Kia Country of Charleston — Local services in North Charleston

On Dec. 28th, I came in to test drive this ‘22 Kia K5 after doing my research and comparisons with 4 other models in the area. A white K5 with the panoramic moonroof was my first choice compared to a blue K5 in Columbia, so I chose to make Kia of Charleston my first stop. The asking price was about $24,114 with an out the door price a bit above $25,000. I asked to see the breakdown of their pricing, which they refused to show or sit with me to negotiate within my projected range of 8.8 to 15% off their asking price. Since management gave no counter offers, I didn’t mention the money down or trade in I had; instead, I said that I had $22,000 today (number compared to the the blue K5 mentioned earlier- same year and features with lower mileage). Instead, management dismissed me by saying they could put me in a cheaper model for $22,000. I smiled and thanked the salesman for the well-informed test drive and said that I would settle for blue. I went home to share with my boyfriend and my dad what happened, and I also pulled up this same car to show the KBB price that was in the $23,000 range, which they refused to entertain. (Yet, look at their price today!) They were disgusted, and my boyfriend made it clear that I would not be settling for blue. Dec 31st, I claimed the keys to a ‘23 Kia K5 premium package with leather heated seats, more safety features, and less mileage than what Kia Country of Charleston had to offer. Without hesitation, I drove 93 miles to Stivers Hyundai in Columbia to be served by gentlemen who honored my needs for safety and desire for style, honored my questions with care, and respectfully negotiated a fair price with me. They rolled out the red carpet and placed a bow on it, so I kindly handed them that $25, 957 check! Through this post, I came back to Kia of Charleston because there’s a lesson to be learned. Today, people from all different walks of life are informed and have buying power. Treat everyone that walks through your door, buyers and not yet buyers, like you want their 5-star review. Those currently shopping for a vehicle, you want to find great quality vehicles backed with superior service, take a trip to Stivers Hyundai and...

The day after I wrote my original review (11/6), I got a call and email from Mitch Jones, the service manager to follow up on my review. As of yesterday, the part on my car which was damaged has been replaced and installed correctly. Because of that, I updated my review from 1 to 3 stars. Based on the result and the way I saw Mitch Jones interacting with his team yesterday when I went in the garage, I have hope that they want to, and can, do the right thing for their customers. But at this point, because of previous experience I don’t have the trust and confidence to update to 5 stars.

Original review: Bad service and equally bad customer service on the bad service. On 6/11/2024, had recall service work done on my 2018 KIA Stinger for the potential fire issue. My first time at this dealership. On 9/10, my car was due for it’s next oil change and when my regular mechanic lifted the car, the front piece of the skid plate was damaged, all screws were missing and all clips but one were missing. This could have only happened when my car was in for the recall repair. When I stopped in to talk to the service department, they said it wasn’t them - the car wasn’t even put on the lift for this work. So I bought clips and left. After further discussion with my mechanic, it is obvious this work and the damage was done at KIA Country service. They did the multi point inspection and there was a part around the old drain area that was installed incorrectly. I don’t want them to fix the car - or ever touch it again - just give me all the parts you broke!! I followed up with an email to the address that was on my service paper work. Email returned - invalid address. I then sent a message on the online contact page on 9/27. Dead air. On 10/8, did online chat. Was escalated. I did get a call back from Chelsea, but missed the call and was on my way out of town for a week. Returned the call on 10/17. Again, no word back and here it is 11/5. I will NEVER return here for service again and would advise all others to do the same. Wouldn’t buy a car here either. Can’t imagine they are any...

I would definitely recommend Kia Country of Charleston based on the professional service I received in July 13, 2024, as a result of experiencing a dangerous tire problem while traveling from Miami Gardens, Florida to North Charleston for a Family Reunion, which could have become a tragic situation. Every employee that me and my son came into contact with, were friendly, courteous, professional, knowledgeable and hospitable from start to finish.

The problem was driving a warped tire and that previously had been repaired with a plug. The car started shaking by the time we were passing through and leaving Jacksonville, Florida. Which scared my granddaughter traveling with us. Experiencing car problems while traveling long distance is terrible and very disconcerting to say the least. We, therefore, prayed for our safety. By the grace of God, we did make it to North Charleston and the car was left in the hotel parking lot.

Because, of our Family Reunion activities going on we could not replace the tire until that Saturday, July 13, 2024. And we really had to get to a Kia dealership because, we could not find the tire key that had been lost or left in Miami Gardens, Florida to change the locked tire. We then prayed that the Kia dealership we passed by earlier Thursday coming into Charleston, would have a tire key that could change and or replace the damaged tire. Sam's tire department definitely was not able to help us with a tire key or right tire size.

Sure, enough Kia Country of Charleston had exactly what we needed, a tire key and the right size tire replacement. We came in at 10:30am and left at 12:30pm. We know that's good time, without an appointment on a busy Saturday morning in any Service and Parts Department at any car dealership anywhere and we were grateful for that. We were also very pleased with the service that was rendered to us. Kia Country of Charleston was truly a Godsend to us during our time of need. May they continue providing the excellent service they render to their local and traveling customers and the...