ComplaintsforTri-City Automotive Group

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 1, 2023 I contacted Travis R*******(salesman) who helped me place an order for a new jeep. He was helpful in helping me to build a jeep which was to be delivered within roughly 90 days based on our conversation. Aside from simply needing a vehicle for daily driving I also made this purchase for tax write off purposes. As of September 4th, I noticed that the order was showing confirmed. But there was still no estimated delivery date. This made me concerned. I contacted him and asked if there was any progress update he could provide. I asked if there was any type of delay on the truck. At this time he stated they are still waiting for a build date but that it wasnt "atypical". He then updated his timeframe to 12-16 week window. As of October I checked again and it was updated reading " due to labor negotiations there may be a delay to the timing of when your vehicle will be delivered " As of today, the delivery date still shows TBD and no contact has been made. I have now purchased another vehicle and am requesting a refund of the deposit as its clear that commitments have not been upheld. As of 11/14/2023 I reached out to Travis again and he told me he does not work for the company anymore and informed me that he changed careers. He directed me to one of his previous team members Leah W*****. As of 11/14/2023 I called Leah and explained the issue and asked if they could simply refund me the $1,000 and her response was that they do not typically do that because they are stuck with the truck on arrival. She said she would have a manager contact me. As of today - no one has contacted me which has prompted me to submit this complaint.

  Business response

  11/17/2023

  November 17, 2023
  File Number: ********
  
  *** **** *** *** ** *** ***** **** ***** ** *****
  
  BBB of Central and Northwest NC
  1617 NC-65 S
  Kernersville NC 27284
  
                                                              RE: Complaint ********
                                                              ****** ******                                                             **** ***** ***** ***** **                                                             *********** ** *****
  
  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I am in receipt of your complaint regarding Mr. ******.  As I explained to Mr. ****** on November 10, 2023 we had sent check number 35076 for July Business on August 2, 2023.  In October we found out that the extended warranty had lost our paperwork for that months remits.  The reason we know this is that they processed our Gap Business from that month which were in the same fed ex envelope.  So upon finding this out we sent a replacement check on 10/23/2023.  This was cashed on 11/01/2023.  They did take some time to process as they had to get exceptions for these to put them in place because of the time since they were sold.  Mr. ****** also raised concerns because when he called the extended warranty company they said we had not sent them anything for his service contract.  I explained to Mr. ****** if a company loses something they will have zero record of receiving it.  When Mr. ****** came in on the 7th of November they had not processed all of the work so when the finance manager looked it up in their system it did not nor would show up until they process it.  I explained this to Mr. ******.  I also explained last week that the refund takes up to 6 weeks before we receive the cancelation check from the extended warranty.  I also explained to Mr. ****** that once it was processed the cancel date would be from the day he traded it so it would not affect his refund. 
  
  I have attached a copy of the canceled check which was deposited and processed on November 1st.  I have also included a copy of an inquiry we ran yesterday showing it was already canceled as of 11/4/2023.  As I told Mr. ****** he should receive his refund in roughly five to six weeks from now.
  
  
                                                                          Thank You,
  
                                                                          Dwayne S****
                                                                          General Manager

  Business response

  11/17/2023

  November 17, 2023
  File Number: ********
  
  *** **** ******** *** ** *** ***** **** ***** ** *****
  
  BBB of Central and Northwest NC
  1617 NC-65 S
  Kernersville NC 27284
  
                                                              RE: Complaint ********
                                                              ******* *********
                                                              NC
  
  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I am in receipt of your complaint regarding Mr. *********.  The reason he has not been contacted is because we were going to refund his deposit.  The check request has already been done.  He should be receiving his Check in the next week or two depending on the timeliness of the Post Office.
  
                                                                          Thank You,
  
                                                                          Dwayne S****
                                                                          General Manager
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/15/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a **** *** ****** on July 3, 2023. i purchased and financed several extended warranties, one for Mopar essential care for $802.00, one for GAP insurance for $1200.00 and the other one for an optional service contract for $3344.00. On 11/4/2023, I traded the *** in to purchase a truck. I took the odometer statement and bill of sale to Tri-City *** on 11/7/2023 to cancel these warranties. The Sales Manager, Quan W*****, assisted me and advised me that the warranty for $3344.00 was not in their computer, but advised me that he would have the Finance Manager call me the next day. I did not receive a call from him but i called him on 11/9/2023 and advised him of the situation. He advised me he would call me the next day. He called me and advised me that i would receive a prorated amount. Because the original warranty was not listed in the computer, I called **********, the warranty company on 11/10/2023. I was transferred to the Cancellation department and the lady asked for my contract # which is ********. She advised me there was no contract under that number and that I was due a complete refund. I then contacted Tri City *** and asked to speak to the general manager. Dwayne, who I assume is the GM, called me back and advised me they had sent a check in to the warranty company, but they had lost it. He then advised me that they had just sent a check in to cover it. He further advised me that there was some issues in July and I wasn't the only customer with this issue. He did advise me that i would be receiving the money but could not give me a timetable. I re-contacted the Warranty company on 11/14/2023 and they advised me the warranty was active. I do not think any action would have been done unless I contacted the dealership and the warranty company. In all honesty, I think the dealership has been dishonest with me and believe they will delay paying me the refund. If necessary, I will take legal action.

  Business response

  11/17/2023

  November 17, 2023
  File Number: ********
  
  *** **** *** *** ** *** ***** **** ***** ** *****
  
  BBB of Central and Northwest NC
  1617 NC-65 S
  Kernersville NC 27284
  
                                                              RE: Complaint ********
                                                              ****** ******                                                             **** ***** ***** ***** **                                                             *********** ** *****
  
  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I am in receipt of your complaint regarding Mr. ******.  As I explained to Mr. ****** on November 10, 2023 we had sent check number ***** for July Business on August 2, 2023.  In October we found out that the extended warranty had lost our paperwork for that months remits.  The reason we know this is that they processed our Gap Business from that month which were in the same fed ex envelope.  So upon finding this out we sent a replacement check on 10/23/2023.  This was cashed on 11/01/2023.  They did take some time to process as they had to get exceptions for these to put them in place because of the time since they were sold.  Mr. ****** also raised concerns because when he called the extended warranty company they said we had not sent them anything for his service contract.  I explained to Mr. ****** if a company loses something they will have zero record of receiving it.  When Mr. ****** came in on the 7th of November they had not processed all of the work so when the finance manager looked it up in their system it did not nor would show up until they process it.  I explained this to Mr. ******.  I also explained last week that the refund takes up to 6 weeks before we receive the cancelation check from the extended warranty.  I also explained to Mr. ****** that once it was processed the cancel date would be from the day he traded it so it would not affect his refund. 
  
  I have attached a copy of the canceled check which was deposited and processed on November 1st.  I have also included a copy of an inquiry we ran yesterday showing it was already canceled as of 11/4/2023.  As I told Mr. ****** he should receive his refund in roughly five to six weeks from now.
  
  
                                                                          Thank You,
  
                                                                          Dwayne S****
                                                                          General Manager

• Initial Complaint

  09/12/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a **** **** **** from Tri-City on 11/23/2022 for $19,755.00 (not including tax or other loan associated costs). At that time I received documentation that the vehicle passed inspection. On 11/25/2022 the check engine light came on and I brought the vehicle to get the code checked and it said "crankcase ventilation disconnected". There was a service bulletin out (operation no. ********) which the PCM needed to be updated which has to be done by ****. I made the first available appointment at ********** **** ** ************ on 12/20/2022. Service dept looked at it and said that the horn was disconnected (why it didn't work) and that it needed a new engine. I called Tri-City on 12/21 and spoke to Carla who referred me to Quan who was the sales manager. He instructed me to bring the car in to them. On 12/22 I called again and spoke to Dave (service manager at the time) who said that they would look at it "sometime next week". It took 16 phone calls between 12/22 and 1/13 for Dave (service mgr at the time) to confirm it needed an engine and 2/13 Chris (next service mgr) said it would be done the following week. Every time I called, I was told they were putting in a "new engine" and waiting on the "new engine" to get there. Six more calls and I got my car back just before March. Six months later, there is a misfire in cylinder 1 and it needs yet another new engine. I call Tri-City and Allen (current service mgr) tells me to bring it to **** and that it is covered under warranty because it was a new **** engine. I do so, and Crossroads called to inquire because it was not an engine from ****. I call Tri-City and Allen says "let me do some research because it looks like we got it from ****". Then calls back to tell me that they will not cover it because it was a used engine not from ****. I spoke with Duane S**** (gen. mgr) who confirmed that they will do nothing and I am left with a $20k paperweight and a bill for labor at the **** dealer.

  Customer response

  09/12/2023

  I did not receive an additional warranty on paper for the engine that I was told was new when it was put in the vehicle. The service manager at the time, Chris, guaranteed that they had it on file and to reach out if necessary. I did have an original 90 day warranty which covered 50%. I was not contacted nor offered any explanation regarding the decisions that Tri-City made pertaining to the "new" engine they put in. I was just told, repeatedly, that they were putting a new one in and was not informed until Crossroads looked at it on 9/11 that it was not in fact a new engine from ****. 

  Business response

  09/13/2023

  September 13, 2023
  File Number: **************
  
  Tri City Kia
  833 S. Van Buren Road
  Eden, NC 27288
  
  BBB of Central and Northwest NC
  1617 NC-66 S
  Kernersville, NC 27284
  
  
  
                                                              RE: Complaint **************
                                                              ****** *******                                                             **** ********* **                                                             *********** ** *****
  
  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I am in receipt of your letter dated September 12th, 2023 regarding Mr.  *******’s complaint regarding the mechanical failure on his **** **** ****. 
  
  On November 23rd 2022 Mr. ******* purchased a **** **** **** from our dealership.  On that date Mr. ******* was informed that he had a ninety day 3000 mile limited power train warranty that we offer and it would cover 50% of the repairs.  I have attached a copy of the Federal Trade Commission Form that Mr. ******* was given and signed.  On this day as noted on the form he did have the option to purchase additional coverage for his vehicle.  He declined at that time. 
  
  On December 31st 2022 we opened a repair order for Mr. ****** because of a p0302 misfire.  We determined that his engine had failed.  Despite the fact Mr. ******* had a 50% warranty were he would be responsible for half the repairs we  replaced his engine with a same like kind and quality engine that he had purchased at no cost to him. So we sourced a used engine with about the same amount of miles as the engine he had purchased on November 12th when he purchased the vehicle.  I have attached a copy of the repair order when this was done.   
  
  I am under the understanding that he has issues with the vehicle and was notified this on September 12th of 2023 of this situation.  Unfortunately we cannot predict when a vehicle will have a mechanical failure.  This can happen at any time even on a brand new vehicle much less a used vehicle with ninety thousand miles on it.  Unfortunately Mr. ******* is out of warranty as stated in the paperwork I have attached. 
  
  If you have any further questions please contact me directly at ************
  
                                                                          Thank You,
  
                                                                          Dwayne S****
                                                                          General Manager

• Initial Complaint

  07/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The early part of June 2022 I took my 2*** ********* ***** to Tri-City Kia in **** **** ********. The motor needed to be changed and they would be able to have it fixed in a few weeks and it was going to be the same amount that Robert W****** dealership was going to charge me, but it wouldn’t take as long as Robert W****** was taking. I gave them the okay to proceed with changing the motor. I was supposed to be getting a 12-month 12,000-mile refurbished motor. On August the 30, 2022 I was called to pick my car up because it was ready (I did call a few times before then due to my car sitting for so long and I asked again about the time frame). When I picked my car up, I took it back the next morning on my because the engine light was on as I was driving home, and it was smoking from under the hood (some of the same issues it was having when I took to the Kia dealership). David the service manager said that it was a sensor, and that oil was on the motor, and it would burn off. They had my car for a week, so we are in the middle close to the end of September now, and one morning my car wouldn’t go into gear, so I had it towed back to Tri-City Kia on October 22, 2023, this was a Saturday, so I left a message and called back that Monday, I didn’t receive any information back about my car until November 29, 2022 saying that it was my clutch and they didn’t think that it was anything else. On December 20, and 21, 2022 I was called to pick my car up because it was fixed and ready. When I picked my car up I had a little trouble getting it into gear, I drove it home and it got a little better, when I went to leave for work I was still having trouble and it was smoking, so I called David at the Tri-City Kia and he told me to drop it off. He called me a few days later and said that it was air in something, and they would have it ready in a few days (we are now in January 2023). I picked my car up in mid towards the end of January and it ran great for a few days but it was still smoking. I engine light started to blink, and it smelled like oil was burning so I checked the oil in the car and the stick was dry (nothing on it, not even at the tip). I called David at Tri-City Kia, but he was not there so I spoke to one of the service guys in the service department and I told him what was going on and that my car had no oil in it, and I was at work, I told him that I put one quart in it but I really didn’t know what to do, he told me as long as I have oil in my car I would be fine but I said you all just changed my motor and I haven’t driven it enough to need an oil change or not to have oil in it, he said that he would have David call me on Monday. David didn’t call so I called him on that Monday because now I’m not driving the car because it was leaking oil from somewhere because I put a total of four quarts in a matter of days. I was going to drive my car to work and drop it off when I got off it was driving rough, and I didn’t want to take a chance on it breaking down, so I had it towed when I got off on February 13,2023. David said that he wasn’t sure what was wrong, but he had a new guy that had started, and he came from a company where he worked on *********’s. Well, a few weeks went by so I asked for a loaner car and said that as soon as he got one back in, he would call me. Sometime at the middle towards the end of March David from Tri-City Kia, called and said he had a loaner for me and I picked it up when I got off of work (my copy is in my car that is at Tri-City Kia dealership). A few weeks later I picked my car up and it was still smoking but even worse (from under the hood), David said that it would stop and that he drove it to burn it off so it should be good and clear all the way up in a few days. On April the 20, 2023 a few days after I had picked my car up from Tri-City Kia I had an alarm on my car saying to shut the engine off due to low oil pressure and I was out of town in ********* ** on the side of the highway, I turned the car off and waited a few minutes and then pulled to the hotel right off the highway and I called to Tri-City Kia to let them know what just happened and David wasn’t in so I called back the next day and was instructed to put oil in my car and keep a check on my oil level and bring my car back to them when I got back in town. I did what I was instructed to and drove my car home and parked it until they could get another loaner for me which was about a week later. On April 28, 2023, David from Tri-City Kia called me and told me to bring my car that he had a loaner for me. Once I got there David and I went and looked at my car, he said that it was something that was simple for them to fix but it was his last day and he introduced me to someone else that would be handling `my car and they put me in a **** ** ***. I didn’t call or rush because they had always had my car for a very long time each time I took it back and they gave me a loaner so I was being patient. On June 9, 2023 I received a call from Allen from Tri-City Kia trying to find out why my car was there and if anyone had reached out to me and that he was new and trying to put the pieces together. I called him back and explained what was going on and he was quick to say that my warranty has ran out but they had no clue that I was on their car until I asked why would you all keep working on my car and give me loaners if my warranty had ran out unless you all messed something up, he said let him check a few things and he would give me a call back. He called me on a Saturday to ask which car did I have of theirs again and to tell me that my car wasn’t worth putting a motor in it that I needed to trade it in and that he needed to get that car back from me soon, but he was going to check a few more things because no one that started with my car worked there anymore in the service department. On Monday June 12, 2023 I received a message at 5:03pm about how long that this has been going on and that he needs his loaner back tomorrow. I had just gotten off work at 5:07ish and called him right back at 5:09pm and he was gone for the day, so I asked for the name and number of his Supervisor which was Dewayne S****. I called the next morning and he wasn’t in so I asked if there was anyone else that I could speak with, they had someone in sales named Steve to call me back, I told him my concerns and what was going on and he said that he would pass everything on to Dewayne S**** and he asked again which car did I have of theirs, I also asked that Allen did not call me anymore because he was very rude every time that he spoke with me. On June 13, 2023, Dewayne from Tri-City Kia called me and he was actually working there when my car first came in and all of the problems that I was having but his was response was that only four things were documented and that he could only go by that and that my warranty was only for four months and I said no I was quoted a 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty and he said no it was only for months but he would double check, he called back on June 23, 2023 and said that it was a six month warranty and reminded me of the previous conversation that we had that my car was not worth putting a motor in it that I needed to trade it in and I said to him that you all say this after I spend almost $ 8,000 dollars on the car with you all, more than what I spent buying the car from them. I have been stressing trying to put dates and timelines together for this because I never thought in a million years that I would be going through this from a dealership and I took it there trusting that I would be getting good honest help and service for my car and not be taken the advantage of. I spent $ 5,294.24 for the motor and then $ 1,725 plus and now they say that it’s not worth spending that type of money to just trade it in. I think that they messed my motor up and tried to fix or cover it up, I feel like they intentionally held my car so the warranty would run out and now that none of the people that worked on my car works there anymore they want me to take a loss because they say I don’t have proof but why would they continue to work on my car and give me a loaner past my warranty running out because from what they say my warranty ran out in January 2023 because they say they bought it on July 2022. I still have their loaner car and they are trying to get me to trade my car in but I have already spent out so much and I don’t have money to just throw away or pay for someone else mistakes. Please help me if you can because I don’t know what else to do and a coworker gave me you information because you were able to help them. Sincerely, Leola

  Business response

  07/10/2023

  July 9th, 2023
  
  
  Tri City Kia
  833 S. Van Buren Road
  Eden, NC 27288
  
   BBB
  1617 NC Highway 66 S Suite 201
  Kernersville NC 27284
  
  
  
                                                              RE: Complaint ********
                                                              ***** ******
                                                              ******** ** *****
  
  
  To Whom It May Concern,
  
  I am in receipt of your letter dated July 6th 2023.  I have looked into detail into Mrs. ******’s concerns.  On June 28th 2022 Mrs. ****** brought her vehicle to our location with a concern that her vehicle was losing power and running rough.  We diagnosed her vehicle as a bad engine and recommended that she replace the engine.  According to the documentation she chose to go with a used engine not a remanufactured engine and declined the extended coverage that would have taken it to twelve months or twelve thousand miles from the part supplier.  We replaced the engine at that point.  Mrs. ****** did authorize us to put a used engine as per the signed repair order I have attached.  I have also attached the parts receipt from the parts supplier stating that she had declined the extended coverage. 
  
              I first would like to assure you and Mrs. ****** that we always welcome a warranty repair. Because as a dealer we never participate in the cost of a warrantable repair the part manufacturer regardless whether it is Kia, Chrysler, or any third party are the ones that actually pay for the repairs and they reimburse us. So if we could have gotten this covered for her we would have.
  
  On her other concerns when she brought the vehicle in the time line concerns and fixes are as follows. 
  
  On September 20th Mrs. ****** had a check engine light come on and we determined that the valve cover which is a seal and would not be covered under the warranty because it is a seal and seals are not covered.  However, we replaced the valve cover and test drove the vehicle the codes did not return at no cost to Mrs. ******.   Two months later Mrs. ****** brought the vehicle in on November 29th with another concern that was again not related to the engine repair which we diagnosed as a worn out clutch in the transmission.  We replaced this for her on repair order 6011956. On December 16th she brought it in because the transmission was hard to shift we diagnosed this as air that need to be bleed the clutch system which we did at no cost to Mrs. ******.  On January 13th, 2023 she had a Check Engine Light come on which was again nothing to do with the engine but was a P0134 code which is the O2 sensor which has to do with the  exhaust system.  Then on February the 14th  is when she had a concern of a knocking sound and smoke coming from the vehicle.  This is when we determined that she needed a new engine.   At this point the warranty on the engine had expired by over forty  days.
  
              Being that the vehicle has over two hundred thousand miles on it and it being twelve years old a lot of times multiple things start going out on a vehicle.  However the only time she brought it to us after the initial repair that any codes relating to an engine problem was over a month after the initial warranty ran out from Fenix parts.  If Mrs. ****** or you would like to reach out to me directly my cell phone is ***********
  
  I have attached the authorized repair orders for each repair that we completed for Mrs. ******.
  
  
                                                                          Thank You,
  
                                                                          Dwayne S****
                                                                          General Manager
  

• Initial Complaint

  12/17/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was very dissatisfied with service I was provided at this establishment. I wanted to see my car to them, and got the knob value of 19,800. I was contacted by Lori that they could offer a higher value than ***. I went there expected to talk to Lori, and the gentleman in the front went to talk to her. She never came out and talked to me. They appraised my car just by checking the VIN number not even looking at the car outside to check the condition and then checked mileage. Came back in and offered me 18,731. This was lower than the value on *** and they had me come under false pretenses. He told me that the $19,800 would be a show room car…my car was never in a show room and it does not have scratches or any blemishes. He never even bothered to look. He said he would not pay the price the car was owed, which we never expected him to. It was just very unprofessional to talk to one person on the text messages and then never even get to sit with them and talk about what was previously discussed. I waisted gas money and my time even coming out there. I think it’s just very poor rapport with customers.

  Business response

  12/19/2022

  Better Business Bureau of Central North Carolina
  1617 NC Highway 66 S
  Kernersville NC 27284
  RE: Case # ********
  ******* ********
  To Whom It May Concern:
  I certainly hate to hear about Mr. ********’s experience. We do have a process that we
  have to follow as Kelly Blue Book will Guarantee’s a certain value for vehicles and they
  will actually pay us for the car, however we have strict guidelines we have to follow to be
  guaranteed a dollar amount. We reviewed the original write up and enter in what we
  have found like exact mileage, etc into their software and it gives us a final value that
  they will pay us. After this we will usually have our used car manager do a second
  evaluation to determine if we would like to appraise this for our inventory at possibly a
  higher number. Unfortunately we were not able to complete this process with Mr.
  ******** as he was unsatisfied with what *** would offer.
  I will be glad to review this letter with Mr. ******** and explain my comments.
  I ask that you please close this complaint and remove it from our records.
  Sincerely
  Dwayne *****
  Tri-City Automotive Group
  Eden, NC 27288

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩