BUYER BEWARE!
Take a moment if you will, and follow along as I tell you my buying experience thus far with Vroom.
First and foremost, this is not my first automobile buying experience. I’ve purchased other autos, new and used, before at traditional dealerships. I chose Vroom initially because they catered to my demographic. An online purchase, that could be done with ease without having to leave the comfort of my home. I’ve purchased tons of things online before from reputable sites, including the purchase of my current home. I’ve also sold items online, so I made sure to choose a company that I believed to be reputable and had obviously had experience in selling vehicles online. That company I thought was Vroom, but alas I was wrong. Please take some time and read my story, allow me to share with you my car buying experience with Vroom.
So, in November of 2018 I chose Vroom to purchase my vehicle. I initially applied for appraisal of a vehicle I was looking to trade in/sell. I already knew I could sell this vehicle on the private market for $2,000 to $2,500 but didn’t really want to deal with that hassle, and was obviously willing to take a loss for foregoing having to deal with a private sale. Needless to say, Vroom's appraisal was anything but a small loss, since they only offered me $150.00 cash for said vehicle. I can understand this part of their business model, buy low and turn around and sell to make a profit, and this is not necessarily as to why I am discontent with Vroom, but I wanted to share this part of my experience nonetheless.
Ten days later I submitted my application for a used vehicle I found on their website. I thoroughly reviewed the pictures they had posted online as well as their Carfax report. I still pulled my own Carfax report to be sure I wasn’t being misled. Both reports matched up, so I was excited to move forward with the purchase. After filling out the application online with all the pertinent credit information, I received a call the next day from Tyler. He was calling to complete the credit application since there was going to be a co-signer on the application. Everything gets verified and he provides the rates and emails them out. We took a day to think over whether we want to complete the purchase and the following day decided we liked the terms and called Tyler to let him know. Obviously, there are documents that need to be signed and returned. Tyler is aware that the co-signer and I didn’t reside in the same city and sets it up so that the docs go to one of us and then gets to the other person and then finally to Vroom.
This is where it all begins to go downhill. It turns into what can only be described as an episode from The Three Stooges, even though after all this I would probably find them to be more competent at completing this transaction. The initial documents were sent to an address that was non-existent, an address that neither I nor the co-signer gave in the online application or by phone. I realized this because I used the FedEx app to check the tracking number that was given and saw the address after FedEx called me on their failed attempted delivery. I called Vroom, they say they have the info down as whatever sales had written down. This should have been my first red flag since blaming other departments would become a trend. I contacted them and asked for a supervisor, they said none were available and that one would get back to me. I received a voicemail from a supervisor and returned the call three times, leaving a voicemail all three times and never getting a return phone call. Eventually, they corrected the information and they re-did the contract and resent it with the correct address.
We get the corrected info and this time it is delivered correctly since it does have the correct address. We sign and initial the paperwork and send it back. A couple of days later we get an email saying that one of the documents is missing my initials, so they will resend the lone document for me to initial and return. They sent the document alright, but they sent it to the co-signer instead of to me. I call Vroom and let them know of this situation, so they email prepaid postage so the co-signer can get it sent to me. At that same time, we get notification of the vehicle no longer being held for the sale because we did not return the document within 24 hours, even though it was sent to the wrong person. Once again, I call and request a supervisor, who tells me that once they get the document they will then put a hold on the vehicle. I tell her that the co-signer and I aren’t in the same city so it could be a day before they (Vroom) get the document and obviously someone could purchase the vehicle out from under us. She showed no empathy and could care less, and never provided another alternative. I recommended that if I was able to send her the return tracking number by their time of closing would she then put the vehicle back on hold. I informed her that I took responsibility for the missing initials, but because it was an error on their end for sending the requested document to the wrong person, there should be some leeway. She agreed with my offer, this forced me to have to leave and drive three hours away to were the co-signer was with the document so I could initial it and send it out so the tracking number showed as sent.
The supervisor had informed me that I just needed to call before 8 pm closing time their time. When I called which would have been thirty minutes before they closed, the recording informed me they actually close at 7 pm. Now, I’m not saying she purposely misinformed me, but the writing is on the wall. Additionally, when I told that same supervisor that I had previously left various voicemails for another supervisor and never received a return call. She stated that the supervisor was on a prolonged absence and that’s why she wasn’t returning my phone call. I used to work as a supervisor for a top 3 insurance company. Anytime any of us took an extended absence we made sure to leave a detailed voicemail regarding that absence with our return date so whoever needed to reach us would know why we would not be returning a phone call. This should have been my second or third red flag.
Now, we begin the third stage of the process. A process that was started late November has brought us to mid-December. We get notification that everything is approved and we receive a call that the vehicle will be delivered 12/21 between 12-6 pm. So, we wait all day and at 4 pm we receive a call stating that they are four hours away, obviously not within the time frame they said the car would arrive by. At around 10 pm the doorbell rings and the car is here. Before I sign for the car I have to look it over. So, at 10 pm I’m supposed to look over a black car and sign for delivery of it. I sign for it because at the end of the day I know I have 7 days to return it. I wasn’t able to do much with the vehicle since I had to leave for a holiday vacation the next day.
When I return I take it directly to the dealership to get it thoroughly inspected to make sure I am going to keep the vehicle. Mechanically everything is excellent on the vehicle, the only points of concern are on the back fender where there is a horrible correction paint job, and the rear spoiler glue is becoming undone on the right side. Listen, I get it, it is a used vehicle, so I expected some issues. Where I have a problem is that anybody who has sold something online knows that you always take pictures and or point out the blemishes on the product you are selling, otherwise it looks like a classic bait and switch. Had these blemishes been discussed or pointed out on the website there is a good possibility I would have still purchased the vehicle though maybe tried to haggle the price but Vroom never failed to mentions these deficiencies on their website description or in their pictures.
It is now February, and obviously I decided to keep the vehicle regardless of its cosmetic defects that I will pay out of pocket to correct. Yet my story and saga are still not done. I contacted Vroom because my temporary registration was about to expire and I still hadn’t received my license plates. I call and speak to Roderick and he asks if I have the vehicle, to which I reply yeah, I’ve had the vehicle since December. He says he doesn’t show a vehicle being delivered to me. I inform him that Ally Bank has already taken out payments for the vehicle so I most definitely have the vehicle. I tell him that at this point I would rather just register the vehicle myself as I can’t really deal with this incompetence anymore. He said I would have to redo the contract again for that to happen. That’s the wrong thing to tell a law student, as nothing in the contract requires that they be the ones who registers the vehicles. He then says that I’ve paid for them to do it. I tell him I could care less if I lose money because I only have a week left of my current registration and they obviously haven’t been able to do anything correctly including registering my vehicle. I’m placed on hold as he speaks to a supervisor and states they will send me new temporary tags and will fill out the registration correctly so they arrive before the temporary tags expire. As of now, I’m still waiting for my permanent tags and plate.
I understand this is a lengthy review, but I hope you’ve taken the time to read this. As this has been my experience with Vroom. It may have been harder for me to deal with because I used to be a Supervisor for a top 3 insurance company. If there was ever any department that made an error we never placed the blame on them. We owned the error because we were all one company and did whatever we could to make the customer whole whenever WE as a company made a mistake. We also returned our calls promptly when left with a voicemail or left the appropriate voicemail so as to make our customers aware if we were not going to be available. We also provided customers with all the alternative solutions available to them as opposed to having our customers doing our job for us and giving us the solutions. Since at the end of the day we were there to assist them.
Secondly, if you are going to sell a product online, describe its blemishes, customers understand used vehicles may come with defects, hiding them and not pointing them out only makes the bait and switch theory even more plausible.
Finally, I would think that a company whose literal job is to sell cars could deal with having a co-signer and sending out documents a) to the correct address and b) to the correct recipients. As well as provide their customers with accurate windows of delivery of their vehicles and register them in the appropriate manner within the appropriate time.
This experience has been anything but what their "motto" or "mission statement" is. If I had to choose to purchase with Vroom again, my answer would be an emphatic NO! I purchased the vehicle in late November and we are past the middle of February and I’m still dealing with their incompetence. Heed this review as a warning of what you may expect if you chose to buy a vehicle from Vroom. If you do, I wish you luck. I’d personally rather go through Carvana or just put myself through the torture of dealing with a salesman at a dealership. In all honesty, I wouldn’t buy gum from Vroom even if they showed me a picture.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
