So, the thread on whether or not we are sticking with kia, and most of y'all pointed out that the cars are great, but the dealerships are lacking. My question is, why are the dealers having such a hard time catching up with the quality of the cars? Is it apathy or what?
Dealership service
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I actually called in to the Canadian customer service department and the rep was really nice and understanding and was asking lots of questions. I told him the product is great, but the dealerships are not up setup to handle a higher end vehicles and customers. He has heard of this issue many times from other customers, and they are suppose to be working on it as they are heading into a new division. Easiest way is produce a real sports GT car along with a nice SUV with the two Cadenza and K900 and separate them into a different division such as Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus. this is the only way they can grow more clients. he did ask what I would have thought of an all wheel version and being from Canada, I said that would be great and if they can divide it 48/52 torque, that would be fantastic.
Wish I would've kept it...
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It simply takes time to build a strong dealer network. Every import manufacturer has had to struggle with this issue to some degree or another. That's only one reason (there were many) why Nissan created Infiniti and Toyota created Lexus, etc. Most of the original Infiniti dealers had no prior Nissan affiliation and were sold to very well established dealer chains with solid customer service reputations. The base start-up investment for a new Infiniti dealer was $9M.
When you are new to the US/CAN you take the dealers you can get. However, under state/province franchise laws it is nearly impossible to get rid of the ones that don't work out well.
I'm not going to disparage any KIA dealers, I have had good experiences with the two I've visited. But I know that dealer performance can vary depending on the size of the local market and local competition.
As a former Infiniti corporate guy all I can say is that it does get better over time and gains speed with product success.
When you are new to the US/CAN you take the dealers you can get. However, under state/province franchise laws it is nearly impossible to get rid of the ones that don't work out well.
I'm not going to disparage any KIA dealers, I have had good experiences with the two I've visited. But I know that dealer performance can vary depending on the size of the local market and local competition.
As a former Infiniti corporate guy all I can say is that it does get better over time and gains speed with product success.
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Certain KIA dealerships are not classified as" Premium Dealerships" The premium dealerships are better suited to handle K900 and Cadenza's in fact they are the only dealers stocking K900's I'm not sure about Cadenza's through
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Are you sure about that? My dealer stocks K900s (both I believe) and neither are what I'd call premium.
Dealerships must have a mechanic who is certified on the K900, agree to loaner cars, trained service people. Don't think smaller dealerships want to spend the time or money for training. Smaller doesn't always mean in size, some times it can apply to mentality.
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From what both thew salesman and the sales manager , at least in Canada and it is confirmed in the Premium brochure I was given when I took delivery that not all KIa dealerships are certified Premium I know that when I take my czar in I am given a cadenza as a loaner every time so not all dealerships would make that investment especially since they have only sold 105 in all of Canada
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Resurrecting an old thread.
Dealerships are really THREE Dealers in one.
SALES Department.
SERVICE Department.
PARTS Department
They are all run like separate entities. Example. When you buy a car (sales dept) and they promise you Floor Mats, or Mud Flaps, Sales Dept buys them from Parts Dept. Then pays Service Dept to install the items.
Ok. that being said, I recently purchased a used 2017 Cadenza.
The BAD. Sales Department sucks. The managers sitting up high look like the Kia Mafia and the sales people must go back and forth between those Mafiosi and me, the customer. (I don’t play those games, so I walked. Got a phone call three days later when they came down to my price). (I could say more but I don’t want to be sued 😱).
The Good.
Service Department and Svc Manager is great. Was not satisfied with wheel alignment. Took car in, got it aligned, still was not satisfied. Went back two days later.Spoke with Svc Manager. He made sure a different tech did the job. Then Shop Forman went with me on a test ride to make sure I was happy. Went out of there way to make me happy.
Parts Department.
I wanted some Kia parts and accessories to make my Cadenza “me”. Checked prices. Too high so (all you have to do is ask) I asked the Parts Manager if she could come down. Quoted a price between a third to half of retail. Needless to say, I’m VERY happy with their Parts Dept.
Dealerships are really THREE Dealers in one.
SALES Department.
SERVICE Department.
PARTS Department
They are all run like separate entities. Example. When you buy a car (sales dept) and they promise you Floor Mats, or Mud Flaps, Sales Dept buys them from Parts Dept. Then pays Service Dept to install the items.
Ok. that being said, I recently purchased a used 2017 Cadenza.
The BAD. Sales Department sucks. The managers sitting up high look like the Kia Mafia and the sales people must go back and forth between those Mafiosi and me, the customer. (I don’t play those games, so I walked. Got a phone call three days later when they came down to my price). (I could say more but I don’t want to be sued 😱).
The Good.
Service Department and Svc Manager is great. Was not satisfied with wheel alignment. Took car in, got it aligned, still was not satisfied. Went back two days later.Spoke with Svc Manager. He made sure a different tech did the job. Then Shop Forman went with me on a test ride to make sure I was happy. Went out of there way to make me happy.
Parts Department.
I wanted some Kia parts and accessories to make my Cadenza “me”. Checked prices. Too high so (all you have to do is ask) I asked the Parts Manager if she could come down. Quoted a price between a third to half of retail. Needless to say, I’m VERY happy with their Parts Dept.
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