BEWARE: My Experience at City Kia of Orlando…read more
I had a service appointment at 7:40 AM on July 30. I arrived at 7:30 AM and wasn't even checked in until approximately 8:45 AM. When I asked why appointments were given if customers weren't being seen according to their appointment times, I was told they take cars "as they show up." I specifically asked, "So if I made a 10:00 AM appointment and showed up at 7:00 AM, you'd take my car before someone with a 7:40 appointment?" I was told yes. So...what exactly is the purpose of the appointment system?
While I was waiting, a salesman approached me asking if I was interested in trading in my vehicle. I told him that after my experience with Kia, I wouldn't be giving them any more of my business beyond necessary maintenance. He asked what year my car was. I said 2019, and he proceeded to ask me if I was "the same person" I was in 2019. I'm sorry...what?
He then told me Kia now has the designer from BMW and Mercedes. Sir, respectfully, I don't give a shit what my car looks like. I just want it to RUN.
My service advisor then asked if I planned on waiting because they were "REALLY behind." I reminded him that I had already been waiting over an hour past my appointment time, and that when I scheduled the appointment, I specifically explained that I was driving an hour to the dealership and would be waiting and I was quoted approximately 1.5 hours.
His response? He said that "the girls" shouldn't be quoting times and that he would speak to his manager to fix that and "see what he could do" to get me out faster...
When my vehicle was finally finished, I was presented with a list of recommended services totaling $500+. There was nothing on that list mentioning my battery. At this point, I had already spent more than THREE HOURS at the dealership, so I declined the additional services.
I had also specifically requested that my name and address be updated on my account. When my service advisor walked me to my car, he said, "Mama, if you give me a 10 on my survey, next time I'll get you 20% off and free windshield wiper blades." Bruhhhh. Who are you?! After the experience I had just had, I couldn't believe he was asking me for a perfect survey score in exchange for future discounts. Then, 10 DAYS after my oil change, my battery completely died.
I called Kia to ask about the battery health check from my July 30 inspection, especially since those results are no longer printed out for the customer. They struggled to even find my account because, SURPRISE, my personal contact information was never updated, despite me specifically requesting it during my appointment. I was told I could apparently take care of it at my "next appointment." There won't be one.
After explaining the battery situation, I was told I needed to bring my vehicle back in for a diagnosis. Absolutely not... I had already spent hours there. I wanted to know what they had documented during the inspection I had JUST HAD.
When I finally spoke with him and explained the situation, I asked for my multipoint inspection to be resent to me. His response was rude and essentially, "There was nothing wrong with your battery. It's your starter, and you declined that service."
Yes, I declined the services. ALL of them. Because I had already been sitting there for more than three hours and was presented with a $500+ list of recommendations.
So I asked AGAIN for the multipoint inspection. And when I received it, guess what?
My battery was documented as being UNDER 15% HEALTH. UNDER. 15%.
So now I have a serious question:
If my battery was documented at under 15% health during my July 30 inspection, why was this not brought to my attention?
And why, when I called after my battery completely died, was I told there was nothing wrong with the battery?
This is exactly why I have a problem with dealership service departments. I understand that vehicles need maintenance. I understand that dealerships recommend repairs. But I should not have to wonder whether someone is actually looking at my vehicle or simply checking off whatever the computer tells them to recommend.
I drove an hour to this dealership and gave them the opportunity to service my vehicle. Instead, I spent over three hours waiting, dealt with inappropriate and dismissive comments, had my requested account information ignored, was pressured for a perfect survey score, and then had to discover AFTER my battery died that the dealership's own inspection had documented my battery at under 15% health.
Unfortunately, I will NEVER be returning to City Kia of Orlando. I will be trading in my Kia at the first opportunity.
It's incredibly disappointing to feel like Kia is more interested in selling services and new vehicles than actually addressing the problems customers are bringing their cars in for.
Do yourself a favor and check your inspection paperwork carefully before leaving. I certainly wish I had.