Dealing with Kia Dealers :-(

[Lonz]

I have been trying to buy a 2019 GT2 AWD Stinger here in the St. Louis, MO area and have terrible dealer experiences, and would like to know if this is common with Kia dealers. Let me explain further...

On two separate occasions, with two separate dealers in my area, on both their websites, they showed 2019 GT2 AWD Stingers as available in the colors I wanted. On both occasions, I had to ask numerous times if the vehicle was actually on the lot. I did not want to head into the dealership if the vehicle was not actually on their lots.

For both dealerships, after multiple attempts via email, I was finally told the vehicle was on the lot, and I was asked to come into the dealership to finalize the deal. For the first dealer, I went there right away, and needless to say, right when I got there, they were like, "Oh, yeah, right... That Stinger is actually not on the lot, but I have this other one that you might like..." I felt duped and was not pleased. Terrible customer experience, especially since I had to drive over 20 miles to get there.

Then, this past Friday, I went to another dealer that finally confirmed they had the one I wanted on the lot, so I arrived there in less than 30 minutes later. Once again, when I got there, the salesman was like, "Oh, yeah, right... We just sold that one, but we have this nice blue one that you'd probably like..." Once again, I felt completely duped. Terrible customer experience again...

I'm not sure if this is par for the course with Kia dealers, but I must say, in all the years that I've bought and sold vehicles, Kia is by far the worst in terms of customer experience, and just flat-out deceitfulness...

Rant over :-(

 

[Kamauxx]

Bait and switch. It isn't exclusive to Kia dealerships but Kia certainly isn't known for having great customer service.

My experiences over the years with Kia's service has been neither good or bad. They're just "meh."

 

[Aarvix]

I had the same thing happen to me, except the one I wanted was "sold" and they were trying to sell me a demo with 3k mi instead.

Bait and switch seems to be a common tactic at Kia dealers (and probably many non-luxury brands).

Luckily DFW has tons of Kia dealers and I finally found one an hour away that didn't try to play games.

 

[Jtlancer]

That sux..I will say that at the dealerships I went to in the Carolinas, all of the stingers on the web were on property...I think this is dealer specific sadly, some are just more honest than there...

 

[Vaio23]

Same thing happened to me, went to a see a car they told me was on lot and when I got there it wasn’t. They claimed the manager was driving it as his daily vehicle, never the less I bought a white gt2 (13k off sticker) in the showroom but really wanted the ceramic silver.

 

[davkiz]

I live in St. Louis and have had nothing but the worst experiences with all the Kia dealerships in the area.
I bought my Stinger GT2 at Suntrup Kia. The purchase process wasn't too bad as my salesperson was quite good.
The service department at every single Kia dealership in St. Louis SUCKS! (I have been to every single one).
I have gone to Kia of Columbia, MO and finally experienced acceptable service. That's almost a 2-hour drive.
I have decided to do my maintenance at my preferred mechanic instead. It costs more, but I know it will be done right.
If you're still having trouble with the buying process I suggest going to Suntrup Kia in South County and asking for Kelly Plant. She bent over backwards for me when it came to buying my GT2.

I really wanted a red on red interior GT2 with all the bells and whistles. It took her about 3 days of looking, but she did find one in New York State. She had it shipped in on a truck before I even signed a single sheet of paper. She let me drive it and really went over it with a fine-toothed comb with me to make sure it was the one I want. Then after I was satisfied we sat down and negotiated a price and I was out of there in about an hour.

Let me know how your searching goes and if you find a good service department.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I had an opposite experience here (Jerry Seiner, South Jordan). I did not have a color/car specific demand in mind. Got there shortly after opening for the day. My wife and I talked about colors "in situ". She settled on Silky Silver as the best "Winter Color" (grime friendly). So, when I said "Silky Silver" and they didn't have one, they at first asked we'd be satisfied with any other color (they had to try) and we said "No". So they started calling around and found a GT1 in Silky Silver half an hour away; and traded one of their cars for the SS. They worked like fiends for a sale that they knew they were going to miss if they didn't find a SS pronto. The difference here is that I/we did not call ahead looking for a specific trim and color. So, I don't know that Jerry Seiner never plays the "bait and switch" game: I've just not experienced anything like that.

 

[Lonz]

I live in St. Louis and have had nothing but the worst experiences with all the Kia dealerships in the area.
I bought my Stinger GT2 at Suntrup Kia. The purchase process wasn't too bad as my salesperson was quite good.
The service department at every single Kia dealership in St. Louis SUCKS! (I have been to every single one).
I have gone to Kia of Columbia, MO and finally experienced acceptable service. That's almost a 2-hour drive.
I have decided to do my maintenance at my preferred mechanic instead. It costs more, but I know it will be done right.
If you're still having trouble with the buying process I suggest going to Suntrup Kia in South County and asking for Kelly Plant. She bent over backwards for me when it came to buying my GT2.

Let me know how your searching goes and if you find a good service department.

Thank you for the info! I just sent an email to Kelly. According to their website (Suntrup Kia), they have 2 AWD GT2's on their lot (one black and one dark gray). I asked her specifically if both were actually on the lot... We'll see what she says...

 

[davkiz]

Thank you for the info! I just sent an email to Kelly. According to their website (Suntrup Kia), they have 2 AWD GT2's on their lot (one black and one dark gray). I asked her specifically if both were actually on the lot... We'll see what she says...

Awesome!
Tell her David sent ya! (Red on red leather from New York, she'll remember.)
She won't give you the run around. She tells it like it is. Good luck and let me know what you end up with.

 

[Gargamel]

Bait and switch. It isn't exclusive to Kia dealerships but Kia certainly isn't known for having great customer service.

My experiences over the years with Kia's service has been neither good or bad. They're just "meh."

Must be an american kia thing, at my swedish kia dealership, its was 100% perfect from their side.

 

[Lonz]

Awesome!
Tell her David sent ya! (Red on red leather from New York, she'll remember.)
She won't give you the run around. She tells it like it is. Good luck and let me know what you end up with.

I ended up buying from Kelly! She's awesome! Plus, I got a great deal! 10% off of MSRP, and then applied the 24 Month lease rebate. I'll buy out the lease with cash in 30 days. Cap cost was $38,800. MSRP was over $53k. I feel pretty good about getting a brand new 2019 GT2 AWD with an MSRP of over $53k for less than $39k, especially since Kelly Blue Book private party very good condition says it's worth $43k. I cannot believe that I could actually turn around and sell this thing and possibly make $4k! That's crazy! Thank you Kia!

 

[Aarvix]

That's an awesome deal, especially for AWD, congrats!

 

[DNA is Digital]

The local Kia dealer here (Kia of Jackson, Michigan) also has crappy sales service. They emailed me a quote on a GTS and did not honor it, which pissed me off, but I ended up getting the deal I wanted at another dealership.

That being said, the service department is the best and I love going there for my service needs. I was in today getting my winters put on and the sales guy that misquoted me happened to see me in my new GTS purchased elsewhere. He looked like he saw a ghost

 

[GenesisG70]

Don't blame the Kia dealers, its a business all dealers are the same. Remember they are there to make a profit on you. If you want a deal wait until the end of the model year or be prepared to drive long distances to find a good deal.

 

[davkiz]

I ended up buying from Kelly! She's awesome! Plus, I got a great deal! 10% off of MSRP, and then applied the 24 Month lease rebate. I'll buy out the lease with cash in 30 days. Cap cost was $38,800. MSRP was over $53k. I feel pretty good about getting a brand new 2019 GT2 AWD with an MSRP of over $53k for less than $39k, especially since Kelly Blue Book private party very good condition says it's worth $43k. I cannot believe that I could actually turn around and sell this thing and possibly make $4k! That's crazy! Thank you Kia!

That's great! Glad it worked out for you. That's a great deal you got. Let me know if you find a good service center in St Louis.