Vroom Review: How It Works, Pros and Cons

From the beginning, I had so much trouble getting ahold of anyone that could get me straight answers about a vehicle. From vacation time to no one working on the weekend, it took from first contact on 12/17/18 to 1/5/19 JUST to get me the correct paperwork with the correct figures on it. I got a bad feeling about everything once my car was on its way, so I decided to cancel the deal while in transit on 1/6/19 before they took my currently owned car away.

Vroom expected me to sign contracts within 24 hours of getting them and to overnight my signed title to them for trade in. However, once I canceled my deal before they could take ownership of my trade-in, they have taken their time with my title. I still don't know where it is, and customer service gives me the same answer that "buybacks take time." The thing is, I don't have their car, and they don't have mine. So why is it so difficult to locate a title that no longer legally belongs to Vroom, and put it in the mail?

When a company requests you to do things urgently when making money but does not take this same urgency in getting things back to you of importance, like a signed title, it undermines any reliability that they care about customers. The bottom line comes first.

To top it off, after three different discussions with different people, I STILL have not received my $500 refundable car hold back.

So when Vroom says that it makes car buying easy, I would say go down the street to a real person in a dealership and drive away with a car you've seen, versus spending weeks on the phone and email just trying to get your life back straight again because you want to return it.

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

My husband and I started working with Vroom mid-December and purchased a Lexus GS 350. I was a little skeptical because we have never purchased a car online before, but we decided to try it out to save money and bypass the haggle at the dealership. As most of the reviews indicate, the initial phone call and follow up before the exchange of money was very simple, but as most have indicated, after the purchase everything went downhill. We spoke with the same person before purchasing the car, but after we purchased the car, we talked to multiple reps. None of them communicate with each other and supervisors are non-existent.

Vroom states within their agreement to deliver your car within 14 days. We had hoped to get our car before Christmas but got an e-mail stating that they were "prepping our car." A few days after Christmas we got another email stating that they were still "prepping our car." When we called after the holidays to find out what they were "prepping," no one could tell us.

On December 31st, two days before the end of the 14-day period, we called again to find out when our car would be delivered and no one had a clue. The customer service rep stated that she would ask the inspection department. By the end of the day, she had not gotten a response. At this point, we were told that the office was closed on January 1st but it was possible that our car would be shipped on January 2nd.

On January 2nd we called back and was told that our car was being "buffed." There was still no indication as to when our car was to be shipped. I am no dummy and know that "buffing" does not take a day. We were beyond frustrated at this point by the lack of urgency and no answers. We told the rep we spoke with that we were at our 14th day. We asked if they would pay for our rental and they only offered us $100 and still no indication as to when our car would be sent.

I should mention at this point that this was a CASH purchase, so Vroom was not financing the deal. They had all of the money for the car. We asked for our money back and they did not try to pursue the sale AT ALL! They started prepping an email to facilitate the return of our money offering us nothing in return. We could never escalate to a supervisor. They could care less about the sale. How could any company that wants to be profitable send back CASH when you have a sale with CASH in hand? I could not believe it. They sent the money back within 24 hours and the car has been reposted to this website. It could have been SOLD!

I should mention that if you deal with this company, you may want to be prepared to wait 3-5 weeks to get your car as ours was not delivered as they promised. You should also know that if you ask for your money back, your bank may put a hold on your funds so you will be held up another 2-3 weeks if you want to purchase another vehicle. We went elsewhere and are happy with our purchase. I will encourage all of my friends and family to do the same. This company has a long way to go with their customer service so don’t say you were not warned. This was by far, the worst car buying experience I have ever had!

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

I do not recommend Vroom. I purchased a 2015 Toyota Corolla and from the start the transaction was flawed. The quote I received the sales rep "forgot" some fees and shipping costs, despite discussing this in detail. I contracted to purchase the vehicle and received two sets of different paperwork. It was very confusing, and trying to get clear communication from just one person in a timely manner was a joke. I signed all the paperwork and provided them a $500 deposit via credit card.

Then they started hounding me for payment. I signed the paperwork at 4:40 pm on a Monday, I had the cashier's check in the mail to them at 4:45 pm, they received it at 9:00 am the next morning. I told them I was paying cash, I paid them in full with a cashiers check, but they kept referring to my "lien." Once the "lien" is set up, we will call you back. Despite telling them at least four separate times I already sent you a cashiers check with payment in full, there is NO lien.

I have a family member who is an attorney, I had to have them get on the phone with Vroom to once and for all get them to acknowledge my cashiers check, which scared the crap out of me that I was getting scammed! THEN...three separate times I had to provide proof of insurance documentation. It seems like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at Vroom. All this while, my car is paid in full and it's sitting in Texas with no ETA on when it will even ship. It's now been a week since they received my check and they are just now telling me they will contact me when they find a truck to ship the car. Good customer service doesn't include hounding someone for payment and then taking their time to deliver on their product.

The car is traveling about 900 miles to get to me, they are telling me 1-2 days to find a transport truck and 7-14 days to get to me! They charged me $499 for shipping, and now I have to possibly wait two more weeks to receive my car? There is ZERO sense of urgency with Vroom. They deposited my check, are earning interest on MY money and I have no car. Had I known this process, I would have NEVER bought from Vroom. I don't feel the price I paid for the car provides any value for the hassle. In hindsight, I could have bought local and with the added cost of having to use a rental car for nearly three weeks until the car arrives, I would have come out about even in cost.

Until Vroom starts to really take some of the burdens out of car shopping, I wouldn't recommend them.

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

Offering $400 for a $4000 vehicle. A total waste of time entering the information. Joke.

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

Vroom sounded great in theory (simple, fast, and eliminates annoying sales tactics/negotiating), but completely failed. They sent me incorrect paperwork FOUR times. The dollar amounts for each charge in their digital contracts seemed to change from page to page, as if there isn't technology that allows you to enter a value in one location and then have it auto-populate elsewhere. There were versions of my contract in which my last name was completely butchered, the financed amount was completely off, and more.

With that said, if you choose to use this service, TRIPLE CHECK your paperwork BEFORE signing anything! Check their math. At one point, they even sent me SOMEONE ELSE'S contract with all of THEIR personal and financial information included. Seriously?

When I finally spoke to a manager, he offered to waive their $500 delivery fee in an attempt to compensate. He could have offered to waive double or triple that amount, and I STILL would have walked away. This level of unprofessionalism and inconsistency would make me nervous with any purchase, let alone with a transaction that's worth thousands and thousands of dollars. In fact, that's the only reason I'm bothering to write a review in the first place. After all of this, I ended up going right back to the dealerships I was initially so excited to avoid.

I will concede to the following points:

1) They offered more for my trade-in than I had seen anywhere else.

2) The $500 I put down to reserve the car while completing paperwork was refundable. Yay.

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

My last car purchase (through SimpleCar.com) experience was excellent and easy, but this experience with Vroom was full of well-documented miscommunications and issues ranging from selling me a car leaking battery acid (and then their warranty company denying I had a warranty, though it is standard), to Vroom attempting to deliver my car to another city (not the driver's fault - he said he had been given the wrong info).

While most of the staff are nice enough and are apologetic for their mistakes, it appears that the staff is poorly trained because you can talk to three different people and get three different answers. Most recently, they promised in writing they would reimburse me for the leaky battery and never sent the check as promised. When I inquired, they said I had to sign a document stating that's all they would pay for (the car still has plenty of time per the warranty), which an attorney has advised me is full of questionable language.

The whole experience from the beginning has been time-consuming and frustrating and all the issues have been well documented. The car was a great price, but I had to drop $500 to get it road worthy (filthy air filter, burnt out spark plugs, aforementioned corroded and leaking battery) and now the mechanic is saying the lurching is caused by an axle that needs replacement (another $600). Frustrating when they refuse to honor their warranty. It would be better to go through a standard dealership where there is accountability as Vroom will not allow you to speak to a manager and says "that's not the way we do business."

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

BUYER BEWARE!

Take a moment if you will, and follow along as I tell you my buying experience thus far with Vroom.

First and foremost, this is not my first automobile buying experience. I’ve purchased other autos, new and used, before at traditional dealerships. I chose Vroom initially because they catered to my demographic. An online purchase, that could be done with ease without having to leave the comfort of my home. I’ve purchased tons of things online before from reputable sites, including the purchase of my current home. I’ve also sold items online, so I made sure to choose a company that I believed to be reputable and had obviously had experience in selling vehicles online. That company I thought was Vroom, but alas I was wrong. Please take some time and read my story, allow me to share with you my car buying experience with Vroom.

So, in November of 2018 I chose Vroom to purchase my vehicle. I initially applied for appraisal of a vehicle I was looking to trade in/sell. I already knew I could sell this vehicle on the private market for $2,000 to $2,500 but didn’t really want to deal with that hassle, and was obviously willing to take a loss for foregoing having to deal with a private sale. Needless to say, Vroom's appraisal was anything but a small loss, since they only offered me $150.00 cash for said vehicle. I can understand this part of their business model, buy low and turn around and sell to make a profit, and this is not necessarily as to why I am discontent with Vroom, but I wanted to share this part of my experience nonetheless.

Ten days later I submitted my application for a used vehicle I found on their website. I thoroughly reviewed the pictures they had posted online as well as their Carfax report. I still pulled my own Carfax report to be sure I wasn’t being misled. Both reports matched up, so I was excited to move forward with the purchase. After filling out the application online with all the pertinent credit information, I received a call the next day from Tyler. He was calling to complete the credit application since there was going to be a co-signer on the application. Everything gets verified and he provides the rates and emails them out. We took a day to think over whether we want to complete the purchase and the following day decided we liked the terms and called Tyler to let him know. Obviously, there are documents that need to be signed and returned. Tyler is aware that the co-signer and I didn’t reside in the same city and sets it up so that the docs go to one of us and then gets to the other person and then finally to Vroom.

This is where it all begins to go downhill. It turns into what can only be described as an episode from The Three Stooges, even though after all this I would probably find them to be more competent at completing this transaction. The initial documents were sent to an address that was non-existent, an address that neither I nor the co-signer gave in the online application or by phone. I realized this because I used the FedEx app to check the tracking number that was given and saw the address after FedEx called me on their failed attempted delivery. I called Vroom, they say they have the info down as whatever sales had written down. This should have been my first red flag since blaming other departments would become a trend. I contacted them and asked for a supervisor, they said none were available and that one would get back to me. I received a voicemail from a supervisor and returned the call three times, leaving a voicemail all three times and never getting a return phone call. Eventually, they corrected the information and they re-did the contract and resent it with the correct address.

We get the corrected info and this time it is delivered correctly since it does have the correct address. We sign and initial the paperwork and send it back. A couple of days later we get an email saying that one of the documents is missing my initials, so they will resend the lone document for me to initial and return. They sent the document alright, but they sent it to the co-signer instead of to me. I call Vroom and let them know of this situation, so they email prepaid postage so the co-signer can get it sent to me. At that same time, we get notification of the vehicle no longer being held for the sale because we did not return the document within 24 hours, even though it was sent to the wrong person. Once again, I call and request a supervisor, who tells me that once they get the document they will then put a hold on the vehicle. I tell her that the co-signer and I aren’t in the same city so it could be a day before they (Vroom) get the document and obviously someone could purchase the vehicle out from under us. She showed no empathy and could care less, and never provided another alternative. I recommended that if I was able to send her the return tracking number by their time of closing would she then put the vehicle back on hold. I informed her that I took responsibility for the missing initials, but because it was an error on their end for sending the requested document to the wrong person, there should be some leeway. She agreed with my offer, this forced me to have to leave and drive three hours away to were the co-signer was with the document so I could initial it and send it out so the tracking number showed as sent.

The supervisor had informed me that I just needed to call before 8 pm closing time their time. When I called which would have been thirty minutes before they closed, the recording informed me they actually close at 7 pm. Now, I’m not saying she purposely misinformed me, but the writing is on the wall. Additionally, when I told that same supervisor that I had previously left various voicemails for another supervisor and never received a return call. She stated that the supervisor was on a prolonged absence and that’s why she wasn’t returning my phone call. I used to work as a supervisor for a top 3 insurance company. Anytime any of us took an extended absence we made sure to leave a detailed voicemail regarding that absence with our return date so whoever needed to reach us would know why we would not be returning a phone call. This should have been my second or third red flag.

Now, we begin the third stage of the process. A process that was started late November has brought us to mid-December. We get notification that everything is approved and we receive a call that the vehicle will be delivered 12/21 between 12-6 pm. So, we wait all day and at 4 pm we receive a call stating that they are four hours away, obviously not within the time frame they said the car would arrive by. At around 10 pm the doorbell rings and the car is here. Before I sign for the car I have to look it over. So, at 10 pm I’m supposed to look over a black car and sign for delivery of it. I sign for it because at the end of the day I know I have 7 days to return it. I wasn’t able to do much with the vehicle since I had to leave for a holiday vacation the next day.

When I return I take it directly to the dealership to get it thoroughly inspected to make sure I am going to keep the vehicle. Mechanically everything is excellent on the vehicle, the only points of concern are on the back fender where there is a horrible correction paint job, and the rear spoiler glue is becoming undone on the right side. Listen, I get it, it is a used vehicle, so I expected some issues. Where I have a problem is that anybody who has sold something online knows that you always take pictures and or point out the blemishes on the product you are selling, otherwise it looks like a classic bait and switch. Had these blemishes been discussed or pointed out on the website there is a good possibility I would have still purchased the vehicle though maybe tried to haggle the price but Vroom never failed to mentions these deficiencies on their website description or in their pictures.

It is now February, and obviously I decided to keep the vehicle regardless of its cosmetic defects that I will pay out of pocket to correct. Yet my story and saga are still not done. I contacted Vroom because my temporary registration was about to expire and I still hadn’t received my license plates. I call and speak to Roderick and he asks if I have the vehicle, to which I reply yeah, I’ve had the vehicle since December. He says he doesn’t show a vehicle being delivered to me. I inform him that Ally Bank has already taken out payments for the vehicle so I most definitely have the vehicle. I tell him that at this point I would rather just register the vehicle myself as I can’t really deal with this incompetence anymore. He said I would have to redo the contract again for that to happen. That’s the wrong thing to tell a law student, as nothing in the contract requires that they be the ones who registers the vehicles. He then says that I’ve paid for them to do it. I tell him I could care less if I lose money because I only have a week left of my current registration and they obviously haven’t been able to do anything correctly including registering my vehicle. I’m placed on hold as he speaks to a supervisor and states they will send me new temporary tags and will fill out the registration correctly so they arrive before the temporary tags expire. As of now, I’m still waiting for my permanent tags and plate.

I understand this is a lengthy review, but I hope you’ve taken the time to read this. As this has been my experience with Vroom. It may have been harder for me to deal with because I used to be a Supervisor for a top 3 insurance company. If there was ever any department that made an error we never placed the blame on them. We owned the error because we were all one company and did whatever we could to make the customer whole whenever WE as a company made a mistake. We also returned our calls promptly when left with a voicemail or left the appropriate voicemail so as to make our customers aware if we were not going to be available. We also provided customers with all the alternative solutions available to them as opposed to having our customers doing our job for us and giving us the solutions. Since at the end of the day we were there to assist them.

Secondly, if you are going to sell a product online, describe its blemishes, customers understand used vehicles may come with defects, hiding them and not pointing them out only makes the bait and switch theory even more plausible.

Finally, I would think that a company whose literal job is to sell cars could deal with having a co-signer and sending out documents a) to the correct address and b) to the correct recipients. As well as provide their customers with accurate windows of delivery of their vehicles and register them in the appropriate manner within the appropriate time.

This experience has been anything but what their "motto" or "mission statement" is. If I had to choose to purchase with Vroom again, my answer would be an emphatic NO! I purchased the vehicle in late November and we are past the middle of February and I’m still dealing with their incompetence. Heed this review as a warning of what you may expect if you chose to buy a vehicle from Vroom. If you do, I wish you luck. I’d personally rather go through Carvana or just put myself through the torture of dealing with a salesman at a dealership. In all honesty, I wouldn’t buy gum from Vroom even if they showed me a picture.

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

Please do not purchase from this company. They send you vehicles with issues prior to your purchase and refuse to fix the items. They wait until your seven day return period has expired before returning your answers to avoid you returning the vehicle.

I only rated them one star, because you have to rate at least one star.

I prefer to rate them 0 stars!

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

We found a car on Vroom's website that we had been looking all over for. The advertised price was $43,980, which we felt was very fair. We emailed Vroom that evening (it was after hours), and the next morning my husband called them to start the process. When Vroom sent us the deal sheet, the price was marked as $45,500. They marked the price up by $1,500 for no reason other than we showed interest in the vehicle. When we asked for an explanation, they said their marketing team sets prices and that the market supports the new price. They would not honor the original price even though they advertised it hours before we contacted them. The salesperson was named Kelly and she could not have cared less than what they were doing was super shady. She said they made a marketing mistake with the original price and that they sell 150 cars a day so someone would buy it at that price. Very disappointing and super shady. We even had a screenshot of the original price advertised and they just honestly couldn't have cared less. That is very bad business and I would never trust this company to do business with.

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

I had a car quote for delivery to Hawaii. I wired the funds. Ten days later they tried to collect another $1,000. I refused to pay as I had paid 100% of the quoted price, which included delivery. I asked for a refund. They said it would take ten days and they would keep $499.

These guys are scammers!

Do not give them money.

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

I ordered the car. Once we got confirmation that it was being delivered Wednesday before 4 pm (took off work to wait here all day) - we then got told it would be here Thursday between 11 am and 1 pm. That time passed. Then it was pushed to Thursday evening/night. Delivery guy never showed. Friday morning we call, it was supposed to be here by 11 am. Guess what? They CANNOT GET IN TOUCH with the delivery guy and CANNOT TRACK the trailer full of cars! Missed 3 days of work for this. Ended up just canceling the order and requested a refund on the delivery fee. I lost more money missing work than my delivery fee cost me. SUPER UPSET about the entire process.

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