Kia Motor Finance is pathetic.

[Bjjpurple]

In all my automotive dealings I have never dealt with a more incompetent worthless team of individuals. Long story short, I had to call 3 times to get my lease buyout(since in my state they can’t put it on the i for website), 2nd call I got put on hold and then they hung up on me after being on hold for 15 minutes. Nobody called me back. Finally got the buyout from the dealer and had a check overnighted to them per instructions given to me from a supervisor I spoke to on my last communication with KMF. 4 days after the check was sent I received an e-mail from KMF saying the car was paid off and thinking me for my business. The very next day I get a call from their collections dept saying my payment is a week late saying I need to make a payment ASAP. I explain that the car is paid off, that the check has cleared, that KMF had sent me an e-mail stating the deal was done. The associate places me on hold and after 10 minutes, you guessed it, they disconnect the call, no call back. I call back, takes forever to get back through, then transferred to someone who is supposed to be able to look into this. I am now told by another supervisor that their departments sometimes have communication lapses and one dep’t was not notified of the buyout having taken pace. He assures me that in 48 hours everything will be cleared up and he will send me written confirmation. 3 days pass and I get nothing, then on the 4th day since this was supposed to be corrected I get another call from their collections dep’t saying I now have 2 payments due. I call back and nobody has a clue, they say they see where the check was cashed and cleared, but it is being returned. 2 additional calls later I’m told they are cutting me a check for the buyout amount I sent, they now tell me I have to go trough a dealer in my state for the buyout process. I call the dealer and they have no clue what’s going on. Dealer say if the process described by KMF is followed I’ll have to pay all my state sales tax again as well as all doc fees etc because it will be treated like buying the car again. I go to my credit union and return the check, the branch manager says he is not surprised, he says KMF is far and away the worst, most unprofessional auto finance company they deal with. Since I have all my calls recorded they urge me to call consumer affairs and document this situation. AFter 13 calls this is still unresolved. I love the Stinger but if I could rewind the clock I never would have had any dealings with Kia. My last few cars were a Toyota 4Runner and 2 Ford mustangs, My other current car is a 2019 BMW X3. Dealing with those 3 companies is a night and day difference than dealing with KMF. If Kia ever wants to be considered seriously they need to burn down that entire department and start over, they should be embarrassed.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

Did you do lease buyouts on the other cars you listed?

 

[MerlintheMad]

First call I made to KMF about the buyout, they confirmed how to go about it (answered my questions). I didn't need to make another phone call: the website showed me how to complete the process. A month later (after having sent my odometer reading form and a cheque), I got my title. My anecdotal experience keeps the universe in balance, OP.

 

[eflyguy]

(since in my state they can’t put it on the i for website),

Please add your location to your user profile, thx.

 

[GenesisG70]

In Florida You have to buy out the lease from the dealer not from KMF. I've called KMF several times to ask questions and they have answered me promptly.

 

[shaggystinger]

@Bjjpurple I hear ya loud and clear on this!!! KMF is laughably terrible. I believe many first time Kia owners (like myself) will slowly realize this and maybe the company will put more focus as people begin to complain. However, I'm not a second chances kind of guy with mayor purchases. Burn me once, no repeat customer here. Hope your issue gets resolved soon.

 

[eflyguy]

4th Kia thru KMF for me, no issues. Three of the four started as leases, two bought out.

 

[MisterMac]

Great reason to actually save money and purchase with cold, hard cash.

 

[Buzz]

I had the same issue with KMF, dozens of calls, dozens of hours on hold.

They were paid, it cleared, they were supposed to send the title.

2 months in my new titling company says, wft, we don't have the title, we have requested it several times from KMF.

Start contacting KMF... We loop over and over again with their "2 week turnaround time" to send a flipping fax to get to this point. I send a fax, or certified mail and they don't send squat.
Their fax line is broken 90% of the time. "Your fax to Kia Motor Finance Attn: Titles Dept has failed due to poor phone line quality to the receiver's fax machine" "Your fax to Kia Motor Finance Attn: Titles Dept. at 7049653972 has failed because the phone line was unexpectedly disconnected." I sent (Just checked my email) 11 faxes of which 2 went through. I used physical fax machines with the same success rate. They ONLY accept fax machines and mail for this step. I am sending physical letters as well at all of these stages. I spent $30+ in postage as well.

They will Not expedite something when they have wrongfully kept a title they do not own for SIX MONTHS longer than they should.

Turns out they lost a document on their side they needed to clear the title, so the dept responsible for sending them received the request... waited two weeks... and closed the ticket without notifying anyone due to missing the document.

Repeat all these steps and get them to "recreate" the document, they tell me they A. won't notify me when the document exists. B. I just need to keep requesting. C. They won't tell me when my requests fail due to not having the document. D. 5 months in they won't expedite squat.

Thank god my new lender was accommodating but wow, this was a cluster. I was a week away from getting a punitive unsecured rate

Yeah... Kia is still Kia.

 

[Bjjpurple]

In Florida You have to buy out the lease from the dealer not from KMF. I've called KMF several times to ask questions and they have answered me promptly.

Do you have to pay taxes the second time? I’m having to pay sales tax again in this process of buying the car from the dealer.

 

[turboAWD]

Great reason to actually save money and purchase with cold, hard cash.

Hard to beat up to $10K lease discount with non-existant cash discount.. Or maybe $1k cash discount, I forget which..

 

[Eric Lundberg]

In MA you pay prorated sales tax monthly on the lease. If you buy it out you pay sales tax on the balance.

 

[GenesisG70]

I bough out the lease immediately and paid with cash did not deal with Kia financing much so no big deal for me.

 

[G-42534]

Did you do lease buyouts on the other cars you listed?

HI,
Could you kindly tell me if your payoff amount was the same as the "Net Capitalized Cost" that you see initially while signing the lease?
Cheers,
Sri

 

[G-562233]

insurance man wanted to payoff check to kia after car totaled going into 2nd month nothing from kia

 

[G-283952]

Paid off my car October 19th - Sold the car ! Still waiting for the TITLE no less than 8 phone calls and just plain outright lies to my face! Oh, we are overnight delivering this to you! No worries you will have it in 5 days! We get every title out in 10 days! It was mailed! Oh, you didn't get your thank you letter? I have bought and trade 5 Kia cars and this is the last! Great Car! But these idiots made me nix the deal I had, and I'm paying insurance and license on a car I don't want, can't sell and as of today, still no title. It's literally theft on their part!

 

[Girder]

I'm not excusing KMF but they are still a very new company trying to break into North America. Are you in Canada? I might be able to help you

 

[G-133269]

Paid my Stinger off in October. 6 months later no title. I call the finance department every 2 weeks, speak to a manager, and escalate the case. By escalate, they literally send an email to the title department. I ask what can we do about this and they tell me nothing beyond sending the email. They have me hostage. I always end the call with "talk to you in 2 weeks." My wife paid her Audi off and had the title in 2 weeks. Love the Stinger, but may have another look at that S5. That is, if I ever get my title.

 

[Creativeflood]

Paid my Stinger off in October. 6 months later no title. I call the finance department every 2 weeks, speak to a manager, and escalate the case. By escalate, they literally send an email to the title department. I ask what can we do about this and they tell me nothing beyond sending the email. They have me hostage. I always end the call with "talk to you in 2 weeks." My wife paid her Audi off and had the title in 2 weeks. Love the Stinger, but may have another look at that S5. That is, if I ever get my title.

 

[ChaneRZ]

So glad I went with my bank for financing. Screw Kia finance.