Calling Kia customer service takes a bit of patience because you have to navigate through long directories. It can get annoying to have to listen to directory after directory while waiting to talk to someone, but by that same token, there are many reasons why someone might call Kia. I was calling to talk to someone about my broken trunk. I just purchased my car two weeks ago, so I felt that it should be covered under their warranty program, which I also purchased. I wanted to see what the process would be to get the situation corrected.
Usually, I would just take my car back to the dealer, but I had trouble locating a certified Kia Sorrento with the specs I wanted. Therefore, I drove a few hours to buy one at a lot that had the model I was after in stock. I really didn't want to drive a few hours to get my trunk fixed, so my plan was to call customer service and find out how I could get the benefits of my warranty plan without driving out to that specific dealer.
Other people might call for a variety of reasons. Still, based on all of the directory options, some popular reasons might be roadside assistance plans, vehicle theft issues, recalls, class section lawsuits or issues with their leases or finances. I'm sure millions of Kias are on the road, so that is a large base of potential customers at any given time.
Despite that, once I got through the long directories, I could talk to a customer service agent almost immediately. So, by that token, Kia does a wonderful job taking care of its customers. I was very impressed with the low wait time in that regard.
When I first called, an automated message said, "Thank you for calling Kia consumer assistance. If you need Kia roadside assistance, press 1. For all other matters, press 2."
I pressed 2, and the automated voice said, "Thank you for calling Kia Customer Care Center. If you are calling regarding recent media reports of a recall warning customers to park their vehicles outdoors, press 0. For all Kia vehicle thefts, press 1. For car or lease payments or other financial payments, press 2. If you are calling with a recall-related inquiry, press 3. If you are calling regarding a class section notice received in the mail, press 4. If you need to speak to a Kia customer associate other than about Roadside Assistance, press 5. If you are calling regarding the fuel economy adjustment program, press 6."
I chose option 5 because I wanted to talk to someone, and it stated, "For English, press 1. For Spanish, press 2." It also listed a third language, but I couldn't understand it, so I am unsure what it was. Then it asked me to enter a case customer number but to press the pound sign if I didn't have a number (which I didn't). From there, it sent me to a hold line, which only took 2 seconds before Kelden picked up. He had a slight accent but helped me quickly, and I could understand him well enough.