First, the website and purchasing process was mostly simple and painless. I actually enjoyed it! However, after completely filling out the purchase form I was called and told that I needed to give my banking information over the phone (even though I already provided it on the purchase order form). I assumed it was a scam call so I called Carvana back and learned that it was indeed them. They explained that they needed it to verify my account balance, which I understand, but the level of risk associated with doing so is extremely high as a consumer. I called my bank to explain the situation (Bank of America) and the bank told me that what was being asked of me was unethical and risky.
They advised me not to do this. So I called to cancel my order and was told that I couldn't receive any written confirmation as to the cancellation of my order!!! So, now I have to go on faith that a 5-figure sum doesn't accidentally disappear out of my bank account. None of this "extra" info is specified in writing anywhere. It is only brought up after you have given them your bank account info on the website to purchase the car. It's like, “Oh hey, all of a sudden we need you do provide this”.
I can't say that the company isn't legitimate, because there are a lot of written articles about how they are legit, but how can they treat a customer this way BEFORE a purchase and how can I to have good faith in them after the purchase (during the trial period) that they will follow through on their promises? Have you ever purchased something online using a secure, encrypted payment system only to have the store call you and say “Please read me your banking routing number”. Anyone who goes through with this is just asking for your identity to be stolen. A company who doesn't have the foresight to see how unethical this is probably doesn't have enough ethics to provide a quality product anyway. I'd advise against purchasing a vehicle from Carvana based on my experience.
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
29 people found it helpful
Link to this Review
Company Response from Carvana
Cameron,
Thank you for providing this feedback to us. We take our customer’s complaints very seriously and are very sorry to hear that you felt uneasy during the funds verification portion of our process. In order to verify customer’s down payments, we typically perform a conference call with our customers and their bank to verbally that the payment amount is available for withdrawal. We feel that it is important to note that this step can be bypassed by providing a copy of a certified check for the full payment balance, should customers feel uncomfortable. Additionally, have made every attempt to ensure that the expectations for the funds verification process are clearly stated on our website, which our customers will find on the funds verification screen: “For your security, we do not store your account information and will request it again during our verification process”. Carvana aims to be as transparent as possible with every purchase we regret to hear that your experience with us was less than ideal, and truly apologize that no written confirmation of your cancelation was not sent. It is our practice to always send a personalized email to our customers when cancelations take place, and we’re truly sorry to hear that we missed this opportunity. We have provided feedback to our team to avoid this from happening in the future, and would love to invite you back to our website in the future. If you have any questions that we can assist you with, please don’t hesitate to call us at 800-333-4554.