Thelen Chrysler Jeep Dodge

Professional from the get go. Easy to talk to with no pressure.I went in with a set amount in my mind to spend, and that price was met

Don't Think Thelen...



My wife and I recently purchased a 2013 Kia Sportage from Thelen Kia in Bay City, MI. After purchasing two Kia vehicles through Courtesy Kia near our old home in Attleboro, MA, we had high expectations for Kia and their dealerships. While the vehicle itself is great, the experience at Thelen Kia has been terrible. Here are our issues:



1) Thelen does not understand Kia’s promotional programs. They tried to tell my wife that she could not use the military discount, despite the military program clearly stating that married spouses qualify. After educating Thelen Kia on their own promotional programs, we finally got the discount.



2) In Massachusetts, the state retains the title until they have received confirmation from the lien holder that the loan is paid in full. This information is readily available on the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles website and we clearly told Thelen that we cannot possess our title in Massachusetts until the loan has been paid in full. Thelen repeatedly called my wife to ask questions about the title and even told her to report her title missing to the State of Michigan and pay for a duplicate title. This would have been an additional expense, a waste of time, and frankly sounds illegal or at least dishonest. They ended up selling the vehicle before they paid off the loan. This leads to the next issue.



3) Thelen agreed in our contract to pay off our trade in full. After dragging their feet for nearly a month, Thelen paid $303 less than the original amount agreed upon in the contract, allowing the lien holder to bill us for an additional month on a vehicle that they had already re-sold. After weeks of fighting and involving Kia Corporate, Thelen finally agreed to repay the difference but only after a series of ridiculous excuses (such as ‘we mailed the check to the wrong address…’) and lies. When we called to speak with someone in finance to resolve the issue, we were transferred to our sales representative who repeatedly told us that she was in the finance department.



If you are considering a vehicle in the Saginaw, Midland, or Bay City area, please go elsewhere. If you are set on a Kia, there is a dealership in Frankenmuth. Personally, I will not even take my car to Thelen for the free oil change. I would rather commit the time and gas money to driving elsewhere for Kia factory service. I would rate this experience 1 out of 10 simply because I like my Kia. The dealership is simply terrible and is engaging in practices that are incredibly dishonest and possibly illegal. Do not waste your time on Thelen Kia.