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MOST RECENT COMPLAINTS

21st CENTURY LEASING GROUP, Union, New Jersey -"1. 21st Century Leasing Group asked us to sign a blank document due to what their representative deemed to be 'illegible handwriting.' This document was later fraudently completed without or knowledge with a higher price than originally agreed upon. Neither us nor the financing company ever received a copy. 2. 21st Century Leasing misrepresented the purchase price of the automobile on their website where it was advertised for $39,995. On their other websites the same vehicle was advertised for $37,995. The real price turned out to be $43,184. 3. The listed mileage on the internet was shown as 12,883 miles, when in actuality the true odometer reading was 14,657 miles. 4. 21st Century Leasing Group's staff promised us that they would take over the remaining payments on our Acura, along with all other charges associated with the transfer. This has not been done."
KEN STOEPEL FORD, Kerrville,Texas - "In November we sat down with our salesperson to close the deal on a 2008 Ford Focus. After sitting in the sales office for two hours the dealership finally came up with payments on this car of $450 per month. We said that this seemed pretty high for the car we were getting. At that point the salesperson promised to arrange things so that the first payment wouldn't be due until January. The salesperson went away to '...take care of a few details' and returned about a half hour later to take us back to the finance department. On the way he told us in a very off-handed way that there had been a bit of a mistake and that the payments would actually be $465 per month. We still felt that the deal would work for us since the first payment wouldn't be due until after Christmas. Well, guess what came in the mail just the other day...our payment book with the first payment due in December, not January as promised. We talked to the dealership about this but they refused to even consider our complaint."
MODESTO MAZDA, Modesto, California - "I did a search on the Mazda website for a Mazda6 Sport Wagon. I found one and read that it had only 24 miles on it. At Modesto Mazda the salesperson started out with a quote higher than the manufacturer's suggested price for a new Mazda6 Sport Wagon. This for a vehicle model that had already been discontinued because of poor sales response. Also I later learned that the car I was interested in and that supposedly had only 24 miles on it was a demo with over 7,000 miles!"
NORRIS AUTOMALL, Medina, Ohio - "I purchased a Dodge Caliber from Norris Automall on May 10, 2007. Included in the deal was an extended service warranty and gap insurance. On May 21st I wrote the dealer to cancel these items, an option provided in the final sales contract. Norris Automall never cancelled the items. I requested cancellation three more times without any results. I finally went directly to American Auto Guardian and had the extended service warranty and gap insurance cancelled. To this date (..11/13/07..) Norris Automall has not refunded my money. I've made numerous attempts to contact the dealership without any results. Norris Automall has stolen my money!"
MONICATTI CHRYSLER, Sterling Heights, Michigan - "After I decided on the vehicle I wanted to buy, my sales person at Monicatti Chrysler-Dave Boska-required me to write a $100 check that he could show to his manager as an expression of my intent to buy. This was before the final price had been decided upon. Boska did not disclose that the $100 was actually a deposit and was non-refundable. After the deal fell through, I asked for my money back and at that time was told it was non-refundable."
NISSAN of VACAVILLE, Vacaville, California - "I purchased a Dodge Dakota on 9/2/2007 after giving Nissan of Vacaville all associated paperwork, filling out their application and signing the contract. I traded in my Oldsmobile along with a cash down payment. A month later the dealership called to tell me that all the paperwork was missing and that I needed to come in with my copies. In the mean time they had cashed my down-payment check and I'd put the Dodge on my insurance. I assumed that my trade-in car had been paid off. This turned out not to be the case at all. There was a new manager now who told me that the manager I'd dealt with had been fired and took lots of customer paperwork with him, including mine. I expressed my concerns about identity theft but the new manager, Sid, just dismissed my concerns. He also said that the dealership would work very hard to bring everything up to date. Then, during the last month, they came and took the Dodge back! No phone calls, no letters from the dealership explaining what was going on...they just came and took my truck even though we have a signed contract giving us lawful ownership. They still have my trade-in vehicle and my money. When I asked the dealership why they had repossessed my truck no one could give me a straight answer. Nor could they tell me anything about my trade-in car nor how I could get my money back. Finally, on October 31st, three days after taking the truck back, my trade-in was returned. When I tried to drive it away it wouldn't start, but of course Nissan of Vacaville wouldn't acknowledge any responsibility for that. I consulted local authorities about what had happened to me and was told that only the financing bank could legally repossess a vehicle, not the dealership, and that my contract signed by the dealership made me the legal owner. This means that Nissan of Vacaville stole my Dodge Dakota. Furthermore, my trade-in was never paid off, which puts me three months behind in payments on a vehicle that Nissan of Vacaville left in an undriveable condition."
JONES JUNCTION/BEL AIR NISSAN SUBARU, Bel Air, Maryland - "During a test drive of the vehicle I'd selected I found the brakes were 'soft,' the air conditioner was defective, the windshield was damaged, and on the door frame the protective film was peeling off. My salesperson, Dan Silva, assured me that the brakes would be taken care of, the air conditioner repaired, and the windshield replaced. Back at the dealership I asked to see Car Fax report on the vehicle, but Silva said that would come later. He assured me that the history of the vehicle was clean. At that point they told me to take the vehicle home '...to see how it looks in your driveway..." During the drive home I noticed that at speeds over 60 mph the vehicle was constantly pulling to the left. Next day I told Silva about this and he promised that it too would be taken care of. I paid cash for the vehicle at that time and left it with the dealership for the promised repairs to be done. I was told that it would be ready that evening, but when I called about it Silva told me that they were having problems getting parts so it would be another couple of days before it was ready to roll. I was getting suspicious by now so I got my own Car Fax report on the vehicle which showed that it had been involved in a crash that did extensive damage to the front end and that it had been previously sold at an auto auction as a fleet vehicle. Next day back at the dealership I went to the manager, a Mr Carter, and demanded my money back because the vehicle had been misrepresented to me. Carter refused. After several days of being avoided and put off I finally contacted the General Manager, Bryan Kilby, who told me that there was nothing they would do since, as he put it, the vehicle was now mine. Then they hit me with an outrageous storage charge for not having picked up the vehicle as soon as it came out of the service department. At this point they have my money, my vehicle and refuse to return it to me until I pay the highly inflated storage fees."
MARK CHRISTOPHER CHEVROLET, Ontario, California - "After purchasing a new truck I was offered an interior/exterior treatment for the vehicle at a cost of $1,800. That sounded to me like a very high price so I called the manufacturer of the treatment materials and was told that they'd never heard of anyone charging anywhere near that much. They also gave me the name of another local dealership offering this service (..Rock Honda in Fontana, California..) They quoted $500 for the same service that Mark Christopher Chevrolet wanted $1,800 for. I also explored the internet and found prices ranged from a high of $700 to as low as $399"
AMARA AUTO SALES, Ogden, Utah - "On August 25 I purchased a vehicle from Amara Auto Sales after giving them $500 and signing a promissory note to pay the remainder of the down payment of $2,300. All paper work was completed and I was told that I had been financed and given a date for my first payment. On August 29 I was called by the sales manager, Robert Cosentino, to come in to his office and sign some additional paper work. This turned out to be another contract at a higher interest rate. Robert Cosentino also told me that the first bank had refused to finance me. I signed the second batch of papers and asked if this was going to be the last time I'd have to do this since my monthly payments had already been increased. On September 17 I was called once again to come in to sign some papers. Once again this involved still another contract. At this time I'd had the car I'd got from them for almost a month. I was forced to sign this third contract because I had no other means of transportation. Again the payments had increased. In October I called Robert Cosentino because the temporary tags on the car were about to expire. He told me to come in and he would change the date on the temporary tags. I knew this to be illegal. Also I wanted to know if the financing had been approved. Cosentino said he would check into that right away. He never did this but in a subsequent call insisted that we bring the car in so he could illegally change the date on the temporary tags. After I questioned the legality of doing this Mr. Cosentino became angry and belligerent. Later on the owner of Amara Auto Sales got involved, but he too insisted that we bring the car in or he would report it to the police as stolen. Ultimately we returned the car and asked for the money we'd put down to be refunded. Amara Auto Sales refused to do this. So, they got the car back to sell again, while I'm left without transportation and $500 of my money thrown away."
ELGIN HYUNDAI, Elgin, Illinois - "I contacted Elgin Hyundai via the internet and communicated to Amy Volkening and Julie Fifield my interest in a 2007 Hyundai Accent. I made an offer for this vehicle. It was accepted and confirmed so I went to the dealership to close the deal. Once on site, though, none of the salespeople I dealt with new anything about the deal I'd made on the website maintained by Elgin Hyundai. Even though some alarm bells were going off in my head, I continued dealing. Finally the sales manager was brought into the picture. He promptly denied my 'accepted and confirmed' offer made on the internet and demanded $1,500 more! It seems that some dealerships are now employing the internet and their own websites on it to use the ages-old bait and switch tactic."
ABC AUTO SALES, Bolivar, Missouri - "I traded in a Chevrolet Tahoe for a 1997 Chevrolet truck from ABC Auto Sales. The title they gave me turned out to be fraudulent. For the last 10 months I've been trying to rectify this situation with ABC Auto Sales but they refuse to do anything more than give me the run around. Because I can't register the vehicle I've been penalized, and just recently I received papers from this dealership stating their intent to file felony charges against me. I returned the '97 Chevrolet to them so they ended up getting that back along with the profit from selling my Tahoe."
MAHWAH FORD, Mahwah, New Jersey - "I had my 2001 Ford Focus towed to this dealership with a faulty ignition lock. Mahwah Ford gave me an estimated repair cost of $860. That seemed awfully high to me so I did some checking and learned that the ignition lock problem was a common one that that Ford Motors Inc had issued a service bulletin and repair kit. I then called another Ford dealership and was quoted $250 for the same repair work. I then paid to have my Ford towed to this second dealership where it was properly repaired quickly for the $250 they'd earlier quoted. Mahwah Ford then billed me $40, even though they admitted that they hadn't even touched my car. They said the $40 was a 'standard charge' for any car brought into them. So I ended up paying $40 for them to give me an estimate that was more than three times what the actual cost of repair ended up."
McCARTHY NISSAN, Blue Springs, Missouri - "After negotiating with my salesperson, I decided to trade in my 2006 Xterra for a 2006 Titan. I left the Xterra and took possession of the Titan. Two weeks later I was called and told that the financing had fallen through but that if I could produce bank statements and other personal financial documents I would still be able to keep the Titan. At about this same time I  also received by certified mail documents for title transfer. After going through all this hassle, I was again turned down for financing. However in the meantime my old Xterra had been sold. Five days later the finance manager from McCarthy Nissan called to tell me that the Xterra had been returned and that I should bring the Titan back. When I got to the dealership though I was told that the keys for my Xterra hadn't been turned in yet and that I should return after 4:00 PM to get them. When I got into the Xterra I immediately noticed that the alarm system was missing, along with the Pioneer stereo system. McCarthy Nissan refused to do anything about my missing property."
DON JORDAN CHRYSLER, Beachwood, Ohio - "We bought a 2004 Chrysler Sebring from Don Jordan Chrysler, and since then it's had at least 39 warranty issues. We finally decided it was time to dump this lemon, but when we went back to Don Jordan to trade we learned that we'd been duped into financing the Sebring for more than it was actually worth. We had put a down payment of $4,500 only to discover that the car was only worth $8,000. Somehow Don Jordan Chrysler manipulated the contract in such a way that we ended up with a total due of $20,000!!"
PARK PLACE LTD, Bellevue, Washington - "An exotic car was purchased from this dealership with a report from them that the car was in 'good shape.' When the car was received an estimated $20,000 worth of damages existed on it. Park Place LTD refuses to do anything about this because the purchase had already been made. The details of this issue can be found at http://www.parkplaceproblems.com."
GREENBRIER DODGE, Chesapeake, Virginia - "Greenbrier Dodge sold me a vehicle that supposedly had passed their '5-Star Service' program. What I actually got was a vehicle that needed an oil change, the battery was no good, the remote key entry system wouldn't work, and the vehicle vibrated and shook after I drove it off the lot. Greenbrier Dodge told me that all it needed was a front-end alignment. I took the car back three times because the vibrations continued and was told that they couldn't find any problem. However, the minute the vehicle was out of warranty they suddenly found that the powertrain/throttle housing was cracked and loose. They would be 'happy' to repair it at cost to me! Furthermore, there were bolts in the console tray but no one knew what they were for, the rear driver-side window would not and still doesn't work, and the touch up paint Greenbrier Dodge applied to cover some nicks and dings. The paint peeled off almost as soon as I got the car home. I also found out later that there were a number of manufacturer recalls outstanding that were never addressed. All attempts to rectify or even discuss all the problems I was having with this vehicle were either ignored, evaded, or dismissed with outright lies."
CLEARWATER VOLVO VILLAGE, Clearwater, Florida - "I leased a new V50 from Volvo Village. My sales representative was Jamie Zimmerman. During negotiations I told him that the current lease on my Jaguar was with US Bank and that the new lease would also be through them. Zimmerman told me that when an existing lease was moved to another with the same bank that the termination fee would be waived. He told me that he would definitely take care of the waived fee as part of the contract on the new vehicle. I took possession of the vehicle, but a month later I got a bill from US Bank for $395.00. It was the 'waived' termination fee! When I contacted Jamie Zimmerman he assured me that he would rectify the mistake. A month after that I got another statement from US Bank for the termination fee. Zimmerman assured me that the fee had been taken care of. During 3-way conference calls with the bank when they said that the fee hadn't been paid, Zimmerman insisted that it had. Later on I got a letter from US Bank telling me that they were turning the past-due termination fee over to a collection agency. To preserve my good credit rating, I paid the fee and called Zimmerman to let him know I had. He said that he would have the dealership send a check to me as reimbursement. After returning home from a long business trip I found that the promised check had not arrived. I called Zimmerman again and he said that he thought I was going to come in to pick up the check. I told him that I'd be in the next day, but when I got to Clearwater Volvo Village Zimmerman began what turned into a long litany of excuses why the promised reimbursement wasn't ready -- his wife had his check-cashing card; he couldn't use an ATM because there was a $200 limit, he would send the check via FedX, etc., etc.,."
DEDHAM AUTO MALL, Dedham, Massachusetts - "I went to Dedham Auto Mall to test drive an Audi A6 and a Jaguar X-Type. I found several questionable problems with the cars that the salesman tried to cover up with totally stupid explanations, like a grinding noise I asked about being caused by 'too little air in the rear tires.' When I made an offer of $18,000 as opposed to a sticker price of $19,900 the salesman became downright belligerent. He said, 'I won't even ask the manager about your offer because you can't do any better than the sticker price.' At that point I left the dealership, but later noticed that they claimed to offer 110% of Kelley Blue Book so I called and asked $23,000 for my car. A salesman named Stephen said that this would be just fine, come on in. While I waited at the dealership for Stephen to consult with his manager, the salesman from my previous visit joined their discussion. When Stephen got back to me the best offer they'd make on my trade in was $17,000, in spite of the fact that they'd already agreed to my offer of $23,000. The old bait and switch tactic once again!"
TOYOTA of WATERTOWN, Watertown, Massachusetts - "I made an online offer of $18,000 on a BMW and stated that I would be interested only if that were acceptable. Their 'internet manager' phoned me and tried to convince me to go to the dealership without agreeing to the price. After a bit of haggling on his part, I reiterated that I had no intention of going there unless the price were acceptable. At that point, he said, 'OK, $18,000 is reasonable.' To double check, I asked again, 'So, you can do $18,000?' He replied, 'that's a reasonable offer. It shouldn't be a problem.' I then visited the dealership and test drove the BMW. I noticed that it had what looked like a hand print on the driver's seat. When I mentioned this to the salesperson he denied it, as if I were blind or stupid. I emphatically stated that the only reason I was there was because I had been told that $18,000 for the car was doable. The salesperson said that Toyota of Watertown would not go below $18,900. Later, after I'd refused the offer and left, the 'internet manager' phoned and said that the difference in price was the result of a 'language barrier.' The onsite-salesperson did have an accent, but even then the $900 difference between the previously quoted price and the one he gave was obvious. Beyond this bait-and-switch tactic, this dealership wouldn't acknowledge the cosmetic flaw in the BMW, but they did call me several times trying to persuade me to accept their $18,900 figure. They tried to push me by emphasizing how great the car was and that it wouldn't last long. That was over two weeks ago and the car is still there."
TOYOTA of TAMPA BAY, Tampa, Florida - "I traded in a 2002 Saturn L300 with a payoff of $4092.07. This dealership gave me a trade-in allowance of $6,100 when I bought a 2002 Toyota Highlander for $15,500.00 with terms of $359.67 per month at 19.95% interest. All paperwork and contracts were finalized and signed by all parties. In February I began receiving multiple calls from Toyota of Tampa Bay insisting that I return immediately to sign final paperwork. I went in and signed the 'final paperwork' and was also warned that if I didn't give them more up-front money the deal would be nullified. I didn't give them what they wanted, and ultimately the bank got them to reduce the price on the new vehicle. After this 'finalized paperwork' was completed my payments were reduced to $370.00 per month for 48 months at 19.49% with the first payment due April 10. By April 8, however, I still hadn't received a payment booklet. Also, when I checked, I learned that my old Saturn had still not been paid off. I repeatedly called Toyota of Tampa Bay about this issue but never could contact anyone who could help, nor were any of my calls returned. On April 10, Nagy Hanna, my salesperson, called and told me that I must return to the dealership immediately to finalize the paperwork. For the third time I returned to the dealership to 'finalize paperwork,' and again was pressured for more cash. I refused and told them that if everything wasn't actually finalized this time that I wanted out of the deal completely and to have my Saturn returned. In the finanace office I found that the terms of the previously 'finalized' paperwork had been changed dramatically. The interest rate had jumped up to 24% and the payments were up to $470.00 per month. I demanded to speak with someone from upper management but was refused. After a number of confrontations with various members of the staff, I finally got my Saturn back and left the dealership."
BILL PENNEY TOYOTA, Huntsville, Alabama "The 20,000 mile maintenance took over 3 hours. They gave me a 'reduced rate,' but charged me for a fuel-injector cleaning. After asking three different times how often the fuel injectors should be cleaned, I've gotten nothing but the run-around. The maintenance schedule that came with my vehicle does not show that the fuel injectors need cleaning at 20,000 miles. Shortly after the 20,000 maintenance was completed, I was called by the dealership asking how satisfied I was with the service, but after I told them I was dissatisfied they never sent a satisfaction survey, as they'd always done before. I doubt that I'll return to Bill Penney Toyota again simply because I could never find anyone to answer a simple question."
TROPHY NISSAN, Mesquite, Texas - "After arriving at Trophy Nissan and being joined by a salesperson named Noe, I immediately made it clear that my credit wasn't very good, that I didn't have any money for a down payment, and that if the dealership would need any up-front money it would be best for me just to leave right then. Noe indicated that there would be no problem with cash or financing. He then test-drove my trade-in vehicle. For the next five hours he kept me at the dealership even though I repeatedly told him I had no money and poor credit. I just wanted to leave but Noe wouldn't return my car keys until he had brought in two other salesman for 'consultation.' Finally the sales manager came by and asked me what it would take for them to put me in the car I'd looked at. I again said, "No money down and payments that I could afford." The sales manager instantly said, "Done!" The paperwork was completed, I left my old vehicle behind, then drove off the lot in a brand-new Nissan Sentra. Three weeks later Noe called to tell me that I needed to return to Trophy Nissan to sign some 'new paperwork' and that I had a pending $1,000 down payment still on their books. Once more I told him that I didn't have $1,000. I finally just returned the new Nissan, but in the three weeks that I'd had it two car payments had gone overdue on my old car because Trophy Nissan hadn't paid off the balance, sold it, nor promptly informed me that they couldn't find f inancing for me. Beware of this dealership..!"
WOODFIELD LEXUS, Schaumberg, Illinois - "We purchased a 1998 ES300 which we were told by Woodfield Lexus had never been in an accident. They also told us that the vehicle had gone through their '100-Point Lexus Inspection.' We came to discover that the car had been repainted as evidenced by a mismatch in paint, particularly on the front bumper, that the doors are misaligned, and that air leaks into the car from both windows. When we attempted to discuss this matter with Woodfield Lexus, the service manager yelled at us and was totally uncooperative. In all our years of buying cars, our experience at Woodfield Lexus has easily been the most horrible."
VALENTI MOTORS, Waterbury, Connecticut -"On 7-05-07 I put down a $1,000 deposit on a 2004 Chevrolet Malibu. On 7-09-07 I was told by Valenti Motors that financing could not be arranged. At that time I asked for a refund of the $1,000 deposit. The money had not been returned to us by 7-15-07 so I contacted Valenti Motors. They told me that the return of the deposit was being processed by their administration office and that I would have the check by 7-20-07. On that date the check was not received so I called again. This time Valenti Motors told me that it had to wait 15 business days for my check to clear before they could return the deposit. I learned from my bank that the deposit check had been cashed by Valenti on 7-06-07 and had cleared on 7-09-07. Obviously Valenti has been lying to me, and this kind of practice is in violation of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act."
BENSON NISSAN of EASLEY, Easley, South Carolina - "I test drove a vehicle and was quoted a firm price for it. A couple of days later, after verifying the quoted price over the phone, I returned to the dealership to close the deal. After I arrived, my salesman and I once more looked over the vehicle I'd chosen, and he again verified the price quote. Inside the showroom, though, I was introduced to the sales manager who added another $2,000 to the quote and tried to bully me into buying. When I objected, both he and the salesman became angry and told me to leave."
FAT DADDY'S AUTO SALES, Rosseville, Georgia - "We put money down on a mini-van with a bad engine but with the guarantee that Fat Daddy's would install a rebuilt one to replace it. A month later we finally got the van, but the 'rebuilt' engine was total junk; it smokes, leaks oil, and burns at least a quart of oil every 300-400 miles. To make matters even worse, it's been three months and we still don't have a title. Buyer beware! Feel free to contact me about this dealer because I have a long list of steps that can be taken -- coilerdude@yahoo.com"
APPLE TREE HONDA, Fletcher, North Carolina - "Before closing the deal on a car I was buying from Apple Tree Honda they reportedly faxed back and forth with an insurance company, then had me sign an agreement to the subsequent insurance quote. Apple Tree Honda then tagged the car with a permanent tag. They promised verbally and put it on the contract to American Honda Finance that there was insurance coverage on the vehicle. Some time after taking delivery of the car, I had an accidnet. I called the insurance company listed on the contract and was told by them that no policy existed and that they had just submitted quotes to Apple Tree Honda on the subject vehicle. I returned to the dealership but they couldn't show me anything other than an insurance quote. Furthermore they refused to do anything about the fraudulent practice they'd submitted me to."
LOMAN CHRYSLER-FORD, Parsipanny, New Jersey - "One year ago I bought a 2005 Dodge Stratus with 24,000 miles on it. I just learned that the torque converter needs some $2,000 in repair work. Mechanics at four different garages have told me that this was a manufacturer's recall issue and that the dealer should take care of it. However, Loman Chrysler-Ford refuses to do so, giving as their reason the warranty ended at 36,000 miles. Of course a warranty has nothing to do with a recall, but Loman Chrysler-Ford insists they won't do anything at all."
COURTESY CHRYSLER-JEEP, Brandon, Florida - "We recently took our 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee in to Courtesy Chrysler-Jeep for servicing under the extended warranty. Two days later when we picked up the vehicle the first thing we noticed was that the Garmin GPS navigation system was missing from its mount inside our Jeep. The person at the service desk confirmed that it had been in place when we first brought the vehicle in. The service manager, though, informed us that the only way he would try to get the GPS back was if they discovered who took it. We told him that was unacceptable and that we needed to be reimbursed for the cost of the GPS and the extended warranty of which it was a part. The service manager refused and said that we'd have to claim it on our insurance. We made several attempts to talk with someone higher up in Courtesy Chrysler-Jeep management but no one will talk to us. A police report has been filed."
MERCEDES BENZ of SARASOTA, Sarasota, Florida - "When shifting into first gear my 2005 SLK350 would sometimes slip into reverse instead because there was no lock-out,  just a heavy spring on the shifter. There was a TSB on this condition, but Mercedes Benz of Sarasota refused to do it or even acknowledge the problem. The factory representative said that he couldn't duplicate the problem during his 10-minute test drive, but we both noticed that other repairs reported by the dealership had not actually been done. The dealer told me to make an appointment to have those repairs performed, but still insisted that they would do nothing about the shifting error unless they could duplicate it. Later on a new general manager took over and promised me that he would see to getting the fault resolved. That was three weeks ago, and I haven't heard a word from him or anyone else at Mercedes Benz of Sarasota since."
TRAVIS CRAWFORD BUICK-GMC, El Paso, Texas - "The salesman at Travis Crawford Buick-GMC had asked me what I thought I could spend on a car. I told him that I wanted to first find out how much they could get me approved for. After picking out the car I wanted and thought I could afford we went into the showroom and met with the finance manager, Alex Cook. He said that he was going to put the financing through, but I wanted to negotiate first. Cook told me that because my credit was so shaky they wouldn't negotiate, I'd have to pay the sticker price. Plus the deal was already 'in the works' and there was nothing further I could do about it. Next I was told to sign the paperwork, but then saw that I was NOT paying sticker price on the car (..$17,975..) but instead $18,900. At that point I knew it was time to back off completely and get out of there. When I tried to do so, however, I was told that it was too late...the deal was closed, the car was mine, and there was nothing they would do about it."
WEINLE AUTO SALES, Cincinnati, Ohio - "After test-driving a 1993 Toyota MR2 at this dealership, I noticed that the clutch felt weak. I told the dealership owner, Rob, but he assured me that it was all right. I purchased the car and less than two weeks later the clutch failed. It cost me $1000 to replace it. Also, when I purchased the car Rob told me that it had a 'premium' stereo sound system. At about the same time that the clutch failed, the sound system did too. I took it into a stereo shop where I was told that it was totally shot...couldn't even be repaired."
SOUTHFIELD CHRYSLER, Southfield, Michigan - "After negotiating for three days on the telephone with this dealership we were assured that the deal was finalized. The drive time to Southfield Chrysler was one hour, and after arriving we spent another three hours in continued haggling about the vehicle we wanted. At this time we learned that they had run a credit check on us without our consent, and that is illegal. The upshot after the hours of 'negotiating' was the cost of the car to us rising significantly. When we attempted to complain about being mislead, lied to and generally lead around endlessly, the manager just laughed it all off."
COGGIN NISSAN on ATLANTIC, Jacksonville, Florida - "This dealership told me that they would charge me $80.01 for two keys to my vehicle. Instead I had to pay them $300.00 which included a $95.00 'miscellaneous charge' and a $20.00 'waste' charge. The next day I called to complain to the general manager, Jason Burhyte. He wasn't even slightly interested in listening or helping in any way. Instead he just told me that I wasn't a 'frequent customer' and that's the way it was. He was extremely rude."
MILLER CADILLAC-OLDSMOBILE, Redding, California - "I recently voluntarily terminated my employment with this dealership where I had been their internet sales manager. During the few months I'd been with Miller Cadillac-Oldsmobile I had witnessed frequent 'bait-and-switch' tactics used on customers, some who had driven long distances only to be told that the dealership couldn't help them. Some of these potential customers had even been credit-approved before coming in to the dealership. When I tried to discuss this sales technique with management I was told, "Welcome to the car business!" After realizing that Miller Cadillac-Oldsmobile had no ethics and that they lied and cheated customers, I quit."
DOTSON AUTO SALES, Ponca City, Oklahoma - "I bought a used car from this dealership. They assured me that the vehicle was in good shape. Two weeks later it broke drown 350 miles from home and I had to have it towed back. I called the dealership who told me that they didn't know there was anything wrong with the car and that the previous owner hadn't indicated there were any problems with it. I also asked about the title which Dotson Auto Sales was supposed to send. When it finally arrived there was only one day left to file it before extra fees would be added on. Dotson Auto Sales told me that they had withheld the title for 29 days while waiting for my check to clear the bank, even though the check had cleared 10 days after I wrote it. I expressed my dissatisfaction to the dealership, but they only hung up on me!"
COURTESY DODGE, Grand Rapids, Michigan - "I brought my Dodge Ram into Courtesy Dodge for warranty repair work. The problem was no heat at idle, but heating okay on acceleration, plus loss of antifreeze. One day later, Brent Losey called and said that my truck had been repaired and was ready to go. There was no charge because of my warranty. A week later the same problems were back. This time Brent Losey said that it was caused by an 'air bubble' which he said was taken care of. Two weeks later the same problem returned. Back to Courtesy Dodge where Brent Losey tells me that the 'air bubble had been way down deep.' A couple of months later the 'check engine' light came on. Brent Losey told me that there was a misfire in cylinder #3 and that the fuel injector also needed cleaning. I paid $200 for this service, but a day later the 'check engine' light was back on again along with the temperature gauge at maximum high reading. Also there was no antifreeze in the radiator. Brent Losey said that I had 'a broken spark plug and water in the intake.' He claimed that this could only happen if I'd driven through a very deep water puddle. I had not done this. He also said that they had to do a complete tune up on the engine just to get it running again, even though it had been running when I brought it in. Brent Losey also claimed that the engine had a cracked head, but he'd do me a 'favor' by reconditioning the heads for only $1,600. At this point I'd had enough of Brent Losey and Courtesy Dodge and did what I recommend others do too...go elsewhere!
TOM HOLZMAN FORD, Farmington Hills, Michigan - "I took my car to Tom Holzman Ford to have the brakes serviced.  After paying $850.00 the brakes vibrated when applied at high speeds. All my calls to the service department about this were never returned.  I went back to the dealership to have an over-heating problem corrected and after only a short time in their shop I was told everything was just fine. One week later the over-heating problem was back! Once more I went back to the service department where a technician named Patrick told me that the thermostat that they'd replaced earlier was probably defective. I told them to do a complete diagnostic check on the car and left it there. They called to tell me that to put everything into good working order would cost me another $830.00, which included work on the brakes that they had worked on less than a year before. A little later they again called to tell me that during a test drive the engine blew a gasket and that it would cost me another $3,800.00 to fix."
BANK AUTO MOTORS, Inc, Chicago, Illinois - "I bought a car from Bank Auto Motors and only after having it for a few hours the transmission failed. I returned the car to them, but they refuse to return the money I paid for it."

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