Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/28/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My car was dropped off at the collision center on 1/6/25, to have 2 exterior door panels replaced. It was supposed to take 1.5 to 2 weeks. I received no calls about the progress. My husband called on 1/17 and talked to someone at the dealership that told him the whole crew walked off. We were not notified that there was any issue about getting my car back on time. We had no real answers about what was going to happen, so my husband went to the dealership on 1/18. He found my car outside with no windows and just a thin plastic covering the openings it had rained as you can see in the photos and the interior was treated like a dumpster with the broken /dirty parts throughout my entire car w/ no protection for the interior. Plus, the front of my car was taken apart which did not make sense to me because there was nothing wrong with the front. My husband has been in the industry for 30 years and has never seen anything like this before. Since then, it has just been a nightmare for me. With one excuse after another. Then on 3/20 without contacting me they allowed a mobile detail guy to take my car home to his personal residence and it was there until 3/24, for weeks now I was told it was done, but they needed to correct overspray that was nearly 4 weeks ago. Now here we are its 3/27 and they have to replace items that were damaged from the workers. My registration is due 3/31 kind of hard to do that without inspection. I filed a complaint with ******* corporate on 1/18 after the condition my husband found my car in. They have not really helped me which is very disappointing. I filed a complaint with ** this past week. This is just unacceptable what I am going through and I do not want this car back. I do not trust the work that has been done. A loaner car in no way compensates for this epic disaster. I trusted this place because I purchased the car here. My husband called the ** on 3/24 and left a message and has not heard back from him.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/03/2025

  Spoke with customer and agreed that I would have someone come to them to detail the vehicle at our cost to remedy the situation. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/17/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On September 18th, I purchased a car from this location along with getting service warranty. The vehicle had too many issues on the day of purchase which they couldn't fix. I ended up trading in that vehicle at a different dealership since the customer service here was terrible. I asked them to cancel my warranty on the vehicle and the gentleman I spoke to general manager ***** said that I should be get $1719 back in a refund check. After calling and trying to check the status or to see if they even processed the information. Ive gotten no response after leaving numerous voicemails, and keep getting pushed to person to person by phone. Im not even sure if they even processed the warranty refund or if they have taken my money. Its been 4 months now with no response from this dealership.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/20/2025

  We have spoken to the customer and explained the process and made him aware of when he will receive his refund, as we did in the beginning. Everything has processed.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/13/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new car from Southern States Mazda on 09/21/2024 and financed through Mazda Financial. My first billing statement, I noticed the payment amount, principal, and due date was not what was written in my signed contract. I reached out to the dealership October2024, they confirmed the error and said they would send the correct contract to the lender and that I would not need to make a payment and that it will not affect my credit. As of today, 12/13/24 the issue has not been resolved even though I have been reassured that everything has been finalized between the dealership and the lender. I have now received a notice that my account is delinquent and will possibly lead to repossession of the vehicle, and the delinquent account has been reported to the credit bureaus. I would like written confirmation that this issue is being addressed and will be resolved. After speaking with Mazda Financial, they have no records of changes being made to the account and said that they would need documentation from the dealership in order to make changes. The lack of transparency and communication is astounding and feels negligent. Absolutely terrible customer service which may lead me to taking legal action.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/26/2024

  To my knowledge this has been handled, She was dealing with my Manager ******* ***** and he has gotten everything corrected.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I purchased a new Mazda CX-5 from Southern States Mazda on August 2 (Stock #P0268417). As part of the purchase agreement, Southern States offered to apply from the license and registration for the new vehicle, which I accepted and paid for. The temporary tags are only good for 30 days. It is now more than 5 months later and still no tags. I live in ************** and Southern States is in **************, but the Sales Manager, *****************, assured me that was no problem. Based on other complaints I read about Southern States, this seems to be an ongoing issue. I can't imagine why, it should be something they do every day. I also left messages for ***************************** and ************************* over this period without any response. Why is this so hard for them?

  Business Response

  Date: 01/18/2024

  We do not deal directly with South Carolina *** seeing we are a ************** Dealer, We use a Company by the Name of OPUS and they handle the out of States *** work for us and they are saying that it should be complete in the next day or so and that there has been communication issue with the *** is **************.  We have been asking OPUS on a weekly bases for updates. ***************** the Manager has tried to reach out to update you on the situation. We apologize for the inconvenience 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/29/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought this Mazda from a "supposedly reputable Mazda dealership only to find out that they 'Duped," me. Once I bought the car -and the first time I had to replace the battery in the key Fob... My car began to act funny- the fob wouldn't work, I would get locked out of the car for hours... had to call road side assistance each time!!! The car is suppose to be push to start!!! It is not! I have to hold the fob on to the push to Start button and play around on it before the car will start.... When I took it back to the same dealership about 2 yrs later (now,) because the problem is worsening- they said the fob wasnt registered to the car!!!!! **************** and corporate have been terrible with assisting me with the issue .... no one one will own up to this foolishness... I get locked out of my car a minimum of twice a month for them to ask me "are you sure you got the car from us????" I pay a lot of money for this car and don't deserve this foolishness ... I bought it from a Mazda dealership- thinking my a car and parts would be legit. I am soooo pissed! CLIENTS BE AWARE!!!!! NOTHING IS AS IT SEEMS.... THEY SCREWED ME REALLY BAD .... AND SAID ITS MY FAULT I WAITED SO LONG!!!!! THE *** JUST STARTED ACTING UP!!!! CUSTOMER SERVICE IS TERRIBLE AT THE DEALERSHIP AND CORPORATE DOESNT RETURN PHONE CALLS!!! GO FIGURE.... Take your business else where... it's not worth the trouble! THEY DO NOT DO LEGIT BUSINESS!!! RUNNNNNNNN!!!!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/21/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  They have failed to register / transfer the tags for my new car after 60 days. The gm ***** M has not called me back and I have left multiple messages. I forwarded them a DMV letter sent due to the delay. The told me to ignore it and a civil penalty was incurred. Still no confirmation or communication that the car will be registered.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2023

  I want to start of by saying that the paper work is all at the DMV and we are expecting it to be completed shortly. Their were a few issue that created the lengthy time table. One was Mrs **** had a stop on her vehicle for a toll that was past due for quick pass, which made it so we could not register her vehicle. Then their was a lapse in insurance which made it that DMV was requesting an FS1 from her Insurance company which we received just last week and we sent it down immediately to DMV. We can only do what DMV will allow us to do and when you are calling us and screaming at my staff telling us that we f___ up and we need to pay your penalty. Telling us that we had 60 days to register your vehicle according to your insurance company, the only reason you are driving an un registered vehicle is due to an issue not in our control. As soon as DMV gets us your plates we will overnight them to you as you were told by ********. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/07/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We bought our 2019 Ioniq new from this location. The check engine/HEV warning lights came on Labor Day weekend 2022. The dealership was booked out 3 wks for service. After waiting almost a month for our appointment now it has been there a full week and we are not getting any communication from the dealership. We have called numerous times and they often do not answer the phone, they do not return voicemails, the two times someone answered when we called they had no updates because it hadn't been looked at yet, said they don't keep a tech on staff fulltime for hybrids, could not promise when they would look at it. No offer for a loaner. It's like we dropped it off and it has been stolen. The warranty is clearly just a sales tactic to get you to buy from them, because it was definitely a huge reason for why we bought it but yet now when we need it it's silence. The warranty is a complete sham. We don't even want the car anymore, now we just want it repaired so we can sell it and never have to deal with Hyundai ever again.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/10/2022

  First, I would like to apologize for the lack of communication. Regarding the vehicle repair we do have certified techs to work on the vehicle but we like everyone else are busy , this is the reason for the 3 weeks for an appointment. The vehicle was dropped off on Thursday the 29th for repairs and we got, we started to diagnose the concern found that it needed parts and both my service manager and service advisor updated them and now we are waiting on parts which are expected  in the next few days. Regarding the comment about a loaner vehicle we have very few loaner cars due to the inventory issue, and what we have for loaners are out with customers. Again I am sorry, we will work on getting your vehicle repaired and back to you as soon as we possible can.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/11/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  We won't accept anything until we have the vehicle back again fixed. For this to happen to a 2019 vehicle, with a significant failure on one of the most major interstates in the country (I-95 near Washington DC), a major repair required, with the lack of communication, lack of loaner car, resulted in a complete lack of faith in the business and we aren't happy that we have a $20,000 vehicle we haven't been able to drive since Labor Day week. After I submitted this complaint last week they still didn't call us. I had to finally call myself yet again Monday for an update and they actually answered and told me it was waiting on parts. But until I called no update. And still didn't even tell us what the findings were. Just that it needed parts. Not happy customers at all. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  **** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 10/12/2022

  I am sorry you reject our response but please understand we can only do what we have the ability to do, If parts are on backorder there is nothing we can do. We got the vehicle on September 29th and here it is October 12th, we have diagnosed the vehicle it needs a traction motor assembly, we ordered the parts and now we have to wait for the parts to get here. As soon as they get here we will get it in the rotation to be completed.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/07/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The instrument cluster on my 2013 Mazdaspeed 3 went kaput. SSM ordered the part and the new instrument cluster was installed on 8/25/22. To its credit, SSM did not charge me labor and they reduced the price of the new cluster by $100.00 to $698.00. However, they were unable to set the odometer reading on the new instrument cluster to the correct mileage which they said they could do at the time I authorized them to order the part. This may be the reason they did not charge any labor, but they also have refused to accept an e-gift from Mazda USA (that I obtained on my own) in the amount of $400.00 for the for the cost of the new instrument cluster. Presently, I have documentation that the new instrument cluster was installed at mileage 44,864 and an odometer reading of 132, which would be fine if I was intending to keep the vehicle. I wasn't. I was trying to trade in and/or sell the vehicle and the first sale attempt failed miserably even though I fully disclosed the actual vehicle mileage. So now I am just stuck. SSM should be able to correct the mileage reading on the new instrument cluster. If they cannot, they should pay for the removal of the new instrument cluster, the cost of having the correct mileage programmed by someone else, which I know can be done, and the re-installation of the new instrument cluster. I have spent hours travelling to and from SSM (it's a 260 mile round trip for me), and even more frustrating is that through out this entire ordeal, the SSM service manager has yet to return any one of my many phone calls.

  Business Response

  Date: 09/07/2022

  We understand that the customer is frustrated with the situation, with the situation of the miles not showing the original miles is the issue the customer was having with the vehicle also  caused us not to be able to download the info required for the miles to be transferred. Regarding the gift card the customer paid for the repair prior to getting the card from Mazda and has asked us just to credit his credit card for the $400 which is not possible,  we are more than willing to take the gift card on future services. We discounted the parts and did not charge for labor try to assist the customer seeing he felt that it should have been cover under warranty even know the vehicle came with a 3 year or 36,000 mile warranty and the vehicle is just shy of 10 years old. We feel that we have done everything that we could to try to assist this customer.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 09/07/2022

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:  SSM states they were unable to  download the mileage from the old instrument cluster to the new instrument cluster.  Obviously, this is true.  However, (forget the old instrument cluster) they should be able to program the new instrument cluster with the correct mileage.  This can be done by removing and programming the e-prom chip on a computer or by hooking up a special tool to the diagnostic port and programming the e-prom chip without removal.  ******** *********** ** ******** VA can do this.  It seems to me that SSM should be able to do this as well or at least invest in the needed tool (X100 Pro2).  The point is the instrument cluster swap was to include programming the new instrument cluster with the correct mileage.   This did not happen, and while I appreciate the fact that they did not charge me labor, I do not believe the latter is an acceptable excuse  for not completing the repair. Is SSM really saying they can't service the vehicles they sell? 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******* *******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:08/29/2022

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have a 2016 sonata hybrid which has been at this dealership since may 1, 2022, to have the engine replaced. It’s been one excuse after another. First I had to wait for parts. Then I was told they only have one service tech qualified to work on hybrids. Then there were “X” number of cars ahead of me (it always seems to be the same 2-3). Then the service tech went on paternity leave. Then there’s still 3 cars ahead of me. Now the service manager won’t even return my calls. I’ve called 5 times in the last 2 weeks and have heard nothing back. I’m concerned over the fact that my car has been sitting in their lot for FOUR MONTHS. I feel like they are avoiding my call and holding my car hostage. The service manager suggested I could have the car transferred to another dealership but neglected to tell me that would close the warranty claim and I’d have to start from the beginning with a new warranty claim with Hyundai, ordering the parts, and waiting. I had brand new tires ($1,000) on the car when this happened. All they’ll say is “we take it for a road test before delivery”. Tires start to go bad after only 2 months of not being used. What about everything else? Bad gas in the tank, dead battery, bleached paint? This car was worth $10,000 and I’m hoping to trade it in whenever I finally get it back. It better not have lost any value just because it took them 4+ months to fix it!

  Business Response

  Date: 08/30/2022

  We are sorry for the delay but as you where told we have only one tech at this time certified to do warranty work on the Hybrid vehicles, I have several other in process but only one that can perform warranty work at this time. We will handle your vehicle as quickly as we can and I will have the service manager reach out to you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/17/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In October 2021, I purchased a new 2021 Mazda MX-5 RF from Southern States Mazda (SSM). When I took delivery of the car, the salesperson demonstrated the Apple CarPlay navigation feature, but not the built-in navigation. What I did not realize at that time was that the built-in navigation system for the car was inoperable because the Secure Digital (SD) card that was supposed to have been included with the car was missing. The built-in navigation as well as some other features do not work without the SD card installed. (A pre-delivery checklist included with the car indicated that the card had been installed in the car, but it was not present when I took delivery.) As soon as I realized the card was missing, I informed the salesperson. She assured me that I would be supplied with a replacement card; however, she said that none were available due to the microchip shortage. I waited several months, but received no SD card as promised. Frustrated, I decided to check with another Mazda dealer (****** ****** with whom I had previously done business to find out if they had any SD cards available for sale. They did, so I purchased one because I had no idea when or if I would ever receive one from SSM. I sent certified letters to both SSM and Mazda Customer Service requesting reimbursement for the card I purchased, but have received no response from either one. I am not able to provide a copy of the window sticker showing that navigation is standard equipment on my car because the sticker was never given to me (another item promised to me, but never received). However, you can find a list of standard equipment on the Mazda website ***************************