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ABC NISSANPhoenix, Arizona - Nissan Frontier
2000 [04/16/00] "I leased this truck yesterday, but the dealership
didn't truthfully explain the details; they just said that it was a great
deal. I asked them for a pick up with
no power, just air conditioning and a tape player. After all the paper
work and six hours, they brought up a truck fully loaded with all kinds of
option packages. On the way home
with the truck, I knew that I'd just made a very big mistake; there
was no way I could afford it. I returned to ABC Nissan the next day,
having put no more than 20 miles on it. They refused to let me out
of the lease. I tried to explain that I couldn't afford the truck,
and was crying. The man I was asking
for help only smirked at me and said, 'There's nothing I can do...you
signed the
papers!'"
"I've had an oil leak in this vehicle since the first week I bought
it. It's been 'repaired' by Acella
Chrysler five times, but it's still
leaking." ACELLA Staten Island, New
York - Jeep Sportster 2000 [06/21/00] "I placed a down payment
on a new Jeep at this dealership, but two days later came across an
ad from another dealership offering the same vehicle for $3000 less. I
returned to Acella and explained what I'd found, but
they refused to
negotiate. I then asked for my refund
money back. I was told that the manager wasn't available at that time,
but they would send me a check.
A week passed without the check so
I called and talked to the manager. He refused to return my deposit
money." ADVANTAGE CHEVROLET Hodgkins,
Illinois - Chevrolet Tahoe 1999 [06/28/00] "We bought this 'GM
Certified Used' vehicle in February, 2000. We made a down payment, plus three
payments between February and May 15, 2000. On June 13 we attempted
to renew our license plates, but were informed that there was a hold on the
title; we'd have to contact the Secretary of State for a transfer card.
Ultimately it was discovered that our vehicle
was an unrecovered stolen vehicle. The Secretary of State confirmed this.
At the time of purchase, we'd asked to see a title history, and also
requested from the dealership to know where the vehicle came from. Advantage
Chevrolet explained to us that it had been traded in a week earlier, and
that clear title was in hand.
Later, we learned that this had been an
auction vehicle instead. We contacted Rick Zureich, finance manager
at Advantage Chevrolet, and informed him that we'd be returning the Tahoe
to them that night, on the advice of the Secretary of State, State Police
and Country Companies Insurance.
Zureich told us that this car
had not been stolen, but that he was going to look into the situation when
he had the time. Until then, we'd just have to
wait. We repeated to him everything we'd
been told by the various agencies, including Country Companies Insurance
who had settled the claim. Zureich's response was,
'I'm not going to believe you or a police
investigator until I have the documentation.'
After a police investigator personally
confirmed the theft to Zureich, he did acknowledge it. Due to
Advantage Chevrolet's sluggish response in this matter, we contacted Chevrolet
customer service and were offered several compensations. However, during
meetings with Zureich and Desmond Roberts, owner and president
of the dealership, we were told that Chevrolet Corporation had not control
over the dealership. This was confirmed by Chevrolet Corporation; they didn't
want anything to do with the issue. Roberts told us that he'd
be getting his money back from the auction company that sold him the Tahoe,
plus expenses involved. He offered us a deal on another vehicle, but
when we asked Zureich for details on the finances involved
he said that he was tired of working with
us, and that he was turning everything over to the insurance company and
our attorney. At this point we asked for
our money back, but again Zureich told us that our attorney would
have to deal with it. At this time Advantage Chevrolet also demanded
the return of the loaner vehicle they'd been providing. Even though they've
recovered their money from the auction company, Advantage Chevrolet has taken
the attitude that we shouldn't be afforded the same right. Rather, they've
tried to show us as consumers trying to get something for nothing. At this
time we've returned the stolen Tahoe, but received nothing in return. Several
'watchdog' organizations have been contacted, including local TV stations,
and we've filed a claim with our own insurance
company." ALFORD MOTORS, Leesville,
Louisiana- "Recently, my wife took her car into this dealership to
have a rear-view mirror replaced. Whoever did the work damaged the control
panel for the door and mirror; it was apparent that a screwdriver had been
used to dislodge the panel. Additionally, the panel was loose and improperly
re-installed. Only after paying $47.00 for the work and leaving the dealership
was all this noticed. I went to the dealership to complain, but was repeatedly
lied to. I asked to speak with the service manager and was told that he wasn't
available. I then asked to speak with the dealership manager and was referred
to the sales manager. While talking with him, the 'unavailable' service manager
walked out of the back office." ALL AMERICAN FORD, Hackensack,
New Jersey - "My credit was approved, and I signed a sales contract for a
vehicle that was to be financed at 1.3% interest. A week later, when I returned
to pick up the vehicle, I found that the monthly payments had been increased
by $100. No one at this dealership had called me during that week to talk
about this. When I questioned my salesman about it all he said was that the
finance manager signed all contracts that came across his desk without checking
them for accuracy. No apologies or adjustments were offered." AMERICAN RENTAL CAR SALES / Preston
Motors Boardman, Ohio - Oldsmobile
Cutlass 1999 [04/18/00] "The service guarantee by this dealer stated
that they would supply a loaner car and
take the Cutlass to an Oldsmobile dealer
for any necessary repairs.
Subsequently, the driver's-side front brake caliper began sticking,
causing excessive heat and steam.
American Rental Car Sales advised us that
an appointment had been made with Taylor Oldsmobile in Austintown,
Ohio. I took the Cutlass in to American
Rental Car Sales, and got a loaner car from them...a 10-year old Cavalier
in poor condition, with no passenger side mirror, door handle held together
with masking tape, etc.,. Although we were told that we'd get a call
from the mechanic at Taylor Oldsmobile, and we'd even given him my husband's
toll-free number, we were not called..
Later on we got a voice-mail message
from John Metz at American Rental Car Sales that the Cutlass was ready;
both front calipers had been checked, he said, and nothing found
wrong. When my husband picked up
the Cutlass at American Rental Car Sales, he noticed that some 98 miles had
been put on the odometer. Also, he found that the lug nuts, which are
made from a plastic material, showed no evidence of any tool having recently
been used on them. He then went to American Rental Car Sales and talked to
the owner, who told him that the Cutlass
had actually been taken to a dealer in New Castle, Pennsylvania, not to Taylor
Oldsmobile in Austintown, Ohio. He also
said that he had no paper work of any kind to show what, if any, work had
been done. He was quite rude, and kept asking, 'Well, what do you want me
to do? What do you want, new brakes?' I then contacted John Metz
at American Rental and asked for the phone number of Taylor Oldsmobile where
the car was supposed to have been taken. He said that he'd just found
out that it had gone instead to 'their store,' Preston Motors, a Pontiac
dealership in New Castle, Pennsylvania. He also said that his boss
had offered to put new brakes on the car. I told him that my husband had
been told the exact opposite by the owner of American Rental. I will
next be calling Preston Motors for a copy of their work order. Finally,
we did have the front brakes checked
elsewhere...the brake pad on the driver's side was almost down to the metal.
Absolutely nothing had been done to the
Cutlass! AMSTERDAM
CHRYSLER-DODGE,Amsterdam, New York- "I bought
my Dodge Stratus along with an extended warranty from Amsterdam Chrysler-Dodge.
Two weeks later I brought the vehicle in due to a severe pull in the steering.
The service department told me that I needed four new tires, but that didn't
fix the problem. After several more visits for the same problem, I
was driving with my family in the car after Amsterdam Chrysler-Dodge replaced
the front hub and bearings. Suddenly the front hub came off; it had never
been bolted back on securely. The service department denied any responsibility
and insisted that this had to be some kind of a different problem. They
refused to help in any way and left us stranded by the side of the highway.
In addition to this blatant swindling, the salesperson I'd bought the car
from, Harvey Humphrey, informed me that the dealership had cancelled my
free-for-life-oil-and-filter-change program because I had declined their
recommended services. There's absolutely nothing in the sales contract I
signed with Amsterdam Chrysler-Dodge stipulating this as a condition. Next,
Humphrey even had the nerve to try and get me to buy a new car from
him!" ANCIRA CHEVROLET San Antonio,
Texas - Chevrolet Blazer 1996 [05/13/00] "My Blazer's
compressor was making whining noises. I took it to Ancira Chevrolet's
service department when there was still
200 miles remaining on the warranty. The service department told me that
the whining noise was just the belts.
They were mostly interested in selling me an extended warranty.
Twenty miles after the warranty expired,
the compressor failed completely; cost
to me for replacement was $1200.00. Ancira Chevrolet is a crooked dealership.
Beware!" ANDERSON HONDA-ISUZU Palo
Alto, California - Honda Accord 1987 [06/20/00] "In September,
1999, I'd had a new clutch installed in this car at another local Honda dealer.
Less than two months later, the clutch cable failed and the car
was towed to Anderson Honda-Isuzu.
Even though the broken cable should
still have been under warranty, Anderson's service advisor tried to charge
me for it. I told him I would not pay
for it. He then said that most women don't know about cars, which was a direct
insult. I'll never return to this dealership." ANTHONY
PONTIAC-GMC-BUICK,Gurnee, Illinois- "We bought a
Jeep Cherokee Laredo from Anthony Pontiac-GMC-Buick in December, 2004. We've
had numerous and expensive problems with the vehicle right from the beginning.
Everything from brakes to fluid flush to transmission have been trouble issues.
The topper to all this is that we purchased an extended warranty for $1,700.00,
but every single time we try to use it for any of the numerous troubles Anthony
Pontiac-GMC-Buick tells us that it's not covered by the extended warranty!
An independant mechanic has confirmed that the troubles encountered should
have all been covered under the warranty. We are currently trying to invoke
the "Lemon Law" protections through the Better Business
Bureau." ANTHONY PONTIAC Gurnee, Illinois
- Pontiac Sunfire convertible 2000 [06/26/00] "This car has been
in for service four times because the drivers' window doesn't align after
the convertible top is closed. There's a gap of about 2". Each
time, the dealer insists that the problem
has been repaired, but it never is. The
last time they had the car it was for seven days, but the problem returned
just two days later." HANK AARON HONDA, Griffin,
Georgia - "After thoroughly shopping the market, I finally found an
advertisement for the 2005 Honda Civic in the color I wanted at Hank Aaron
Honda. Once there, I met my salesman, Clay Fulghum. He showed me just the
outside of the car and didn't even offer to let me test drive it; his attitude
was 'There it is, now sign the papers so I can get my commission.' Even though
they were closed, Fulghum along with Freddie Watson from their finance department
and Mike Cosper, sales manager, stayed late to get the deal closed. Everything
was rushed, and Clay Fulghum actually encouraged me to fabricate names,
addresses, and phone numbers on a list of references. I was becoming more
and more uncomfortable with the whole situation. At one point I was reminded
that since it was March 31st, their special 2.9% finance interest rate would
soon expire. I later found out that this, among other things told me, was
not true. I told them that I just didn't feel right about how things were
progressing and they reminded me that since I hadn't test driven the car
the deal wasn't really closed. I backed away from the whole thing and left,
never having driven the car, taken possession of it or the keys; their was
no contract in my possession either. I eventually bought the car I wanted
from another dealership. Two days after that I got voice mail from Mike Cosper
at Hank Aaron Honda wanting me to come in to pick up my car (the one I hadn't
bought). Cosper told me that they had processed my paperwork and that my
payment book would soon be arriving at my home. I never drove the car, have
no contract paperwork, and had even told them not to process the contract.
Hank Aaron Honda has refused to listen to reason and continues to insist
that I bought the car from them and am obligated to pay for
it." ARNOLD CLARK, West Bromwich, United Kingdom
- "This dealership persuaded us to put down £200
deposit on a car that we hadn't yet seen. It was to be transported from Scotland.
We were assured that our deposit would be refundable if we didn't want
the car after it arrived. Subsequently we decided that we didn't want the
car and asked for our money back. Arnold Clark refused. We chose another
one-year-old car, but after arrival it too was unacceptable. Still Arnold
Clark refused to return our refund as promised. This dealership will
tell any lie and cheat their customers." ARROW CHEVROLETMidlothian, Illinois - Chevrolet
G20 van [04/09/00] "I took my van in to this dealership in September,
1999 for its 5-year-100,000-mile service.
I was told that everything was fine
with the vehicle. Later, one front
tire developed a leak so I went to Goodyear. They told me that the
tie rods, idler, and Pitman arms were in
very bad shape and should be replaced. I returned to Arrow Chevrolet
with this information and they agreed that the work had to be done, but said
that they weren't responsible because the service contract had
expired. When I asked why the problems
hadn't been found in September they said that an inferior mechanic had worked
on the van. His employment had been terminated. Their service
representative, Paul Nuemann, continued to deny their responsibility
though. I contacted Kevin, an arbitrator in Texas, and he agreed that
the needed repairs should be done by Arrow Chevrolet at no cost. He
in turn contacted Paul Nuemann at Arrow Chevrolet, who still refused
to do anything. I believe that Arrow Chevrolet
should be held responsible and accountable for any failings of their
employees." ATCHLEY FORD Omaha, Nebraska
- Ford Taurus GL 1996 [06/15/00] "The 'service engine' light
comes on whenever I accelerate.
I've had the car in to this dealer's
service department 19 times since April,
2000. They know that there's a problem,
but their diagnostic equipment can't seem to duplicate the problem. I'm a
single mom with three children who works and goes to school, and it's not
easy to pay for a car that spends more time in the garage than my driveway.
I've been patient up to this point, but now it's time for Atchley Ford either
to buy back this car, refund my money, or give me another car that runs with
some reliability." ATLANTIC
CHRYSLER-JEEP, Egg Harbor/Pleasantville,
New Jersey - "My husband and I visited Atlantic Chrysler-Jeep for
a PT Cruiser, even though we knew it was out of our price range. After
test-driving one, the salesperson, Rob Walls, said that he would work with
us in putting together a deal. Subsequently, a deal was made, and after three
hours of crunching numbers and doing paper work everything was done except
for getting the contract signed. At this time the sales manager, Bob, appeared
and indicated that the company credit manager had made a mistake with the
pricing on the contract. He said that there was no way he could sell the
vehicle for what had been quoted, even though it was a demo model with some
4,000 miles already on it, along with a bad cigarette odor. The bottom line
was that it would take at least another $5,000 over the quoted price. We
got upset, but Bob just said that weshould have realized that
the previous quote was too low. Anyway, it seems obvious that this kind of
price baiting and switching is a fradulent sales practice. After talking
to others about it, we learned that Atlantic Chrysler-Jeep has a reputation
for this tactic. The dealership also refused to return any of our paper work
to us, documents with a lot of personal information about my husband and
I. In this age of identity theft we feel very uneasy. Everyone in this region
would do well to avoid this dealership like the
plague!" ATLANTIC HYUNDAI AUTO MALL, West Islip, New York
- "I submitted an online bid for a 2005 Hyundai Santa
Fe GLS 4x2. After approval from management, the salesperson agreed
to $17,500. I would be paying cash. A few days later my wife and I went to
the dealership and managed to look around their lot before any salespeople
noticed us. There were 4 GLS 4x2s on the lot. After we joined our
salesperson she wanted us to complete the usual paperwork but I refused;
I didn't want a credit check run, even though my rating is over 800. The
salesperson recommended financing the vehicle because '...that's the best
way to go.' I reminded her that we'd already agreed on $17,500 cash.
One of the managers overheard this and came over to inform us that there
were no 4x2 GLSs on the lot. I told him that we'd just seen the one we wanted
on the lot. This time the good ol' bait-and-switch tactic didn't
work." ATLANTIC TOYOTA, Amityville, New
York-"We leased our brand-new 2002 Sienna
from this dealership and at first loved it. However, in July the sliding
door would no longer work electronically. The motor had to be replaced. We
tried to get a loaner, but got a hassle from the service department at Atlantic
Toyota even though they'd been slow to properly diagnose the problem and
fouled up in ordering the correct parts. Some two months later, in September,
the same sliding door isn't working again; won't close either electronically
OR mechanically. This time we were delayed in getting a loaner because the
service department insisted on verifying the problem and its cause. Another
motor had to be replaced. When my wife went to pick up the vehicle she noticed
that the sliding door was making an unusually load noise when opening. The
service manager said that the noise was normal, and that there was nothing
he could do; the service department wouldn't even look at the door
again." AUTO ISLAND - Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
- "I bought a vehicle from Auto Island in
January, and in mid-February it died on me 250 km from home. After spending
$530.00 for a tow, I had to spend another $1,700.00 on a new thermostat,
fuel pump, radiator fan, spark plugs, and brakes. Three weeks later a piston
punched a hole in the oil pan and engine. Auto Island sold me an absolute
piece of junk!" AUTOFAIR of
MANCHESTER Manchester, New Hampshire
- Plymouth Voyager Minivan 1994 [05/05/00] "I bought this
vehicle brand new from AutoFair. Three months later the transmission
had to be replaced with a rebuilt transmission. At 76,000 miles the
transmission failed again, but because my 70,000-mile warranty was expired
I had to pay for this second replacement myself. Then, in 1999, I had
to have the top of the engine rebuilt. Recently I paid AutoFair $59.00 so
that they could tell me I needed a new engine.
I'll never let this dealership work
on my car again, nor will I ever buy anything from
them. In 6 years this vehicle has
gone through 3 transmissions, had major engine work done, and now needs a
new engine." AUTONATION NISSAN Miami, Florida
- Nissan Quest Minivan 1995 [07/08/00] "My vehicle has an overheating
problem that hasn't been repaired even though
it's been in the shop five consecutive
days. When I first took the vehicle in,
I requested they do a compression test. The service manager just said
that the engine was fine, even though no tests were performed.
They've already charged me $757.00
for work done, including what I consider to be an unnecessary tune up,
but the problem is still there. Now
they're saying that it might cost me an additional
$1000." AUTONATION (STEAKLY
CHEVROLET) Dallas, Texas -
GMC Safari 1995 [07/16/00] "We bought this van in November, 1999 because
it was needed to transport our handicapped son. Since then it's broken down
6 times because of electrical problems. We've also learned that previous
owners had had the same troubles.
We asked this dealership to consider
this van as a lemon and let us select another vehicle from their lot. They
refused. We're now consulting an
attorney." AUTOWEST HONDA Fremont, California - Honda
CRV 2000 [04/17/00] "We'd called earlier in the day and were told that
the salesman we'd been referred to would be in all day. Two hours later
we arrived at AutoWest Honda and the salesman had gone home early. Another
salesman led us into the showroom, but I
couldn't hear him over blasting rock music from a
radio. This was our second shopping
experience with this dealer; two years ago we were shopping for a car and
stopped here. The salesman knew
practically nothing about the car we wanted and could barely speak
English. In both instances, we took
our business elsewhere." AVON AUTO BROKERS Avon,
Massachusets - Mitsubishi Galant 1995 [06/19/00] "From the time
I bought this car in September, 1998, I've been having problems with it.
Less than a week after getting it I had to have it towed. Next, I began
having problems with the trunk filling with water during rainy weather; both
the trunk cover and the hood are out of
alignment. I'd never been informed
that this car had been in a number of
wrecks. Neither this dealership
or the lease management company can help me. Don't buy from this
dealership!" AVONDALE HYUNDAI, Avondale, Arizona -
"My girlfriend and I recently visited this dealership,
and as soon as we arrived we were greeted by the 'sales manager,' who then
introduced us to a 'sales associate' who was to show us around. We preferred
to look around without having a salesman constantly in our faces, so we asked
for the man's card and told him that if we had any questions about a vehicle
we would find him. It seems that the only people who don't realize that customers
don't want some jabbering salesman following them around as they shop are
the salespeople themselves. Shortly after this he returned with
the 'sales manager' who rudely told us that it was their lot and that we
had to allow them to show us around. When we objected, the 'sales manager'
became not only rude, but cursed us as we left." AVONDALE KIA, Avondale, Arizona -
"Recently I filled out an online form under the 'Costco
Auto Program Dealership,' and was assigned an authorization number after
being referred to Avondale Kia. I was shopping for a 2005 Kia Sorento LX
with ice-blue metallic paint, a 5-speed automatic transmission, ABS, and
cargo tray. I called Avondale Kia to inquire about my Costco quote and spoke
with Preston Pich. He told me that it was against Costco's policy to make
quotes on the phone and invited me to visit Avondale Kia in person. After
I indicated my reluctance to do so Preston asked what type of vehicle I wanted
and then asked me (over the phone) how did $17,500 sound. I decided to visit
Avondale Kia but first asked how long the deal might take; I had other
committments and my time schedule was tight. Two to two-and-a-half hours
I was told. My family and I were greeted by Gill from internet sales who
introduced us to Mitch, our sales person. He asked about the price quote
Preston had given me on the telephone---$17,500. We sat down to work on the
deal when Mitch, the internet sales person, came in and told us that Preston
had misquoted; the price for the Kia I wanted would actually be $23,000.
This upset me a lot, and I lost my cool. After loudly complaining about the
way I'd been treated, I stormed out of the dealership. Mitch yelled after
me not do come back! After I'd witnessed the underhanded way Avondale Kia
does business, going back there is the last thing I'd ever
do." BOB BAKER TOYOTA, San Diego,
California- "Beware of the bait-and-switch tactic
at this dealership. I'd been dealing for a vehicle with Ryan Cook over the
internet. He quoted a fair price on a specific vehicle, but when I arrived
at Bob Baker Toyota I found that the car didn't have the option package I
wanted and that Ryan Cook had told me it had. Instead he offered me an
'aftermarket' upgrade DVD at an additional
cost." GEORGE
BALLAS Toledo, Ohio -
GMC 'Jimmy' 1996 [06/13/00] "I took my pick up to this dealership's
service department because the seat belt in the rear seat wouldn't pull out
all the way. I was told that the belt
would have to be replaced and that the cost would be
$103. After waiting for over two
hours, I was told that the parts would have to be ordered. After not
hearing from George Ballas for one week, I took my pick up to Anderson's
Tireman, a local tire and brake shop.
They quickly found that two coins had fallen
into the seat belt mechanism and jammed
it. Later that same day I received
a call from George Ballas service telling me that the seat belt parts
had arrived. In the past I'd bought two other vehicles from George
Ballas, but after this experience where
they tried to cheat me out of $103 I'll not trade there
again." BARTOW CHEVROLET Bartow,
Florida - Chevrolet Silverado 2000 [06/24/00] "After waiting
nine weeks, we got our new truck, but there's a bad vibration in the
transmission. We took it in twice to this dealership where we bought
it. The last time it was in their shop all day, but when we called
we were told that they couldn't fix the
problem. We went to the dealership
and got into a heated conversation with the service manager, Butch
Baker. He took care of our problem
by going into his office and slamming the door in our
faces. It seems since Bartow Chevrolet
now has our money ($30,000) they feel that they can treat us any way they
want to. I can't say enough good things about our salesman, but just because
of the way Butch Baker handles unhappy customers I'll never recommend
Bartow Chevrolet to anyone. This matter isn't over by any means!" CARL BAUR SUNSET AUTO
WHOLESALE Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Chevrolet Cavalier 1998 [06/19/00] "I bought this car
from Carl Baur, who said that he had a dealership license in Florida for
a company called 'Sunset Auto Wholesale', dealer's license number 27994.
I drove this car for about 15 miles and the transmission began to leak.
I called Carl Baur and he said that
he'd do the repairs. I dropped off
the car at his shop, where it sat for two days without anything being done.
I called the shop and they said that they didn't know why Carl Baur
had told me to drop it off there.
Eventually they did 'repair' the car,
but a day later the same leak was back. It hasn't been repaired by
Carl Baur, so I'll have to take it elsewhere.
Also, I still haven't received the registration
or title. All I get now from
Sunset Auto Wholesale is the
run-around." BAY RIDGE NISSAN-ISUZU Brooklyn,
New York - Nissan Maxima 2000 [08/16/00] "I left my car with
this dealership for service. They
parked it on a public street where it was struck by another
vehicle. Bay Ridge Nissan-Isuzu
refuses to repair my damaged
car." BEACH AUTO GROUP (BEACH HONDA), North Miami Beach,
Florida - "I recently left my car at Beach
Honda to have a minor transmission problem taken care of. Later on I received
a call from the technician, Omar Williams, who told me that he'd had a 'minor
accident' in my car while test driving it. I went to Beach Honda and found
that my car was now a total wreck! Both air bags had deployed, the passenger-side
fender was mangled to the extent that it had almost been torn away, the
passenger-side headlight assembly and half of the front bumper were gone,
the passenger-side tire was shredded, the wheel itself was bent, and the
tie rod was snapped. The hood could not even be opened. The dealership insisted
that my car was not totalled. They insisted that they could and would repair
it, but that I needn't involve any outside parties. While they were dealing
with my car, Beach Honda supplied a rental car for my use. Two weeks later
they finally came up with a repair estimate of $6,500 which omitted many
of the obvious damages. At that point I had my car towed to another Honda
dealer. The service director at Beach Honda, Luis Pedraja, objected to this
action and canceled my rental car that they had been paying for. The second
Honda dealer examined my wrecked car and returned an estimate for complete
repair of $11,500. They also said that there might be more less obvious damages
involved." BEAVERTON HONDA Beaverton, Oregon - Honda
S2000 2000 [05/28/00] "The lease that the sales manager steered me
into, and the best one that he said he could
get for me, turned out to have a money
factor of .0052, or about 12%. I could
have qualified for a much lower rate of about
8%. This equates to about a
$110.00/month difference, or around $6600.00 over the term of the lease.
Seven days after this, Beaverton Honda advertised the same car in the
newspaper for a money factor of .0033.
I've been misled by the sales manager
who didn't advise me of the money factors involved with my lease, even though
I'd clearly asked about them, nor did he offer alternatives that are clearly
available. I was lied to, and ultimately
cheated out of $110/month for 60
months." BELL and HOWARD CHEVROLET
Statesville, North Carolina - Chevrolet Malibu 2000 [07/03/00]
"I purchased this car at another dealership where the rotors were replaced
at 3,000 miles. Now, at 11,000 miles, I'm having more brake problems
so I took the car in to Bell and Howard Chevrolet. I described to the service
manager the car's repair history, and told him that I'd had the tires rotated
and balanced to eliminate that as a possible source of the braking problems.
I suggested that he contact the other dealer to confirm what had actually
been done, but he said that he needed part numbers. I retrieved
that information for him after commenting that every part should have its
number stamped on it. At this point
the service manager became very
offensive. I said that there was
no need for him to get upset. He pointed
his finger angrily at me and said that I was the one who had an attitude
problem. I then left the dealership,
went home, and called the dealer where I'd bought the car. They told
me that two recall bulletins had been issued on Malibus, the first to change
brake rotors, the second to change brake pads." BELL ROAD
AUTOMALL,Phoenix, Arizona - "I was very
interested in buying a 2005 Mazda Tribute from Bell Road AutoMall. On the
vehicle was the dealer's sticker which included its mileage: 3,700 miles.
Only after I had bought the Mazda was its actual mileage revealed to me:
more than 15,000 miles. When I complained, the dealer said that I should
have double-checked their records to verify the advertised mileage of 3,700.
Also, they found my daughter's prescription glasses in the car, but instead
of calling me to come get them, they simply threw the glasses away. Bell
Road AutoMall said that they would pay to have them replaced, but over a
month later my toddler still doesn't have her glasses. Whenever I call the
dealership about this, I'm given the run around. I highly recommend that
when you're car shopping, pass Bell Road AutoMall
by." BELLEVUE LINCOLN-MERCURY,
Bellevue, Washington - "I contracted with
Bellevue Lincoln-Mercury to purchase a vehicle that their sales representative,
Rob Frisbie, assured me was in stock and available from their local inventory.
All paper work was then completed, including a cashier's check. After
having not heard from Rob Frisbie for three days I called him. He calmly
informed me that the vehicle we'd contracted for and had been promised was
in stock had been sold to an employee at some other dealership. Can you say
'bait-and-switch?'"
