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!
Pros and Cons:
Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend
6 people found it helpful
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Company Response from Carvana
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.