On Apr 3, 2012 my 2004 Kia Optima s engine lost power and was unable to even go 3 MPH and climb over a simple overpass. I was able to manage to get the car to the Tires Plus in Clearwater Mall to have it looked at. After being diagnosed with a failed catalytic converter I was told that they could get one from Tampa by late afternoon and have my car ready by 7PM. I asked them to call Lokey Kia and Lokey told the Tires Plus representative that they could not get one until Friday. So I told Tires Plus to repair the car because I needed the car to transport my children. The next day I called Fidelity Warranty Service to see if maybe the repair was covered under my extended warranty and they told me the catalytic converter is covered under the KIA Federal Emissions warranty and that KIA should reimburse me for the repair. The Fidelity Warranty Service gave me the number to KIA customer relations and I called them the next day. The KIA customer relations told me that it is covered under the warranty but because it was not put on by a KIA dealer there was nothing they could do but talk to the nearest dealer and see what they could do. I went to Lokey service department and basically they said too bad, you should have had the car towed to us. I went to talk to one of the managers and explained the situation and he asked me if I was happy with the car, did I owe any money on the car then the only thing he tried to do was sell me a new car. If this is the best customer service on the East Coast then I would hate to see the worst. I had been taking my car there since I 2008 when I moved to Clearwater but this company will never see another dime from me. This is the worst customer service I have ever seen. I would like to commend Fidelity Warranty Service for informing me of something that KIA should have taken care of. The KIA parts department should have informed the Tires Plus representative that the catalytic converter may be covered under warranty and give the customer that information.
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