Vroom Review: How It Works, Pros and Cons

In my last experience with a car dealership I went to purchase a used vehicle. I knew the exact vehicle I wanted and just wanted to buy that vehicle. They spent several hours trying to tell me I should go with a new vehicle, tried to show me several models. I ended up walking out. They called me the next day and I got the vehicle I came for in the first place. Now Vroom...I found the vehicle I wanted, they called me within 10 min, I put my $500 hold money on the car within 20 min, and the rest is history. No runaround, no haggle. I do recommend you take any vehicle you buy online to a dealer immediately to be inspected. The vehicle I purchased needed a new windshield, which Vroom immediately repaired, needed both turbo engines replaced, sway bars, and the microphone was missing out of it. All was covered under the manufacturer's warranty or would have cost over $8000. Vroom was extremely efficient to respond to the issues and I was happy with their customer service and updates while anxiously awaiting delivery of my vehicle.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Got online to search for a car, came up on Vroom. Was a little skeptical about the process but I’m glad I took that chance. It was easy and smooth, Vroom reps were in contact with me throughout the entire process. Thanks again.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

The vehicle is awesome, better than imagined. The post delivery customer service was fantastic. The communication through the buying process was slow. I had to drive the conversation through each step.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

This was the worst experience. Were sent the wrong vehicle. I was so mad. They charged us $599.00 and the vehicle I ordered was never delivered. This company is a scam. Edward in customer service tried to argue with me when I called him out on it. This is a shame and disservice to customers. Once they get your money, they talk junk and act like they have no idea what could have happened or where you're coming from. They should be shut down. I wish I had seen all the negative reviews before. I see it's not only me they are scamming. I asked to be called by a Supervisor and no one ever responded. Poor communication and customer service. Customer support is a joke. Please don't waste your time with this company. They are a piece of work. Edward should be fired with his attitude. They will get what's coming to them. All these negative reviews...They won't be in business long. Buyer beware.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I bought a 2016 vehicle from you guys, it was delivered to me and everything looked good until I drove it. The car was making metal grinding sounds. The next day I brought it to the Infiniti dealership and was told that every nut and bolt on the bottom of that car was corroded and rusted. Plus my rear brakes were down to metal to metal, the exhaust was rerouted by someone that was not professional and they did a job that should not have been done, wasn't up to spec. I was saying to myself how would these people send the car like this out to me, unsafe like this to say...sorry that the vehicle arrived in that condition? And that being said, the employees were very professional! I checked this car out within my 7 days, 250-mile warranty because if I didn't I would be stuck with a car that was a flood victim. Would I ever buy another car online? Absolutely not.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

During the process of purchasing my vehicle, I was contacted by the dealership that actually had the car. They were quite aggressive, insisting that I buy the car from them at a higher price and saying that they had never heard of Vroom (yet they somehow had all of my personal information). The dealership actually mailed me a contract and spam called my phone, insisting that I was obligated to sign their contract. It was so stressful and I could get no one at Vroom to return my calls. I finally got someone via email and was told to just sign Vroom's contract. There was no explanation or apology. I did buy the car from Vroom, as the dealerships were closed due to the pandemic and I needed a car. However, I would not do it again and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. When the car arrived, to add insult to injury, it had cosmetic damage that I had not been told about. Not good.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Took delivery of vehicle purchased from Vroom approximately two weeks ago. Vehicle arrived with cosmetic damage NOT noted or photographed in the listing. The DAY AFTER taking delivery I opened the sunroof for the first time and it immediately came off of the track and a retaining bracket broke causing the back of the sunroof panel to detach from the vehicle while driving and flop around in the wind. I purchased an additional $2500 warranty from Vroom at the time I purchased the car. The vehicle extended warranty provider (Safeguard) AND Vroom BOTH DENY responsibility and accountability. Even though they say their vehicles come with a "90-day warranty". Vehicle is covered by both an extended 2-year 24,000-mile warranty AND their own 90-day warranty. Vroom says I will have to cover the cost of the repair ($3400) myself or return the vehicle (presumably losing the $600 shipping cost as noted in the contact as well as a nearly $200 diagnostic charge incurred by having the vehicle inspected by a Mercedes dealership). I also sent Vroom a body shop estimate for the cosmetic damage -no one from the Vroom team bothered to photograph or note in the "imperfections" section of the listing. The listing even went on to specifically say "Our team found no notable cosmetic imperfections upon inspection of this vehicle." -Vroom.com. Repairs needed by a reputable body shop total $1900. Vroom has offered me $600 for the repairs needed without even inspecting the damage or contacting the body shop that provided the estimate.

Update: To date, NO attempt has been made by Vroom to contact myself or Safeguard to repair the vehicle's $3400 faulty sunroof. Each and every time I must call Vroom as no one from any level of management has EVER called or spoken with me directly about any of the concerns I have.

For Vroom - Guys, if you get this, it's pretty easy. Contact me directly and offer a reasonable resolution between Vroom, Safeguard, and myself. You can both make your margin and complete this transaction and everybody can be happy. I shouldn't have to say this but apparently whatever level of management makes decisions on your end is incapable of weighing out all of the factors to come up with a satisfactory resolution for all parties. Also - if you're hiring, let me know, you guys could use a skilled decision-maker able to weigh out those factors and communicate with your customers effectively.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT PAID ADVERTISER OR AN EMPLOYEE OF THIS COMPANY.

Here’s my car buying experience through Vroom. I tried to be OBJECTIVE as much as possible so whoever reads this review and is on the fence about this particular company and or the whole online car buying territory, one can at least make an informed decision.

Buying: My initial buying experience through Vroom was smooth sailing thus far. Just like so many others, I visited a countless brick and mortar, lots of hook'n and jab’n for the best price. No such luck. I started search online and by luck found a car on the Vroom website. I have zero prior experience buying a car online. I "clicked" my way through the initial buying process. A few hours later, a Vroom rep called to explain the way ahead. Charged a $500 deposit to slap that "Sales Pending" banner on the website for a 24-hour period as you get paperwork started. Vroom sends an email with a link to electronically review/sign the Purchase Agreement. Included with this is a copy of the Carfax report. I sent a cashier's check via FedEx using the label included in their email; all this done in one day.

Delivery: Received several emails spaced out a few days apart to confirm an approximate delivery date. The date of delivery fluctuated several times but all communicated well in advance by email. This was followed up by phone calls by a Vroom rep and finally delivery driver. Car arrived early morning Saturday by a private hauler, driver did his thing, I gave it a quick "look over" to ensure it's actually the car I selected. I commenced an in-depth surface inspection of the car to confirm pre-existing cosmetic imperfections noted from Vroom's website in addition to making note of anything new...as to be expected, I did indeed find a few more minor discrepancies throughout the car; however, no deal breakers.

Behind the Scene: Purely speculating here but I imagine A LOT of stuff taking place on Vroom's side once the deal goes thru. From coordination with whoever has your car (it's probably NOT located in Texas), state of overall condition since it's most likely been sitting outside for pro-long period since website photos, prepping the car for delivery, bid and award for transpo, and perhaps a QA checkpoint by Vroom at some point before delivery (Vroom keeps the details of their inner workings under lock and key).

Concerns: One wheel had very noticeable damage near the lug nut area which was not mentioned on the website. Did not come with 60-day Temp Tags. The Interior of the car was immaculate. The exterior was surface dirty from travel on an open trailer. I do understand it's a used car and "normal wear and tear" is subjective but expected.

Date of Purchase: April 30, 2020.

Date of Delivery: May 9, 2020.

Thus far, I personally enjoyed the online car buying experience. Yes - it's new and I was nervous as hell buying something without physically touching it in addition to reading loads of "interesting reviews" from fellow consumers about their personal experience with Vroom on various other websites...definitely made it more suspenseful.

UPDATE 1 (May 11, 2020): YES, Vroom states they conduct their own inspection; however, what EXACTLY this consists of is unknown (when requested for inspection checklist, Vroom didn't share this with me). It would be "WOO" of you to error on side of caution: being that the closest bonafide Volvo shop to me is 3 hours away and would certainly exceed 250mi "grace period", I paid $125 for a local non-Volvo shop to conduct Used Car Inspection - it took 3 hours. Post inspection, no issues mechanically. The only recommendation was to replace engine oil and filter (DONE) and new tires (pending). I contacted Vroom to inquire about my options pertaining to the replacement of tires and damage to one wheel. They sent me an email requesting evidence of my concerns which I responded with pics and a copy of the dealership’s inspection checklist.

UPDATE 2 (May 13, 2020): Vroom FedEx overnighted missing TEMP TAG; turnaround time one day.

UPDATE 3 (May 15, 2020): Vroom will not be compensating for dealership recommended tire replacement. Stated the tire measurements meet their quality assurance.

UPDATE 4 (May 16, 2020): For $400, had the worst two tires replaced. The other two tires will be also replaced soon. I am not risking the welfare of my wife or kids to save a few hundred dollars.

As for damaged rim, I will fix myself using the over-the-counter product. Now that I have a better understanding of how "frugal" Vroom is ratifying post-sale discrepancies, I just assumed Vroom would declare damaged rims are "within acceptance" for normal and tear. I didn't want to taint my perception of Vroom any further; after such a flawless INITIAL car buying experience.

This whole experience isn’t perfect but it is a viable alternative.

Good luck everyone.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Car came at 1 am in the morning, excuse every hour on delivery. The next day woke up to scratches, dings, and rock chips in the paint after the car was in daylight. Crack in windshield. Company offered me a touch-up pin, what a joke. Brakes squeaking, and I provided estimates and was told they are not fixing anything, it’s used. Never buy a car from this company online. They look good but it is the worse decision to buy a car from them.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I've wasted enough of my time dealing with Vroom but here is an email that I wrote to them...which no one responded to. Worst experience with a company...EVER!

Vroom,

Nobody has contacted me from the customer support team yet. I spoke with the driver more and found out that everything vroom specialists I spoke with for updates this week were outright lying about what was going on with my truck until I spoke with you. I'm furious!

Some of the lies were I was told the driver was doing another drop off and I would be next that same day which was a lie. He never left houston. I was told that the driver was unreachable because he was driving to Charlotte which was a lie, his truck was in the shop the last 5 days. I've had 4 total call back requests I was told I would recieve that were not returned. I was told a vroom rep spoke to the driver and he would arrive on Weds which was a lie, the driver never spoke to vroom and was only dealing with a broker.

The entire time all I wanted was an accurate estimate of arrival so I didn't have to wait around all day for it and the last 4 days vroom did everything wrong.

Even the way the vehicle was financed was very deceptive but I didn't really complain. I have a 740 credit score and was initially offered a "competitive rate" according to the rep at a 10% interest rate. That's damn near predatory pricing as I was easily able to secure a 4.5%. Vroom advertises on their website "Highly Competitive Rates- Our 12+ banks and lending partners will compete with each other to get you a low rate." What a bunch of BS and a lie. The vroom rep said he only went to two banks and needed my permission to check with another 3. It was very obvious vroom was trying to take advantage of me. Not to mention the rep aggressively selling additional maintenance packages that my insurance would cover. I feel sorry for other customers your screwing over with your financing.

I want someone to contact me today from customer service to make this right.

Thank you

Kyle

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

VROOM reached out to us yesterday to discuss the review. He watched the video I sent and agreed that he would have refused the vehicle as well. They offered their sincere apologies. I truly believe they will use this as a training tool, find what went wrong in the process, and use it to better their service moving forward. Unfortunately, we will not be a future customer but appreciate the call.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend