Vroom Review: How It Works, Pros and Cons

Purchase date: 12/09/2020.

Delivery date: 12/29/2020.

Initial Review date: 01/12/2021. Delayed delivery, misinformed staff, and extended delays in resolving issues by playing phone tag.

Update: 02/20/2021. Apparently, you need to get a full vehicle inspection done under 7 days, failing which they will not cover any issues you may find soon after. They redirected me to file a claim for rotors and brakes with 'Safeguard' who rejected my request as it was a maintenance issue. Their website says, "Multiple Inspections Our cars are inspected for safety, mechanical and cosmetic issues", but I have found the following issues:

On the day of delivery: 1) wheel alignment issues, 2) broken windshield wiper (resolved on 02/09/2021), and in less than a month of ownership: 3) low engine oil quality, 4) filthy engine and cabin air filters, 5) brake and rotor issues, 6) crayon stains on the rear inside roof.

I repeatedly fail to reach my customer service specialist over the phone and receive confusing email responses with a gap of 2 weeks between each correspondence. This is how convenience turns into a nuisance.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

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

Vroom, April 8, 2021 - "This review will not post to our site until 4/22/2021 to allow this dealership time to resolve your issues."

I purchased a vehicle from Vroom on November 18th, and received it on December 4th. The car came with temp Texas license plates. The temp plates were set to expire on 1/29. No one called me about the temp plates expiring or what to do. On the night before they expired, I called the Customer Service Registration dept and they were able to issue a temp tag for another month, BUT first I had to increase my insurance policy to match the Texas state minimums. Vroom said they would reimburse me for this, but have yet to do so.

They are really very bad at being proactive towards customer service, definitely more reactive. Their excuse is the amount of volume of sales they are handling is creating too high of a workload for some reps that they literally just never respond, like Jose R., who was supposedly in charge of my reimbursement for my tires but never once called me about the matter.

My plates arrived in the mail on March 4th. I had to get my inspection done for the vehicle, so I brought it to a local Jaguar Dealership as soon they could make an appointment for me because I was also getting an alert about my blind-spot monitors failing and an alert about service due in the next 1000 miles (all within the first 90 days of owning the car, really not good).

The dealer couldn't find any service history on the vehicle using the VIN.

The service for the 32000 miles on the F-TYPE is $750 plus $150 in parts, so $900. Vroom says this is on me, and won't cover a penny, not even split it with me or nothing, no negotiation on it.

The dealer performed a full inspection on the vehicle and everything turned out ok, with one exception. They sold me the car with the wrong rear tires. The tires in the back of an F-TUPE are supposed to be staggered, and my tires were the same size on the front and back. The dealer charged me $610 for the tires and $250 for an alignment because the car was also unaligned.

The repair quote for the blind-spot monitors was 2800 plus tax. SafeGuard Premium Warranty was purchased for the car, so I contacted them, and they did pay $2100 of the total $3100 bill, so about 2/3.

I had to pay the remaining balance, $900 to cover the balance of labor time and parts they didn't want to pay.

So received the car on December 4th, and by April 4th I have paid in total:

1. $3100 for blind-spot monitor repairs (SafeGuard Warranty paid $2100).

2. $79 for an increase to my insurance to match Texas policy minimums for 2 months (not reimbursed yet).

3. $900 for 32,000 vehicle service for the car (refuse to reimburse or even meet halfway).

4. $860 for the correct tires (they are reimbursing $860).

Honestly, I shouldn't have to be getting service alerts 2 months after buying the car AND be responsible for that cost. Vroom should be covering things like this or at the very least meeting the customer somewhere in the middle. These things should be caught by your teams that are inspecting the cars and making sure they are handled before the cars are listed available for sale so that your new unsuspecting customer doesn't buy a car and 2 months later have to fork out a payment for vehicle service.

Vroom also NEEDS to take a pro-active step to try and reach out to customers with temp tags. If you find that the customers have an upcoming expiring tag, the reps should prepare the customers so that the temp tags can be sent in time, not in such a manner which Vroom seems unprepared for this. Especially being that it's not a unique issue, this is an ongoing problem spoken about on Vroom's Facebook comments.

Vroom's staffing is very courteous but lack serious training. I hope they do something to improve on this because otherwise this company is bound to fail because the customer experience is NOT better then just going directly to a local dealer.

Length of Use: 3–6 months

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

The sales process for purchasing my BMW i3 was great and a lot less painful than other dealers, and unlike other reviews, my car was delivered very quickly.

However, that is where my great experience ends. Once I got the vehicle it became quickly evident that they sold me an electric vehicle without the charging cable that comes standard with it. This oversight literally prevents me from driving the car. They are sending a replacement charging cable, but very frustrated with that.

Additionally, the car interior was not in the pristine condition the pictures showed with a gouge in the steering wheel (not pictured), and the cloth seats look a lot more worn than the pictures led on. Pictures were very misleading.

Lastly, now 3 days into having the car and the check engine light for the gas engine has come on. Not sure what I am in for on that, but doesn't seem positive since I just got the vehicle.

Very frustrated with my Zoom experience. I would not recommend at this point.

Length of Use: Less than 3 months

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

I have never experienced a bait and switch before I applied for a 2014 Cadillac CTS. I applied for financing through Vroom with a trade-in and the purchase summary gave me a 6.79% interest rate and a $383 monthly car payment. I spoke with my sales agent (who was very pleasant to work with) and he stated I would need some other documents uploaded, which I did, and a $249 deposit to hold the car, which I did based on the purchase summary I saw. The next day when I checked to see if all the documents were uploaded, the purchase summer changed to a finance company that gave a 17.74% interest rate and a $516 a month payment for a total of $37k for this car.

I talked to the sales agent and told him that is not what I saw when I put the deposit on this car, which I would have never given for the rate that I now see. The agent stated he didn't see a quote for the 6.79% but would try to get my deposit back. The deposit refund was denied and I feel Vroom took advantage of my sub-par credit score and ripped me off for $300.

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

On December 29th, my truck showed up, so I am eating my words about the New Year showing up before my truck does. Anyway, the truck looked great inside and out. No sign of overspray from the scratches being fixed and the paint job looked nice. The delivery guy was really nice. So, besides the lack of communication skills, everything was great.

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

This dealership needs some work to be great! They need chat options online. Their contracts require an arbitration clause! They don't provide an online tracking when your auto is being delivered. They don't have a client online dashboard.

My auto had minor damage to the lower deflector. Sales person never followed up after the sale. They would not negotiate the price.

They would not provide me with any inspection results even though they say they check all these items. Too cookie cutter.

I paid for a third party inspection (highly recommended), and they found a fairly serious steering issue that took over two weeks to fix at the dealer. They blamed it on that dealer, but the dealer had the auto for six days, so it took Vroom over a week to bring the auto to service.

Oil was at 11% and 1/8 fuel tank.

One thing you have to be careful of is when you buy a particular trim it may not always have all the options that trim would typically have IF the auto was originally purchased through a rental company because they can order autos with less features. Always ask about all the features!

Ok, here is the good:

I got a good deal on the auto I purchased. I got an almost fair trade in price. I was able to email the salesperson.

Luis Williamson was my rep. All and all, he did a pretty good job. He helped to find a decent interest rate (same as my 3rd party approval). Pretty good communication.

The concept of online sales of autos and delivery, I like a lot and endorse, but Vroom has some obvious shortcomings.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I'm posting the same review on numerous sites because I know buyers might look in different places for info on a company. I find Vroom would only be appropriate for a person who has done all the research and knows exactly what they want and can handle a sight unseen, limited info car. They also must be patient enough to wait for delivery. My delivery was quick, it arrived within ten days of sending all the final paperwork, I have no complaints in that area.

I bought my car through them because they happened to have the exact car I was looking for. I could only find two others nationwide, and Vroom was the lowest price even with paying for shipping. The only info I had on the car was the listing, and what I found through a VIN search on Google, I couldn't get any more info despite sending emails with questions. My car had no spare key, a missing navigation card, and a missing wheel lock key. I have to replace all those myself.

The car arrived with a very dirty exterior. There was a sticker on the back window that left two huge adhesive/paper lines, it took Goo Gone, time, and a razor blade to remove it all. I couldn't even see out of the windows and had to wash before driving. The interior was fine though. I understand this is what you get with this type of buying and it was shipped from Texas to California, but finding a way to get the car delivered at least a bit clean would make a better impression.

My one real complaint was that the car arrived with a missing nav card, all the packaging was there, but it was empty. When I requested information, I received a curt reply with the original listing stating navigation was not listed. I knew it wasn't listed, but it's standard on the car trim level and every feature is not listed, I thought it might have been misplaced or something. The reply was lacking in tact, it irked me a great deal and left me with a bad taste in my mouth. A better response would have made a huge difference in how I feel about this company.

There is also no inspection paperwork. They state they do a 126-point inspection, but I have no paperwork that it was inspected at all. Ultimately, I got the car I wanted at a very good price. It worked for me because I knew exactly what I wanted. If someone finds the car they want and doesn't need help, the prices are good.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

WHY 3 STARS:

- Vehicle was a dirty mess inside and out upon delivery.

- Vehicle had a mechanical issue upon delivery which took 5 days to diagnose and repair. Vroom is not willing to provide an extension for the 7day/250 grace period to return the vehicle, even when they deliver a disabled vehicle.

- Part of the service fees were for detailing and for a certified technician to inspect the vehicle. As the vehicle was a dirty mess inside and out and that it was delivered with a mechanical issue, I doubt either occurred.

If Vroom was in agreement and accepting to provide me with an additional 7-day/250-mile purchase commitment grace period from the date the vehicle was out of service. I would have for sure provided a 4-star rating if not 5, and I wouldn’t have spent the time to detail the notes below. But if the mechanical issues were not resolved within 6 days, I would have been forced to return the vehicle not knowing what other issue it may have.

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

My last contact with Vroom was on a Tuesday, the following Saturday morning I got a call from Vroom and was surprised to hear that they were approving the reimbursement of the tire. So in the end they did come through with the tire and I greatly appreciate it. I'll recommend Vroom but will tell of a little frustration. Still love the car!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I had some trouble with delivery. Michael in customer service called me to discuss after the dust settled. It meant a lot that he followed up with me to help. I absolutely love my truck though. It’s better than I anticipated.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

Easy online searching and reasonable purchase process. The car was delivered on time and in good shape. Customer service is where improvement is needed, I had to forward private information like copies of drivers license and trade-in title at least 3 times because their system didn't pick them up. I heard nothing from them for 3 days after the car was paid for. When I called to inquire, the agent promised to call me back, but never did. I called again the next day to learn that the car was on its way to me and I would receive delivery timing. The following day I received 2 phone calls and 2 emails with an approximate delivery time. The next day I heard nothing until the car arrived in the evening.

I soon discovered that I had not received a bill of sale or any other paperwork. I called and was told it would be sent out by email attachment immediately. I called back the next day since it had not arrived and received another promise. This time the attachment came. In preparing to go register the car, I realized that the title had not been provided. After 2 or 3 more phone calls I was informed that this would take another 2 to 4 weeks.

If I had known what to expect and received prompt replies to my questions, there would not be any issues. However, at this point, Carvana would be a much better choice for online car buying.

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