Vroom Review: How It Works, Pros and Cons

I contacted Vroom to buy one of the cars on their website. I asked it it had everything. The salesperson verified that it did. I made the purchase and when I received the vehicle it only had one key and did not have the remote for the DVD player. I contacted them about the items. They said that the vehicle only had one key and that was in the documentation. I looked carefully at the online documentation and in the paperwork that I had and it did not state that there was only one key. However, they stated that the remote for the DVD player should be there and that they needed to provide it. I haven't heard back from them regarding either issue. I ended up returning the vehicle because I did not want to be stuck with a vehicle that did not have all the equipment it should have had. The equipment (key and remote) would cost me approximately $800.00. Who is going to spend thousands of dollars on a vehicle only to be hit with an $800.00 bill? It's going to cost me $450.00 to return the vehicle but it is better than paying an additional $800.00. Buyer beware!

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

BUYER BEWARE!!

UPDATE 01/16/2020: Don't let their canned responses to reviews like this fool you! They called me to say there is NOTHING they are willing to do. This car has clearly been in an accident in the rear, and Vroom refuses to remedy the issue! If you are looking to purchase a car online, I highly suggest one that calls out ALL of the damage on the car! If Vroom wants to step up and do the right thing, I will update this review.

I will let Vroom respond and I will provide updates if they choose to take care of the HORRIBLE repair job that was done previously on the car (2018 Audi S3 @14k miles).

While the first purchase in Vroom happened in 2018 and was an overall decent experience, my second purchase in late 2019 was a terrible experience. First off, the sales portion of the transaction was fine. After I decided on the car and purchased it, everything went downhill.

Delivery:

This was terrible. There was 0 communication from the purchase on when the car was going to be delivered. After about 2 weeks of waiting, I received a call and email stating the car was coming the very next day. The morning of the next day (Friday) I received a call saying the car was being delayed until Saturday. Later on Friday, I received yet another call stating the car was in fact going to be there Friday night. This is difficult when you work for a living, especially if you have a life outside of buying cars.

Issues:

When it was delivered, the car came FILTHY! It literally looked like it was a flood-damaged car. The car was delivered in the Midwest, and there was no way to get the car washed as all car washes were closed due to the weather. On top of this, the car came with summer tires only (not stated anywhere).

When you receive a car that you cannot see any damage, and you can't even drive it, it is difficult to commit to keeping it. However, I warmed up my garage over the next few days and tried to clean it up to check for damage/paint.

I found many poorly repaired spots on the car with some dents. I contacted Vroom within the 7 days and they agreed to repair what I did find - however, it was like pulling teeth! While the car was in the shop and undrivable for the first 3 weeks I owned it, I could not look it over more. When the car came back from the shop, they pointed out the rear bumper was one of the worst hack jobs they have seen! Mind you, this was a $36k Audi, next to "new" Audi that I couldn't actually look over properly because of the condition the car came in.

Once the reimbursed the body shop for the repairs they initially agreed to, I contacted them about the rear bumper. Vroom has not returned my calls/emails. They have CHECKED OUT. After repeated attempts, they have not returned my emails/calls.

Overall, I like the car, but the damage was not disclosed (they tout "Clean CarFax" what a JOKE!). Not only was the damage not disclosed, there was no way for me to see the damage when delivered!

I want the rear bumper repaired by a professional, not the spray-paint Vroom used to take low-res pictures on their site.

I will update this review if Vroom decides to do the right thing, and repair the damage not disclosed for a repeat customer.

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

Vroom was wonderful throughout the whole car-buying process! They answered all of my questions and communicated with me frequently to give me updates. When my car arrived, it was nearly flawless. Everything was clean and was in excellent shape. I did, however, have a nail in one tire upon arrival. The Vroom support team was wonderful to work with and paid for the repairs. I was very wary to order from Vroom because of some reviews I've read, but I cannot say enough good things about Vroom and my car buying experience!

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

1. I like the fact that purchasing doesn’t involve having to physically go to a dealership - purchased right from the comfort of my couch.

2. Vroom should provide a step by step guide as to what to expect when purchasing. Such as the documents you need once you begin speaking with a sales rep. If trading in you need specific documents/items that they will ask questions about.

3. If you aren’t financing through Vroom, they make you go through the entire process yourself for tax, tag, title, etc. Unlike Carvana where it doesn’t matter if you finance through Carvana or your own bank, they will still manage the tax, tag, title, like a regular dealership would.

4. You have to go through the entire process of purchasing although they allow you 7-day/250-mile return/exchange. I wish they would reverse the process similar to Carvana.

5. If this exact car were on Carvana’s website at the time of me purchasing, I would have chosen Carvana over Vroom.

6. I didn’t like my sales rep for several reasons, but the main one being he said he wasn’t allowed to disclose information on the work that had been done to the car to make it up to standard. But I called the next day and spoke to someone else who was more than happy to share the information.

7. Vroom needs to switch to 100% DocuSign. Had a few mistakes in my paperwork and kept having to overnight the documents which delayed the process even further.

8. The car itself is exactly what I expected, just the Vroom process needs to be worked on in some areas.

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

The purchase of the vehicle was quick and efficient, completed within a few days. However, the trouble really began with the delivery of the vehicle. I was told I would receive daily updates during the transportation period, which I did not. The first "update" I received was the day before the delivery was originally scheduled. The support team informed me that my delivery had been delayed with no explanation as to why. What made matters worse is the team members I spoke to didn't seem to care about the impact of the delay nor concerned about remedying the situation. This became the norm over the next few days as I continued to receive news that the vehicle was further delayed with each passing day. After several calls to the support team with unclear updates, I asked to escalate the issue to a supervisor. Once I was in contact with the Supervisory team, there was a clear difference in the way the staff handled the delay. The supervisors I was in touch with were much more professional and helpful, followed through with communications and showed concern for the continued delays. They were able to get additional information about why the delivery continued to be delayed, beyond the 10-14 day window Vroom touted throughout the purchase process and stayed in touch through the remaining delivery experience.

On the day of delivery, despite the numerous confirmations of the scheduled delivery window, the vehicle showed up outside of that delivery window with little prior communication. The vehicle was filthy on the outside (not incredibly surprised due to travel), however, we were surprised by the number of dings and scratches discovered on the vehicle. The interior was unkempt and smelled unsavory. We even found personal items from the previous owner left inside the vehicle. This created concern that the vehicle was not inspected at the level Vroom indicated in previous correspondence.

There have been several reviews left for Vroom online that were unfavorable but I was hopeful those were the exception to the rule. Unfortunately, my experience seemed to mirror many of those unfavorable reviews. I am extremely disappointed by the level of service provided and after having the vehicle in possession for nearly 2 weeks and reaching out to Vroom concerning this experience on several occasions, I still have yet to hear back from a representative regarding any of my feedback.

Not only will I not be returning as a customer, I would not recommend Vroom to anyone until there has been a clear overhaul of the customer experience.

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

Ok, this is the worst company I have ever bought a car from.

First off, they will take forever to get you the car and they do tell you that upfront. So, if you need a car ASAP, go to a local dealer. Plan for 10-14 days before the car will be delivered.

Delivery was another crap show. Delivery company called me at 3 pm and told me the truck was 30 minutes away. I left work early and made it to the meeting spot in 20 minutes. I waited and waited. After several calls with the dispatcher and 5/12 hours later, my car finally showed up on a tractor-trailer transport. (Instead of traveling the most direct route to my home, the driver apparently decided to take a tour of the Washington DC Beltway, at 4 PM).

I had initially requested to have the car delivered in the enclosed transport option and they charged me the $300 additional, but still sent it on an open carrier.

Lastly, the car arrived with fresh new damage from the idiot who incorrectly strapped it down and let one of the straps flap in the wind and beat the side of the car for 2000 miles.

Furthermore, the car was filthy dirty due to the several days of on the road transport. (Main reason why I asked for a enclosed trailer. It was winter.)

I have now been trying to get a refund for the $300 for over two months. Vroom claims the money was used for "Negative Equity." Not sure what that really means, but there is nowhere in my contract/bill of sale which reflects the $300 was credited to my account. I am now in a dispute with the credit card company over this.

Anyone who uses this company to purchase a car online is asking for trouble. Stay far away from this place. They do have a large selection to choose from and that is the only benefit of using them. I purchased a Shelby Mustang and using Vroom allowed me to search a larger inventory rather than going to a bunch of dealers. Other than that, my experience with them was absolutely not what I was expecting. If you do choose this company, good luck, you have been warned!

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

I've had an amazing experience with Vroom and I especially appreciated the customer service Lamarah Thibedeaux provided throughout the process. So first, as a young female professional, I wanted to purchase a new car but I didn't want to go through the hassle of being pressured into a sale by a dealership. With the digit market growing nowadays, we have access to information online that we've never had before. I like to do my research and it paid off this time. Initially, I read the negative reviews of Vroom and I was skeptical but when I came across my dream car, I decided to call Vroom to gather further information and it was all seamless from there. The initial sales representative provided me with the total rundown of the company, how they operate, and what my sale would look like. As a New Yorker, I recognized I would be open to a larger market by purchasing my car online and was receiving a cheaper price than my local dealer. I especially appreciated the convenience of having my new vehicle shipped to my house. When I decided to move forward with the sale, paperwork was overnighted to me. I spent one day reviewing and then sent back. Once the wire cleared for the remaining deposit, Vroom moved forward with having my vehicle shipped. Expected delivery is between 10-14 days and I received mine in 10! After I received my delivery I had a few questions and concerns. That's when Lamarah stepped in as my CS Representative. She was able to efficiently resolve my concerns and provided superior CS. I'm so happy and thankful I decided to purchase my new car through Vroom. Their service is impeccable throughout the whole process. The company's business model is effective in today's digital world and has great potential for further growth! Job well done!

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

My experience with Vroom was overall great. The customer service reps were great, the delivery guy was great and I love my car.

Con: they provide an estimated delivery time but that could change at the last minute and they could come earlier so you have to be flexible. Also the process of having to wait for the contact to come in the mail and wait for them to get it back instead of an electric signature. But other than that, it was great and I would refer anyone to them.

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

My experience was awesome! Trace in sales was so friendly and helpful! I was a little nervous paying for something I didn’t have but it only took a total of 7 days for the whole process! The delivery driver contacted me to set up time and to see if he could deliver the car at my house or if we needed to arrange another location for drop off. Definitely would buy from Vroom again!

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

I'll be honest, I was very skeptical after reading a slew of bad reviews. I was nervous but loved the vehicle I found and decided to move forward with it. From the beginning, the process was great! I was in constant contact with Tyler Piper who was very helpful/informative of the process. After a few days, I put a deposit on the vehicle and secured financing from my local bank. Two days after that, the vehicle was on the way and arrived a day earlier than expected! There was a bit of miscommunication with the delivery, but that was due to the third party carrier and their scheduling. I thought it was going to be too good to be true, so immediately took it to my mechanic to get looked at and he said it looks great! He did notice that the rear shocks were leaking hydraulic fluid so I reached back out to Vroom and they even agreed to pay for new ones since that wasn't included in the description of the vehicle on their site. Overall, I was very impressed with the whole process and would highly recommend to anyone.

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

What a great first experience with online car buying! It was easy to tell their inventory is carefully selected to only include high-quality vehicles. I loved how much information was available, including pictures and specs. Once we moved forward with the purchase we received all of our documents literally overnight and were contacted regularly with updates. We were thrilled when the car arrived much sooner than expected! We are so happy with our purchase and the car has turned out to be better than expected.

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