The Buying Process Kia of Alhambra - Alhambra, California: No test drive

[eljay]

Friday the rep from Kia of Alhambra contacted me about doing a test drive in a GT1, not the GT2 I want, but at least not a 2.0 that another dealer seems to think will give me a feel for the car. He said that just to make sure they'd finished prepping the GTs that had already come in, I should come in Sunday.

He spent a lot of time with me at the GT1 in the showroom (black on red), and then walked me out to look at the rest of the inventory. We ended up in the prep area and only after I'd looked at all the still-unprepped cars did he tell me that they didn't have anything I could test drive.

I should have blown my stack, but didn't, since I still may have to deal with these guys, but this is almost the last straw.

There was no dealer markup posted on the cars, but when I asked he said, conspiratorily, that yes, there probably would be, but if a customer said they wouldn't pay, well, it could be worked out. Dang, can't anybody at a Kia dealer just be straight about something?

I'll post about the screen and shift elsewhere when I have a little time.

 

[Jayce]

That's kinda crazy that they wasted your time like that since you clearly wanted a test drive. Better luck next time.

 

[eljay]

Yeah, they're only 11 miles away, but he knew I'd planned to go the the auto show for a test drive and cancelled to go to the dealer. He should have called to reschedule--that's just good business sense.

Well, at least I don't feel guilty about dissing him--when he said, "You probably know more about this car than I do," I said, "Yeah, I do," with no hint of humor. I did, however, credit all of you on the Forum for my knowledge.

 

[Chris]

There is no way I would give this guy my business. I'd rather drive 200 miles and get it somewhere else if I had to..

 

[Kia Stinger]

Sadly, we have to expect this kind of behavior from Kia at this point in the game. They're out of their league right now - selling a car we all want - but don't know what to do with. They're learning - and we're the guinea pigs. We can take it or leave it. Some will buy a Stinger - some will not. It took time for Hyundai to get on the ball with the Genesis sedan. They'll get there - but they haven't sold a single Stinger in America yet. Don't be surprised by any of this...

 

[Chris]

Sadly, we have to expect this kind of behavior from Kia at this point in the game. They're out of their league right now - selling a car we all want - but don't know what to do with. They're learning - and we're the guinea pigs. We can take it or leave it. Some will buy a Stinger - some will not. It took time for Hyundai to get on the ball with the Genesis sedan. They'll get there - but they haven't sold a single Stinger in America yet. Don't be surprised by any of this...

Totally disagree, I wouldn't take that crap from a guy at a Chrysler dealer or ford dealer or any other dealer, even if they are selling me a 19k car. If someone tells me to come in for a test drive and after I get there won't let me drive the car that dealer is out of my equation. I'm not saying the car is, but that dealer is for sure.

 

[westcoastGT]

Once the US cars get into driveways the dealer anxiety will drop . I didnt have a smooth experience and I certainly knew more about the car than anyone in the dealer but getting it home and doing my little mods then driving it blows all the dealer crap away ..................the car is fantastic !! I really love it ( after 12 years and 9 BMWs ) BMW have wonderful customer service but the cars ???

 

[eljay]

I'm on the fence between Chris's and Kia Stinger's opinions. I'm in no hurry to let this particular rep have my business, but given (so far) that dealers in my area have either been lackadaisical or stupidly pushy, and nothing in between, I'm not ruling out any dealer yet. Frankly, I'd go with whoever gets my trim and color first, and doesn't tack on a dealer markup.

Today's kerfuffle wasn't a case of not knowing how to sell a Stinger, since I would still consider this unforgivable if I'd been there to buy a Rio. It's a case of knowing nothing about courtesy or customer service in general. And it's not like Kia dealers haven't had enough chance, with Cadenza and K900, to upscale their selling techniques--and evidently blown it there, too. And it's also not like there aren't a lot of upscale buyers in the area for them to have practiced on.

If I go back to Alhambra, I guess I should ask the GM to make sure I'm working with someone who's had Stinger training, but when I first contacted them, no one had yet.

 

[Charly]

Once the US cars get into driveways the dealer anxiety will drop . I didnt have a smooth experience and I certainly knew more about the car than anyone in the dealer but getting it home and doing my little mods then driving it blows all the dealer crap away

It's good you were able to get around the dealer crap. I'd prefer a dealer with more knowledge of the car but in a case like this where the dealer hasn't had the car, or at least the native spec car, and hasn't been able to drive it, I understand the lack of knowledge.

oday's kerfuffle wasn't a case of not knowing how to sell a Stinger, since I would still consider this unforgivable if I'd been there to buy a Rio. It's a case of knowing nothing about courtesy or customer service in general.

True. A lack of knowledge is undesirable, albeit in this case somewhat understandable, but shitty customer service is inexcusable.

 

[eljay]

I came across this Jalopnik article, which pretty much says what we already know, but it did give me a chuckle and helped me take my experience less personally:
https://jalopnik.com/kia-will-have-a-hard-time-selling-the-stinger-gt-unless-1790975835

 

[Kia Stinger]

I came across this Jalopnik article, which pretty much says what we already know, but it did give me a chuckle and helped me take my experience less personally:
https://jalopnik.com/kia-will-have-a-hard-time-selling-the-stinger-gt-unless-1790975835

I'm pretty sure everyone expects a less than stellar experience at Kia.

 

[Jumpy]

Response 2 from an “internet sales manager”:

I would be happy to send you information but I don’t have a company email account.

LMAO! How is that even possible?

 

[Brian Keenan]

LMAO! How is that even possible?

Probably just a new employee.

 

[Charly]

Probably just a new employee.

I'm beginning to suspect he's their most senior employee.

 

[BEACH Stinger]

Friday the rep from Kia of Alhambra contacted me about doing a test drive in a GT1, not the GT2 I want, but at least not a 2.0 that another dealer seems to think will give me a feel for the car. He said that just to make sure they'd finished prepping the GTs that had already come in, I should come in Sunday.

He spent a lot of time with me at the GT1 in the showroom (black on red), and then walked me out to look at the rest of the inventory. We ended up in the prep area and only after I'd looked at all the still-unprepped cars did he tell me that they didn't have anything I could test drive.

I should have blown my stack, but didn't, since I still may have to deal with these guys, but this is almost the last straw.

There was no dealer markup posted on the cars, but when I asked he said, conspiratorily, that yes, there probably would be, but if a customer said they wouldn't pay, well, it could be worked out. Dang, can't anybody at a Kia dealer just be straight about something?

I'll post about the screen and shift elsewhere when I have a little time.

If you're still looking to test drive a GT2 RWD, we have red on black here in Huntington Beach. PM me if you're interested and I'll either give you my number or I can call you, whichever you'd prefer. Our batch of GT2 AWD come in just before Christmas, Dec 21 to be exact.

 

[BEACH Stinger]

Sadly, we have to expect this kind of behavior from Kia at this point in the game. They're out of their league right now - selling a car we all want - but don't know what to do with. They're learning - and we're the guinea pigs. We can take it or leave it. Some will buy a Stinger - some will not. It took time for Hyundai to get on the ball with the Genesis sedan. They'll get there - but they haven't sold a single Stinger in America yet. Don't be surprised by any of this...

We actually sold one on Sunday, Silky Silver on Black, 2.0L

 

[westcoastGT]

If you're still looking to test drive a GT2 FWD, we have red on black here in Huntington Beach. PM me if you're interested and I'll either give you my number or I can call you, whichever you'd prefer. Our batch of GT2 AWD come in just before Christmas, Dec 21 to be exact.

Exactly as expected .....................FWD ? Thats right up there with an internet sales manager with no online account !

 

[BEACH Stinger]

Exactly as expected .....................FWD ? Thats right up there with an internet sales manager with no online account !

Hey no need for that. Its early where I am. Corrected: RWD

Here's a link from a post from yesterday with enough coffee in the system

 

[Vo Woldanski]

I just had an experience at Car Pros Kia in Glendale. Been emailing and texting the salesperson all week and set up an appointment to test drive a GT2 with AWD... I live about 40 miles away... I confirmed and re-confirmed that the car was there..I was told YES.. upon arriving there last night I was told that the car "had just been sold" and there was another one but only RWD... I asked if it was "just sold" to show me the proof of sale.. They said they could not do that.. the manager later confirmed with me that the salesperson lied..
How do they expect someone to buy a $50,000 car from them AFTER they have lied ???

 

[Kia Stinger]

I just had an experience at Car Pros Kia in Glendale. Been emailing and texting the salesperson all week and set up an appointment to test drive a GT2 with AWD... I live about 40 miles away... I confirmed and re-confirmed that the car was there..I was told YES.. upon arriving there last night I was told that the car "had just been sold" and there was another one but only RWD... I asked if it was "just sold" to show me the proof of sale.. They said they could not do that.. the manager later confirmed with me that the salesperson lied..
How do they expect someone to buy a $50,000 car from them AFTER they have lied ???

Welcome, @Vo Woldanski. Thank you for signing up. Sorry to hear about your bad experience. They really need to be careful and take good care of everyone who walks into the door. This is the information age and bad experiences like things are going to make it to the forefront of conversation. I really hope Kia of Alhambra is taking note and doing their best to figure this out...