Car Keys Express reviews

3.1

33% would recommend to a friend

(188 total reviews)

Mark Lanwehr

36% approve of CEO

33% positive business outlook

Car Keys Express has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 188 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Car Keys Express employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

188 reviews
3.0
Jul 22, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

good people, and it seems to grow every day

Cons

there are some really frustrating policies. i believe they hurt morale way more than they help production. 1. no vacation time for the first year 2. you can only use vacation time one week at a time. you can't use 3 days of it and you can't use two weeks at a time. this basically means you can't travel far away and have a good time while you work here. 3. no PTO for hourly employees. 4. if you take time off around the holidays you lose your holiday pay.

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Car Keys Express Response
10y
Here's a more accurate description. Remember, all this are reviewed *prior* to hire and agreed upon before hire 1) no vacation time for the first year (industry typical for hourly employees) 2) you can only use vacation time one week at a time. you can't use 3 days of it -- We do allow vacation weeks to be separated if you have multiple weeks. We do believe in the restorative nature of vacations, so we require you to take a full week at least once per year. Many companies don't care. We do. 3) no PTO for hourly employees - This is industry typical for hourly employees. You do get paid vacations. 4) if you take time off around the holidays you lose your holiday pay. Hourly employees only. We need to support out employees who are working in the field. You are welcome to use vacation time at any time of the year.
1.0
Jul 29, 2016

No

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Has potential under real management. Promising business concept. Other than this, there is not much positive to be said.

Cons

It's extremely frustrating that this company wastes so much time and money on their appearance, rather than working on the root of their issues. Countless hours spent pouring over glassdoor attempting to discredit any and all reviews. It's sad really. The owner puts so much money into a "cool work atmosphere." Pool tables, couches, absurd architecture, foosball, all sitting and collecting dust while long-term employees are consistently told they aren't worth enough for a raise that they were promised when they were hired. There is no care for employees, contributions are never recognized, commitments are never honored. The fact that someone sits on here and argues with reviews should be enough proof that this place is filled with immaturity and ignorance. Please if you are considering a position here and you haven't already been scared away, proceed with Extreme Caution. This place is most definitely a waste of time and talent.

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Car Keys Express Response
9y
Ironic this "grow up" advice was dispensed by someone stalking a review site. It's the same person trying to discourage candidates and attack upper management, because he was released. These negative reviews happen clustered around the same time period. It’s a sad end to something that should have been done a long time ago. Consider this: We remain industry leaders in every segment we engage in. We’re the world’s fastest-growing dealership vendor, and the world’s largest discount mobile key vendor. We’re also the internet’s #1 retail seller of replacement keys. We’re leaders in innovation also--we’re the first and only company to create a Universal Car Remote, which is making its way to store shelves all over North America. We now have a design and development division, making even more industry-changing products we’ll be rolling out in the coming months and years. We believe our company’s most important asset goes home at the end of the day. Our employees work hard, and are the best paid in the industry, by far. For example, our Car Keys Express Account Managers typically earn twice to three times what our competitors pay. We take our work seriously, but we also encourage a healthy work-life balance. Most know the norm for a rapidly growing company is for employees to work 50 or more hours a week. Our local employees can work from 9-5 daily. Our employees in other states enjoy flexible work schedules. We’ve grown from a one-man operation to a nationwide company in 35 states in about ten years without taking a dime of financing--all thanks to the excellent work of our dedicated team. In this forum, many current and former employees have taken the time to post their genuine, real-life, positive experiences with our rapidly growing company. We've also taken the time to give detailed replies so you get all the information. Do the right thing, and give them consideration too. Thanks :-)
1.0
Mar 13, 2015

Shaking my head right now.

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Opportunity to make six figures, 401k, BCBS insurance, minimum 50% up to 100% travel, two Skype conference calls per week, use company credit card when traveling, company car/phone/iPad (for company use only).

Cons

The "Field Sales Rep" position that they advertise is actually the "Regional Sales Manager." No one tells you that you'll be expected to perform the job of two people: curating all the accounts by cold calling, AND managing a team of technicians aka "account managers." So if the technicians suck at their job and can't sell, you don't make any money as a RSM. (You sign a document that says you can be terminated if a technician under you quits. Really?) The next problem is that the company is so hyper focused on increasing the amount of cities they cover, they'll hire more technicians than you can handle at once, which means three weeks of traveling per month (You also sign a document that says you'll travel OUTSIDE your forty hour work week, which means leave Sunday night and come back late Friday night. Fail.). The company doesn't have enough inventory for the techs in the field to meet the demand of the accounts, yet the company keeps adding more technicians and stretching the inventory even further. So you get dissatisfied customers, unhappy technicians that are losing income, and then you lose commission too. There's no support from the corporate office- only eagle-eyed micromanagement. It's seriously pathetic. And good luck getting paid full commission. I love how Car Keys Express is freaking out about any negative reviews they get- look at other companies- they don't have someone doing fake damage control reviews. Most companies don't bother combatting and fighting bad reviews- they let the quality of the company speak for itself instead of providing defensive, lengthy explanations/excuses.

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Car Keys Express Response
11y
Of the many, quietly successful employees, there will be a few embittered ones who don’t make the grade. So, you’ll see a common theme here: that upper management is the worst thing to happen to the company. By the way, it’s still the same management that started it from nothing and turned it into three industry-leading companies. We’ve grown from a one-man operation to a nationwide company in 35 states in about ten years --all thanks to the excellent work of our dedicated team. We’ve been successful because we make careful hiring decisions and have created a team that works well together. Occasionally, however, we make mistakes in hiring. Although we strive to give every employee all the training, mentoring and assistance necessary for them to achieve success, there have been rare occasions where our company just isn’t the best fit and we have to let an employee go. This can create hard feelings, retaliatory comments, even outright misinformation. Our employees work hard and are the best paid in the industry--by far. For example, our Car Keys Express Account Managers typically earn twice what our competitors pay. We take our work seriously, but we also encourage a healthy work-life balance. Most know the norm for a rapidly growing company is for employees to work 50 or more hours a week. Our office hours are 9-5 daily. Our employees in other states enjoy flexible work schedules. We have turnover that’s half the national average, and give raises that are often twice (sometimes much more) the national average. Of course, it’s more than just money. One example of many is we constantly looking for ways to improve our feedback system to allow for better communication between our team and upper management. Of course, we still offer our feedback system which has always allowed for anonymous messages to management. We’re rolling out some exciting enhancements just next week that will make the system even better. In short--we believe our company’s most important asset goes home at the end of the day. We’re presently going through a period of rapid growth and continue to strive to bring on “the best and the brightest”. Number of employees: 2002 = 1 2006 = 2 2008 = 5 2012 = 47 2013 = 98 2014 = 158 Please keep one thing in mind: It’s necessary that upper management challenges those who don't do live up to our motto “A fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay”. It's a fact of life for high-performing companies to shed those who don’t measure up. To do otherwise endangers the company, and betrays the dedicated employees who do excellent work every day. If you’re interested in joining our team, we encourage you to apply and learn the truth about how we work and how you can contribute to growing the most successful business in our industry.
Viewing 4 - 6 of 188 Reviews

Glassdoor has 193 Car Keys Express reviews submitted anonymously by Car Keys Express employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Car Keys Express is right for you.