Grote Automotive (Open At: Fort Wayne, Elkhart, Lafayette, and Rockford, IL) — Local services in Warsaw

I felt that those in my situation should know before trying to apply here that they may have you may make the trip just to be disappointed. I was very confused on their model of service after leaving. They also lacked communication between their main office and the dealership in Warsaw. I want to be clear that this has nothing to do about them being rude or unfriendly, but more about their transparency and being upfront with their customers. This is especially important when you have explained that you are without a vehicle currently and will be traveling an hour there and back home. Waste their time and mine. I was referred by someone with 2 repossessions on record along with bad credit, who purchased a vehicle from Grote Automotive without a down payment or any payments until next year. I have been struggling financially, I was in need of a vehicle and decided to check them out. On Friday 13th, 2020 after looking at their website, I filled out a form for approval, since it states they specialized in getting those bad credit and repossessions into a vehicle. I do understand that each persons situation is different based on current income and credit history and that they may not be able to help everyone. I did check them out on the BBB website and there were only 13 complaints in the past 3 years, 8 of which had been rectified. Unfortunately had I done a bit more research, I would have found that the majority of their complaints are found elsewhere. As I was finishing the application, I received a call from Michelle and let I let her know that I was still filling out their form for approval. She said she would call back and as soon as I was finished. I did received a call from Michelle once it was completed and she stated I was qualified for a vehicle up to $20,000. I also had made sure it was known upfront that I had a repossession in August of 2019 and also gave an explanation as to why on my application. I was told that as long as I had no more than 2 repossessions I would be fine.Trying to get there was a hassle due to my work schedule and the fact that the vehicle I currently have is not safe to drive that distance so I would also need to get a ride there. They were quite persistent in trying to get me to come up, and I received calls and texts from them everyday except Sunday as they are closed, all the way up until Thursday the 19th when I was able to finally get a ride there. Also before deciding to go, I asked on either Monday or Tuesday about the down payment and what would be needed to put down. I was told currently they have a $6 special (online it quotes $7 with a printable coupon) However, this was not the down payment I was given at the dealership and any other business that I’ve filled out for approval, even those who quote $0 down, has given me and actual down payment based on credit before coming up to look at a vehicle. The way it communicated was that I was already approved and that I would be coming up to choose and test drive a vehicle. This was not the case, because as soon as I came in, they asked for my ID for verification and we immediately sat down and started going over my information and income, which I then realized they were gathering this to run my credit for financing. I had to ask why they needed all of this information again, since I had already asked the day before if they would like me to send over my check stubs, proof of address and identification to help speed up the process. I sent this information to the email address that April, the other person I had been speaking with, had given me. However the dealership never received this information. So after running my credit, I was told I would need $3,000 down or a co-signer in order to get a vehicle due to my repossession, even though it was over a year ago. So I left empty handed and very disappointed, and also upset after finding I was dinged 4 times on my credit report instead of 2. Just be aware, if told your pre-approved, that doesn’t really mean you are and you should ask questions, as they should be saying...

PART 1

I purchased a 2017 Kia Forte from Grote Automotive in Elkhart, IN on Saturday, October 16, 2021. Grote sold me a vehicle infested with fleas and ticks.  An elderly lady brought the vehicle in at just a little over 45K miles on the vehicle. - Griote did not have the vehicle cleaned prior to selling the vehicle because the auto-attendants had left for the day. I said I'll clean it. I left Grote and went to Benton Harbor 30 minutes away which is 11 minutes from my home to vacuum, spray it down with alcohol and all the cleaning essentials. When I sprayed the alcohol on the carpet and seats and dashboard. White bugs with wings started popping out of the floor. I took pictures and video with a date stamped time. So you know I called my Sales Agent about what they did.

WELL - I wrote a review before this one and GROTE AUTOMOTIVE IN ELKHART INDIANA had my review removed from Google so I've decided to replace my comment with more details.

I called my sales person Jessie within an hour to let my sales agent know what was going on with the vehicle (Jessie). He called me back the next day after I had called and left several messages. He also arranged for my car to be detailed. I then received a text message from someone whom stated no title work was signed.

So now I had to drive 4 hours to get there because of something that should have been completed that day on the 16th. We arranged for Ziebart to clean it. I arrived at 10:00am exactly; this was due to the storm in Michigan delaying my arrival time. Ziebart had my car from10:15am - 3;00pm. When I got the vehicle, After inspecting the vehicle, I noticed they only wiped the dashboard and vacuum. No detailing was done. The floor was still dry untouched with the same issues.

To make this long story short, the purpose of writing this review is because of the unprofessionalism of the staff. So please pay close attention to the...

The service I received from this place was truly sad. I told the kid that was helping us from the very beginning that the car would be purchased in both my husbands and I name. I'm not sure if he just didn't know what that meant or he just didn't care. Even while filling out paperwork I told them that it should be in both our names. Still ignored me. Now I have a car that is just for me and I can't consult anyone at the office or bank about MY car without permission from my husband. Thanks again for that! We agreed that they would put a new sunroof in my car shortly after purchase. They quoted one time frame and did another. Refused to tell us who they used to put the sunroof in. Managed to put a couple hundred miles on my car, leave it for me to pick up with the gas light on and the tire on the rim. When confronted they offered a gas card, and said they could take care of tire at a later date. I was lucky enough to have to put air in my tire for a 5th time in the rain one morning. After throwing enough of a fit to them that they finally rode in the car with me to discount tire to have it patched for free! The customer service is an absolute joke. Lastly they charged us $5000 in finance charges. I guess the free sunroof they promised us, was not really free. Don't believe a thing they say, chances are they are just telling you everything you want to hear to buy. I can't put zero stars for this review which makes me sad. Because they don't even deserve 1. I will say after all the chaos in the end they did give me a $25 gift card for gas and full tank of gas like I was promised from the very beginning. Take note I had to ask 5 times because the kid would forget about it. However. When I went to use this gift card there was only $6.95 so thank for that. Definitely will not recommend the Warsaw location to anyone. Because NOBODY deserves to be...