AIC KIA of Manassas
reviews and complaints

Although AIC Kia of Manassas and/or A C Auto (they use both names and are the same dealer) say that they are a auto dealership, that is really only a half truth. This supposed dealership is really nothing more that a financing mill for poor or bad credit situations. They will tell you whatever it takes, even straight up lie to get you to come into the office to be processed for an auto loan. Do not believe what they tell you! They have a really slick gimmick utilizing online and telecommunication techniques. This is how it went down for me:

I was online looking for someone to help us with a loan due to bad credit. We filled out a few Applications and were contacted by Sara Evans @ [protected].
"She had some exciting good news for me" and that I should call back a.s.a.p., so I did just that and spoke to a Shannon (she didn't give her last name). Shannon explained that I had been approved for a vehicle loan, that I could pick out any model out of their 3000 cars AND that I had been approved for 100% financing up to $28, 000.00. Shannon said that this offer of finance was only good for 48 hrs, and that she needed to schedule an appointment, right away, to meet with loan counselor Sara Evans in Manassas, VA. Shannon even sent me a confirmation email outlining what I needed to bring to my appointment. The appointment was scheduled at AC Auto aka AIC Kia of Manassas as they were contracted with this dealer only.

All this seemed way too easy for someone who has bad credit and a repo. So I decided to start asking questions. Shannon told me that I had been approved under a special program. Shannon said not to worry that this was "Special Financing" and that bad credit and a repo didn't matter. Shannon went on to say that it was a simple matter of going in, picking out my car and signing the paperwork. Because I was already approved the process would be minimal.

At this point I'm still thinking all of this should be a huge red flag as it sounded too good to be true . I couldn't understand how anyone would lend $28, 000.00 to someone with bad credit. It didnt make sense. It was like they were "dangling a carrot" so to speak. But their come-ons posted on their web site along with their reassurance on the phone made it still sound like they were providing the type of service I needed.

So I jumped online and read the reviews about them. I found alleged FRAUD associated with these particular companies. I read about Bait & Switch tactics, telling folks they were approved and getting there and saying they were not, telling folks that they had 100% financing only to get there and find they needed money down and a co-signer, etc. After reading about all the misfortunes caused by these people, that "dangling carrot" still made me decide to go ahead and jump through the hoops and see if what I read on the internet was true. After all I still needed a car, right? There were a few good review so I said.. ok

So I made the appointment with Sara Evans. She called me to verify my information. I asked her a lot of questions too and told her what I had read about their company. If this was some sort of a scam that I didn't want to waste their time and especially didn't want my time wasted either. I explained that my drive to AIC Kia/AC Auto was a solid 3hrs through road construction and asked if there was another dealer that I could use that was closer. She said that she only worked with this dealer. I found this kind of strange too. Don't most finance companies work with a broad range of dealers?

Sara went on, telling me that indeed I had been approved as described by Shannon and that I just needed to pick out my car. She said that even if they didn't have the car I wanted on the lot, that they had a "holding lot" that would have what I wanted and if that didn't work they could get a car from a surrounding dealer to suit my needs. She went even further, to say that she was confident that I would "drive away that night" with my selection. Still "dangling the carrot". I was still skeptical But I went forward with the process.

Before leaving for my appointment I called Sarah one last time and asked her again about what I had read on the internet about their company. I got a song and dance about "how everyone is willing to post bad experiences on the web but no one seems to post good experiences, and that they service hundreds of customers a month and they all cant be bad. That I really shouldn't worry I had been pre approved, just come and get my car.I also asked again about payments and she said I could pick my payment and term. I said this sounds really strange and she said that they understand my situation and eveything would be fine. Again "dangling the carrot".

So I made the hell-a-tious drive to Manassas, Va. in 3 solid hrs of bumper to bumper traffic. We were running late so we called Sarah and she never answered her phone. We actually got a bit turned around and called again and she still didn' answer.

We arrived on time at the AIC Kia of Manassas and A C Auto. If I had any hopes of getting a car before I got there they were quickly replaced with despair when we pulled into the dealership. WHAT A DUMP! (I'm not sure why Kia even allows their name on the building). So we drove around the small lot to see if we could get a look at the cars that Sarah Evans said she would have waiting for us when we arrived. Guess what, there were none. They had only a few cars on the lot. Not at all what I was lead to believe.

I walked up to the front door where we encountered a couple of employees smoking cigarettes, staring us down. No greeting what so ever, just was stared at. Got into the door and entered into office that was filthy dirty. It smelled bad. The combination of the filth and the state of the employees definately gives off a poor impression. Even if I could get a loan for $28, 000.00 why would I want to sign the paperwork there. It is truly disgusting, the stereotype of a sleazy used car lot and the worst place I have ever attempted to do business.

It was clear from the state of the office this was a loan mill of sorts. At the front entrance there is a table full of tablet type computers used for gathering their info. There were tables lined up one side of the room. There was one couple next to us filling out a form. Listening to the conversations between sales man and that couple one could tell there was quite a bit of confusion as to what the they were lead to believe and what was indeed really happening.

A salesman named Jarred came up to us and had us sit down. I told Jarred that I had a scheduled appointment with Sarah Evans and only wanted to talk to her (thats what she told us to tell the salesmen) . Jarred told me that it was very busy and Chris Walberg was the only loan processor there. At this point it is now 8:00 p.m. and my appt with Sara was at 7:00 and shes a no show. He handed me a computer tablet and asked me to fill out some information. I had been told by Sarah eariler that I would not have to fill out anything else. Jarred said if you don't fill this out Chris the finance guy wont talk to you. We ask Jarred why the tablet said they were going to pull our credit. He said nothing is based on paystubs and that we would be crazy to think that would ever happen. Sara had told us they would not pull credit and pay stubs were all they wanted. Its was one lie after another. Jarred actually told us that he hears this all of the time and has to deal with irate customers frequently. I was thinking to myself, if this happens a lot, why are you here?

I heard customers just like myself asking all the same question, wondering where Sara was and wondering why they drove all the way over there. When I told Jarred that I would not fill out anything until I saw some cars or spoke with Chris, he just said fine and I got up and walked out. Jarred could have cared less.

Since then no one has called, No one has returned calls and no one has cared. I really find it odd that in an economy such as this, if they really felt that I could have purchased a $28, 000.00 vehicle from them, that I was truly pre-approved, why did they let me leave? Why don't they call me? Don't they like commission? BECAUSE IT IS A SCAM, THAT'S WHY! There job is to get as many bad credit apps as possible to find the FEW that actually work for them.

We left. We drove 3 hours back home and here we are. I want to let everyone know whats going on. I don't want to see anyone fall for this scam. I'm guessing people do all of the time or they would be out of business.

Although AIC Kia of Manassas and/or A C Auto (they use both names and are the same dealer) say that they are a auto dealership, that is really only a half truth. This supposed dealership is really nothing more that a financing mill for poor or bad credit situations. They will tell you whatever it takes, even straight up lie to get you to come into the office to be processed for an auto loan. Do not believe what they tell you! They have a really slick gimmick utilizing online and telecommunication techniques. This is how it went down for me:

I was online looking for someone to help us with a loan due to bad credit. We filled out a few Applications and were contacted by Sara Evans @ [protected].
"She had some exciting good news for me" and that I should call back a.s.a.p., so I did just that and spoke to a Shannon (she didn't give her last name). Shannon explained that I had been approved for a vehicle loan, that I could pick out any model out of their 3000 cars AND that I had been approved for 100% financing up to $28, 000.00. Shannon said that this offer of finance was only good for 48 hrs, and that she needed to schedule an appointment, right away, to meet with loan counselor Sara Evans in Manassas, VA. Shannon even sent me a confirmation email outlining what I needed to bring to my appointment. The appointment was scheduled at AC Auto aka AIC Kia of Manassas as they were contracted with this dealer only.

All this seemed way too easy for someone who has bad credit and a repo. So I decided to start asking questions. Shannon told me that I had been approved under a special program. Shannon said not to worry that this was "Special Financing" and that bad credit and a repo didn't matter. Shannon went on to say that it was a simple matter of going in, picking out my car and signing the paperwork. Because I was already approved the process would be minimal.

At this point I'm still thinking all of this should be a huge red flag as it sounded too good to be true . I couldn't understand how anyone would lend $28, 000.00 to someone with bad credit. It didnt make sense. It was like they were "dangling a carrot" so to speak. But their come-ons posted on their web site along with their reassurance on the phone made it still sound like they were providing the type of service I needed.

So I jumped online and read the reviews about them. I found alleged FRAUD associated with these particular companies. I read about Bait & Switch tactics, telling folks they were approved and getting there and saying they were not, telling folks that they had 100% financing only to get there and find they needed money down and a co-signer, etc. After reading about all the misfortunes caused by these people, that "dangling carrot" still made me decide to go ahead and jump through the hoops and see if what I read on the internet was true. After all I still needed a car, right? There were a few good review so I said.. ok

So I made the appointment with Sara Evans. She called me to verify my information. I asked her a lot of questions too and told her what I had read about their company. If this was some sort of a scam that I didn't want to waste their time and especially didn't want my time wasted either. I explained that my drive to AIC Kia/AC Auto was a solid 3hrs through road construction and asked if there was another dealer that I could use that was closer. She said that she only worked with this dealer. I found this kind of strange too. Don't most finance companies work with a broad range of dealers?

Sara went on, telling me that indeed I had been approved as described by Shannon and that I just needed to pick out my car. She said that even if they didn't have the car I wanted on the lot, that they had a "holding lot" that would have what I wanted and if that didn't work they could get a car from a surrounding dealer to suit my needs. She went even further, to say that she was confident that I would "drive away that night" with my selection. Still "dangling the carrot". I was still skeptical But I went forward with the process.

Before leaving for my appointment I called Sarah one last time and asked her again about what I had read on the internet about their company. I got a song and dance about "how everyone is willing to post bad experiences on the web but no one seems to post good experiences, and that they service hundreds of customers a month and they all cant be bad. That I really shouldn't worry I had been pre approved, just come and get my car.I also asked again about payments and she said I could pick my payment and term. I said this sounds really strange and she said that they understand my situation and eveything would be fine. Again "dangling the carrot".

So I made the hell-a-tious drive to Manassas, Va. in 3 solid hrs of bumper to bumper traffic. We were running late so we called Sarah and she never answered her phone. We actually got a bit turned around and called again and she still didn' answer.

We arrived on time at the AIC Kia of Manassas and A C Auto. If I had any hopes of getting a car before I got there they were quickly replaced with despair when we pulled into the dealership. WHAT A DUMP! (I'm not sure why Kia even allows their name on the building). So we drove around the small lot to see if we could get a look at the cars that Sarah Evans said she would have waiting for us when we arrived. Guess what, there were none. They had only a few cars on the lot. Not at all what I was lead to believe.

I walked up to the front door where we encountered a couple of employees smoking cigarettes, staring us down. No greeting what so ever, just was stared at. Got into the door and entered into office that was filthy dirty. It smelled bad. The combination of the filth and the state of the employees definately gives off a poor impression. Even if I could get a loan for $28, 000.00 why would I want to sign the paperwork there. It is truly disgusting, the stereotype of a sleazy used car lot and the worst place I have ever attempted to do business.

It was clear from the state of the office this was a loan mill of sorts. At the front entrance there is a table full of tablet type computers used for gathering their info. There were tables lined up one side of the room. There was one couple next to us filling out a form. Listening to the conversations between sales man and that couple one could tell there was quite a bit of confusion as to what the they were lead to believe and what was indeed really happening.

A salesman named Jarred came up to us and had us sit down. I told Jarred that I had a scheduled appointment with Sarah Evans and only wanted to talk to her (thats what she told us to tell the salesmen) . Jarred told me that it was very busy and Chris Walberg was the only loan processor there. At this point it is now 8:00 p.m. and my appt with Sara was at 7:00 and shes a no show. He handed me a computer tablet and asked me to fill out some information. I had been told by Sarah eariler that I would not have to fill out anything else. Jarred said if you don't fill this out Chris the finance guy wont talk to you. We ask Jarred why the tablet said they were going to pull our credit. He said nothing is based on paystubs and that we would be crazy to think that would ever happen. Sara had told us they would not pull credit and pay stubs were all they wanted. Its was one lie after another. Jarred actually told us that he hears this all of the time and has to deal with irate customers frequently. I was thinking to myself, if this happens a lot, why are you here?

I heard customers just like myself asking all the same question, wondering where Sara was and wondering why they drove all the way over there. When I told Jarred that I would not fill out anything until I saw some cars or spoke with Chris, he just said fine and I got up and walked out. Jarred could have cared less.

Since then no one has called, No one has returned calls and no one has cared. I really find it odd that in an economy such as this, if they really felt that I could have purchased a $28, 000.00 vehicle from them, that I was truly pre-approved, why did they let me leave? Why don't they call me? Don't they like commission? BECAUSE IT IS A SCAM, THAT'S WHY! There job is to get as many bad credit apps as possible to find the FEW that actually work for them.

We left. We drove 3 hours back home and here we are. I want to let everyone know whats going on. I don't want to see anyone fall for this scam. I'm guessing people do all of the time or they would be out of business.

First and foremost let me inform you I will be filing a complaint with the Better business bureau, Complaints.com, iripoff.com, Kia Corporate, Hyundai Corporate, and since I work in the TV news business as a reporter, you can guarantee this will come up as a story idea!

"How car companies still treat their customers like dirt, despite the fact that they're struggling."

Let me tell you, I have never been more lied to and disrespected in a business transaction than in my unfortunate transaction with your company.

In November my husband and I, purchased a 2008 Dodge Magnum from your location. When we picked the car up, the tank was absolutely empty! We almost didn't make it to the gas station. Our Salesman, Greg Brown, told us he should have made sure gas was in it, and that you kept gas cards in the office, but the sales manager had left for the day, and no one else had access to them. He and ANOTHER salesman told us, when you come pick up your tags, we'll give you the gas card.

Since the vehicle was approaching 30, 000 miles, my husband took the vehicle to a Dodge dealership, to make sure there were no issues that would be covered under the manufacturer warranty. There were none. The tech did receive a code that the transmission fluid needed to be changed. We called your location, and were tranferred to maintenance. The maintenance tech told us, they could not chane the transmission fluid because of the way the vehicle was made, it had to be done at a Dodge dealership. So obviously they tried to.

When we purchased the vehicle, we asked Greg if all the maintenance was up to date. We were told yes. This obviously was not true.

One manager said the dodge dealership was trying to "upsell" us. Despite the fact that the vehicle was due for a transmission flush based on the mileage alone. The general sales manager said we're not required to do a transmission flush, and that the salesperson was referring to the state inspection. We did not ask about the inspection, we asked if the "MAINTENANCE" was up to date.

When we talked to the general sales manager, he told us that to "rectify" the situation we would get a gas card when we picked up the tags. (Although they were giving us one anyway!)

But guess what, when we picked up the tags, we were told "we're not required to give you gas". And the manager who said he would give us the gas card to '"rectify the situation, did not say a word!

This whole situation leaves a sick feeling in my stomach. My business has never been so unappreciated, I've never been treated this way as a customer, and you can bet your life we will never do business with your company again. Not only AIC Kia, but any Kia or Hyundai dealership, because I refuse to give my hard earned money to a company, so disrespectful and dishonest... Or a company that condones such unethical behavior.

This situation is not what about what you are "REQUIRED" to do. It's about the "RIGHT" thing to do when you tell a customer something. What's funny is that no one has denied what we were told. You have just decided not to stand by it. No one has even apologized! Your mother would be proud.

I don't expect a response, although one would be nice. Your company obviously does not care about your customers, and you'll just file this complaint with the rest that I'm sure you have... Or if you don't, the ones you're such to accumulate. Or better yet, you may just hit delete. Unfortunately you cannot delete this complaint from your BBB file, and until we receive an apology, a gas card, and reimbursement for the transmission flush, it will remain unresolved.

I can assure you my efforts, and all the places I'm filing complaints, will deter at least one person from buying from you. I'm sure that will cost you much more than $150 and a gas card. Maybe the reasons car companies aren't doing so well these days, is because of the way you do business. Something to think about.