KIA of Bedford — Local services in Bedford

Caught a flat on my way to work called roadside assistance to only find out once I looked under the carpet in the trunk of my 2020 Kia Forte that there is no donut or spare called Kia per corporate there newer vehicles don’t come with spares or donut tires (please fire that genius) so I had to have it towed to Kia of Bedford. My car arrived at about 1130. I spoke with Lisa Marie service advisor who instructed me to have a seat because they were having issues with writing up the order. 30 mins later about noon it was figured out and was told they would call when it was ready probably a couple hours because they were busy. Ok no problem but then a couple turned into 4:15 for them to then call me an tell me I owed $135 for a diagnostic on the check engine light and $60 for a tire sensor plus shop fees for a tire sensor. How when the tires and the car is under warranty? Lisa Marie replies because you have front end damage your warranty is void. Well Lisa you guys should have called me once you saw that when the car was pulled in because it’s visible not do the work an call me after I’m not paying that or the 60 fix what is covered. Lisa Marie says well we’ve already done it hold on. 5 mins later hello this is Eric Livingston service manager how may I help you? Well I don’t know Eric I was speaking to a Lisa about a bunch of fees I’m not paying and then I got you. Well yes you have to pay $135 dollars for diagnostic why when it’s under warranty. The diagnostic is related to front end damage well Lisa said because I had front end damage it wasn’t under warranty at all so with that being said the phone call should have been placed before anything was done that would require me to come out of pocket that’s when Lisa began yelling in the background an Eric Livingston started cutting me off I then asked Eric to be quiet he replied no because that is rude and I told him so was him cutting me off several times while I was talking he than began to press mute to keep me from hearing Lisa yelling in the background when he came back on after taking the phone off mute he then stated hold on then I was back on the phone with Lisa who then told me there would be no fees because the check engine light was not on. So now I am confused either there telling me there’s no issue and are sending me home with problems with the engine because I’m not paying the fee which would mean legal problems if this issue effects the vehicle still once it’s out of warranty because I brought it in before hand and you guys lied to me to just get me off the phone and/or just bad customer service and a lot of miscommunication either way I would never recommend this place to anyone for service or to purchase a car the people were rude an even after the mistake was made there was no apology and then they told me my car still wasn’t ready didn’t receive the call it was finished until 5:15pm I’ll go to Chevy next time which is where I bought my first car never had these...

Kia of Bedford just made my day! They just bought my used car, for a very good price - right off the bat. No low-balling or negotiating. (I had studied, and knew what would be fair.) And they were all welcoming and friendly, especially Caleb, my Kia used car leader.

I had just listed my 2013 Prius Plug-In for sale on several sites - and spent the last two days, getting multiple pushy phone calls and texts from people and dealers. They were giving me the "hard sell," trying to talk me into taking a very low price - constant sales "techniques," and "let me ask my manager" stuff. They would give one price, then call back hours later with a lower price - saying, "well, prices fluctuate, and they could keep going down."

I felt like I needed a shower, and should watch my back. Robo-texts. Many phone calls sounded like scripted calls from outside the US. The prices quoted were at least a third of what KBB showed, even with my criteria entered with "worst case."

Then I tried listing on KBB directly, and received a friendly text from Kia of Bedford, right up the road. One text, no pressure - good, old-fashioned friendly style. When I called in, it was a friendly, local voice, saying, "Sure, come on in when you have time & ask for Caleb. No rush."

When I arrived, Caleb came right over, and we talked about our favorite cars. It was real, not salesman type stuff. He looked over my car, hooked up a computer, and we test drove it.

Within a few minutes at his desk, he made an offer that stunned me. Not so much because of the amount, but that I could tell it was his best price. No "Well, how much were you hoping for?" or "How about this?," to see if I'd push back on a lowball offer." Just "Here it is - what do you think?" I said yes immediately. I knew it was very good. And I was relieved to deal with a local dealership vs on FB Market.

I signed the paperwork quickly, not even reading it, I felt so trusting of these people. While waiting for the check, I thought maybe I shouldn't have signed the paperwork without making sure the check was in hand, with no surprises. But, in minutes, there it was. It was real.

Thank you, Caleb ! Thank you, Kia of Bedford. Good people. You made my day - and reinvigorated my faith and trust in mankind. ...Well, at least that there are still good, honest neighborhood car...

A week ago, my wife and I decided on looking at new cars and making a decision on one. So, we called around to three different dealerships in order to compare vehicles that they had on their lots!

We also inquired on the internet and had several dealers contact us that way. An appointment setter named Candice called us from Kia of Bedford. We told her of the specific parameters we were looking at in our next new vehicle... A 2024 Kia celtas EX AWD in Snow White Pearl!

Disappointment center swore that they had that vehicle on their lot, also in another color choice we ask about, Pluton Blue.

We set up an appointment to come and take a look at these two vehicles on Saturday! When we got there, we towed a salesman that met us at the door we had an appointment there. He said he would find our person we were to see and we followed him to his desk!

This salesperson immediately went into a sales pitch, even though we told him that we know what we're looking for and we were told that it would be here for our viewing at this appointment!

Even left the desk and left us there a couple of times while he went to check his inventory! When he returned, he confessed that they do not have those vehicles on the lot for us to look at ‼️🤦‍♂️

He then went into trying to sell us on a different line, a different car, with lease options instead of a purchase, which is what we came there for! 🤬

What a waste of time 🙄

Anyway, my wife and I went to another dealership and found her ideal vehicle... The make, the model, the trim line and the color she wanted with a deal we were happy with! ❣️🚗

On Monday morning, their sales manager called me and asked if we could come back in, they may have some cars coming in that we will be interested in? I told him, we've already purchased a vehicle that were happy with! But, I asked him, why would your appointment setter have us come there, knowing that the vehicle we wanted was not on their premises? 🤔

Obviously, this was not the dealership for us! My wife has an 800-77 credit score, a substantial down payment and a trade-in, yet, we didn't get a chance to do business with them? I...