CarsDirect

Full review
I just purchased a new Volvo through CarsDirect and I have to say that although I got a great price, the experience left a lot to be desired.

The "vehicle specialist" I was assigned put me through a week of the runaround where she didn't tell me how the process worked, repeatedly told me she would call me back then failed to do so and couldn't seem to tell me the same story twice about financing. I sent e-mails and left voice messages for her manager and the "Quality Assurance" manager to find out what the hell was going on and was ignored.

After a week of this, I finally called the main office and asked to speak with a manager. The only person there was the person who answered the phones who identified herself as the assistant manager. After telling her how unhappy I was, they assigned my case to another specialist.

Well, thank god for this woman. She made the experience so much nicer. She was able to get me all the information I had been asking for, make corrections to my request and get the financing questions cleared up. It took her only two days to get me all the information I need to make a decision (I decided to go with my credit union for financing). I had my car delivered just a few days later and she arranged for my lojack to be installed that same week.

The woman’s name was Ayana Wade, if I had been assigned to her from the beginning, I would have given the company very high marks. As it is, I have the feeling they only send her in after some newbie has ticked you off.

Was it worth not having to talk to a car salesman? Yes. That and the fact that I saved at least $2000.

Ayana Wade, accept no substitutes.

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4/6/04
Per some suggestions from other members, I'm adding a review of the CarsDirect.com website.

For me the website was pretty straight forward and simple to use, I just picked out the model I wanted and a quote was generated along with a promise that a representative would contact me. The quoted price was much less than what I found at other websites or at dealerships.

Since I already knew what I wanted to buy I didn't avail myself of the buying guides or "top ten" lists that the website provides. I just wanted to get the best price for my car and then buy it, which is what I did.

After the trouble I had with the first person that was assigned to me, I did go back to the website to get contact information for customer service, but this was also provided to me in the e-mails that I received when I first completed the quote request. So, really the website wasn't all that important in the overall process once I generated a quote.

The most important part of the process is the human being that works with you to locate the car and get your paperwork processed quickly and correctly and this is all accomplished via phone, e-mail and fax.