Citrus Ford of Ontario and KIA Motors Problems

CarMax Gives Great After Sales Service! Oh Yeah, Citrus Ford Still Sucks!

2009-09-01T12:56:00.000-07:00

CarMax has come thru again. I've had my Audi for almost a year now. The sales team was great with very little pressure. A few weeks after buying it I had some small issues and Car Max took care of everything without one gripe or complaint under warranty.

About a month ago, I had an oil leak and a heater core problem along with a few service indicators come on. I took it in and they handled everything again under warranty. Ignacio made sure that I had a rental car if I needed one.

Last week I had a check engine light come on again and a few small issues with the car so I took it back in to CarMax. Ignacio was great to work with. Everything is taken care of under warranty, rental car, and when it looked like repairs were going to take a little longer, they put me in one of their cars until mine is done.

Ignacio calls almost every day with updates, makes sure I know what parts they are waiting for and when it should be done. Hopefully I will get my car back soon, but, it is nice knowing that a dealer is looking out for MY well being and not just theirs!

This post wouldn't be complete without making sure that my followers heard the familiar phrase....."CITRUS FORD SUCKS!"

Citrus Ford Provides NO Customer Service!

2009-09-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted an update regarding my experiences with either Citrus Ford of Ontario, Kia Motors, or CarMax in Ontario. There is a reason that Citrus Ford has a "LEMON" in their logo......

First off, let me say that Citrus Ford still sucks as far as I'm concerned. They never once backed their service and fought every issue in warranty that came up. Shame on you Citrus Ford. Kia was no better. After authorizing the transmission repairs and paying Citrus Ford (sucks) of Ontario to do the repairs, you would think that they would stand behind the repairs and make the dealer complete them to the satisfaction of the customer.

Well, that didn't happen. So, no more Citrus Ford and no more Kia's for me. I really hope that, in these economic hard times, the dealers take a harder look at customer service and start providing some real service and not just LIP service.

On the other hand, CarMax has been awesome! Thanks CarMax for taking the piece of crap kia off my hands, selling me a nice Audi, and providing great follow up service. My hat's off to you.

CARMAX Shines! Citrus Ford Still Sucks!

2008-09-08T12:56:00.001-07:00

WOW! What a difference a competent sales and service department can make in our car buying experience......After all of the garbage I went thru with Citrus Ford in Ontario California, I was pleased to find a car dealer that really provides what they promise.

CARMAX in Ontario California has done just that.

After trying to resolve the transmission problems in my KIA for a year, I decided that it wasn't worth my time to take Citrus Ford to small claims court. Now, please don't get me wrong, when you have a dealer that was paid under warranty to replace a transmission to solve a particular problem that THEY diagnosed, they replace the transmission and then won't stand behind their work, they should be held accountable. I think that is what this blog will do though.....

Anyways, I walked in to CARMAX in Ontario California, checked out a bunch of different used cars. No sales pressure at all, every car has a "No haggle" window sticker, and when you want to take a test drive, you just ask and go.

The salesman, Kyil Waits was superb. I bought a used Audi Convertible for a very fair price. Kyil handled each phase of the purchase and stuck with me the whole way thru so nothing got messed up.

I had a few things on the car that needed looked at. Not only did they look at them, they repaired or replaced things I hadn't even noticed and all under warranty. We are talking paint bubbles and little ties on the soft-top.

Sandra Cervantes in service has called almost every day to give me updates and status checks on my car. While they were ordering parts and getting the repairs done, they even provided me with a loaner car! Awsome service.

This sure beats the crap put out by Citrus Ford and KIA Motors. Remember, while telling me that the transmission showed no problems and even emailing me with that info, their own repair order says flat out that the pressure checks showed problems. You would think that , after showing them their own tech notes, they might, just might, decide it is prudent to fix the problem............Nope!

HOW DOES CARMAX WORK?

If you like the car and the price, you are done! If you have a trade in, give them the keys and information and they will appraise it while you look around. Regardless of the car you buy, the trade-in value remains the same.

They have a 5 day return policy for any reason. They have a full 30 day warranty that handles everything. You can get an extended warranty also! Not too bad!

Buying used seems pretty smart at this time.

CARMAX Shines, Citrus Ford Still Sucks! Management at both businesses should take notice.

Citrus Ford and KIA Motors Loose Customers

2008-09-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Well, after trying to work with Citrus Ford and KIA Motors to actually have them stand behind their work, I finally just dumped the piece of junk KIA Spectra. What a shame that Citrus Ford and KIA Corp both wouldn't stand behind their work.

After all was said and done, the transmission was replaced under warranty and the problems never were fixed. Citrus Ford decided that the crappy workmanship was satisfactory and just because they were paid to fix a problem by KIA Corp., it really wasn't their problem to actually fix the problem.

Well, I after watching the web stats and seeing how many potential customers continue to find this website when looking to buy a car, I decided it was not worth my time to go to small claims court. This website serves as a constant reminded to would-be customers to avoid both KIA and Citrus Ford. Thanks to those of you who have purchased somewhere else.

I will soon post documents that show the collusive behavior and downright fraud of both Citrus Ford and KIA Motors. Can you imagine actually having documents that show transmission problems being found and documents where they say that they found no problems......

Thanks to all, this site will continue.

Citrus Ford Ignores Better Business Bureau Inquiry

2008-01-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

I am continually amazed that a major company like Citrus Ford / Citrus KIA in Ontario California not only ignores customer complaints, but, they will actually ignore the Better Business Bureau inquiry. Below is the reply letter I received from the Better Business Bureau regarding my complaint. I guess this explains the "D" rating that the BBB has for Citrus Ford.

If anyone has problems with Citrus Ford, you may want to file with the Better Business Bureau. You will probably have no success, but, at least it will be documented.

Citrus Ford / Citrus KIA - Management Fails to Respond to Customer Complaints!

2008-01-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, Citrus Ford or Citrus KIA of Ontario, California continues to amaze me with their total lack of respect for customer service. Perhaps, management, including the General Manager Gil Canary, have decided that ignoring customers and refusing to address a problem is the best way to handle customers.

With a Better Business Bureau rating of "D", you would think that a company would try to improve their image and not respond in such a way that it tears the company down. It has been almost 2 weeks sing I gave the general manager Gil the opportunity to resolve my transmission problem.

After all, if a company (Citrus Ford / Citrus KIA) is paid to repair a car and the problem doesn't go away, you would think a general manager would have the clout to correct the problem.

In this case, it would appear that Gil Canary doesn't want to get involved. After all, he has given me his word that he would call me back with some information 3 different times. After 2 weeks of waiting and 3 promises, I guess I have identified the cancer in the business model. When management refuses to act, so will the subordinates. Attitude at the lower levels is often reflective of attitude at the upper levels.

I guess it is time to step up the pressure and get the media and courts involved. Tisk, Tisk...... Rude and inconsiderate is not an acceptable way to manage customers.

Citrus Ford / Citrus KIA And Kia Motors Fail to Respond to Customer Complaint

2008-01-14T18:13:00.000-08:00

Last week I contacted the General Manager, Gil Caneri, of Citrus Ford / Citrus Kia regarding the type of service that their company was providing regarding my warranty service. At the time, I agreed to give Gil the opportunity to research the problem and get back to me by Wednesday, January 9th. Well, Wednesday came and went with no response from Gil.

On Friday, I contacted Gil and he had stated that he had been out of the office and would talk with his staff and get back to me that day.

Guess what.....He blew me off again! Being the generous and respectful person that I am, I called him today, Monday and left a message that I have been waiting for a response and he has not followed through on his word of getting back to me.

Tomorrow, January 15th starts a new campaign. I am hoping the a General Manager would have enough concern for his company that he would address problems when brought to his attention.

We will see..... I can keep this up for a long, long time.....

To the staff at Citrus Ford and Citrus Kia, don't blame me for the criticism and exposure that your company is receiving. I have given your management ample time to address this problem and they just don't think it is that important. I even backed off for the week and did not post any negative messages to let them work with me.

Unfortunatly, they decided to NOT respond.

Trouble Shooter Judd McIlvain Radio Clip Discussing Citrus Ford and KIA Motors

2008-01-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

Listen to the Trouble Shooter Judd McIlvain as we discuss Citrus Ford and KIA Motors lack of support for the customer and service that they provide.

Click here to listen.

This requires Quicktime and does take a few moments to load, but, it is worth it.

Watchdog America Radio Blasts Citrus Ford and KIA Motors

2008-01-02T16:02:00.000-08:00

The BlogTalkRadio program Watchdog America blasts Citrus Ford and KIA Motors regarding their customer service and warranty work. A recent message indicates that a young lady, "Kathy" decided to purchase a KIA due to the extended warranty. However, after reviewing the service provided (or shall I say lack of service) Citrus Ford has chosen to provide, bypassed Citrus Ford and bought a brand new shinny KIA Sportage from Trevor Gentry at Shaver KIA in San Bernardino.

According to Kathy, "the sales staff were great to work with and they even delivered the car and paperwork to my home." She went on to state, "the type of service that is provided after the sale is the most important factor I had to look at. Citrus Ford lost out..."

Again, Citrus Ford Management or KIA Motors both have the opportunity to resolve this issue before the bad publicity broadcasts to an ever widening audience.

Did I tell you that Judd McIllvine, the Trouble Shooter just did an online radio spot about this? I will post the link as soon as it is available.

Judd McIlvain, Renowned "Trouble Shooter" Exposes Citrus Ford

2008-01-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

Please join me on January 2, 2008 as I ring in the new year. To start the new year off properly, I will be discussing repair issues I've had with Citrus Ford and KIA Motors with Judd McIlvain, the world renowned investigative reporter.

Judds online radio program, which is broadcast worldwide and is archived for those who aren't able to listen live, has been heralded as one of the most listened to shows on line.

"Emmy-award winning Judd McIlvain is one of the most trusted consumer investigative reporters in the U.S. He's done reports for CBS News, ABC News, CBS's 48-Hours, United Press International and KCBS TV News, L.A. His "Troubleshooter" TV Consumer show ran for four years in L.A. and he's been doing his Troubleshooter News segments in L.A. for 14 years."

Judd can also be heard several times a week on AdviceRadio.com, AdrenalineRadio.com, AM 1680 plus on-demand along as a podcast.

Please join us at 1 PM on January 2, 2008 on AdviceRadio

Watchdog America Radio Highlites Citrus Ford & KIA Motors

2007-12-31T19:17:00.000-08:00

Watchdog America Radio will be featuring both KIA Motors and Citrus Ford on Wednesday January 2, 2008 at 10 AM. You can listen live online and call in to ask questions or comment on the ongoing issues with Citrus Ford and KIA Motors.

Listen to the archived podcast at Watchdog America on the World Wide . It is my sincere desire that someone at Citrus Ford decides to stop the bad publicity and stand behind their service.

Citrus Ford and KIA Motors Ignore Dissatisfied Customers

2007-12-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hello all, it really amazes me that the management at Citrus Ford and KIA Motors have continued to completely blow off a dissatisfied customer and haven't been concerned enough for their employees to contact me and attempt to fix the transmission on my car, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY ALREADY WERE PAID TO DO IT.

Citrus Ford management still has the opportunity to make things right. I have no gripe with the salesmen who are going to be hurt when the company looses business. Overall, the way that a dealership treats customers in the service department reflects very heavily on the quality of the business.

Next week steps up the campaign. If I was a business owner, I would be concerned about such poor publicity. HEY Everyone, Google Citrus Ford and see where I rank......Pretty cool Ehhhh?

Thanks to all of you who are passing along this link to your friends and families that have had similar problems and are sick and tired of forking out YOUR money so the dealers can save a buck.

Citrus Ford Salesman Saluted

2007-12-26T19:12:00.000-08:00

Afer reading some comments, I may have inadvertedly given the wrong impression about ALL persons at Citrus Ford. I would like to take this time to compliment Steven in Sales for personally trying to resolve this in the early stages.

Steven cold called me after my last service was denied and got an earful to say the least. I had just began my campaign to advertise my experience with both KIA and Citrus Ford. Steven stepped in, and even though he was in sales and not service, bought the company some time to resolve this issue before this injustice was brought into the public eye.

At that time, I agreed to withold publishing my experience and give Steven a chance to take it to his supervisors and resolve it. I truly believe that Steven was able to recognize the potential that bad publicity has on a company and went way above and beyond his responsibility. Unfortunately, he could not bring the issue to a successful conclusion.

Citrus Management should look to more people like Steven to move into management positions. If there is any company that is looking for an employee that is willing to step up and protect the best interest of their business, I hope that you give Steven the chance should he ever need it.

In response to some questions of what Citrus Ford should do, it is very easy. FIX MY CAR. I really don't care if it comes out of KIA's pocket or Citrus Fords pocket, it sure as hell isn't going to come out of mine. I am awestruck that the dealers position is that KIA won't authorize anymore work. OK, you were paid to fix my problem, a shifting problem. You are the ones that decided to replace the trans, all I want is for my car to work right.

Again, Citrus Ford can easily resolve this issue. Can you believe that NOT ONE person in management has called me an tried to resolve this issue? What a shame. Oh, please don't think that KIA is exempt either. Their publicity is coming soon.

Citrus Ford Ontario Receives a Dismal 1 Star Rating

2007-12-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

Citrus Ford in Ontario California recieves a dismal "One Star" Rating at Yelp. Yelp is a business rating service where customers can highlite the businesses that offer quality service, or in Citrus Fords case, dismal concern for the customer.

Use your judgement when working with this company, so far, my experience has shown that they have absolutely no concern for anything other than THEIR best interest.

So far, I have only had one person at Citrus Ford that actually demonstrated any concern for the customer or company. Hopefully, as this moves up the chain of command, upper management will decide that customer satisfaction actually means something.

Citrus Ford - The Grinch That Stole Christmas

2007-12-25T12:25:00.000-08:00

As Christmas passes, Citrus Ford in Ontario California has still decided that Customer Service doesn't really fit into their business plan. It is real unfortunate that both the Sales and Service management have decided that they can just blow off a customer and not have any reprocutions.

View Larger Map

Fortunately, with the advent of the internet and most recently the surge in Web 2.0 social marketing, it is much easier to inform potential customers about the pitfalls of any given product or company. Remember, this is an establishment that already carries a "D" rating with the Better Business Bureau.

My goal is to get my transmission fixed properly and as a side benefit, to warn others when a company decides that the individual customer doesn't really matter.

View the recent video of how my transmission is supposedly "NORMAL" as per KIA and Citrus Ford in Ontario. TURN UP YOUR VOLUME TO HEAR THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT.

Again, as stated in the past, Citrus Ford and KIA Motors both have the opportunity to contact me at anytime to resolve this problem. I'll begin to post actual documents and other pertinent information in the just after January 1, 2008.

Citrus Ford Management can easily resolve this problem and hopefully they will decide that an honest reputation if more valuable than anything when you are trying to run a business. If not, they will find out just how impressive the internet can be to bring bad publicity to a dishonest establishment or a company that does not value their customers.

Citrus Ford Wins an Esteemed "D" Rating at the Better Business Bureau

2007-12-21T16:51:00.000-08:00

WOW! Check out the awesome "D" rating that the Better Business Bureau has given to Citrus Ford has achieved. This should explain alot about why I am having such a problem getting my car fixed properly.

And what exactly does a Better Business Bureau rating of mean?

According to the Better Business Bureau:

"We have enough concerns about this company (for example, their offer, customer complaints, advertising, etc.) that we recommend caution in doing business with it."

Here is the video for those of you looking to see what Citrus Ford Service considers an "Acceptable" performance standard.....

Think twice or twenty times before buying at Citrus Ford in Ontario.

Don't Buy Your Truck or Car From Citrus Ford

2007-12-21T11:26:00.000-08:00

Well, Citrus Ford and Kia Warranty have both decided that they are NOT going to stand behind their products. What a shame! When I first had my transmission problem I took the Kia Spectra to Citrus Ford in Ontario California. The car is still covered under the 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty. As stated in earlier posts, the dealer fought me all the way with the Kia Warranty claim. They threw up road block after road block and were even lying to the reps from Kia about what I had or had not submitted.

My understanding is that Citrus Ford fired the service rep because of his attitude and actions.

Eventually, Kia agreed to replace the transmission under warranty. Basically, when I put it in 1st gear in the mornings, it slams back and forth between 1st and 2nd gear. Both the dealer and Kia have assessed the situation and tell me this is normal for an automatic transmission. Yeah, RIGHT!

They both cannot understand why I would ever put the gear shift lever in 1st gear and drive in first. I have tried to explain that I am not driving, we are talking about 5 to 15 miles per hour in a parking structure or steep incline. They keep telling me that everything is normal. WELL, You make the decision.

Here is a video of the first 2 minutes of my drive. I put the car in 1st gear as a demo for the video. Can you imagine expecting 1st to hold you back on a hill or trying to drive in snow like this?

TURN UP YOUR VOLUME. This happens every morning if the car is cold.

After the transmission was replaced under warranty, it still didn't work right. I took it back to the dealer and their basic stance was, "Well, you never should have got the first transmission for free.." Citrus Ford has refused to stand behind their workmanship that they were already authorized to do. Citrus Ford was already given approval by KIA to fix the transmission problem and they supposedly did the work.

The problem is, their work was shoddy and did not correct the problem. Imagine, you take your car into a dealer because the paint is all pealing and bubbling. The dealer begrudgingly gets approval to fix the problem from the manufacturer and they "FIX THE PROBLEM." However, they actually paint the wrong part of the car and the paint is still pealing and bubbling.

Who's problem is this? I don't think that this is MY problem, hell, they already got paid by the manufacturer........At this point, I really don't care who fixes the car, I just want it fixed. KIA has been no better. They won't stand behind their product and are using some lame excuse as to why it is NOT covered now.

I'll keep you posted

Citrus Ford Working to Resolve Warranty Issue

2007-11-29T12:26:00.000-08:00

Steve at Citrus Ford is working very hard to resolve some warranty issues with KIA Motors.

Even though Steve is actually assigned to the sales department, his concern for the Customer and his resolve to keep his supervisors involved when the performance of others, such as KIA, may have a negative impact on the company should be commended.

Citrus Ford, Ontario - Refuses To Stand Behind Thier Workmanship

2007-11-29T11:18:00.000-08:00

After having significant transmission problems with my KIA Spectra, I decided that it was time to get it repaired. I took it in to Citrus Ford in Ontario, expecting to have them look at the transmission problem, contact KIA for warranty approval, fix the transmission, and be on my way.

After all, my KIA has a 100,000 mile warranty on the transmission and I only had 89,000 miles. What could be easier? What a stupid question.....

The transmission was slipping intermittently on the freeway and that had me concerned. Of greater concern was the fact that when you start driving in the morning, if you put the shift lever in first gear, the car will slam back and forth between 1st and 2nd gear until the car warms up. When the car warms up, the problem goes away.

The service writer at Citrus Ford, Darrell, took an attitude right away before ever looking at it. They threw up every road block to me getting the car fixed under warranty that they could. "Have you had it serviced at 30, 60, 90 thousand miles?", "It's not covered under warranty if you didn't have it serviced at 30, 60, 90 thousand miles."

The manual states first service at 90,000.

"Well, that is for normal driving, you have to follow the SEVERE driving schedule."

Well, the type of driving I do doesn't meet any of the severe standards in the manual.

"We consider California as Severe."

So what! The manual outlines what severe is and it ain't my driving.

Then it was that "your not supposed to ever drive in 1st gear. " Yeah Right, check the manual, it states you can drive in first when needing more power or on a grade. HELL! I am not talking about 50 MPH in 1st gear, I am talking about just 5 or 10 MPH going up or down a grade.

Next, per Darrell, "according to KIA" they won't repair it because it had to be "INSPECTED" at 30, 60, 90 thousand miles." I tried to explain repeatedly that I did inspect it, it is an automatic transmission and the only inspection done is the fluid level.

Still not good enough. "We need records that it was inspected." OK, All of the oil change records show that they INSPECTED the transmission fluid and were done at the proper intervals. I still had to furnish every record and they weren't going to accept it because is "Wasn't done at a dealer." At this point, I had been able to cut down every argument Darrell had by simply showing him the Service manual.

He still wasn't going to let this ride. After bring in all of my paperwork on the car, even though it wasn't needed, he told me that KIA motors would not authorize the transmission repairs, even after he sent in all of the documents. What he didn't realize is that I was already in contact with the KIA Corporate office. They had told me that they would authorize the work but, according to the dealer, they had NOT RECEIVED any documentation from me of the prior service.

AMAZING! I gave Darrell everything he asked for, and yet the KIA corp is telling me that the only thing they are waiting for is the same records I gave the dealer!!!! WHAT A SHAM!

As soon as I faxed the papers to KIA, they approved the repairs and the new transmission was put in. UNFORTUNATELY, the problem still exists.

Now, Citrus Ford has a new strategy. Yeah, we fixed it the first time, but it really wasn't needed, so we are not going to do anything about it now. "You basically got a free transmission even though you didn't need it before."

According to Citrus Ford (not sure how much I trust them to be truthful), KIA will not repair it because as long as you put it in Drive and it works, it is OK. The fact that the gears slam back and forth when cold is OK as long as it stops when warmed up.

If anyone out there is looking for a GOOD service center, CITRUS FORD is definitely the place to stay away from. Terrible service, rude staff, and they won't even stand behind their own repairs. SHAME ON YOU CITRUS FORD!!!

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2007-11-01T11:19:00.000-07:00

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