CarMax reviews

Poor quality vehicles. Managers use intimidation and demeaning tactics on sales consultants. Appraisal process/crew/training is a joke. Inventory crew are 18yr old kids spending their whole time screwing off instead of cleaning cars. Tech bays have some great techs, but the TPM's and LGM's are too worried about budgets to approve paying for needed repairs. Techs get lazy because nothing gets approved. Cars keep coming back without getting fixed. Service writers take all the crap end of the poor front end and get paid 1/3 of the industry standard while working more hours. They burn out and the only survivors cheat and rob the newbies writers/techs. Customers return the cars as a result (5 day return policy) and the sales person loses their commission. Commission stucture is flat with no change since mid 90's (company inception). Sales people burn out and settle for $12 per hour (base in Cali). Sales people start snaking deals from each other to make ends meat. Rivalry begins and internal groups are formed. High school drama stems and lead to feuds. Management watches with no action and are all part of the evil mentioned above. Everyone sleeps with everyone. A majority of sales managers were just the worst of the worst and excelled at lying, cheating, sleeping or stealing from/with coworkers. This led them to high sales, popularity and promotion. They continue with clicks and hand deals to their cohort. The underscored triple bottom line: Poor quality vehicles sold after "CQI" Certified Quality Inspection.

Women in Technology have zero opportunities to advance. When I joined the company, there were only two women in Director+ positions in IT. Nearly two years later, there were still only those two. Director roles stayed open for months; men were fast-tracked. Women were told they acted like "victims" or weren't technical enough. Nearly every meeting I was in, I was the only one or one of two women in the room--a meeting of 25+ people. Add to that the culture overall. "People First" is touted from the mountain top, yet those are just words on a page. It really means, "men first" or "only those we choose to be first." The environment is toxic; it was perfectly acceptable to put over 150 people in a space fire-coded for 50. You couldn't back up your chair to stand up without hitting the person behind you. Tight spaces and unrealistic deadlines made tempers flare. It was not uncommon to see a verbal altercation. It is not acceptable to point out where a team or associate is making an error or can improve. It is, however, acceptable to verbally bash and beat up on the person who would suggest (even with data) that an issue exists. Management changes their mind with the wind. Goals are not clearly defined and remain fluid--it's like trying to nail smoke to the wall. "Do the right thing" is another sentence that has no meaning. Should you have any integrity, it won't be appreciated. If you speak the truth, you will be punished for it. It matters not if your manager is bending the truth like a pretzel; if you tell the truth, you will be retaliated against. The company brings in talented people stating they want new ideas. Yet, when new ideas are brought up or change initiated, it is met with fierce resistance. Many tenured associates are "retired-in-place" and have no desire to upset the apple cart--even for the good of the company. They aren't held accountable for holding the company back either. The new people are left frustrated wondering why they were recruited to join; feeling like they were treated to a bait-and-switch. They leave and take their talents with them. When a talented Sr. Leader leaves, the company pulls a former one from retirement to backfill. CarMax stays stuck in the past--they tout a new paradigm; yet, look closely, it is all smoke and mirrors. The back end is old, out-of-date systems that are held together by bubble gum and Band-Aides. If you are looking for a progressive company who will value your talents and ideas, look elsewhere.