KIA
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Appalling after sales support and…
Appalling after sales support and customer care. Despite being actually quite happy with the features of our 2012 Kia Cee'd 1.6 crdi 4 we have had many warranty replacements over the 7 years we have had the car and a persistent re-occurring battery drain problem that to date has resulted in two replacement batteries and 4 replacement door antennae ( that is apparently the cause of the battery drain). Throughout this period Kia have steadfastly refused to acknowledge that this is unacceptable or to accept my assertion that there is another undiagnosed underlying case of this problem. Each time we go through the cycle I have received the same assurances from my local dealership (Wessex Kia Bristol) that the problem has been resolved only for it to return further down the line. Have contacted customer services several times over this period and they just seem incapable or unwilling to listen to my very unhappy protestations. As the conclusion of our 7 year warranty period approached and after another round of the same conversation I even went as far (for the first time in my life) as emailing Paul Philpott (Kia UK CEO) to voice my dissatisfaction but alas the response stayed the same. Central customer service team just seem to deflect everything back to the dealership and the dealership, in turn say there is nothing more that they can do without further intervention/authorisation from centralised Kia UK. Appalling. Service staff in dealership are constantly changing (itself a worrying sign) and so there is no continuity between different events except that provided by the customer. The fact that all service advisors and managers over the 6 years i have been ranting about this problem with them suggests to me that there is a script/process that they are following and the concept of any true customer service is not one they recognise. They will sell you a car very well but after sales service is appalling. I have spent many weeks/months in conflict with Kia over the 7 years. Never have i had such a bad relationship with any company in my 48 years on this planet. I have made to feel like an unreasonable customer whereas all I want is a car that works and performs as expected. We bought Kia for the first time thinking the 7 year warranty was a good safety net. The reality is that it has been absolutely essential and in no way takes into account the time and aggravation that owning a Kia has caused us. We will NEVER buy a Kia again and have been advising friends and family as such for many years now. I repeat this same advice in wider forum. Stay away.