Complaint Review: Maroon Kia - Wayne New Jersey

Sooooo, at the rude advice of Charlie (Maroon Kia), I got a second opinion regarding the $1,000.00 brake job they insisted I needed. I went to a front specialist who advised the issue with the front end was the front axle/left inner CV joint. I did even better and got a third opinion from FETTE KIA. Fette Kia, from the start of my initial phone call, showed the utmost professionalism. Kevin was awesome! And yes, they confirmed it was an issue with the axle. The brakes you might ask? Both second and third opinions stated that the brakes were at 50% and the rotors were fine (not warped). Fette questioned why Maroon wanted $1,000.00 for a front and rear brake job. I had no explanation for them. With that, I agree with "rustybrakelines"; they are thiefs and liars. Ray Maroon, I am disappointed in the fact that you did a disservice to a 24 year police officer and military veteran. I bought this vehicle for my wife as a thank you as I was away on an 8 month military deployment in 2011/12. Hope you fellas sleep good at night. Please note I was not quick to react. There were numerous phone calls to Maroon who did nothing but make excuses and accuse me of speculating.

At this time, my Kia is being repaired by an honest and professional Kia dealership. 

Your story of customer service (or lack of) sounds so similiar. I paid over $24,000.00 for a used 2011 Sorrento full of issues. First, the rear passenger door window wasnt working after having the car for less then a month. We brought it back. They  indicated that a window tab needed to be re-glued. They also mentioned that the car had over a dozen recalls that should have been done before we pulled the car off the lot the month before. Six months later, the front end shook during acceleration and braking. Additionally, the rear hatch did not lock. We brought it in for service and asked that the issues at hand be looked at. A few hours later, we received a phone call that the car needed a complete brake job (front and rear) and a new battery. Estimated cost of repairs was well over $1,000.00. Note we had only put on less then 8,000 miles since purchase. My wife explained displeasure on the fact we spend all this money and needed to shell out even more. Customer service does not exist at KIA. They had an excuse for everything. They were rude and told my wife their mechanics are experts and to go get a second opinion elsewhere. 

  Back to the rear window. The other day (first frost), the window shattered. I explained to Maroon Kia that we felt it may have been caused by the work they did as there was no obvious reason for it breaking (rock, accident, etc). Again, they were rude and said we were speculating. They said their work would not have caused the window to shatter. Boy did we find different. A PROFESSIONAL company came to repair the window. They observed that the original repair was improperly done. The orginal problem should have included a complete replacement of the window and plastic mount. Instead, the plastic mount was slopped with some type of expoxy. It was all over rather then just applied into the chanel of the mount. I called Kia and explained what the glass tech had found. They really had no interest in hearing what I had to say and again gave a ton of excuses rather then show some compassion to  "The Customer". They even had the nerve to ask if I wanted a price on the brake job. LOl. Never again will I go to Maroon Kia. Ken, Charlie and Peter were useless.

×

1 / 0

❮ ❯

The rust issue could have occurred because the dealership sits right next to a river that has a history of flooding.  I hope  they are not selling other cars in this condition.  Check out the Youtube videos.

Maroon Kia stated:  The customer did not to bring the vehicle back to us with any issues during this 2-month warranty time period. WHAT????  There were a plethora of issues with this vehicle that required multiple visits to the dealership in an attempt to correct within the first two months.  The hatch did not open with the keys given.  This wasnt fixed the first time; it had tobe brought back twice.  Maroon Kia stated it was fixed the first time and wasnt. So our time was wasted bringing the vehicle back and forth.  Additionally, the vehicle stalled out repeatedly, we have had them try to diagnosis this during the first two months and they failed to do so.  We didnt mention these issues initially because we wanted to focus on the bigger issues; the RUST.
 
The vehiclesprimary use was to shuttle our children to daycare once or twice a week.  Its a two mile round trip, hence not manymiles but used frequently.  Its ourthird vehicle; my primary vehicle is used for my job and cannot fit three carseats.  The vehicle was brought to othermechanics who concurred that this vehicle must have been parked in snow or in along grassy area for many YEARS (not months) and/or flooded for this type of damage to have occurred.  This vehicle has been parked in our paved driveway and utilized frequently on short trips as
previously stated. 
 
The General Manager Ken Johnson was incapable of listening to my entire story.  When I was there he never looked me in theface, he just kept stating The cars ten years old, what do you want? What kind of customer service is this? I would like them to fix the issue to make the vehicle safe to drive with my three young children or at least give me a better percentage of what I paid for it. 
  
This was never a warranty issue.  We were disappointed that the dealership failed to disclose the mechanical issues with this vehicle.  We gave them an opportunity to rectify this matter and they chose not to.  
 
Its irrelevant whether youve been in business for 60 years or 60 days, its how you treat your customers what counts. 
 
Theyre your best friends when purchasing a vehicle and your worst enemies when you have an issue.  -- Anonymous 
 

Raymond Maroon, Sr., the owner of Maroon KIA, has been in the automobile sales industry for 60 years in northern NJ.  He has achieved that notable distinction by being a respected member of the community, providing exceptional customer service and selling safe and reliable vehicles.

We understand that this customer has experienced a frightening event and empathize with her position.  However, we cannot be held responsible for rust build up 17 months after a vehicle was purchased from our dealership.

The vehicle in question is a 2003 KIA Sedona sold to this customer in February 2011.  The vehicle was nearly 9 years old and had 59,000 miles at the time of purchase.  It was maintained and serviced prior to the purchase and was found to be in excellent working order.  The vehicle came with a 60-day warranty.  The customer did not bring the vehicle back to us with any issues during this 2-month time period.

17 months after the purchase the customer contacted our dealership about this issue.  By her own admission, which is corroborated by her personal mechanic, the issue with rust on the brake line can be caused by the vehicle sitting for a long time in one place.   Also by her own admission, the customer has owned the vehicle for 17 months and only drove it 2000 miles.  It is easy to deduce that the vehicle was left sitting with little use by the customer for nearly two years and that an untenable rust situation had developed as a result.

We did offer to buy back the vehicle for $3000, or use it as a trade for another purchase.  In addition to the fact that the vehicle is nearly two years older and has an apparent rust issue, the used car market has taken a hit recently and the vehicle no longer holds the same value that it did in February 2011.

We understand the customer's frustration.  Our General Manager, Ken Johnson, did not yell at her but respectfully explained that she was 15-months past the warranty period and we could not be held accountable for the subsequent damage that has occurred to the vehicle.   Since that time, she has called our dealership repeatedly by phone taking the attention and time of our employees.  She has spoken to several employees:  General Manager, Sales Manager, Internet Manager, and several Salesmen. 

We are sorry this customer is unhappy, but we stand resolute in our knowledge that this is not a warranty matter. 

There is a website where you can enter the car's VIN and determine if its a flood car. Problem is I don't remember what it is! Do some searching under "insurance fraud". Also, forget the BBB. They are not part of any government and have ZERO law enforcement powers.