Steve Fricks

I had a very disappointing experience at this dealership today. First, I want to acknowledge that the sales consultant who helped me, Eric Lee, was excellent. He was kind, knowledgeable, and respectful t today. First, I want to acknowledge that the sales consultant who helped me, Eric Lee, was excellent. He was kind, knowledgeable, and respectful throughout the process. He took me seriously when I explained my bottom line and was willing to advocate on my behalf with his manager. I truly appreciated his professionalism and effort to help. Unfortunately, my interaction with the manager, Steve Fricks, was extremely unpleasant. While I completely understand that a dealership may not be able to meet every customer’s requested price, the way I was spoken to was unnecessarily rude and condescending. When I showed him the offer entered into Edmunds’ dealer price calculator - which indicated the price was at the very highest end of the range - he told me that I should call Edmunds and have them buy a car for me instead. He also said, “good luck finding anyone who’s willing to work with you.” I also want to share some context as to why this experience was especially upsetting. In December, I was involved in a traumatic car accident where my vehicle was T-boned with my two young children in the car, and the crash totaled my car. In the months following, I was diagnosed with PTSD and my son with acute anxiety disorder. We are both currently in therapy as we work through the aftermath. It has taken me until now to feel strong enough to begin driving again and start the process of purchasing another vehicle. Because of that, the car-buying process has already been emotionally difficult, and being spoken to in such a dismissive and condescending way made it much harder than it needed to be. My husband and I have purchased two vehicles from Rick Case dealerships in the past - a 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe and a 2022 Kia Telluride - and both experiences were wonderful. That positive history is exactly why we came back. Unfortunately, this interaction did not reflect the level of professionalism and respect we previously experienced and expected from the Rick Case brand. I hope this feedback is taken seriously. Customers deserve to be treated with basic respect, even when negotiations don’t result in a sale. More

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