I rarely leave negative reviews, but the experience I had with this dealership was, by far, the worst customer service I've ever encountered. While I'm sure the sales team puts their best foot forward when you're buying a car, their service and repair department tells a completely different story.
About a year ago, I had a great service experience here, which makes this recent situation all the more disappointing. On Wednesday, my car was towed to the dealership due to a damaged tire. Since a diagnostic test was required, the vehicle had to stay overnight. From that point on, communication was virtually nonexistent. I received no updates for two days. When I called, I was repeatedly placed on hold, one time for over 20 minutes, and several times my calls were disconnected instead of being transferred to Jonathan, who was supposedly handling my case. Out of 15 attempts to reach them over two days, maybe five calls were actually answered.
Jonathan did return two of my calls to tell me that their dealership refused to honor my Hyundai protection plan, stating they don't work with third-party companies--even after the insurance provider confirmed they've dealt directly with this location before, and provided all necessary information and a phone number for them to reach out directly to them. Jonathan's response was: "We don't call third party companies. You need to go back to the dealership where you purchased the protection plan."
I spent over five hours on the phone between this dealership, the protection plan company, and other Hyundai dealerships trying to find a resolution. Jonathan advised me to have my car re-towed to Rick Case Hyundai, claiming it would be a complimentary transfer between dealerships--this turned out to be false, and it was clear he hadn't verified the information before passing it along. When I contacted the Rick Case dealership, even their staff expressed disbelief at how poorly the situation had been handled.
In contrast, the Rick Case Hyundai staff went above and beyond to help. They made me feel valued, were responsive, and as of this morning, already provided 2 updates without me having to call THEM. I also contacted Potamkin Hyundai to check on tire availability and received the same level of kindness and efficiency over the phone. Both of these dealerships made me feel welcomed from the moment I spoke to them.
Even the customer lounge areas reflect the difference in care: Jim Ellis Hyundai had a partially working coffee machine with no sugar stirrers and no other refreshments. In contrast, both Rick Case and Potamkin offer snacks, bottled water, and a clean, inviting atmosphere--small touches that show they value their customers.
My advice to the Jim Ellis Hyundai team: you have A LOT of work to do when it comes to basic customer service. I strongly recommend you visit the Rick Case or Potamkin Hyundai dealerships and see how their customer services compare with yours. Simple courtesy and kindness and just showing some effort to work/help your customers goes a LONG way. You have lost my business for ever!
