We are on the hunt for another car because our Mini Cooper was totaled in a hit and run wreck. We had found a car on Carvana.com and were in the process of purchasing it. They were offering a $1,000 Black Friday discount off the price of the car. Monday night, 11/26/18, I received an email offering an additional $1,000 Black Friday-Cyber Monday discount. I logged into my account and noticed a $2,000 discount on the vehicle we were purchasing as well as all of the other vehicles on the website. I immediately called Carvana at 10:30 pm but they were closed. I then sent Carvana a message stating I would like the lower price on the car and asking who did I need to contact. I took snips or screenshots of everything since I couldn't reach anyone at Carvana to confirm I wanted the additional Black Friday-Cyber Monday discount that was being offered. Seeing as how it was late Monday evening roughly two hours before the sale ended at midnight, I figured they snuck the additional discount in last minute to snag more sales.
The next morning I called Carvana at 7:31 am. I explained the situation to a young lady named Candice. She was kind enough but told me they would not be honoring the discounted price. I explained I had taken screenshots of the price decrease and I asked to speak to someone above her. Many years of experience has taught me she wouldn't have the authority to change anything anyway. She put me on hold for a long time then came back on and stated her manager would like to see my screenshots before proceeding further. I got the feeling she thought I was bluffing about the evidence I had, so I immediately pulled over on my morning commute to work and emailed them. She then forwarded me an email they sent to their management team. The tone was a wee bit rude in my opinion. Several phone calls later they stated they would not be honoring the discounted price.
In the meantime, I had contacted my credit union, Oklahoma's Credit Union, because I had to finalize the financing before 1:00 pm or I would lose the car. I apprised my Financial Services Representative of the situation. She said to keep her in the loop on whether Carvana would honor the discount they gave me or not. The credit union took a vested interest in the outcome because they had recommended Carvana to me. Once I received a phone call and the requested email stating their final decision was that they would not be honoring the discounted price of the vehicle, my financial institution Oklahoma's Credit Union stepped in to our defense. They began discussions with Carvana's representatives that ultimately went up the chain of command to the vice presidents.
The final meeting between those in power was completed this afternoon. I received word from Oklahoma's Credit Union that Carvana declined to honor the discounted price of the vehicle claiming it was a computer glitch that affected many customers and if they honored mine they would have to honor theirs. My husband said, "Carvana was stepping over dollars to pick up dimes." I'm sure that's someone else's quote, but it's fitting. They lost an $18,400 sale because they would not honor the additional $1,000 discount they gave me.
The take away from all of this is 1) Never do business with a shiesty company that treats their customers poorly. I will spend my money where I am appreciated and treated fairly. 2) Never buy a car from Carvana. They are shady. The experience was great. Buy a car completely online never having to deal with a sleazy car salesman. If it's too good to be true, it probably is. 3) Don't trust a company if all of their reviews are 5 stars. The reviews are most likely faked because they have poor customer service. 4) Most importantly, if your financial institution doesn't call you personally after business hours, jump up to plead your case to ensure you aren't taken advantage of and for a fair deal, have their Vice President step into the negotiations, or actually really care about you as an individual then you need to take your money and open an account at Oklahoma's Credit Union.
Nowadays personalized customer service that goes above and beyond means more than anything. I have images to prove my claim. In the meantime, can anyone recommend an trustworthy car dealership? Or one that's as nasty to their customers as Carvana is so I can avoid it?
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Company Response from Carvana
Dec 5, 2018
We appreciate you taking the time to notify Carvana of your experience and provide thorough detail from your situation. Black Friday is definitely one of our busiest times of the year with our $1000 promotion that we offer. This year we ran into some technical difficulties when we launched the promotion. Some customers were seeing different discount promotions off of every vehicle on our website instead of $1000. While we absolutely take ownership for this mistake, we had previously notified customers via email, television ads and detailed clarification through our website that the offer would only be good from Black Friday through Cyber Monday and would only be for the amount of $1000. We notated that this offer would not be able to be combined with any other discount amounts in an effort to avoid confusion during that technical difficulty.
We are disappointed to see that despite our efforts to provide an incredible and fair promotional offer to all of our customers, you have decided not to purchase with us. The reasoning behind this decision has everything to do with equal opportunity, and nothing to do with not wanting to honor the extra $1000. We stand by our reasoning and will strive to make sure each customer is given the same opportunities as the other. We hope that down the road you will give Carvana the chance to provide you with an awesome car buying experience, but until then, we wish you the happiest of Haulerdays and encourage to call us with any additional questions or concerns!
