Foundation Kia

I recently purchased a vehicle from Foundation Kia in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, and while I entered the process in good faith, my experience ultimately left me feeling misled and undervalued as a customer. I was clear about my expectation of receiving $17,000 for my trade-in. The dealership agreed to this amount, but only on the condition that I finance the vehicle for a 60-month term instead of paying cash as I had originally planned. They explained this would benefit them due to manufacturer kickbacks. Wanting to make the deal work, I agreed to this arrangement, believing it to be a fair compromise. However, when it came time to sign the paperwork, the trade-in value listed was only $15,700. When I questioned this, the dealership explained that the difference was offset by "tax savings" due to state laws regarding trade-ins. While I partially understood this explanation, I now realize this was a misleading justification. The tax savings are a benefit of state law, not an additional concession from the dealership. In essence, they never fulfilled their promise to pay $17,000 for my trade-in. To add to my frustration, I later discovered an additional $799 charge for a LoJack aftermarket product that I neither requested nor recall being explicitly informed about during the transaction. This charge was not discussed and was easy to miss amidst the paperwork. Recognizing that I did sign the contract, I reached out to the dealership with a compromise: I requested a $1,449 refund, consisting of $650 (half the trade-in difference) and $799 for the unwanted aftermarket product. Despite initial assurances from the general manager that this would be reviewed, the dealership has since stopped responding to my emails and follow-ups. Their silence speaks volumes. If the dealership truly believed they acted fairly, wouldn’t they want to resolve this matter and clarify their position? Their unwillingness to engage only reinforces my feeling that their actions were neither transparent nor fair. I entered this transaction expecting honesty and integrity, and I am deeply disappointed by how this situation has unfolded. My hope is that by sharing my experience, I can caution others to scrutinize every detail when working with this dealership and encourage Foundation Kia to prioritize transparency, fairness, and genuine customer care in the future.