[McD]

Backstory: I own a Kia Optima. I love my car, minus the depreciation factor that made us upside down on our loan. Very stupid financial decision. Before my Optima, I owned a Spectra that I loved. I had a horrible experience with the Emergency Roadside assistance a few weeks ago that started out by me misdialing and getting connected to a hotline that called me a 'Big Sexy Man'. :thud: Long story short, they were going to charge approximately 100$ to tow my car when a local company could do it for 65$ (ultimately did it for nothing, bless their hearts--gotta love the little guys).


It's buttcrack cold in Iowa. So I ran out about 30 minutes before I needed to leave my house this a.m. to start my car so it was all warmed up and the snow was melted/thawed. My freaking key would not turn in my ignition. Thinking it was locked, I tried to jiggle the steering wheel, nothing. So I do what I am supposed to do: I go wake up my husband. WHO WOULD NOT GET OUT OF BED AND HELP ME. He says, "Just jiggle the wheel." Uh-hello, did that. So I stomp out of my house, slamming every door I possibly can and try everything I can think of to get my key to work and NOTHING. SO I called a coworker and had her come pick me up to take me to work since, in his defense, hubby is working second shift, then stays up with the colicy moo cow most nights.

Hubby calls me at 4:00 to tell me he talked to the dealership, they wanted us to call the Roadside assistance number to arrange for our car to be towed to the dealership as this will be covered under warranty and then to call them. SO I call the roadside assistance number (and no I didn't misdial the sex hotline this time!) and arrange for my car to be picked up. They say that my car will be picked up in 5 HOURS! THAT'S 9 AT NIGHT!. Whatever. I can deal with it, even though I try to get to bed by 9 p.m. and I don't like dealing with strangers that late. I called the dealership and whined until I got a loaner car.

At 9:48 I get an automated call from the roadside assistance number asking if the towing company is there. I press the number for NO and it offers to connect me to the towing company. When I spoke to the towing company, they told me that when the rep called them at 4:15 they told him they COULDNT tow my car because they were too busy. Yeah apparently crapface rep didn't care and left them as the towing company assigned to my vehicle. So I call the roadside number back (almost hoping to get the sex hotline number this time because they have to be better than roadside assistance) and the lady interupts me to tell me, "Well blah blah blah, this towing company is scheduled to come, maybe they are delayed due to the weather."

Uh hello, did you not just listen to the words coming out of my mouth? The towing company told me they were not coming and told your rep that at 4:15!!! So the lady says, "I can send someone out now, or I can send someone out in the morning." Really, I've already lost an hour of sleep due to your company's incompetence and now you want me either a. stay up later for a company that probably won't show up or b. take time off work for a company that probably won't show up." I told her I would contact the dealership myself and handle it since they were obviously incapable of doing so. The dealership was left a nice little message telling them to contact me by 10 a.m. or else. I am LIVID. What the french, toast?

Seriously, the brand loyalty I had for KIA is gone. One bad experience with roadside assistance I can manage. Two bad experiences is a deal breaker for me. What in the heck would/will happen if something happens to my car along side the road and I've got both kids with me when hubby is deployed again? They gonna leave me stranded there for 5 hours waiting for a company that was never scheduled to come and pick us up? With all the travelling I do, especially with the kids by myself, I have to have faith in my roadside assistance. Crapheads.

Thanks for letting me vent.

 

[frugalfranny]

Hey - I say - give 'em hell MD!!

I would also complain to 'higher ups' so they know how you were handled by all involved. AND - that you won't be buying another Kia based on this experience!

SORRY THIS HAPPENED! :hug2:

 

[Dutchie]

I would let them have it and good!!!

Thankfully I haven't had to deal with Kia roadside assistance (I have a Kia Sorrento) so I don't know how good/bad it is.
We do have an alternative system in Holland that I could use if they were to fail.

Please keep us posted about what happens.

 

[Jayceef]

Hey Mrs D.

I have an optima as well. Hope to never have to deal with these people. I have splurged the money on triple AAA the last three years as we commute a long ways to work. They have always been good about towing our vehicles. DH thinks they will drop us someday since we have called them so many times. Hope this never happens. Keep us posted and good luck.

 

[Russ]

Damn crapfaces. Sorry for your troubles McD. Can't Wesley the Superhero do anything?

 

[nodmicks]

Wow how frustrating!!!! I'd go higher up like suggested .

We have never had too use roadside assistance. We have AAA for car ins. Dh's little Kia has went 99900 miles with 0 breakdown, 1 brake change.

 

[Dutchie]

Damn crapfaces.

I LOVE this ! May I use it sometimes too pls?

 

[Josephhgoins]

That does suck!

Go with Caddy, they are awesome!

 

[Russ]

I LOVE this ! May I use it sometimes too pls?

. When I spoke to the towing company, they told me that when the rep called them at 4:15 they told him they COULDNT tow my car because they were too busy. Yeah apparently crapface rep didn't care and left them as the towing company assigned to my vehicle.

It's Nicholes word, not mine :laugh:

 

[Holding Pattern]

I agree except... the lackey on the other end being told how incompetent they are may just be me, taking a job because of the economy, who is bound by regulations and has no power.

Say what you want about the company but the person on the phone could be any one of us - no incompetent or incapable - just not able for myriad reasons.

It isn't any more pleasant for the agent on the other end who is only trying to make ends meet and is probably doing the best they can...

and I can tell you from lots of experience in customer service that just because Company B says they told Company A they can't do it doesn't mean they really did... ever play the Operator game?

 

[mombottoo]

I have found that AAA roadside assitance works very well and have never had any issues. We get free roadside assistance with our tire purchases...good if it's something to do with the tires, but we would never use it even if something did happen.

Not to get off track but, my dad has a KIA & just got a notice saying he had to bring the car in to get something fixed...a recall type notice...did you get one for your KIA?

 

[McD]

Haven't received any sort of notice from Kia. I was pleasant with the rep on the phone until she started getting sassy, interupting, and flat out not listening to the words coming out of my mouth. I never called her incompetent, I called the company as a whole incompetent. I get the be nice to your rep thing. I also get that reps should be polite. I answer the phones as part of my job all day and things start going downhill when I am not treated with the respect that I give to people. I also get that the company burns me once, shame on them, but I sure as heck am not giving them a chance to burn me a second time.

While I appreciate the offers of help she gave me, I couldn't take her up on them for several reasons. Reason 1: My faith in that company has been shook. How can I trust them to follow through on what they tell me when they have failed me before? Reason 2: If I waited up all night for another tow company (if it showed up), I would be dead to the world and no good to my kids today. Not quite feasible with a colicky two month old. Reason 3: If I waited for them today it meant that either I had to take time off work, my husband had to miss a court date which meant a crapface got out of a reckless driving ticket, or he had to miss his shift. So the lackey on the phone may have to take a job due to the economy to make ends meet, but the company's lack of ability to do what they said doesn't mean that I have to jeopardize my husband and I's jobs or budgets because of it.

Update though--the dealership called me back and expressed some surprise that I was having these problems as normally the roadside assistance people are with it. When I explained to him that this was my SECOND bad experience with them, he got a bit sheepish. I told him I had never had ANY problems with the dealership at all, but that I am just not impressed wtih their roadside assistance number. He is going to personally ride along in the dealership's tow truck and get my car taken care of and contact the roadside assistance people to figure out what their malfunction is.

 

[Jayceef]

Glad it they are working it out for you.

 

[Libby]

I hope you got the crapface's ID # and name when you called the roadside assistance. I always make sure I know whom I'm speaking with at each # I call b/c lord only knows you're forward to a call centre on the other side of the world! Another peeve of mine.

For some reason I have never trusted the manufacturers road side assistance. If it comes with my car...great, but I always have and always will have CAA/AAA in my back pocket. Its like insurance but oddly enough - I can use my membership to help others too, all I have to do is be there when they arrive.

My dealership is doing everything in its power to keep the customers they have vs trying to get new ones. They've finally got their head outta their buttholes and slightly figured out.

Sorry you have to deal with this - I hope it gets sorted out and you get compensated accordingly and then some. *hugs*

 

[Dutchie]

It's Nicholes word, not mine :laugh:

Nichole, if you don't mind I would like to use your word - I LOVE it.

 

[DAAC3DEC]

kia's

Bought a brand new kia sedona (loved it) and last June started having issues with it stalling mid driving, no rhyme or reason. Took it to the dealership, they claimed nothing was wrong with it, never after months, was terrified to drive it, it always restarted but I was scared that someone would bale me in the butt....called Kia, no one helped me, I traded it in for my new car with another dealership, still miss my van but HATE KIAS!!!! Good luck!!!

 

[McD]

Dutchie--of course you may use it! I had to go through and edit my post before submitting it last night. It was full of interesting words that would have made a sailor blush.

I must say, the dealership has bent over backwards to help me. They sent a tow truck out, the guy got my car started, he spoke to my husband about it and they left. A little while later he called back and was thinking about how the husband would be deploying soon (apparently hubby talked to him for a bit) and he would feel much better if he brought it back in and just checked it out for me.

So he came back out, got the car, took it to the dealership, fixed the ignition, fixed the broken sun visor for no cost, and when I asked him to change my oil/windshield wiper blades, he was all over it. I love the Kia dealership and their ability to solve the problem. With that being said, I will not ever forget the two crapactular incidents with Kia's roadside assistance. And when it comes time to get a new car (which won't be for a long long time) it won't be a Kia based on their roadside assistance. I travel 4 hours both ways, to and from my parents home, with my kids, generally by myself, I have to have faith in that service.

And in case anyone wanted to know what was wrong--apparently, when you heat up your car the tumbler in the ignition is still cold, causing it to 'sweat' like a can of pop. Then you have a below zero morning and BAM. Your ignition is literally frozen.

 

[Libby]

I'd opt for AAA as a backup knowing now Kia's roadside assistance is - not the dealership.

Glad you got it all sorted out McD

 

[Dutchie]

Thanks Nichole.

I'm glad that you got it all sorted out.

Our dealer here became bankrupt due to the credit crisis and we had to find another one.
Thankfully I found one not too far away and (so far) they have been marvellous.
In Nov. we got a call up for a free check up for the car for the winter. There were a couple of things that needed attention. The only thing that we had to pay for was a new windshield wiper.

I have to say that I do love my car and especially with the horrible weather that we've having since mid-Dec., I am especially grateful for the 4x4 it has.

 

[ladykemma2]

you love your car. you had one bad experience with an inept roadside assistance. this too will pass.

1 bad day of thousands of good days. sounds like a pretty good track record to me.