7/18/05
My wife and I bought a 2001 Dodge Stratus on 6/15/05.
Examples of the Careless and Unprofessional Staff at the North Houston Carmax:
1.) Once we were in the process to buy the vehicle and sign the paperwork Alex had the paperwork incorrect. When we informed her that the mileage on the paperwork was wrong compared to what is on the vehicle she said she would correct it.
2.) She failed to have us complete all the paperwork while we were there and we had to come back to complete the paperwork. When we brought the vehicle back on the 20th for repair, we went to the business office to complete the paperwork.
Alex failed to change anything on the incorrect paperwork. While we were waiting for her I noticed that out in the open was paperwork with someone's name and SS# on it. I informed another female working there of that and she took care of it ASAP.
I appreciate her immediate attention but it again goes to the carelessness of the staff. That is a very simple thing to prevent but if gotten in the wrong hands could have taken the person's identity without a problem.
3.) We were told that before we leaved the lot we would do a walk around to make sure there was no damage to the vehicle. We are not sure who was supposed to assist us in this because it was not done.
4.) Whoever was supposed to do the checklist before it put on the lot to sale failed horribly. Here is a list we have had replaced since buying it: Struts, Visor Clips, bumper painted due to several large scratches, new spare tire, rear steering wheel knuckle, Control Arm and a/c recharge.
They have failed to repair a problem we have with the gas mileage. We are getting 20 MPG (mostly highway) when it should be getting closer to 30 but I will get into that later.
5.) We bought the vehicle in the evening of the 15th. We had to return it to the Service Department on the morning of the 20th. On Thursday the 23rd we received a call from our Service Consultant Henry stating the vehicle was ready to be picked up. When asked what they did to fix the problem with the gas mileage he asked if it was in the notes.
He said it was and said he would have to call me back. We received a call again on Monday the 27th stating the vehicle was ready to be picked up. We called him back to ask what they did to repair the gas mileage.
He again told us he would have to call us back. He called us back several hours later saying they were going to fill up the vehicle with gas and once we had it to a quarter tank to bring it back. Apparently, our word is not good enough and they have to see for themselves.
Therefore, we have to prove to them what we have already told them. He told us on the phone he would have the car filled up and ready to go. When we arrived at the Service Department, he was nowhere to be found. We waited for him to show up for approx. 10 when another associate told us if we were picking up a vehicle we should go to the Service window.
After waiting there for approx 15 min, we found out that Henry did not submit the paperwork. We again had to wait for Henry to show up. They brought our car to the front but they had removed the antennae and did not replace it. An associate asked to borrow our vehicle because he did not want to walk to the back. As he drove off, he gunned the engine, which we certainly do not appreciate.
6.) After looking over our vehicle, we noticed not only did they paint the bumper but they painted the exhaust pipe. Just another example of sloppy and careless work.
7.) We went back to the Service Department to again try to get the paperwork complete, again, Henry did not have the paperwork submitted, and he was not there. After again waiting for him we find out, he had not even printed out the paperwork.
8.) The paperwork for the Service was also incorrect. According to the paperwork, the mileage out was 35,778 while the actual mileage on the vehicle was 35,790. You may not consider this a big thing but it just goes to show a series of sloppy work.
9.) We noticed once we had the vehicle again (after it being with the Service Department for a week) that we were still having problems with the steering wheel shaking back and forth once you go over 60MPH (the faster the vehicle went the worse the shaking). We also noticed that the steeling wheel was not driving straight.
It was slightly off. When we talked to Henry, he wanted us to wait until the gas tank was at a quarter tank before bringing it back. We thought that was not a great idea. It was very unsafe to drive and we returned it Wednesday morning.
10.) That night we called the Service Manager and the General Manager. Both were gone at 5pm. We left messages with both. The Service Manager did call us the next day but apparently, the General Manager felt it was not his problem.
11.) We returned on Wednesday and the Service Manager did not greet us he said in a very gruff tone, Let's take it for a test drive. This is the second time of being at the Service Department in two weeks. Once we were on the highway, he kept saying that it must be the road.
After driving in all lanes and it still doing it, he said it must be that we are overcompensating it. He could have admitted that his department did not fix the problem and he would make sure it was repaired but he did not. His attitude was of denial claiming it was the way we were driving.
Of course, they did discover there was something out on it and hopefully this time it will be repaired but I am not holding my breath. A good manager will take on the responsibility of their department but I did not see the Service Manager do this.
12.) We picked up our Vehicle on 7/4/05. We again mentioned to the Service Manager about the poor gas. As a loaner vehicle we had a car similar to our's except that it had a 2.7 L 6 Cylinder Engine. That vehicle got better gas mileage than our 2.4 L 4 Cylinder Engine. Your service manager again dismissed our concerns saying that because it's a 6 Cylinder it shifts at a lower gear and it gets better gas mileage.
The vehicle that we had as a loaner car (2.7L 6 Cylinder) gets 20 City and 28 Highway. The vehicle we bought should be getting 20 City and 30 Highway. You may verify this by going to www.fueleconomy. Gov. This was our second trip and the problem with the gas had yet to be resolved.
Although the Service Manager claims during the test drive that he thought it was the way we were driving and not the vehicle they replaced a broken Steering Knuckle and Control Arm. Not one person whether it be Henry or the Service Manager apologized for the huge waste of time this has been.
13.) Henry again failed to have the proper information on the paperwork. I have discovered that it is either something the Service Department on a whole does or just something Henry does every single time. According to the paperwork, the mileage out was 35,880 when in reality it was 35,900.
14.) When we went to pick up our vehicle on 7/04/05 we went to the Service window to get everything taken care of. The female there handed us our keys but did not bother to inform us where our vehicle was. We asked where it was and both her and the Service Manager waved their hands over to the parking lot and said it's over there.
Once we located our vehicle, we took notice that the parking spots have numbers on them. We then came back to the front and spoke to the Service Manager about this. My wife Audrey asked him why they did not tell us which spot it was parked in. He informed us that they did not know because the Mechanic takes it for a test drive and parks it.
My wife Audrey asked him why they have numbered spots if they are not going to use them. The Service Manager has no control over his department and if he chooses to, he could run a very smooth operation.
15.) We had to bring the vehicle back on 7/05/05 because they had yet to do ANYTHING to resolve the problem with the gas. They had to make us prove to them it was actually getting bad gas mileage before they would do anything. Every time we have had a problem with the car the Service Department would claim it was the way we drive not the vehicle.
Once the Technician discovered that it's getting 20 MPG Highway he tried to convince us that the 30 MPG it should be getting is an average and that it should be much lower. Typical of the Service Department claiming it's the way we drive. The EPA 20 City and 30 Highway is an average but we drive very well and don't expect to get 30 MPH everytime on the highway but we will not accept 20 MPG because the Service Department doesn't want to work on it. This was the THIRD trip.
They had our vehicle for a week the first time and did nothing to fix the gas problem. Henry told us this time we were going to have to wait because although they have loaner vehicles they have no tags. We waited for about 2 hrs when we were told it would only take 30-40 min.in this time period, I again saw your business office having paperwork with people's personal information showing to anyone who cared to look.
It's clear that nearly the Service Department or the Business office has any concern for their customers.
16.) While at Carmax one of the Service Consultants was swearing at another consultant in Spanish.
17.) I do not have any paperwork from the Service visit on 7/05/05 because they didn't produce any. They told us that the Fuel Injectors were cleaned. The vehicle is still shifting bad (we told them that the first time we brought it in and they told us it was normal) and getting poor gas mileage.
My husband Joseph called today and informed Henry of that. Joseph told Henry several times in every way he could that he has used tank and it is only at 80 miles. Regardless of how my husband told Henry this Henry kept saying that he had used tank and only used 80 miles.
A person working there said in the background that my husband must be trying to race it. That is very typical for your service department. They can't comprehend something simple and they think everything is a joke. We will have to bring the vehicle back again and they will be sending it to the Dodge Dealership. I'm sure the dodge dealership will be able to find the problem.
18.) Once we had the vehicle back on the 7/05/05 we noticed that while in the care of the Service department the wheel cover has been severely scratched. It appears someone hit a curb in our car.
19.) On the evening of 7/06/05 Joseph called Carmax and spoke to Henry about getting the vehicle looked at again. Joseph told him that they needed to make it quick because he had to be at work. Joseph arrived at Carmax at 9:30 Am on 7/07/05 and Henry was not at his desk. They had to call for Henry and it took him approx ten min to show up.
Henry started to work with Joseph until a female walked in and immediately started working with her. He continued to switch between Joseph and this female until about ten min in which he was able to get her transaction complete with an additional 10 min that he was outside by her loaner car talking to her. During this entire time, Joseph repeated that he needed to get this done fast. Henry did not call the insurance company to verify until an hour after Joseph first arrived.
Because of Henry's inability to properly communicate that took an additional 45 min of Joseph talking to the insurance Company. We were able to leave there at approx 11:20 or about 1 hr and 50 min after Joseph first arrived. Joseph has to leave for work at 12:00. Which means he had to drive home, eat and get dressed for work. He wasn't able to eat because of Henry taking his time. Henry knew that we needed to get this done quickly and took as long as he could. I do not know what Henry's problem is but he was able to get the other customer out quicker than we have ever been able to get a transaction complete.
Joseph told him it needed to be completed quickly and he took longer this time than he ever has before. Henry's behavior is unacceptable but apparently, his manager Danny thinks it perfectly ok to disrespect his customers.
20.) The loaner car Carmax provided us on 7/07/05 has NO INSPECTION sticker.
21.) On the evening of 7/07/05 Henry called and informed us that they had just brought our vehicle to the Dodge dealership. We went to Carmax at 9:30am and left at 11:20am and yet they aren't able to get our vehicle over to the dealership until right before 5:00pm. It is evident that Carmax believes we have all the time in the world to waste on them.
22.) On 7/08/05 Joseph called Henry at approx 2:30 PM. Joseph was told Henry would call him back after he came back from lunch. At 4:30 Joseph still had not heard from Henry. Joseph called the Dodge Dealership himself and found out that the transmission either needed an overhaul or a built transmission but that they needed authorization from Carmax and they would have to wait till Monday to get this approval.
23.) 7/11/05 at 9:00 Joseph called Henry and Henry told him that the transmission was broke (Henry's words) and they needed approval from the Service Manager. 10:30 Joseph called the Service Manager and left a message to find out what the holdup was with getting our car repaired. 10:45 Joseph called the General Manager of the location and spoke to him about the problem. Joseph left his number but typical of Carmax he did not return the call. 11:15 Henry finally calls back and informs us that there was something in the transmission that was broke. Joseph calls the Dodge dealership because as usual Henry did not have the ability to express what was exactly wrong with the car.
24.) 7/18/05
9:00a Joseph called the Dodge Dealership and Rick told him that the work was completed and ready to be picked up all they were waiting for was Carmax.
9:05a Joseph called Carmax and spoke to Henry. Henry told him that the vehicle was not ready and the last he heard was that they were waiting for parts. Joseph informed Henry that the vehicle was in fact ready to be picked up and Henry said he would get it picked up. We know what Henry does when we tell him we are in a hurry so we called the Service Manager. The Service Manager as usual did not pick up his phone.
*Note* We have been in communication with the Dodge dealership the entire time and we know that they had all the parts on Thursday 7/14/05 which means that Henry had not called them since then. Henry told us earlier in the week when Joseph called to get information that he had tried to call Joseph at work and he left a message.
That is a blatant lie, when Henry claims he called Joseph he was at home and his work would have informed Henry of this and would not have taken a message.
9:20a Joseph called the Store Manager and the Store Manager put it onto the Operations Manager which is actually more work then we're ever had him do for us.
9:50a Joseph called the Operations Manager and he informed Joseph that the porter was on his way to the dealership to pick up the vehicle and that it would take about an hour. *Note* The Dodge Dealership is only 10 miles away.
10:15 Danny the Service Manager calls Joseph and informs him the car is there and is ready to go. Joseph informs him that we are in a hurry and to make sure all the paperwork is ready by the time we get there. Danny agreed to do so.
10:35 We arrive at the Service Department and Danny the service manager tells us that the paperwork is almost ready to go. We go to Henry's desk and find out that the holdup is Danny not authorizing something. While they were completing the paperwork, we went to our vehicle to switch everything over and get another example of how unprofessional Carmax is. We discover an empty beer can underneath the passenger seat of the loaner car.
Therefore, not only did Carmax have us driving a vehicle without inspection but also they had an open container in it. Either the person driving it before us left it in there and the people cleaning did not get it or an employee left it in there. While the porter was driving our vehicle, they had changed the station to a rap station, which is not on one of the presets, which meant while they were driving our vehicle they took time away from looking at the road to pay attention to the radio.
We also discovered that someone had spilled something sticky in our vehicle. When we returned to finish the paperwork we were not surprised to see yet again that the paperwork was wrong. Henry's excuse was that the mileage was what the Dodge dealership had down. It didn't occur to him that there were miles between the Dodge dealership and Carmax. Henry went out with us to check the mileage on the vehicle and asked us where we parked the loaner car.
We pointed over to the parking lot and said somewhere over there. He apparently wanted us to tell him the exact spot. They don't give their customers that benefit yet they expect their customers to. Henry then walked off with the keys to our vehicle. On the way home we also discovered yet another mistake Henry made.
He put on the paperwork that the correction was a rebuilt transmission when actually it was an overhaul because although the Dodge Dealership wanted to do a rebuilt carmax would not authorize it.
25.) We mentioned earlier that while in the Service Department's care they had scratched the wheel cover. They did not repair it. It does not surprise us because it appears Carmax is trying to give the worst customer service possible.
This store put a vehicle on the lot with many problems including the transmission. That leads us to one of two conclusions, either they were aware of the problem and didn't care which means they are dishonest or they didn't bother to check the vehicle before putting it on the lot which means they are incompetent.
The general Manager of this location would want us to believe that this is an isolated incident and he believes he runs an efficient and professional store. The store manager has not bothered to call us back once. Everyone we have come in contact with at that location has had the attitude of I don't want to do it, I'll let someone else, (including management) when people have that attitude nothing gets done which is exactly what is happening. It is clear that this location is attempting at running a scam.
We have owned this vehicle is 34 days and it has been in the Service Department for 26 days. Your service department has treated us very disrespectfully. We have seen many other people return repeatedly to get something repaired on their vehicles because the service department failed to do the first time.
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