey potential customers because the 'quality' measures which they cite where they made great strides will show a different story.

 

[ozzypriest]

Yes, I agree. The Kia sales force has been so used to bottom feeding, and bottom-feeding sales practices, they they are just losing their freaking minds over the sales of the past couple years - to many dealers, I'm afraid it's just a bigger and better opportunity to entrap even more of the hapless buying public into all kinds of sleazeball practices. Kia / Hyundai does need to have better ethical guidelines and enforcement for the dealers - in my experience its worse with the standalone dealers than with the ones that are part of a large multi-plex, or a dual, like Kia/Dodge/Chrysler, something like that.

Of course, didn't hyundai have the corporate executive kill somebody while drunk driving in LA or something, and then they used their corporate influence to get him out of the country?

Former Hyundai executive gets 9 years in DUI death | lee, hyundai, cook - News - The Orange County Register

And Hyundai's chairmen was arrested for embezzlement & corruption by the S. Korean government. So, like company, like dealer I guess.....who are they to tell the dealers to act ethically, lol. In fact, graft and corruption are big part of South Korean culture.

Legacy of corruption still exists in South Korea - Washington Times

 

[Norm1]

You should have requested the VIN, pics and a copy of the window sticker if you wanted to be sure before driving 1 mile. You could have also checked the dealer website.

It's not KIA's problem that a salesman suckered you. Blind faith is a continuing problem......

 

[JMJ K5]

My dealership said the same thing. They told me thay had a black Optima LX no options. When I went there they were like well we don't have it here but we have it at another dealership. So I figured it was one of there sister dealerships... Nope it was from a place in Greenbay which was like 140 miles from where I live. This is the first time I bought a car from a dealer and now I know to just go the the dealership that has the car I want. I ended up with like 200 miles on my Optima before I even got to drive it! That made me mad because I was not told how many miles were on it or were going to be on it. My dealership tried to scam me with a "paint sealant" also and I caught them because I said how did you put it on when you dealer traded and only had the car long enough to clean it. So I complained and got my $500 back. Just incase anyone doesnt know paint sealant is an expensive wax job don't get it.

 

[JMJ K5]

Car dealers are like bad drug dealers. They tell you they got it, but when you get there they tell you they need your money to go pick it up. lol

 

[Arizona Willie]

Didn't have any problem with the sale people and the service dept has been great.

But they sure do need to get a new advertising agency. Whoever they are using couldn't sell cold water in h*e*l*l.

 

[osbornk]

Don't paint all Kia dealerships with the same brush because you had a bad experience with one or two. I did my own research and found the exact car I wanted with my handy dandy computer. The closest dealership that had what I wanted was 150 miles away. I called them, made an appointment and took off. They kept the appointment exactly as they promised but we didn't reach a deal that day. The next morning, they called me and we negotiated through 5 or 6 telephone calls until we had a meeting of the minds. I made an appointment to pick up my new car and everything went very smoothly. I got my car exactly like I wanted it with minimal hassle and it has been trouble free. You just need to make very sure everyone is on the same page with no misunderstandings. I think it helped that I had a free and clear 08 trade-in and a 825 credit score.

 

[HairyKnuckle]

Norm1,
A VIN would of proven nothing , if he lied about everything else he would of given me the matching vehicle VIN 300 miles away. The car was not at the dealer website, it was supposed to be at another local dealer location so searching it's website would of gained me nothing. Giving me the Window sticker copy was impossible if the car is not at his dealership and usually it lists the dealer location of where the vehicle is. I have email documentation of all circumstances I mentioned in my original post so your suggestions would of guaranteed me nothing. Your basically calling me gullible.

 

[HairyKnuckle]

osbornk,
This deal was supposed to be simpler than yours, no trade and TRUECar search was supposed to find the car with my exact specs for the vehicle which I requested. The dealership was supposed to confirm that search and provide me an accurate and honest evaluation if he could get me that vehicle for the price quoted.

I was assuming the dealership inventory software would be a bit more accurate than any third party internet search engine.

 

[Norm1]

You painted yourself with that brush.

If the salesman has the car or another dealer has it, the info is available if you ask or search.

cars.com and autotrader.com show vehicles at dealerships.

Nothing is a guarantee but more/complete info is always better..........

truecar does not guarantee a vehicle of the exact specs you want!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kwg8t7]

I had no problems with my dealership. Called from out of town, put a $500 deposit down, drove in with my trade a week later (I negotiated a guaranteed price on my trade over the phone) and picked up my car. The car had 11 miles on it before I test drove it.
Suntrup Kia in St. Louis

 

[jsolo_sx2011]

When negotiating over the phone/internet, once you get down to an agreed price, have them fax or email you a signed sales order (which will include a vin, your name, prices, fees, taxes, etc). I suppose they can still reneg, but now you have an official document more or less.

 

[Filch]

Classic bait and switch...

Did a representative from Kia corporate call you? For each true-car appointment, or price query I made to a Kia dealer, I got a call from Kia asking me how it went, etc.

I would call and make a complaint to Kia about the specific dealer. A dealer's practices are not necessarily Kia endorsed practices. Kia doesn't want people to be turned off by their brand b/c of bad sales deals. A complaint could go a long way.

Also, make sure you put a review on google pages, yelp, etc. I've used these reviews to gauge a dealer before I decide to visit. I also check the Better Business Bureau for complaints.

 

[crystalworks]

For what it's worth buying a car at any brand dealership is not an easy thing to do. It's one of the few places where haggling between seller and buyer still takes place.

Here's what I've found to work best... go in with a price in mind for the car with the specs/color you want. Tell them you are willing to buy at that price RIGHT NOW. If they say no, give them your number and tell them to call you if they change their mind... then, most importantly, LEAVE. Do this to every Kia dealership in your area... and tell them you are doing it.

We only had to do this at one dealer. We went in, told them what we wanted, and what we would pay for it. Told them we are ready to buy RIGHT NOW. The salesman went and talked to the sales director or manager whatever they are called and came back... "that vehicle is selling so well right now we are only taking MSRP for it." I said, "ok, here is my business card... call me if you change your mind. The first dealer who calls me will get my business." We walked out and before we could back out of our parking spot the salesman came running out saying they would do the deal.

He did say that they did not have the car in stock optioned the way I wanted but they could get it within 2 weeks. I said that's fine because I wanted it with as close to ZERO miles on it as possible. A week later it came in on the truck and we took delivery of the car with six miles on it.

This is the best car buying experience we've had because it takes all the power from the dealer and puts it in your hands. Just make sure you offer a fair number for the car. Don't offer invoice and expect to get a call back anytime soon. We offered $28500 for a fully loaded SX which we thought was fair to both us and the dealer... remember they have overhead to cover.

Just my suggestions/experience... car buying doesn't have to be a PITA. Remember, they want you to buy.

 

[HairyKnuckle]

Classic bait and switch...

Did a representative from Kia corporate call you? For each true-car appointment, or price query I made to a Kia dealer, I got a call from Kia asking me how it went, etc.

I would call and make a complaint to Kia about the specific dealer. A dealer's practices are not necessarily Kia endorsed practices. Kia doesn't want people to be turned off by their brand b/c of bad sales deals. A complaint could go a long way.

Also, make sure you put a review on google pages, yelp, etc. I've used these reviews to gauge a dealer before I decide to visit. I also check the Better Business Bureau for complaints.

Thank you fitch, of all the responses I got on this thread, I feel you are the only one of the few that captured the intent of it. I know how to buy a car to get the best price (I've been there and done that) , I know how to search for car inventory (which are actually on the ground at all dealerships within a radius, not in transport). Albeit if you search for the same car in the same radius at cars.com, vehix or autotrader or via any other non-dealer database search engine, for a large mileage radius, you are not always going to get the same list.

My intent was to share the poor customer service experience of the dealership. Good salesmen, whether they believe it or not, need to be in the customer service business. This dealership has showed from the non-communication of my appt to the Sales Mgr, and then not having the car I was told would be available proved that they are not in that side of the business. I don't know what 'acceptable' customer service means to Optima owners in other parts of the country but around here, this dealer is not meeting my definition.

I did escalate the issue to the Sales Development Director via email but no response as I suspect if any action occurs it will be Monday at the earliest.
I did not receive the TRUEcar survey yet as it usually takes several days if not a week, but will be sure to berate the experience when I do.

However my most crucial action will be to exclude this dealership from ever having the oppurtunity to sell to me again, even a wiper blade. If he gets the vehicle that I want in the future I'll go to the other dealership 15 miles away and have him locate the car off his lot.

 

[crystalworks]

^Sorry, my response was not directed at you solely but to everyone reading the thread. You did receive poor service and were "bait and switched." But that happens at every manufacturer... not just Kia.

My response was an alternative to your buying experience which can help limit a dealership's opportunities to do what they did to you. People can choose to take advice or not. FWIW... the wife and I only use Truecar or other online buying/locating services to see what other people are paying for the car we want.

 

[kyler13]

This is the best car buying experience we've had because it takes all the power from the dealer and puts it in your hands. Just make sure you offer a fair number for the car. Don't offer invoice and expect to get a call back anytime soon. We offered $28500 for a fully loaded SX which we thought was fair to both us and the dealer... remember they have overhead to cover.

Just my suggestions/experience... car buying doesn't have to be a PITA. Remember, they want you to buy.

Very good strategy (offering a price and leaving them your name and number to contact you when THEY are ready). As for fair? $500 over cost. Period. And by cost I mean less incentives to the dealer and holdbacks. I understand they have overhead, but for every person that gets a great deal like this, they make a killing on at least 10 people. Fact. If they verbally assault you for an "insulting" offer, tell them to take their tropical vacation on the next guy. Maybe you won't ever hear from them, but with the strategy of doing crystalwork's method with a number of dealers, someone will sell you a car. The only exception would be hot ticket cars like the Prius, but believe me, the Optima isn't that hot to command a selling price of MSRP.

 

[molina67]

I used USAA zag pricing and Auto Traders trade in report and went to the dealer to pick out which 2.0 Optima I wanted and the guy tried to sell me a Forte... A Forte really? Now don't get me wrong, my buddy has a Forte and it's pretty nice, but I know what I want... I was coming out of a Pontiac G8 V6 with crappy gas mileage and crappy Horse Power and wanted the Optima... Almost walked out when he insisted I look at the Forte....

 

[molina67]

Thank you fitch, of all the responses I got on this thread, I feel you are the only one of the few that captured the intent of it. I know how to buy a car to get the best price (I've been there and done that) , I know how to search for car inventory (which are actually on the ground at all dealerships within a radius, not in transport).

I was just agreeing with the title of the thread "KIA dealerships need to have better sales practices" and adding my experience. As far as good salesman, there job is to sell you a car for as much as they can. They will befriend you but once the deal is done, so is the relationship until you are in the market for another vehicle. Of all the cars I have bought I remain in contact with approximately.... None of the salesman that sold me the vehicles. I have traveled as far as 5 hours to buy a car and have black listed at least one car dealer in my book.

 

[dio71]

Use the post-sale customer survey to blast 'em. These are very important to most dealers.