Mixed Impressions Inc.

When MrV*** was taking delivery of his new Kia Soul, a dent on the hood was noticed. The dealership offered to switch MrV*** to a different Kia Soul that did not have a dent. Mr. V*** declined, so the dealership agreed to his request to fix the dent. Mr
V*** was provided with a Kia Soul as courtesy loaner vehicle during the repair. The body shop found another small ding on the side of the vehicle, repair of which delayed the return of the vehicle, but MrV*** remained in the courtesy Kia Soul loaner. To accommodate the delay, the dealership offered to pay half of MrV***'s first payment, an offer MrV*** accepted. At MrV***'s request the check to cover half of his first payment has been left with the receptionist at the dealership, where it remains. Earnhardt Kia does not know the nature of MrV***'s employment, but it is hard to imagine that if the Kia Soul he purchased would work for his employment, the loaner Soul would not have worked on a temporary basis. Mary L*** ***/General Counsel

The dealership regrets Mr***' dissatisfaction with his vehicle. It would be happy to cancel the products for him. He can come to the dealership and ask for Rhonda H*** to sign cancellation documents.Mr*** indicates that the vehicle was traded to another dealer on
January 29, 2017. As of February 15, 2017, MVD records still show a lien in favor of Kia Financial. Until the lien is released, the refund for the products has to be sent to the lienholder to reduce the balance due on the loan. If Mr*** can demonstrate satisfaction of the Kia Financial lien, the payment can be made directly to Mr***. Mr*** should bring proof of payment in full of the loan when he comes to the dealership if he would like to receive direct payment of the refunds. Mary L*** ***/General Counsel

To Whom It May Concern:Mr*** contacted us this morning to inform us that he had filed a complaintwith your Agency. A few hours later, we received your email which wasforwarded to me for response as Mr***s purchase was handled by theSpecial Finance Department which I head. A
brief summary of ourconversations with Mr*** is outlined in below.Mr*** purchased a Ford Taurus at Rodeo Kia, an Earnhardt Dealership, onSeptember 28, 2015. Mr*** inquired about the door code at thetime of sale, and was informed by the salesman that we do not have access tothe door code, and since he has keys to operate the vehicle, the door code isnot required to operate the car. Mr*** contacted us on September29, 2015, raising the same issue, and was informed that this was not a safety issueand was not covered under the Implied Warranty. He called again thefollowing day to complain, and a work order was created for our Rodeo Fordstore to reprogram the door. Mr*** called on October 10, 2015. Rodeo Ford stated that the doorcould not be reprogrammed; it was inoperable and had to be replaced at the costof $619.00. MrBeck was informed that since it could not bereprogrammed, in an offer of customer good will, we would issue him a checkin the amount of $to assist him in the cost of the key pad. When Mr*** called this morning, he spoke to one of my Managers, Ryan Cruise,to state that he had filed a complaint with the Revdex.com. Ryan again explainedthe implied warranty coverage on the Taurus but Mr*** felt that when weagreed to reprogram the door pad, the key pad would work and it does not. MrCruise consulted me, and I agreed to have Rodeo Ford replace the key pad atour expense. Mr*** stated that this fully satisfies hiscomplaint. The Director of Service at Rodeo Ford will set up the appointmentfor the repair with Mr*** personally Thank you for your inquiry and please contact me if you have any questions relatingto this matter. Best wishes:Colleen M***Special Finance DirectorEarnhardt Auto Centers###-###-####***

The Kia response does not have the facts right. When I first was told of the dent on the car, I was told it would take one day and I was NOT offered a replacement vehicle for purchase. When I found out the next day that it would take much longer and called a manager to complain, the context of the conversation never would have led me to believe he was offering to sell me a permanent replacement. It went like this: I told him that I could not use the loaner, a 2015 Kia Soul, for my part-time job because it has to be registered and approved in advance. "Do you want a 2016 instead?" he asked me. By the way he asked, I was led to believe he was asking me if I wanted a 2016 loaner. When I found out a week later that a second dent had been discovered and I would not get the car for another week (or more), THAT'S when I asked for a permanent replacement ... and that's when I was told that it was too late because (1) they had offered me one previously, which I never understood, and (2) the bank now owned the car. I have no doubt that if they truly cared about customer service and truly cared about ME, they would have found a way to make it happen. It also is important, I think, to know why the dents occurred. I can't prove this, of course, but one of the workers there told me that they were the result of neighborhood kids throwing rocks at the cars on the lot. He said the rocks have caused a lot of damage, including broken windows. That makes much more sense than what one of the managers told me -- that it must have happened when the car was transported. I have no doubt that Earnhardt Kia is attempting to cover up this information because the last thing it wants is for potential customers to know that new cars on the lot could be damaged.I stand by my complaint: I was forced to take a damaged vehicle at the same price. Their payment for half of the first month is woefully inadequate.

The manager who offered Mr. V[redacted] a replacement Kia Soul made it clear that he was offering to sell him a different vehicle. The manager told him he would need to sign new purchase documents and that the only difference between the vehicle he initially purchased and the replacement vehicle would be the VIN.  Mr. V[redacted] declined, saying it was a "long story," but he had to have the initial vehicle.  The dealership only submitted Mr. V[redacted]'s approved contract for final funding because he declined the  replacement vehicle.The exact cause of the dents is unknown, but by far the most likely cause is superficial  damage in transit, as was asserted.  The material aspects of the small dents are that they are minor, superficial and repaired.    Mr. V[redacted] remains welcome to pick up the check for half of his first month's payment, as was agreed between Mr. V[redacted] and the manager.  Mary L[redacted]/General Counsel

There was a delay in communicating with Mr. J[redacted].  The first time the manager called, Mr. J[redacted] was engaged in his fantasy football draft and unable to talk.  Although Mr. J[redacted]'s daughter had had the vehicle for 9 months, the dealership rep*aced the tires on the...

vehicle.  The matter should be resolved to the customer's satisfaction.  Mary [redacted]/General Counsel

This has been the typical treatment. The work they have performed in the past met my expectations. So to say they do not meet them is false and simply a way to white wash this over. It does not relieve them of thier obligations under contract selling Kia Vehicles with regard to honoring warranty service. Earnhardt is again slandering me saying there were issues at other dealers when there was not. This is only digging their hole deeper. There is not another dealer within a reasonable distance. Bell Kia is it.

[redacted] d/b/a [redacted], regrets that Mr. [redacted] is dissatisfied with the purchase he and [redacted] made of a 2016 Kia Soul.  Ms. and Mr. [redacted]'s transaction included the trade to the dealership of a 2006 Honda Civic with in excess of 98,000 miles.  The dealership...

credited the purchase price of the 2016 Soul with $7,000 in exchange for the trade of the 2006 Honda. the terms and conditions  of the transaction were clearly disclosed in writing and both purchasers signed the transaction documents.  During the negotiations for the purchase of the 2016 Soul, [redacted] and [redacted] also negotiated for the purchase of a 2016 Kia Sorrento.  The transaction for the 2016 Sorrento included the trade to the dealership of a 2014 Kia Sorrento that secured a loan in the amount of $31,100 with respect to which the payment was $511/month.  The 2014 Kia Sorrento was valued at $26,000, resulting in negative equity of $5100.  The value of the 2014 Sorrento, the balance due on the loan secured by the Sorrento and the negative equity were clearly disclosed on the transaction documents and the documents were signed by both purchasers.   As a result of the two transactions, the [redacted] family traded a 2006 vehicle and a 2014 vehicle with a $511 payment for two new 2016  vehicles with a total payment of $606.26.The dealership promised to and has paid the balance due on the loan secured by the 2014 Sorrento.  It is unfortunate if Mr. [redacted] misunderstood the promise with regard to the loan secured by the 2014 Sorrento, but, again, each of the value of the 2014 Sorrento, the balance due on the loan secured by the Sorrento and the resulting negative equity were clearly disclosed on separate lines on both the buyer's order and the retail installment contract signed by the purchasers.     Some of the confusion may have resulted from the purchasing process Mr. [redacted] employed.  He first contacted [redacted], another Earnhardt dealership, about purchasing a vehicle.  He contracted for a purchase and took the vehicle home, but later returned the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, Mr. [redacted] contacted [redacted] about purchasing two vehicles.  [redacted] attempted to accommodate Mr. [redacted]'s disclosed PTSD by allowing him to walk the lot alone to selected the 2016 Sorrento and by streamlining the process in financing.  It is unfortunate that the process employed to accommodate his PTSD is now being characterized as a strategy for misrepresentation.  [redacted] explained to Mr. [redacted] that his transactions  did not qualify for either the military or college graduate discounts.  In lieu of those discounts, [redacted] offered Mr. [redacted] and additional $500 for each of his trade vehicles. [redacted] expressly denies having accessed Mr. [redacted]'s mother's credit without her permission.  Both dealerships deny any misrepresentation or other inappropriate conduct in dealing with the [redacted] family.  In short, [redacted], and, particularly, [redacted], worked extremely hard to assist Mr. [redacted] and his family with their vehicle transactions.  [redacted]General Counsel

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
My mother was not present for the authorization of her previous purchase file to be pulled nor did you make contact with her. When she was contacted by me over the phone you asked if she could be a co-signer, she agreed to co-sign if you could get us a rate of 4.2% you then in turn placed her as the main purchaser of a vehicle she will never drive. You did this without her knowledge or agreement. My mother would have also opted for the full warranty coverage package had she known she was going to be placed as a primary however this option was never presented to her. It has now been over 3 weeks and we still have no paperwork on the 2015 soul (not 2016) and only denial notices from varying credit unions all saying we are denied. You are now fishing with my mothers and wifes credit and not accomplishing said goal of 4.2% financing. Again she agreed to have her credit score attained to see if we could get 4.2% financing and you have now made her the owner of my car and told me I have no right to make contact regarding the matter. [redacted] specifically stated he would pay off the entire balance of the 2014 sorento because he knew he could get more for the vehicle and he needed to move units. He did not disclose we would be rolling 5100$ into the 2016 Sorento. Why would anyone give up a vehicle with only 7100 miles on it with FULL options and comforts to own a vehicle with way less value and no options? We had discussed it to where you paid the FULL balance of 31,200 in order to lower the payment down to where we needed to be on both vehicles. Why would I take a vehicle that was brand new in mileage and turn it in and pay more for so much less? Why because that was not the terms you explained to us. You streamlined the signing process but you had your finance guy fold all documents into 1/3rds. We signed based on the trust we had previously had with you on our other purchases. In now way shape or form did you ever tell us my mother would be owning MY vehicle. In no way shape or form would she have agreed to be the owner of MY vehicle. You pushed me away from signing for my Sorento and you took full advantage of the fact of my anxiety. You did not let me walk the lot. You had a salesman named [redacted] make contact with us instantly as we arrived he then began showing my wife vehicles while [redacted] and I discussed where we needed to be to meet our financial goals. We made an agreement and [redacted] shook on it that he would make it happen at all costs. [redacted] also explained that because we were previous owners of a Sorento we would receive discounts of 1500$ on the sorento. [redacted] also told me that he would apply the college discount on BOTH the 2015 soul and the 2016 Sorento since my wife would be the main signer on both vehicles. None of this is disclosed nor any of these discounts shown on the 1 piece of paper we have on both vehicles. [redacted] will not even return my wifes phone calls to let us know what is going on and [redacted] in finance claims he cannot talk to us unless it is through [redacted]. Our first payment is supposedly due July 1st and we don't have ANY paperwork or approval yet after over 3 weeks of time. We are at a complete loss and have zero control of what KIA is doing behind closed doors. [redacted] in finance last told me "we will keep casting your credit line out until a fish bites" is how he explained it to get us the 4.2% financing. [redacted] is so bitter about the entire situation he said he would finance us at 4.2% even if it meant he ate the difference in money on the Sorento. The deal with [redacted] was when I was trying to lower our bills for the purchase of my house. I went to [redacted] and dealt with a salesman named Wally they talked me into taking home the 2016 Sorento over night to see how I liked the vehicle and if I did I could come in the following day and do the paperwork. We contacted our real estate agent and they told us we could not do anything involving credit until escrow closed on t he house. I returned the vehicle to [redacted] and told them I would be back when escrow closed. Wally was unhappy he would not be getting commision right away and asked for his keys and walked away. I emailed the GM and explained that Wally just walked away and he apologized over email that Wally was just that way sometimes. So I called [redacted] after escrow closed as promised and took the longer drive down to the dealership he was transferred to in order to make a deal I trusted he would make happen. This all leads to where we are today. Zero paperwork. Zero communication and our credit being ran many times over to get that promised rate. Earnhardt KIA is misleading in the way they are replying to this complaint. The discounts were not applied the agreement was not honored and the rate is not approved at what we discussed. We now own less for more and from a customer stand point that makes no sense the entire reason for me sacrificing my Sorento with only 7100 miles in flawless condition with full options and comforts was to get into a lesser model to lower the payment to drop and get my wife into a vehicle with a solid warranty and trade in her vehicle. So we could hover around the payment I was initially at with just the one vehicle. Not roll 5100$ more and not receive the discussed discounts and going much higher than agreed upon. I am stressed over this daily as well as my mother and wife. We would like closure and for the dealership to honor the commitment we made as we honored staying loyal to the KIA brand as customers.
Regards,[redacted]

The dealerships regret that Mr. [redacted] is dissatisfied with their detailed response to his concerns. However, both [redacted] and [redacted] understand that they have fully addressed his concerns. It does not appear that an additional response would be productive.  [redacted]general Counsel

To Whom It May Concern:Please be advised that [redacted], the Senior Manager who oversaw Ms. [redacted] purchase, contacted her today to address the complaint she filed with your agency.  He apologized to Ms. [redacted] because the emails and messages she had sent did not reach him.  Mr....

[redacted] took the following action to resolve Ms. [redacted] concerns:1.  He provided her, by email, a copy of the [redacted] report on her vehicle.2.  He authorized our Kia Service Department to contact Ms. [redacted] to schedule an appointment to bring the Sorrento to the dealership for diagnosis and repair of the issues listed in her submission.  A rental car will be provided at our expense for her use while the Sorrento is in the shop.3. He provided his contact information so that Ms. [redacted] can reach him directly if she has any additional questions or concerns.Ms. [redacted] informed Mr. [redacted] that the action he took today resolved her complaint.  She is being contacted directly by Kia Service and the appointment will be scheduled at her earliest convenience.  Thank you very much for forwarding this complaint as it allowed us the opportunity to contact Ms. [redacted] and address her issues.  Kindly contact me if you have any additional questions or concerns.Best Wishes:[redacted], Special Finance DirectorEarnhardt Auto Centers

Mr. [redacted] has been asked to have his vehicle serviced at another Kia dealer because of the manner in which he repeatedly has interacted with sales and service personnel.  After several attempts to satisfy Mr. [redacted]'s requests, Earnhardt Kia determined it was unable to fulfill his...

expectations and would not be able to fulfill his expectations in the future.    Earnhardt Kia has communicated its inability to satisfy Mr. [redacted]  to Kia Motors America and understands that Kia also has been challenged to respond to Mr. [redacted]'s satisfaction.  Earnhardt Further understands that another Kia dealer in the metro area has had similar experiences with Mr. [redacted].   For obvious reasons, Earnhardt does not make such a determination lightly or without regret.  Mary L[redacted]/General Counsel