A Right Of Passage

I think buying a car is almost like a right of passage; everyone needs to do it at some point or another.  Well, I've passed on through it now...I have bought my very own first brand new car.  And she's a beauty.

To get you up to speed, I was driving a '99 Pontiac Grand Prix that just so happened to be my first car when I was 16.  Dad has kept it all these years, and it made its way down to BR for Robbie.  About the time I needed to get rid of the truck, Robbie didn't need the Pontiac anymore, so I took it back.  It had started making some questionable noises, and Jason had to fix minor things here and there.  So, the time was coming where I knew I needed to get some new wheels.

Jason and I had been looking for several months, and we had it narrowed down between a few choices.  This was before we were officially engaged, but I knew my future was with him, so I needed to plan for it.  I knew I needed a vehicle large enough to accommodate a man that stands over 6' and two growing children that aren't far behind him.  With his son on a travel baseball team, I knew I would need something big enough to get all 4 of us to and from those games, in addition to loading up all of us for vacations, etc.  But, I also needed something practical enough for me to drive 30 miles to and from work every day.

So, after much deliberation, research, budgeting and prayer, I decided on this:

 

 

 She is an Infiniti JX, and I LOVE it. 

The closest Infiniti dealership is Gregg Orr in Shreveport.  Knowing what I know now, I would have made the trip to Jackson or Baton Rouge or anywhere except Orr Infiniti in Shreveport.  Worst. Service. Ever.  No really, it was awful from the time I said "This is what I want".

This is just the short version:

•  We got the car a couple of days after we were told we would have it, and it was the wrong car.  (This actually ended up working out better for me anyway, because I liked the interior accents on this one better.  They lucked up.)
• We had to sign a second set of papers because the first ones had the wrong VIN#. (Come to find out because it was a different car!)
• There was leftover tape residue everywhere, and it was filthy.  Which was ok, because I was promised a free detail and a free tank of gas the next time we were in Shreveport since they didn't detail it for me when they delivered it.
• Took it to have it detailed and it came back with dings, scratches and an empty tank of gas.  It looked like they didn't use water before they washed it and just rubbed the dirt into the BLACK paint.  So I had lovely white swirls down the sides of my brand new vehicle.  The residue from the stickers was still everywhere - on the door, the rims, the back; there was even still a piece of tape left on the inside.  Tell me how you detail something without even removing all the tape?  I ran my finger across the very back, and it came off black.  The fingerprints that were on the front windshield when I received the car were still clearly visible, and the dash had not been touched.  All on top of the fact that they stole my gum out of my door panel.  Really.

At this point, I am having to exhibit some serious self-control so I don't turn into "that woman" that's got the ugly cry going on in the dealership parking lot.  Orr Infiniti totally ruined my first car-buying experience and made it one of the worst.  Seriously, I won't make you read every thing that happened, but this isn't even half of it.  I have a 2-page very detailed letter ready to send to Infiniti Consumer Affairs in TN, along with Gregg Orr's email address that I'll be sending it to as well.

They came to pick up my car on Tuesday to take it back to detail it the right way and left me with a Maxima that died, and I had to jump it off before I could leave work. Then they brought me an Infiniti car to replace it that had an empty tank of gas. I should have my car back today, so we'll see how that works out.

For real, y'all. I would NEVER recommend them to anyone, no matter how good of a deal you get. The service Jason and I have both received has been downright terrible.  And to top it off, I have YET to receive an apology from anyone at Gregg Orr besides the salesman.  And trust me, he has not been the only one involved.

So, to summarize this entire post, I got a really great car that I love with the worst customer service I have ever received.

If you're in the market for a car, take my advice and don't make your way to Orr in Shreveport.  Unless you just like getting awful service, then have at it!