They Stole My Dignity

I just left Spitzer Kia – they knowingly was wasted my evening and my wife cried all the way home. This is my second negative dealing with this dealership and I want to take a moment to explain what happened and hope that my story won’t fall on a deaf ear.

Two years ago my wife and I both purchased 2009 Kias from Spitzer – I purchased a Rio and she purchased a Rondo. We purchased them a few weeks apart from a salesman named Jeremy. We put down several thousand on them – and the deals were ok – not great not terrible – and I felt safe to go back to the same dealership.

When I was there in December we met with a different salesman – Jim – he seemed very nice and was very excited to get my Rio as a trade. I explained that I was not planning to put any cash down and that I wanted to pay around $300. He didn’t have a model that would work for it in stock and after playing with some numbers we agreed he could order me a Base Model Automatic Kia Soul if I put he could hold $200 to prove that I was serious.

He called a few days later telling me that the car was in and that they were able to get me a car for right around my price. I called back and left a message to ask exactly what the price was as his message was vague. A manager returned my call telling me the price was in mid $330s which I explained was nowhere near the price I had asked for and that I was very upset that he was going to have me and my wife drive all the way over there knowing that the numbers weren’t even close. I told him that my purchase price was $315 – period. They (Jim, Mel, Dave) took turns calling me back lowering the price (and one time raising it) going from $330s to $320 to $318 (back up to $320) and finally when I asked for my $200 back agreed to the $315. While it wasn’t a pleasant experience – it was the price I was looking for and I purchased the car. We told Jim that we would bring him more business and that we were looking to trade in the 2009 Rondo for a Soul as well pretty soon. He said he was excited because it only had around 20,000 miles as well.

This past weekend I called Jim and told him we were going to bring in the Rondo for a Soul and I told him that just like with the Rio we were going to do the same thing – no money down for a Base Model Automatic and we would work for a single price. I told him what color I wanted and that I knew they needed to test drive the Rondo to run the numbers. I asked when was good – he told me that Monday he worked until 9pm and I agreed to come after 7. When we arrived he explained that he was very busy and handed me off to Jeremy who was very friendly but also a bit sarcastic – my wife felt he seemed somehow slighted that we hadn’t bought the Soul from him.

He took down all of our information – looked at the Rondo and came back with all this paperwork explaining how much it would cost with each of a various amount of money down. His numbers didn’t match up with anything that I had just gone through and he explained that there was a $4,000 disparity between my trade-in and the loan. His numbers still didn’t make sense and after I showed him how the number would in fact work – he left and the manager Mel came in his place.

Mel explained that with a $4,000 difference in the trade that they could not sell me the car without any money down – that the bank would not let them. I thanked him for his time and got up to leave – only after we got to the car did we realize that Jeremy hadn’t given us our key back (he didn’t come back when we got up to leave initially). As I later explained to Mel on the phone – when I called Jim I told him I wasn’t going to put any money down and he knew it was a 2009 Kia Rondo – why didn’t he tell me it wasn’t going to work out – why did he have me come out at all?

I don’t know exactly why I was treated this rudely. Did I get too good a deal the last time? One thing was made very clear – that unless I was willing to take a bad deal and put down a lot of cash that they didn’t want my business. Again – why didn’t they just tell me this on the phone?

There can be no misunderstanding here because both times Mel apologized for Jim’s actions – his willingness to have me come out when the numbers were wrong and again tonight when he had me come out knowing that they would/could not sell me a car. Personally, I think Jim was pretty nice and that Mel was just willing to throw him under the bus (in fact they all kinda took turns pointing the finger at each other). When we left the dealership Mel was like – “well you live close right?” no we don’t and he knows it.

This isn’t about money – its about courtesy and business. You don’t want my business you don’t have to have my business but do you think its ok to jerk someone around because you don’t like the price you gave them the last time?

I’ve had to explain all this to my wife – she cried all the way home – because all she heard was “we don’t want your business” she took it personally – she might be right – it felt personal.

So do I try another dealer? Or does Kia not want my business at all?

Note: Kia Corporate Relations was sent this article but failed to comment or reply.

I don’t know about the rest of you but in my life there are three types of bills:

1) The autopays

2) The pay it yourself online

3) The send in a check

I am horrible about the third.  So much so that my wife pays those.

Anyways, earlier this month I messed up on one of the seconds and found myself getting a call from Wells Fargo because my car payment was late – just a slip up – I have the money and everything just forgot to pay them.

The man of course tried to get me to pay on the phone and incur an $8 fee (on top of the $20  for being late).  No thank you I said.  I am late and since late is late I will just make a double payment online on the first.  He said that was ok.  He then asked if I was having ‘hard times’ and could explain why I was late.  Told him everything was fine and that they would get the money on the first.

At that point I did wonder why they asked – are they doing a survey?  do they care?  do they collect excuses?  But I digress.

This morning I woke up to a phone call of a lady asking me if I knew my car payment was 24 days late?  Yes – Yes I do.

Then she asked when I planned on paying it.  So I told her I had made arrangements weeks ago to pay it on the first – since again it wouldn’t make a difference once I was late – I mean they already charged me $20 for the delay.

Why are you harassing me about this? I already made arrangements for the first?

— Well I am just calling to verify that you are still going to pay on the first.

No – No that is not what you said when you called you were trying to get me to pay today.

— Well, I just got to that part of the notes – its the same thing. But you need to pay on the phone with me today because you won’t get your payment in on time.

I was going to pay online.

— Oh no – we turned that off – you can’t pay online because you are 17 days late.

Ok, then I will send a check.

– Oh no – it won’t get here in time, you will be late again.

But it takes two days for a check to get there.

– But we won’t process is for 7 to 10 days.

Wait a second, you have on record that I have arrangements to pay online on the first.  Why would you then turn that off?

– So you learn your lesson about being on time.

What?  Did you really just tell me that I made arrangements and you are now changing the terms of them so I learn my ‘lesson’?  Get me a supervisor.

-

So the supervisor does this whole song and dance and tells me that I needed to talk to customer service.

So I call customer service – and they were like – your online account is fine – your can pay whenever you like.

WTF!

So I paid – today – before the first – for January and February.

Thank you Wells Fargo!