Carvana Reviews - How It Works, Warranty, Financing, Returns

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Carvana

Overall Rating

2.2

543 Customer Reviews

Summary

Carvana’s all-online used-car purchasing process allows you to choose a car online, get financing and have the car delivered directly to your home.

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Customer Reviews

2.2 Stars out of 543 Reviews
5 Star:19% 4 Star:3% 3 Star:6% 2 Star:11% 1 Star:58%
27% Recommend This Company
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Posted on Aug 23, 2020

Horrible registration process

By Justin K., Orlando, FL, Verified Reviewer

Bought a car from Carvana, which was smooth. My temporary tag expired on June 30th and it’s August 20 and I STILL have not received my actual license plate and registration for my vehicle, which I was supposed to get BEFORE my temp tag expired, or at least a few days after. Talked to Carvana and all they could tell me is "it’s processing." For over a month it's processing?! Anyways, yeah, avoid buying a car from them if you have the option. Also, I’ve looked up online if other people have had this same issue with their registration process and yes, many people have. So it’s clearly an issue with Carvana.

Length of Use: 3–6 months

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Pros and Cons

Delivery

Options

Registration process

Customer service

Registration process

Company Response from Carvana

Aug 25, 2020

Thank you for taking the time to leave your honest review. It is truly disappointing to know that your experience has been less than ideal with us, as transparency is absolutely paramount to the overall customer experience. We truly apologize for the delay with your registration as we know the inconvenience it creates. After reviewing your account, we see you have been working with our Inside Advocates to assist in addressing and resolving your concerns. Please contact us at (800) 333-4554 should you need immediate assistance.

Helpful Review? 1 Person Has Voted

Posted on Jul 30, 2020

Update #1

By Chris V., Southern California, Verified Reviewer

I've gotten a couple of text messages and emails from Carvana saying the re-scheduled delivery is on time and I should have my ID and insurance card ready for the delivery. BUT THEN...I get a call from them and guess what? The car is still in New Jersey. I am in California. The text messages and emails were obviously sent without anyone actually confirming them.

The breakdown:

Delivery attempt #1 - Carvana fail.

Delivery attempt #2 - Carvana fail.

Delivery attempt #3 - I would be an idiot to allow this to continue.

As stated previously; I wish I had never started this deal with Carvana.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Pros and Cons

Shiny website

Delivery team

Customer support

Company Response from Carvana

Aug 4, 2020

We appreciate you sharing your concerns and experience with us. Carvana strives to provide a streamlined and enjoyable car buying experience for each and every customer. We apologize that your experience has not followed our standards. Our teams work relentlessly to prevent delays in delivering your vehicle to you, as we know this can cause frustration, which is never our intention. After reviewing our database, we are unable to locate your account in order to assist you in the best manner possible. We appreciate the opportunity to earn your business, so please feel free to contact us at (800) 333-4554 for our Advocates to resolve the delay.

Helpful Review? 7 People Have Voted

Posted on Jul 27, 2020

Terrible customer service, nightmare registration

By David K., Eureka, CA, Verified Reviewer

Absolutely horrendous experience trying to get the car registered and the customer service is absolutely terrible. I've spent hours and hours on hold or waiting in their webchat. They consistently do not directly answer questions or provide solutions and then just leave the webchat. I purchased the car and had it delivered in NM but needed to register in California. When I bought the car they told me I would have to drive to California for a smog inspection when things re-open (due to COVID). When receiving the car, I was told I would also need a VIN inspection but that I could do that in NM. After attempting to do that at the local motor vehicles department, I was told I also had to do it in CA. Since I had to go for the smog test anyway, I was OK with that and planned to make the drive (10 hours each way) once the services opened. I started getting tons of emails every day from Carvana about potential fees and fines if I didn't get the registration documents. It took hours on hold and multiple web chat sessions for them to acknowledge and confirm that I could wait until the DMV was open in California.

As soon as it did reopen, I drove to California and completed the inspections. According to the website, the smog test could be scanned and uploaded and they needed the original copy of the VIN inspection mailed. I did both and I sent the VIN inspection using the prepaid envelope they sent. The VIN inspection has been lost in the mail for weeks and they have no tracking information on the label they sent. The customer service keeps blaming me for not recording the tracking number. Now I am going to have to drive back to California for another VIN inspection. But the worst part is their customer service continually provides wrong or inconsistent information, makes you wait in very long queues, and does not acknowledge your issues or complaints. I suspect it's semi-automated even once you get past the part that is openly automated because they often just repeat the same few lines even when you ask for more details or explain something further. I would strongly suggest avoiding this company!

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Pros and Cons

I like the car itself

Bad communication

Long wait times

Misinformation, indirect responses, no solutions to problems

Lost critical documents

Company Response from Carvana

Jul 28, 2020

We appreciate you giving us feedback on your recent experience. Carvana aims to change the way people buy cars and we want each experience to be seamless and transparent. We sincerely apologize that you have run into some registration delays and for any miscommunication from our Advocates. During these unprecedented times, we want to make sure each customer experience is exceptional and it seems we may have fallen short on that. It is never our intention to inconvenience our customers or cause any frustrations after receiving your vehicle. We appreciate you doing your due diligence in getting the necessary documents to us, but we are disappointed to hear they did not make it to us. After reviewing your account, we see you have been working with our After-Sale Chat Specialists who are knowledgeable in providing you with the next steps to try and resolve this matter for you. If this method does not work for you, please give us a call at (800) 333-4554 and we would be more than happy to assist you.

Helpful Review? 7 People Have Voted

Posted on Jul 20, 2020

Don't do it if you have to have a car!

By Brian G., Dover, NH, Verified Reviewer

First, I would have written this on Carvana's site but I never received an opportunity to review in an email and they would not provide one (they have a limited time to review which explains all the high ratings on their site).

I am at 45 days and no registration and temp from another state expired. I get that COVID closed some state DMVs but in my state (NH) registrations are done at town offices, you never have to go to the state DMV. My town offices have been open since the third week of June and I have registered three cars there since 92 renewals and one purchased mercifully not at Carvana. During my wait, my license on Carvana's file system expired but I had renewed it. I follow my "Dashboard" on Carvana and it says registration materials have been submitted for processing. Several days before temp registration expired I contact customer service to see the status of registrations - after 1 and 1/2 hour wait they say "your license on file expired, we can't submit registration". What, on June 15 my license on file expires and I renew it but nobody from Carvana indicates (until I contact them on July 11) that I need to submit a valid current license. They NEVER would have contacted me.

Three "advocates," 7 hours waiting, the first one apologizes and says "we should have contacted you" and promises to get back to me in a half an hour - no follow-up from her. Later another "advocate" is nice and sympathetic, promises to see about a rental and guarantees she will contact me on Wednesday when she returns to work. Today, no sympathy, no apologies, my fault because the license had expired, I explain I had a valid one l when I bought the car and it was their delay in processing and in never contacting me that was the problem. No help, "is there anything else I can help you with today" is all I get.

I have a car I can't drive 45 days after buying it and nobody will even tell me if they got the uploaded current license let alone if it will be another 45 days before I can. No help, customer service "advocates" are a joke - I will be posting the entire transcript of my conversations with the "advocates" so people can see how little help and clueless they are - basically, they (well 2 out of 3) try to be sympathetic without actually doing anything to help.

If you need a car PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not use Carvana because you will be stuck as many of the reviews on this site note. DO NOT USE REVIEWS ON CARVANA, THEY ALL WERE REQUIRED TO BE WRITTEN BEFORE REGISTRATION ISSUES DEVELOP.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Pros and Cons

Easy to pick a vehicle

Relatively easy purchase process

I can't drive a car I bought 45 days ago, nice lawn ornament, what is not to like?

Completely unhelpful "advocates" in customer service

Company Response from Carvana

Jul 24, 2020

We very much appreciate you taking the time to let us know about your recent registration frustrations. It is imperative that we are establishing a clear line of communication and reaching back to you to obtain updated documentation if necessary. We are terribly sorry for the lack of communication and please know that this feedback will be provided to the proper teams as a learning opportunity. Although we always desire the completion of the registration to be fast and smooth, sometimes things do not always happen that way, and it is in those times we try our very best to take ownership and remedy the situation. We are very sorry you have been affected in this manner. In researching your account we see one of our Specialists has reached out to you to provide you a contact liaison to work on this with you to completion. Thank you very much for your continued patience as we value your time and business. Should you need immediate assistance, please call us at (800) 333-4554 to be routed to the proper department.

Helpful Review? 7 People Have Voted

Posted on Jul 16, 2020

Waiting for a car that never showed up

By Grace V., Pittsburgh, PA, Verified Reviewer

First, I spent nearly 2 hours on the phone with one of Carvana's "customer advocates". Half the time I spent on hold while the "advocate" was on hold with my bank to get information I already provided in the paperwork I sent.

After that draining wait, the advocate said everything was all set and went through. He confirmed the car's delivery. However, 12 days later and it's the scheduled delivery time, but no car.

After waiting on hold for 40 minutes, the advocate told me that an "underwriter" went in and unapproved me for the vehicle. An underwriter that had nothing to do with my account or ever spoke with me. The advocate said there was no reason for the underwriter to do this and that it was an error on Carvana's part.

The car I researched, reserved, and put on my loan application, was pending for another person to buy it. The worst part is instead of Carvana reaching out and admitting to the other customer it was already reserved, they told me there was nothing they could do. Which is ridiculous because the other person hadn't even filled out the paperwork or decided yet if they actually wanted the car.

The sale could have easily been stopped by Carvana. They claimed it wasn't possible to do that in their system. This is inaccurate due to the fact that an employee literally just did it to me. So now they can't stop a sale, which isn't even confirmed yet, when some random underwriter stopped my sale that was officially approved?

I requested to speak to a manager, but it's nearly impossible. The advocate said her manager wasn't available. Which made no sense to me since the advocate kept putting me on hold because she said she needed to ask the exact same manager I wanted to speak to.

IN SHORT: if any mistake happens on their end, you'll be screwed in terms of getting any decent customer service. And if something is slightly unique or different about your paperwork, get ready to spend over an hour on the phone.

I spent almost 2 weeks excited and waiting for a car that was taken from me only a few days after I was approved. There was no reasoning, no attempt by Carvana to make it right, and I was never contacted that my car wasn't ever going to show up. I never write reviews, good or bad, but I did for the first time because that's how bad my experience with Carvana was.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Pros and Cons

No “pros” were specified in this review

Lack of transparency

Unorganized with paperwork

Poor customer service

Company Response from Carvana

Jul 23, 2020

Carvana values your time, so we truly appreciate you taking time out of your day to provide us with feedback. We strive for every customer to have a seamless and streamlined experience, so it is disappointing to hear about your experience, and for that, we apologize for the inconvenience. Our Verification Specialists work diligently to ensure all necessary documents have been received per state requirements. In the event additional documents are needed, our team is required to reach out and provide a deadline to ensure the logistics timeline is met to deliver your vehicle. After reviewing your account, we do see that we advised an alternate solution for you to purchase a vehicle successfully through Carvana. Please feel free to contact us at (800) 333-4554 or utilize our 24-hour chat services.

Helpful Review? 6 People Have Voted

Posted on Jun 3, 2020

Great idea but falls short

By Nicholas S., Florida, Verified Reviewer

Purchased a 2013 Passat TDI (think "Dieselgate" bargain) and loved the car. However, it turned out to have hidden rust, so I returned it within the 7 days and received a full refund, as promised. HOWEVER, from the moment my order was confirmed via email, until the day our dealings were done when the refund hit my bank account, I never received another email or text or call advising me of the status of my pickup, my subsequent return (160 miles away so need to know we are on the same page to avoid driving over there for nothing), or refund. I never knew where I stood with them. Chatting and calling got me long wait times and vague general answers not specific to my transaction. When I returned the car, I actually had to ask for a copy of the return agreement. Carvana would have sent me on my way with nothing to prove I even returned the car!

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Pros and Cons

Online garage and purchase process

Lack of communication

Company Response from Carvana

Jun 4, 2020

Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience with us. At Carvana, we aim to provide our customers with pre-owned vehicles in great condition, which have met Carvana standards through our 150-point inspection. We are sorry to hear that you have had issues with your vehicle so soon after taking delivery. Carvana apologizes as this was not the experience we wished to provide and can assure you that we will notify the proper teams to better improve our process. Although your experience was not what we had hoped, we are happy to hear you were able to take advantage of our 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee to return your vehicle. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or concerns at (800) 333-4554.

Helpful Review? 5 People Have Voted

Posted on May 5, 2020

BAD

By Rodrick H., Indiana, Verified Reviewer

They delivered a wrecked car to me and I reported it once I realized the issue. They had me take it to a certified dealer. Then when it was ready to approve the fix on my car they denied it saying I never reported the issue in the first 7 days. I have did not have my $12K car for the first 6 weeks. Now I'm paying on a $12K car that is wrecked.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Company Response from Carvana

May 6, 2020

Thank you for leaving this thoughtful review. We are saddened to hear that you are enduring cosmetic issues with your vehicle. All of our vehicles are put through a rigorous 150-point inspection to ensure they meet our high-quality standards. If you are not happy with your vehicle choice, we offer a 7-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. After reviewing your account, it looks as though we have attempted to communicate with you regarding this matter but have not been able to fully resolve it. Please give us a call at (800) 333-4554 for further assistance.

Helpful Review? 5 People Have Voted

Posted on May 1, 2020

Update

By Rick S., Winchester, CA, Verified Reviewer

It took a bit, but Carvana reached out and did help me resolve my issue. There are pros and cons associated with doing business with them. Work needs to be done on the backend, the logistics of getting someone a car that meets their needs after the order is placed, but the front end is a lot better than dealing with shady car dealers. Moving my rating up 2 points to a 3.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Company Response from Carvana

May 5, 2020

Thank you for giving us insight into your recent Carvana experience. We are pleased to hear that your issues were rectified, but are disheartened to hear about the challenges that were faced when going through our purchase process. As a company, we strive to completely change the car buying experience by being able to provide an easy, user-friendly website, along with a seamless online experience when searching through our vehicles. Honest feedback allows us to take action on improving our process and full responsibility for the errors made on our behalf. To ensure pristine customer service, we do utilize all and any feedback provided. Our advocates are here as a resource for you, should you have any concerns or questions please feel free to contact us at (800) 333-4554.

Helpful Review? 4 People Have Voted

Posted on Apr 30, 2020

Buyer beware

By Andrew I., Atlanta, GA, Verified Reviewer

Do not buy a car from them! I spent almost $40,000 on a used Porsche Boxster. I had it for less than two months, and the driver’s door jam separated from the panel. This is all under their 100-day warranty. I took it to Porsche, and it ended up needing a new door panel, and would cost $3,500 to repair. They called in the repair (to try to get it covered), and of course Carvana said that this is cosmetic, and was not covered. Absolutely useless and I am beyond disappointed. I will never buy a car from them again, and I advise you to use a dealer, that will cover and actually back up the quality of their vehicles.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Company Response from Carvana

May 1, 2020

Thank you for taking the time to reach out and share your feedback with us. Carvana aims to provide customers with an exceptional car-buying process coupled with high-quality pre-owned cars. It is our goal to offer transparency to our customers and we do our best to annotate the most noticeable imperfections on each vehicle. We recognize that this process is subjective and for this reason, we offer assistance from our repair team for any after-sale concerns. It is never our intent to burden customers with our repair process and we are sorry that you have been made to feel this way. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us at (800) 333-4554 if you have any further questions or concerns.

Helpful Review? 4 People Have Voted

Posted on Apr 30, 2020

Poor communication and even worse customer service

By Sophia F., Beaufort, SC, Verified Reviewer

I ordered a 2018 Chevy Silverado for my husband because I am about to be on a deployment basically bouncing around for the next few weeks dealing with the current pandemic. He needed a more reliable vehicle and we were excited to have something hassle-free for a second it out crazy lives. Instead, we received a vehicle that was significantly more beat up than in the pictures so we decided to use the swapping option. This is where things got terrible. I picked a new pickup, everything was good to go, so I thought. They changed $400 for delivery of the new vehicle, fine whatever, but on top of that they just up and canceled my delivery because of a "mistake on their end" and refuse to work with me on getting the vehicle here in the day our contract listed. I leave in two days and will have to either pay out of pocket to travel home and take leave after work hours or have to cancel all together. The Carvana Executive Resolution Specialist Lisa from Tempe, AZ was rude when she reached out and unapologetic. Very disappointed and hope no one has to deal with the added stress my family is going through due to Carvana.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Company Response from Carvana

May 1, 2020

Thank you for taking the time to reach out and share your feedback with us. Carvana aims to provide customers with an exceptional car-buying process coupled with high-quality pre-owned cars. It is our goal to offer transparency to our customers and we do our best to annotate the most noticeable imperfections on each vehicle. We recognize that this process is subjective and for this reason, we offer assistance from our repair team for any after-sale concerns. It is never our intent to burden customers with our repair process and we are sorry that you have been made to feel this way. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us at (800) 333-4554 if you have any further questions or concerns.

Helpful Review? 5 People Have Voted

Posted on Apr 25, 2020

Update

By John W., Indianapolis, IN, Verified Reviewer

Carvana's response reports a "rigorous 150-point inspection" but somehow checking for oil leaks isn't in there. I fully believe Carvana screwed up the drain plug and added silicone to hide a leak which ended up being the oil pan.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Company Response from Carvana

Apr 29, 2020

We appreciate you taking the time to leave this honest review regarding your post-sale experience. At Carvana, we pride ourselves on providing high-quality pre-owned vehicles and are saddened to hear that you are enduring a potential issue with the oil pan. Since buying a vehicle online is such a different experience, for a piece of mind we provide all our customers with a complimentary 100-day limited warranty through SilverRock. After reviewing your account we do see you have worked with our After-Sale Repair Team to go over the next steps to rectify your concerns. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if our team can be of further assistance.

Helpful Review? 1 Person Has Voted
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