Kia Motor Finance is pathetic.

[Mattelynnz]

Dang, that's a lot to go through. Hope the car is much better than the service / KMF.

I'm due for my KMF bromance in the next couple of weeks. This is making me wonder if I should try to pay through a dealer? Can I pay through a dealer (in CA)?

Yeah they actually never cashed that check within the first month. So a new payoff was overnighted to a different address at their PO Box and that finally worked.

 

[Stingin' Away]

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.

I share your frustration but with the dealer network, not necessarily KIA themselves. One of the reasons that it made it easier to sell.

 

[Travis Wills]

I sold my 2019 RWD Stinger in April. Kia finance told Vroom the wrong payoff amount. Therefore, Kia owed me the equity instead of Vroom. Vroom would have paid me within 24 hours via direct deposit.

it has been almost 2 months and no check. I call them almost everyday and nothing. They just keep saying we will get to it when we get to it.

 

[turboAWD]

Dang. It's been ~2 weeks - they cashed my check. I called, and of course, they were missing the odo statement that the check was STAPLED TO. The gave me an email address to send it to. Guess I'll be waiting a little longer for the title. Not the end of the world right now - I'm not planning to sell anytime soon, and DMV renewed my tags with Kia listed as owner.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

I sold my 2019 RWD Stinger in April. Kia finance told Vroom the wrong payoff amount. Therefore, Kia owed me the equity instead of Vroom. Vroom would have paid me within 24 hours via direct deposit.

it has been almost 2 months and no check. I call them almost everyday and nothing. They just keep saying we will get to it when we get to it.

How long until you would be forced to seek legal action? They can just keep delaying it until when? lol what nonsense...

 

[Travis Wills]

How long until you would be forced to seek legal action? They can just keep delaying it until when? lol what nonsense...

They keep saying 45 business days. That is technically 63 days plus any holidays that fell in that time frame. They aren’t technically late until around the 4th of July. Just frustrating.

 

[Marvin]

I checked my credit score to find out why it took a hit. I check it twice a year now for identity theft and found KIA payments two months late for the car that I traded in for my Stinger, August and Septembers payments Iate. I bought my Stinger on July 4th and handed the dealership the keys to my Optima the same day.

Kia finance stopped taking my phone calls, they would just hang up on me. Cash rebate $2750 promised if I financed through KIA, I did and never got the check. Finance charge 0.9% on the contract read 2.9%, trade-in $8500-payoff. $3750 was added to my new contract. There was a summer sales sticker on windshield $2000 off invoice that did not make it on the contract. I took pictures of all deals. The manager told me that I am SOL. I heard that he got fired, he is to good to get fired they just moved him to a different location.

Here we go! I checked my credit score to find out that I took a huge hit. Kia finance didn’t send the information to the credit bureau and it read that I had been two months late on my Optima payments that I traded-in and handed the keys to the dealership on the 4th of July, the same day I bought my STINGER. In an email I told Kia Finance how pissed I am about this. I also sent KIA the definition of an auto rebate, it is with the manufacturer responsible not the dealership. I am still waiting on my $2750.00 REBATE! I am about to make my 24th payment.
Do yourself a favor and take the contract and go get yourself a cup of coffee and READ IT! There is no law that says you have to stay in that little room and sigh all of that paperwork, you’ll save yourself thousands of dollars for doing it.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

I checked my credit score to find out why it took a hit. I check it twice a year now for identity theft and found KIA payments two months late for the car that I traded in for my Stinger, August and Septembers payments Iate. I bought my Stinger on July 4th and handed the dealership the keys to my Optima the same day.

Here we go! I checked my credit score to find out that I took a huge hit. Kia finance didn’t send the information to the credit bureau and it read that I had been two months late on my Optima payments that I traded-in and handed the keys to the dealership on the 4th of July, the same day I bought my STINGER. In an email I told Kia Finance how pissed I am about this. I also sent KIA the definition of an auto rebate, it is with the manufacturer responsible not the dealership. I am still waiting on my $2750.00 REBATE! I am about to make my 24th payment.
Do yourself a favor and take the contract and go get yourself a cup of coffee and READ IT! There is no law that says you have to stay in that little room and sigh all of that paperwork, you’ll save yourself thousands of dollars for doing it.

That's ridiculous. When I went I made sure to bring my father and a trusted family friend who used to work for MB and sell cars. I personally would never go to a dealership without at least one other person there that has your back.

They keep saying 45 business days. That is technically 63 days plus any holidays that fell in that time frame. They aren’t technically late until around the 4th of July. Just frustrating.

Then what happens comes the second week of July? Hmm...

 

[Travis Wills]

That's ridiculous. When I went I made sure to bring my father and a trusted family friend who used to work for MB and sell cars. I personally would never go to a dealership without at least one other person there that has your back.


Then what happens comes the second week of July? Hmm...

They will send the check out the day it hits 45 business days. They know they can keep your money that long so they do.

 

[WRXtoStingerGT]

They will send the check out the day it hits 45 business days. They know they can keep your money that long so they do.

Understood!

Thank you!

 

[celwin]

I hear you on their incompetence. This Stinger will be my first and very last car I ever purchase from KIA. their customer service is absolutely terrible and like OP said incompetent. Been trying to get a simple letter of permission to register vehicle in my state since 5/14 and still waiting.

 

[turboAWD]

Dang. It's been ~2 weeks - they cashed my check. I called, and of course, they were missing the odo statement that the check was STAPLED TO. The gave me an email address to send it to. Guess I'll be waiting a little longer for the title. Not the end of the world right now - I'm not planning to sell anytime soon, and DMV renewed my tags with Kia listed as owner.

Was happily surprised when opening a non-descript envelope (almost thought it was junk mail!) and found my title inside from Kia. ~3 weeks from the buyout date. Had to email a scan of the odo reading once, and make one phone call.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

In my experience, only bad customers receive bad customer service.

I hear you on their incompetence. This Stinger will be my first and very last car I ever purchase from KIA. their customer service is absolutely terrible and like OP said incompetent. Been trying to get a simple letter of permission to register vehicle in my state since 5/14 and still waiting.

Is there a story to this? Your statement doesn't make much sense to me... Letter of permission?

 

[celwin]

In my experience, only bad customers receive bad customer service.

Is there a story to this? Your statement doesn't make much sense to me... Letter of permission?

I beg to differ, some company departments have reps that have no business dealing with customers. Either they're lazy and/or incompetent.
I moved to another state and need to have car registered in new state. New state requires copy of title and signed letter of permission from bank (Kia finance) saying owner has permission to register vehicle in new state. Kia sent title with original signature and letter with digital signature. State requires all to be original signature. So had to call Kia finance to send just the letter with a wet signature. It's been a PITA dealing with them since then. Original request was made in March. Did not find out about the original signature requirement until I physically went to local DMV to get my car registered in early May.

 

[RUFFSTUFF]

Oh now I get it... Sorry, thanks for the knowledge!

 

[G-201294]

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.

Me too. A year later.... still no title. Unreal

 

[Nozzleman123]

I don’t know what is wrong with you people , Kia finance doesn’t have your title . Your motor vehicle dept has it and on it it says that Kia motor finance as the lien holder , when you pay off your loan all Kia has to do is send you a lien release showing they are no longer a lien holder on your vehicle

 

[celwin]

I don’t know what is wrong with you people , Kia finance doesn’t have your title . Your motor vehicle dept has it and on it it says that Kia motor finance as the lien holder , when you pay off your loan all Kia has to do is send you a lien release showing they are no longer a lien holder on your vehicle

You certain of that? Maybe it differs from state to state. in NJ for example the title is mailed to the owner directly from the bank/finance company, not the state DMV.

 

[Nozzleman123]

You certain of that? Maybe it differs from state to state. in NJ for example the title is mailed to the owner directly from the bank/finance company, not the state DMV.

If the tittle is mailed to you on the bottom it will list Kia as the lien holder , when you pay off the loan Kia should send you a lien release or who ever you financed with you attach the release to the title when you sell it

 

[Travis Wills]

That's ridiculous. When I went I made sure to bring my father and a trusted family friend who used to work for MB and sell cars. I personally would never go to a dealership without at least one other person there that has your back.


Then what happens comes the second week of July? Hmm...

Finally got my check this week after calling them repeatedly for 3 months. So frustrating but it is over now.