Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought a engine for my Ford ***** **** at Columbia Ford Kia, On January 2024.
  Last week I called them about my oil light was on in my truck, I stoped driving the truck, I checked the oil next morning and for my surprise it was empty.
  I called them to see what was going on because I verealy had drive the truck and they told me to bring it to the shop on May 13,2024 and they called me today May 15,2024 and they are telling me that the engine is not good.
  I payed $8400.00 for the engine, now they are telling me that I need to change the engine, and I have to pay almost $3000 for labor.
  They also told me that I have a year of warranty on the engine, to my surprise they just gived me a copy saying that I only have 6 months of warranty.
  I'm verry upset of the care that they are giving me.
  I would like to have my truck fixed because I already pay them the cost of the job that they were supposed to be done.
  Another concerned when I told with then over the phone he was saying that I have to called the company where they got the engine, I told him that wasn't me who did the purchase from there provider, they have to take care of that.
  I'm very disappointed about all this.
  I hope everything get solved ??

  Business Response

  Date: 05/30/2024

  Good afternoon ******, we have talked to the salvage yard that sold us the engine. Their contract and receipt clearly states 6 months warranty parts only no labor. I do understand there was no other option for you except to go with a used salvage yard engine. When doing repairs such as this we always try to steer our customers le towards a Ford manufactured engine that comes with 3 years unlimited mileage every component parts and labor.
  Unfortunately Ford motor company discontinued these engines. The salvage yard is shipping us another engine assembly at no charge that will come with the same warranty. The labor involved to swap over the engines is approximately $2700.00 we completely understand and empathize with your situation.
  At this point we are willing to do a 50/50 split 1 time Goodwill. Leaving the balance owed from you $1,350 if you have any other questions regarding our offer please contact Michael P***** in our service department.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/12/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  i sent pictures of what it has looked in past. i don’t have issues with them i’m just frustrated im spending money on parts & stuff with nothing solved. i just want to have it not leaking again or figure something out with a new vehicle idk what to do do i call my loan officer & tell them 

  Business Response

  Date: 04/12/2024

  We have resolved this issue with Mr. *****.  There was some residual water sloshing around in the other side of the roof (one of the drainplugs on the opposite side of the roof from the repair was clogged which was causing a sloshing sound in the roof).  Repair was made correctly, just needed to drain rest of water.  He was here today and was taken care of.

  
  thank you

   

  Eric @ Columbia Ford

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/28/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On May 18 my vehicle was sent to Columbia ford was suppose to service my Vehicle for an electrical problem resulting in a motor vehicle accident and contracted to do so by *********** **** ****, Columbia ford during one point caused damage because the hood was not secured and smashed the front windshield, the company then tried to hide this from us and stated no other components were damaged this occurred sometime between May 18-20 as they refused to speak and give us answers on situation of electrical issue, a rep from *********** **** went to look and found damage to the hood and fender that Columbia ford was attempting to hide from myself as the owner, I told them I did not trust them to do work and had it towed back to *********** **** and now they are dragging their feet to get the window replaced and I am out of a vehicle for 2 additional weeks. I am unable to afford the cost for rental vehicle on insurance so have had to beg and barter to use vehicles from friends. I asked about getting a loaner from Columbia on May 21 when we were made aware the window was broken and told it wouldn’t be able to be corrected or fixed until May 27. Today is the 28 and I just got home from work and have been told they will not get anyone to fix the window until next week around April 3. This has created a huge burden on my family of 5 and have seen zero help from Columbia to correct there wrong doing

  Business Response

  Date: 03/28/2024

  We just spoke with ****** and ******** and we are providing them a loaner while their vehicle is being repaired (glass that we are paying to fix) on Monday 4/1/24 between 11-1pm.  We apologized for any miscommunication/poor communication and we will make internal corrections to that.  Customer agreed to come pick loaner up Friday around 9:30, we agreed to pick loaner up from *********** ****body once unit is ready to roll.

   

  Best,
  
  Eric G****
  General Manager
  Columbia Ford INC
  ###-###-####

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/20/2024

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  As noted in the picture on Columbia Ford's website, it states $1500.00 rebate. I have received several different paperwork within the last few days from Columbia Ford stating the $500.00 rebate on the bill of sale is the Veterans discount.  I only received $1,000 rebate instead of the $1500 as the company promoted.  Another piece of paper states, information on the powertrain warranty. The amount of the check I received. The paperwork about the powertrain warranty was never given to me and when I asked for this specific paperwork, Jake said they didn't have it. But now you do? And with no signatures. Yes, the company did try to reach out when I was at work by calling and texting my cell phone. I was given from 11:47am- 12:18pm on 2/21/2024 to reach out before Eric stated he would be responding to the complaint. As I stated, I was at work, and definitely was not given adequate time to respond. I did submit a transcript of Jakes voicemail where he states I'm going to receive a certified letter (still have not received it) Jake said we would hear from their attorney if we don't pay back the check. As I have stated, there has been many threats and harassment from this dealership. Columbia Ford openly admitted that sending us the check was their mistake. 2 months later they want us to fix their mistake and pay it back. None of this harassment or threats have been addressed. I'm not paying for their mistake. Two people had to sign the check that was addressed in my name, in order for the check to be legal. Lots of errors on your part. 

  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  *** ********

  did consider paying the money back, but the stories kept changing. And the threats got more intense. First it was stated Ian signed paperwork, now it's this new system made a mistake. Nothing was mailed to me about this mistake. There is no paperwork about this mistake, other than what Jake says. Jake is saying it is their fault, the company, they made a mistake, you need to do the right thing and pay us back or we will seek legal action. The threats have been constant, and Jake has been EXTRENLY rude. As of right now he said to expect paperwork from their lawyer, a certified letter and it will cost you way more in the long run. My general manager will not let this sit. It will be escalated, In the snootiest voice. I do have test messages, voice mails and such from Jake and I do have an attorney now. How am I, the customer, responsible for the mistake a company makes? The company made the mistake, I should not have to suffer for their incompetence . 2 signatures where required on the Columbia Fords check in order for it to be mailed out to me. Name on the check is *** ********. I also want my Veterans discount.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/21/2024

  We have attempted to call and text *** ******** to iron out some confusion on this deal.  Customer signed an acknowledgement regarding their military discount they received as part of the $1500 itemized rebate on the purchase order. (see attached)  The Ford military certificate requires a unique certificate number to be generated with multiple checkpoints regarding the military member's status- we would not be able to process the rebate without these checkpoints being done. The $620 was in connection with a complimentary 5year/100k mile Ford Protect Powertrain Care warranty that was specific, and ONLY was applicable if the military rebate was claimed.  As noted in the program rules (attached), it's an auto-payment to the dealer to reimburse the dealer for the cost of the Powertrain Care warranty that is auto-enrolled once unit is delivered.  Ultimately, we, Columbia Ford, were debited by Ford for the $620 when the unit went into service for the cost of the Warranty, but also reimbursed to make whole the $620 in the way of rebate payment.  (All rebates are paid to the dealer for the incentives/rebates we convey on a sales- this includes reimbursements for specialized programs like this one, then funded to us weekly coded by VIN so we know where to associate the rebates to).  

  
  The sheer unusualness of this rebate (we do not process many Military deals, this is the first claim for this incentive (the Military 5year/100k powertrain incentive) we have ever done. Added to the confusion as it is normal for us to reimburse a customer if a rebate comes in attached to their VIN and if, for some reason, we did not issue the correct rebate dollar amount to their deal, the Columbia Ford office is instructed to reimburse the customer.  Normally, there is no product attached to create this "debit" as mentioned above, i.e. "complimentary 5year/100k Military powertrain coverage".  In this case, our office mistakenly sent out our reimbursement for the processing of the coverage to the customer.  As soon as the mistake was caught, we made Ian aware and requested the funds be returned as the check was issued in error.  We ask that the documents be reviewed by the customer and the $620 be returned to us within 2 weeks.  We processed the deal, the military rebate and other incentives correctly, we did issue the check to *** ******** in error.  The customer has already provided a screenshot showing the total of $1500 of rebates ($1000 attached to LOW APR program + $500 for Military) to show we provided this savings at the time of sale, which is the normal procedure.  (see attached rebate acknowledgement form signed by the customer)

  Please see the following attachments for further detail and full program so the error can be traced back:

  -MILITARY REBATE CERTIFICATE REGISTRATION

  -SIGNED REBATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT "CUSTOMER CASE PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION"

  -FORD PROTECT "COMPLIMENTARY" POWERTRAIN CARE COVERAGE ENROLLMENT PROOF

  -FORD SMARTVINCENT SHOWING AVAILABLE PROGRAMS CLAIMED- NOTE "CUSTOMER CASH" TOTAL NEXT TO ARROW

  -FULL PROGRAM ANNOUCEMENT FOR 2022/2023/2024 MODEL SELECT VEHICLES 5YR/100K MILE FORD PROTECT POWERTRAIN CARE (PGM# 71184)

   

   

  Best, 
  
  Eric G****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/20/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The dealer sold me a car that had a pre existing problem and when i told them the car needs to be repaired they took the car in and did not fix the problem instead fixed something that should have been done on their initial inspection.i bought the car to them 2 times and another mechanic 2 times as well. Their claim is the car has no problem but the car hs repeatedly shut off on me with my minor children in the car more than a dozen times with and without the check engine light on. I reported the problem the first few days of my purchase and still they refused to fix the car which they are obligated to do. It has cost me lost of wages nearly losing my job and quality of life and other work opportunities.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/20/2023

  Original complaint of the unit "shutting off" randomly has yet to rear it's head under our care.  It initially came in and step 1 was to replace the spark plugs, some were found to not be sparking, we advised that we would replace that as well as the battery.  Road tested, seemed to have fixed the concern.  A few days later customer complained of having a similar issue, we offered to bring a loaner directly to him, customer declined and brought to his local Kia dealership.  Local Kia dealership recommended replacing an O2 sensor which was done.  Per customer, did not alleviate concern, stated he's still experiencing same thing.  We send a complimentary loaner to him which he was in for about 16 days while we drove his vehicle for approx 125 miles over the course of 16 days (service writer, service manager, technician, shop Foreman all drove unit, no one could replicate the concern therefore no further diagnosis was performed due to the lack of concern coming to the surface (we are unable to pinpoint a remedy for a concern we cannot get to reoccur).

  This does not warrant a refund if we cannot pinpoint the concern during our servicing.  Customer still have **** **** Certification so unit would need to be brought here for us to determine cause of failure again so we can report back to the Manufacturer.  At no point have we refused to fix the concern, we have refused to replace parts that are guesses by the customer as to what the root of the concern is.  Ultimately, we need the unit back to our dealership in order to expose the cause of failure.  **** **** Certification will also allow another dealer (outside of the **** network of dealers) to make a repair a submit said claim, should that component be covered by the **** **** Certification the dealer will be reimbursed for the part and the labor less the $100 **** deductible.  All of this has been explained to Mr. ********.  Best,  Eric @ Columbia **** KIA

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/23/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I did not cause the defect in the vehicle. S you're saying that you have to take more off the vehicle due to an in operating part for when you sell the car to the next customer? That's not on us that is on you. I returned to the dealership on 5/2 first thing in the morning to report the issue and we STILL have no answers. How many weeks is it going to take until we get answers on the issue? I have been hearing for a week now that service is going to reach out to get an engineer scheduled but they still hav yet to do that too.

  The way I see it is that you are having me take back the vehicle so it can depreciate more so when it comes to us possibly having to get a new one we receive less for it. It is pretty clear that no one went over this car to see if everything worked when it got on the lot from ************* because if someone did then they didn't do their job right or kept quiet. It may be the first time for this complaint but it has been long enough. I could have bought a used car and have better luck. The numbers that were emailed to us was a slap to the face. It also isn't you or your workers switching a carseat back and forth from each vehicle. You know if the role was reversed you would be just as mad as I am. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ****** *********

  ep the car. Well they never called me back so when I got out of work I called the service department and was told they had gone home already and the lady who was looking for my file couldn't't find anything about my car. Today is 5/23 and it is STILL in the shop. I asked for an equal exchange for another vehicle and they are instead offering my THOUSANDS LESS for a trade in AND upping my monthly payment by 200 dollars! This car had issues since day 1. I have had to call them every day to see what is going on. Last I've heard from them is when they told me this car will probably be in the shop for a few weeks. I did not buy a new car for this to happen and not get a fair outcome with the dealership. Instead they are screwing me over even more.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2023

  Have accommodated as much as we can.  Honored switching loaner out to requested larger one.  We did not build the vehicle therefore need Kia's input into fixing the concern.  Awaiting a field engineer to inspect.  This is FIRST concern, FIRST visit.  Need to see repair through before we can replace per Kia guidance, at this point it would be a regular trade-in situation which does not behoove customer or dealership as we will need to convey a sale to the next person knowing it's got a part inop.  This is a non-safety item and does not warrant extended loaner, nor will Kia cover additional days on loaner.  They recommend having customer take unit back and come back in when Field Engineer sets time to come in and inspect.  I offered to send driver to swap our loaner with their vehicle and will do the same for the appointment with the Field Engineer.

   

  Please call me with any additional questions- ###-###-####

   

  Best,
  
  Eric @ Columbia Ford KIA

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/18/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I traded in my 2021 Kia ********* on 5/2/22 and "bought" a 2014 F*** ****** *** ********. I got $49,000 for the ********* (fully equipped and low mileage). I checked their website after the trade and they had the car listed for $59,000. Originally BRAND NEW I paid $55,000. 3 days after I bought my car I realized that it was not suitable for me. I had to trade my ********* because I was in the middle of a divorce and almost $800 payment was not affordable for me anymore. I had to trade in as soon as I could to prevent repossession. They told me that I was unable to return the car and wanted me to trade the car in and the vehicle that was "within the range" that the loan would cover would bring my payment back up from $366 to over $600 close to $700. They only offered me this one car even though there were less expensive ones (less than what I paid for the fusion) on their lot. Less than a month after driving the car off the lot I got an emissions testing card even though we asked them several times if it was done. in addition to that several (at least 5) letters of recalls. I brought the car in for the recalls and they only did 2 or 3 of them. I also had an oil change and no one had informed me of the massive, large holes and rotting on the exhaust long pipe in which today while getting on the highway (rte 9) with my 2 year old in the car the pipe fell to the ground (see pictures attached) and we were left on the shoulder of the highway for over an hour waiting for the AAA tow-truck with police cars behind me for safety. This caused me to be 3hours late to work as well as my mom leaving her job to pick my daughter and myself up. All of this could have been avoided if they had properly overlooked the car as they say they do before it is bought and the few times it was in the service department. On top of it all, the brakes and tires were on the lower side. They took advantage of a determined/stressed woman going through divorce.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2023

  Customer is accurate in the sense that she came to us needing to trade the vehicle she bought from us about 18 after purchasing it.  She did not pay $55,000 for the 2021 *********, she paid $50580.  18 months and 18212 miles later she came to us to trade and lower her payment.  We then isolated the 2014 ****** as the most cost effective/finance-able unit we had in stock that would accomplish what she was looking to accomplish.  We allowed her $49,000 for a trade in, again, 18 months and over 18k more miles after she bought it for $50,580.  She decreased her payment from $732.24/month to $366.63 per month by making the switch. When the ****** purchase was made on 04/30/2022 there were no open recalls on this unit.  The first recall was introduced by Ford on 08/24/2022 then another on 03/13/2023 (after the sale made by us).  

  We will be glad to reimburse the $20 emissions testing fee that was paid for and performed by the customer.  We processed this deal in an appropriate manner, provided the correct disclosures and provided all of the appropriate documentation when selling an 8 year old vehicle in **.  The vehicle did undergo new front brake pads and rotors in the front while the rear pads/rotors passed ** inspection.  The tires also passed at 7 and 6/32nds respectively.  

  Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

  
  Best,

  
  Eric @ Columbia Ford INC 

  ************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/06/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 04/06/2023

  Customer authorized the repair on the catalytic converter at 11:21AM today and proceeded to file this complaint 20 minutes later.  Catalytic converters are not covered under any service contract that the customer purchased during the buying process.  We disclose everything that is covered during the sale and the customer signs and gets copies of all documents showing coverage.  Unfortunately, catalytic converters are not an item that is covered by the service contracts nor the original OEM warranty due to the age/mileage at time of sale.

   

  Please contact Eric G**** @ ###-###-#### with any further questions.
  
  Thank you

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/13/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ******

  Business Response

  Date: 03/14/2023

  Our Service Manager, Michael P***** has attempted to reach out to this customer in regard to the concern.  Customer scheduled a "free oil change" and at drop off made mention of the 2 items to inspect.  We charged him half of the labor for inspection as a courtesy (1 hour normally, 1/2 hour for him).  Items need to be inspected prior to being determined if covered under "warranty" or not to find cause of failure. We cannot submit a warranty claim without a cause of failure.  If item is covered by warranty, the warranty company will pay for the diagnosis on a covered item.  We are awaiting ********* call back so we can settle this issue.

  
  Thank you,
  
  Eric G****
  ************