Carmax previous employee Internet Internet

Almost ten years ago, I went to a CarMax and bought a car. I got a great deal but I also know what you mean. After six years of doing without a car, I was just excited to have my own commute again and did not fuss over the front left tire. It was down a bit in the car lot and all they said was it needs a bit of air. Welp, I had to keep refilling that tire every week for months until I could buy a replacement tire. Why I did not just take it back to have it replaced is beyond me, but that is not my major beef about an otherwise good car sales company.

Like I said, the sales end was actually good and my father found a good report on the car. My beef happened when I had to take it back when something happened to the alternator. I had an alternator die on me from a previous car so I knew exactly what the problem was. Took it back, as it was still under the warranty and, lo and behold, the mechanic claimed it was not the alternator. It was some other part that, conveniently, was not under the warranty. Paid to replace it and, when I got it home, same problem occured.

Went back a second time, this time my father wore his TV news shirt. (He was part of the engineering crew, but they did not know that.) Suprise, suprise, not only did they suddenly say the alternator needed replacing but they also offered me a car to drive while they fixed it.

Did my problem end then? Nope. Took good care of their car while mine got fixed. Went back to get my car after the work was done, and got a call back from them accusing me of making some big dent in their car. There was no dent at all, nothing bad happened to that replacement car of theirs. At least they dropped the issue right then and there.

One would think that I would have learned by now with their maintenance shop. Nope. Scheduled a routine oil change, which should be only twenty dollars as quoted to me and should have taken less than half an hour as they told me over the phone. Showed up for my appointment and did not get served for almost thirty minutes. Then they told me it would take several hours to get everything done. I asked what they meant and they said they had to do other major routine work on it and it would cost me around a hundred dollars! When I objected and said I just needed an oil change, the clerk had the gall to get an attitude with me and treat me like I had the problem, addressing me literally as, "Look, lady!"

I walked out of that shop and never returned to them again for any maintenance! If they have straightened up since then, good for them. As far as I am concerned, however, I gave them multiple chances and they screwed up big time with me.

"Carmax says it does a 125 inspection this may be true but they DO NOT fix, change or repair all items found."

They do if the particular part of the vehicle fails the inspection. That is the entire reason for the inspection and naming a car "Maxworthy" Otherwise it would just be a arbitrary screening with no standards. Maybe you should head back to the technicians bay next time you are near a store and educate yourself.

"but be careful even when carmax says they have completed the repair it always does not happen"

So you are saying that every single time a repair is said to have been made Carmax has not done this repair? That seems a bit far fetched. Did you get fired or what? Couldn't hack it? Thanks for telling everyone that they have to be diligent and check out a used car before they buy it. I don't know one Carmax salesman who wouldn't tell them the exact same thing. If you truly were a Carmax associate you would know that they hold a no hassle policy, they do not want someone to be pushed into buying something they are unsure of or do not want. Perhaps this is why you didn't hack it.

"Like I said, the sales end was actually good and my father found a good report on the car. My beef happened when I had to take it back when something happened to the alternator. I had an alternator die on me from a previous car so I knew exactly what the problem was. Took it back, as it was still under the warranty and, lo and behold, the mechanic claimed it was not the alternator. It was some other part that, conveniently, was not under the warranty. Paid to replace it and, when I got it home, same problem occured."

You sure did a lot of driving on a "Bad" alternator. You do know that a car will only run with a bad alternator until the battery drains right? Which is very quickly. And that is assuming a full charge when starting. After the battery died the first time, unless you replaced or charged the battery (And I don't mean jump start so don't go there) you would not have been able to get there. So unless home is a Winnebago on the Carmax lot, I'm going to have to say that this was a falsification. Because even if the tech lied to you and charged the battery and put it back in the car knowing the alternator was bad, you wouldnt have made it down the street.

"It was down a bit in the car lot and all they said was it needs a bit of air. Welp, I had to keep refilling that tire every week for months until I could buy a replacement tire. Why I did not just take it back to have it replaced is beyond me"

Beyond me too. I guess when the air went down a second time very quickly it didn't register to you that the salesman has the same vision as you. And by this I mean he didn't see the microscopic hole in the tire either. Most likely, it would have been good to just go ahead and take it back to get them to replace the tire

I have read many reports of abuse, rip-offs, and poor customer service from Carmax; and now, I am a believer, having suffered the same injustice. To see "booninator" attempting to discredit and mock the victims of such is shocking! If you are a current sales manager at one of the branches, then identify yourself as such. Otherwise, it is dishonorable to pass yourself off as a fellow consumer rising to the occasion to fight for Carmax's honor. It is a company that employs shoddy business practices. It does a great disservice to its customers by providing piss poor customer service post-purchase. It does not believe that the customer is always right. It is unbelievable that in this time of recession, a company such as this insists on mistreating valuable customers. Contribute CONSTRUCTIVE criticism where needed, "booninator", or keep your silly comments to yourself. I'm sure Carmax cuts you a check for each rebuttal you post on every consumer complaint site, but is it something your mother would be proud of?

Thank you for your consideration.

Well, I do not work for Carmax. I work for a nationwide telecommunications company and I love my work. I did in college work for Carmax, and I suppose because it was such a great place to work I feel some loyalty towards them. I dont recieve any money from Carmax for anything anymore and I have no reason to defend them except for my own personal distaste towards people complaining that the 'Big Bad Car Company' did them wrong, when they choose to ignore that it is a car company and it is a business. The world is unfair. And the customer is not always right like it or not. I commented on the situation that was presented. You decided to attack me personally. Who's silly?

"You sure did a lot of driving on a 'Bad' alternator. You do know that a car will only run with a bad alternator until the battery drains right? Which is very quickly. And that is assuming a full charge when starting. After the battery died the first time, unless you replaced or charged the battery (And I don't mean jump start so don't go there) you would not have been able to get there."

Who said I was able to drive it a lot? It passed the test drive fine but within the week, the car began to show the early warning signs. (You do know about early warning signs?) The battery was brand new so do not even go there. Carmax had to furnish the tow truck to take it to their shop.

"So unless home is a Winnebago on the Carmax lot, I'm going to have to say that this was a falsification. Because even if the tech lied to you and charged the battery and put it back in the car knowing the alternator was bad, you wouldnt have made it down the street."

It would not even start on the car lot when I arrived to take it home, so do not even accuse me of falsifying anything.

"Beyond me too. I guess when the air went down a second time very quickly it didn't register to you that the salesman has the same vision as you. And by this I mean he didn't see the microscopic hole in the tire either. Most likely, it would have been good to just go ahead and take it back to get them to replace the tire."

Like I said, my beef was not with the salesman nor with Carmax as a company. I did not fret and worry over the tire. I am grownup enough to recognize honest errors when I see them. The alternator was not one of them. In fact, I had to get it replaced again just last year at Sears. The car barely made it there when I drove it to the shop and I got it there in time because, lo and behold, those pesky early warning signs.

"I did in college work for Carmax, and I suppose because it was such a great place to work I feel some loyalty towards them. I dont recieve any money from Carmax for anything anymore and I have no reason to defend them except for my own personal distaste towards people complaining that the 'Big Bad Car Company' did them wrong, when they choose to ignore that it is a car company and it is a business."

Never once did I call it a bad company. In fact, I went back a few years ago to see about another car. All I said was that this one particular maintenance shop was bad and the mouthy mechanic with his attitude did not make it any better.

"The world is unfair. "

Oh, the violins! Let me get my hanky. You are going to make us all cry.

"And the customer is not always right like it or not. I commented on the situation that was presented."

And we are commenting on bad experiences at a site titled "Rip Off Report" for a good reason. I've been to many auto mechanic shops over the years, such as Firestone, Tire Kingdom, Pep Boys, and even Walmart. Sometimes the visits were very routine and uneventful, sometimes there were major expensive replacements that had to be done. The only time I was ever mistreated and blatantly ripped off was at the maintenance shop at Carmax. I gave them multiple chances to redeem themselves in that mechanic shop and the only time they showed any courtesy and did anything honest was when my father came with me in his TV news shirt. It shows me they were only being nice and honest when they thought someone was watching.

" You decided to attack me personally. Who's silly?"

And you decided to accuse me of falsification and to be just as condescending and derisive as the mechanic in the shop. I'll say this again, as soon as they replaced the alternator, which was under warranty, the car ran as good as new just like last year when Sears replaced it. Suprise, suprise. I'll say this again as well, the salesman was great and my father did not even have to wear his news shirt. In fact, he did not know my father worked in the news station until we went to the office to make a purchase.

'It was some other part that, conveniently, was not under the warranty. Paid to replace it and, when I got it home, same problem occured.'

And then...at a later date.

'It would not even start on the car lot when I arrived to take it home, so do not even accuse me of falsifying anything.'

My bad, I misread your original statement. I thought you said that when you got it home the same problem occurred. What you really said was when you picked the car up it wouldn't even start. Oh, wait...

Don't feel alone, most people have purchased a new or used car impulsively based on emotions and not on logic. It may have seemed like the perfect car, or the fear of loss, or you may have got caught up in the emotion of a car purchase and fell victim to the many sales ploys and tactics used by car dealerships and their sales associates. Whatever the reason, we bought the car only to realize later that we were either duped on our trade, paid to much for the car, and/or was taken advantage of by the financing department on the back end.

For the most part I find that these Ripoff Reports are very informative and offer some much needed information for a consumer to consider before purchasing a car from Carmax or anyone for that matter. However, in reading these reports I keep seeing rebuttals posted by Ex-Empolyees and this "Booninator" character. (Ironically, “Booninator” was the code name for Ole Miss’s athletic director Pete Boone when he was suspected of shady recruitment of head couch Houston Nutt back in 07.) At first I didn't think much about the harshness of the “Booninator’s” rebuttals. Then I noticed him on several of these posts eagerly putting in his two cents worth and in some cases insulting the intellect of the person that is posting. He seems to know a lot more details about Carmax than any of the associates I have dealt with. He is even well versed in the details of Carmax’s policies and procedures in different states, as well as, Carmax's car warranty coverage through MaxCare. Unlike T-Rex who has also been insulting but, at least had the balls to identify himself as an Ex-Employee, Booninator was deceptive and chose not to disclose that he was an Ex-Carmax Employee until he was called out in this report by Customerisalwaysright. I also question his integrity based on the following where in this post he states "I work for a nationwide telecommunications company and I love my work." but, in June he stated "I have to wait on people like you in my restaurant every day and I get sick to my stomach just thinking about it." I don’t know who Booninator really is, or what he actually does for a living, but, if he is not getting paid by Carmax then he should be!!! He has way too much time on his hands to continually review all of these reports and share his vast Carmax knowledge and unnecessary sarcasm just because of his "own personal distaste towards people complaining that the 'Big Bad Car Company' did them wrong". I have to wonder why he cares so much about people sharing their real negative experiences about Carmax if he does not work for them anymore? It is as if he takes it personal and doesn’t want anyone to pick on poor little Carmax. I will be the first to say that I do not agree with the old belief that "the customer is always right" because I know customers can be just as deceiving to a business as a business can be to a customer. However, I also do not have any respect for people that are intentionally deceptive. So, "Booninator", unless you can be honest about who you are and contribute constructive remarks without being sarcastic or insulting peoples intellect, then please spare us your dramatic input. I am more than confident that Carmax will continue to do just fine without your effort here on this website to sarcastically refute these accusations. You are only causing unnecessary frustration for the people seeking to be warned by others sharing what they experienced. Do you realize that your sarcastic remarks, as well as, the knowledge that you are, or were, affiliated with Carmax causes additional questions about Carmax’s integrity and business practices. 

No company is perfect! You need to take the steps to protect yourself. Take your time, do some research.  Being prepared will reduce the chance of being taken advantage of. Here are some suggestions that may help you in the future. 

1 - pull up Kelley Blue Book and NADA reports. Research the current retail market on Vehix, Autotrader, ebay, etc.

2 - copy down the VIN number of the car you are interested in and call the local factory dealers service department and verify any records or maintenance history of the car.

3 - ask the factory dealer if there were any recalls for this car and if they have been addressed and/or fixed.

4 - ask the factory dealer if the car has any factory warranty left and if it can be transferred to you free or for a fee if you buy the car. Most cars that were “certified pre-owned” when the previous owner purchased it and then sold to another dealership is still covered under that original pre-certification warranty. **Carmax doesn’t check for this and if they know they will not provide you with that information because they want to sell you the MaxCare Extended Warranty for additional revenue.**

5 - contact your current car insurance company and see if your agent can look up the VIN in their system to see if they find any past issues with the car. They may have the ability to see if this car has had claims put against it for collision or comprehensive damage. They should also be willing to help you research the history of this vehicle since they are going to insure it. Some agents can view things that you may not be able to find on website reporting tools.

6 - don't let the sales people rush you. Go over the car thoroughly.

7 – From what I have read Carmax does not let you take their car by yourself for a pre-purchase inspection. If you have a local mechanic or body shop that you trust, ask them if they will have one of their techs go with you to view the car. It may be after hours but, since Carmax is open late and on weekends, it shouldn’t be a problem. Even if they want to charge a fee it would be money well spent.

8 – Get your finances in order before you go to look and if possible get pre-approved before you start looking. You should also be aware of your current credit score and the current interest rates. With this information you will know if you are being offered a competitive rate if you choose to finance through the dealership financing department.

9 – If you started the negotiation process after normal banking hours or on a weekend, there is a possibility that you could drive off the lot with your new car without the financing being locked in. This applies even though you have signed papers and have been told that you are ready to go. If this happens seek legal advice before you agree to anything offered from the dealer.

10 – Don’t get emotionally attached to the car before you buy it. Many people fall into the trap that this is the best deal, or they will not be able to find another car like this one. If a sales person tells you that if you do not buy it now then it could be sold from under you, or that there are other people interested in the car so if you want it you need to buy it now or you may lose it. They may be right!!! However, there will be another car to replace that one tomorrow or soon after. Never, believe that this is the only car for you. You will probably see 5 or more just like it driving down the road on your way home.

Be patient and be smart and you will find the car that is the right for you.

Ok, you got me! Wow dude, You are so quick witted. With your ability to use the search function and charge forward with a personal vendetta against some stranger on an internet site you have outed me as the first person in the history of the world to keep their job waiting tables on the weekend and nights even after they started their career. Imagine this if you will. A young man gets off work from his nine to five, and confronted with economic turmoil put forth by student loans and bills he has to go to another job!!!!! I know, it sounds tragic and unbelievable. But, believe it good man, I am the one person in the world that both has a good daytime job which he loves, then travels by night (maybe in disguise WHO KNOWS!!) to wait tables and bartend to make more money. I'm so glad that you were here!!! What would these people do without you to tell them to check out the used car that they wanted to buy before they bought it. Thank you for outing me as the liar that I am. Because no man, no HU man would be able to work more than eight hours in one twenty four hour period.