Car dealership manager is being very rude

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L_Holmes
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01 Nov 2014, 11:00 pm

Earlier I made a post about how I was angry that this car dealership gave me a car that wasn't taken care of or serviced at all, a fact which they lied to me about, and it resulted in the car breaking down entirely. I've been hoping the dealership would be a bit more reasonable about this considering this is entirely their fault for lying to me. I did buy the car "as-is", but the thing is that the way they told me it was isn't how it actually was.

Anyway, so far I've only talked to the manager who sold it to me a few times about it, and every time she has been pretty rude. She was even rude when I bought the car. Example: I was trying to call the salesman who sold the car to me soon after buying it. I had a question about these apartments he told me about, as at the time I was looking for an apartment. Well, the number he gave me said it was disconnected for some reason, so I figured I could just call the number on the business card and ask for him. Well apparently the number on the card is just the manager's cell, and there is no landline there, which I didn't know. She just answered, "Hello?" I asked for the salesman, and she said in a rude tone of voice, "Well, you called my phone." I was so confused. Eventually I was able to explain who I was and such, and she told me in the same rude voice, "Well, he isn't available right now," and then said nothing else.

And now I'm having problems, because I HAVE to talk to her, but she is being very rude to me. First she blamed me for the damages they didn't tell me about, and when I made it very clear that I could prove I didn't cause that damage, she just changed the subject and said very vaguely, "Well, we're willing to work with you." and said nothing else. So I asked, "What do you mean?" and rather than answering by being more specific, she just said, "Exactly what I said." She is insisting that she will help me get it fixed, yet she STILL has not called the mechanic to even figure out what's wrong with it. I'm getting to the point where I'm avoiding talking to her, because when she says things like this to me and I can tell she really doesn't want to help me at all, it ruins my whole day. I don't think I should have to be constantly railing on her to help out a paying customer.

Last time we talked, she said she would call the mechanic. When I asked her if she'd had a chance to do that yet, trying to be nice about it, she responded without answering my question, "Have you had a chance to find out how much it costs to replace the motor?" No, that is what I told you the mechanic could tell you. Plus, she was supposed to call a parts place to see how much that motor itself costs, because it is cheaper for them to buy it. She told me she would do exactly that over a week ago. When I mentioned this to her, she just told me, "I didn't call yet because I've been out of the office all week." Ok, first of all, you have your stupid cell phone, which is apparently listed as the business number, so I seriously doubt you couldn't have called about this. Plus, why are you so mad at me, this is clearly your fault for selling me a car that was internally damaged, a fact I know you can't have missed, as my mechanic noticed it after about an hour, then stopped to tell me it probably wasn't worth fixing. He told me there's no way they could have missed everything he saw, and he said it looks like it's not been serviced for a long time. I serviced it after buying it but the damage was apparently already done.

I am thinking I may just have to tow the car back to them, leave it there and just stop making payments, and accept that I will probably have very bad credit for a while as a result. That's better than paying $2500 more for a piece of junk.

EDIT: fixing a spelling error


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Last edited by L_Holmes on 02 Nov 2014, 2:02 am, edited 1 time in total.

Raleigh
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01 Nov 2014, 11:23 pm

Do you not have ombudsmen in your country? Here we would contact the fair trade ombudsman to complain about vehicle sales and warranties. They will give you advice on what to do step-by-step and if you have a case they will act on your behalf to help you resolve the problem.


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Meistersinger
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01 Nov 2014, 11:38 pm

L_Holmes wrote:
Earlier I made a post about how I was angry that this car dealership gave me a car that wasn't taken care of or serviced at all, a fact which they lied to me about, and it resulted in the car breaking down entirely. I've been hoping the dealership would be a bit more reasonable about this considering this is entirely their fault for lying to me. I did by the car "as-is", but the thing is that the way they told me it was isn't how it actually was.

Anyway, so far I've only talked to the manager who sold it to me a few times about it, and every time she has been pretty rude. She was even rude when I bought the car. Example: I was trying to call the salesman who sold the car to me soon after buying it. I had a question about these apartments he told me about, as at the time I was looking for an apartment. Well, the number he gave me said it was disconnected for some reason, so I figured I could just call the number on the business card and ask for him. Well apparently the number on the card is just the manager's cell, and there is no landline there, which I didn't know. She just answered, "Hello?" I asked for the salesman, and she said in a rude tone of voice, "Well, you called my phone." I was so confused. Eventually I was able to explain who I was and such, and she told me in the same rude voice, "Well, he isn't available right now," and then said nothing else.

And now I'm having problems, because I HAVE to talk to her, but she is being very rude to me. First she blamed me for the damages they didn't tell me about, and when I made it very clear that I could prove I didn't cause that damage, she just changed the subject and said very vaguely, "Well, we're willing to work with you." and said nothing else. So I asked, "What do you mean?" and rather than answering by being more specific, she just said, "Exactly what I said." She is insisting that she will help me get it fixed, yet she STILL has not called the mechanic to even figure out what's wrong with it. I'm getting to the point where I'm avoiding talking to her, because when she says things like this to me and I can tell she really doesn't want to help me at all, it ruins my whole day. I don't think I should have to be constantly railing on her to help out a paying customer.

Last time we talked, she said she would call the mechanic. When I asked her if she'd had a chance to do that yet, trying to be nice about it, she responded without answering my question, "Have you had a chance to find out how much it costs to replace the motor?" No, that is what I told you the mechanic could tell you. Plus, she was supposed to call a parts place to see how much that motor itself costs, because it is cheaper for them to buy it. She told me she would do exactly that over a week ago. When I mentioned this to her, she just told me, "I didn't call yet because I've been out of the office all week." Ok, first of all, you have your stupid cell phone, which is apparently listed as the business number, so I seriously doubt you couldn't have called about this. Plus, why are you so mad at me, this is clearly your fault for selling me a car that was internally damaged, a fact I know you can't have missed, as my mechanic noticed it after about an hour, then stopped to tell me it probably wasn't worth fixing. He told me there's no way they could have missed everything he saw, and he said it looks like it's not been serviced for a long time. I serviced it after buying it but the damage was apparently already done.

I am thinking I may just have to tow the car back to them, leave it there and just stop making payments, and accept that I will probably have very bad credit for a while as a result. That's better than paying $2500 more for a piece of junk.


Tell me this is a major car dealer. If it is, talk to the owner of the dealer ship about how you have been treated by this manager. If that doesn't work, go to the zone manager for the manufacturer. For example, if the dealer is a Chevrolet dealer, go to the zone manager for GM and make a complaint. Keep going up the corporate ladder to get some sort of satisfaction.

As you do this, I'd keep your attorney abreast of what's going on. If anything, the threat of a lawsuit may be just what is needed to get satisfaction.



auntblabby
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01 Nov 2014, 11:38 pm

in America, the used car market is fraught with corruption. a few states have the equivalent of ombudsmen, don't know about Idaho. that is why there are so many lawyers here.



L_Holmes
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02 Nov 2014, 1:41 am

Raleigh wrote:
Do you not have ombudsmen in your country? Here we would contact the fair trade ombudsman to complain about vehicle sales and warranties. They will give you advice on what to do step-by-step and if you have a case they will act on your behalf to help you resolve the problem.


I am not sure what those are, so probably not. But I did contact the Better Business Bureau, outlining the details of my complaint regarding the actual sale of the vehicle. They told me it has been submitted to the business and that they are awaiting a response, so I guess they are going to be a sort of mediator that will help us come to a fair settlement. I just hate waiting around, it was almost a week ago that they told me this, for all I know the business could be just ignoring the complaint. They shouldn't though, as from what I've read, businesses can take a hit on their credibility if the Better Business Bureau catches them dealing dishonestly.

My grandpa (not the one I'm living with) called me a few days ago to see how I was doing, and he was the one who suggested I do this. He said I basically have to scare them somehow, because considering what they've already done, they aren't going to be very willing to help me out of the kindness of their hearts. But like I said, I'm starting to get a bit worried, as I have still had no other news on it for about a week, and I really don't know how this works. I am not sure if they are even obligated to respond to the complaint.


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olympiadis
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02 Nov 2014, 1:58 am

L_Holmes wrote:
I did by the car "as-is", but the thing is that the way they told me it was isn't how it actually was.


In NT speak, "as is" means how the car really is, and is completely independent of anything that has been said or printed. Lies are often attached to a deal like this.

You have to investigate on your own to determine exactly what "as is" really is.


What's happening between you and the manager sounds like a very typical AS/NT interaction, which is much like you two speaking different languages. It might help if you use an interpreter.

I would trust the advice of a real mechanic before I would trust a manager in charge of sales.



L_Holmes
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02 Nov 2014, 2:01 am

Meistersinger wrote:
Tell me this is a major car dealer. If it is, talk to the owner of the dealer ship about how you have been treated by this manager. If that doesn't work, go to the zone manager for the manufacturer. For example, if the dealer is a Chevrolet dealer, go to the zone manager for GM and make a complaint. Keep going up the corporate ladder to get some sort of satisfaction.

As you do this, I'd keep your attorney abreast of what's going on. If anything, the threat of a lawsuit may be just what is needed to get satisfaction.


It is a local car dealer. But I do know the location of the main building, which is different from the car lot I went to in order to purchase the vehicle, so if I go there I would probably not even have to see that stupid manager.

If they would actually help me fix it at a low cost like they told me they would, I'd probably not even be filing a complaint. But either the manager is just lying to me, or is being lazy and not following through when she says she will call the necessary people. I don't even know what "low cost" means to them. In my opinion they should really be paying for 100% of the repairs, considering this would have all been prevented if they fixed it before selling it. But so far she is being extremely vague about it and not following through with what she says she will do, not to mention being directly disrespectful to me. I think she needs to be reprimanded or fired.


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Count_Esclarmonde
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02 Nov 2014, 2:09 am

Leave that dealer behind and visit your local Mercedes-Benz. You could use an S-class :)



L_Holmes
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02 Nov 2014, 2:39 am

olympiadis wrote:
L_Holmes wrote:
I did by the car "as-is", but the thing is that the way they told me it was isn't how it actually was.


In NT speak, "as is" means how the car really is, and is completely independent of anything that has been said or printed. Lies are often attached to a deal like this.

You have to investigate on your own to determine exactly what "as is" really is.


What's happening between you and the manager sounds like a very typical AS/NT interaction, which is much like you two speaking different languages. It might help if you use an interpreter.

I would trust the advice of a real mechanic before I would trust a manager in charge of sales.


Yes, and it makes no sense to me. To me, "as-is" should mean they tell me exactly how the car is, at least to the best of their knowledge, which they definitely did not do. Obviously if I'd known how it actually was I never would have bought it from them, logically that makes no sense. Unfortunately, everything in formal disputes seems to be based entirely off of pieces of paper rather than simple logic. So now, since I signed the paper, they will be able to use it against me, when really, if any sane person just took a second to think, they'd realize that I wouldn't have paid 5000 dollars if I'd actually been told the condition of the vehicle.

The BBB that I mentioned should be able to help with the communication. It is much easier to write my complaints than to go in and tell them about it, and this way I can just submit messages about it rather than speaking to them directly (assuming they even respond).

When I bought it, I figured that they shouldn't be allowed to tell me, "The engine is in great condition," if it isn't, but apparently they are. I often assume people wouldn't lie about these sorts of things, even though I know that it happens. I have always been way too trusting of others. I figure that they would not want to lie as it could hurt their credibility, but apparently in this society if you are tricked by someone, you are just treated like an idiot for believing them, even though they were the one being dishonest. (Not that I think anyone here is doing this, but it does seem like the general attitude I've been getting from a lot of people)

Count_Esclarmonde wrote:
Leave that dealer behind and visit your local Mercedes-Benz. You could use an S-class :)


That would be a great idea, if I actually had the money :lol:


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02 Nov 2014, 3:09 am

Count_Esclarmonde wrote:
Leave that dealer behind and visit your local Mercedes-Benz. You could use an S-class :)

yes, they are expensive and built to stay that way. :mrgreen: need to go find a moneytree [or marry into a millionaire family] to get the money for one.



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02 Nov 2014, 7:21 am

Can you find a legal reason to engage in written communication, like consumer protection legislation, basically be a thorn in her side? That might level the playing field a bit and encourage her outlook about the car repair process. Does your Grandpa have any mechanic friends with a car lift?



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02 Nov 2014, 9:28 am

Private, local, used car dealers are the worse in my area. They prey on the poor by selling junk.

"As is" means the moment the deal is complete, it's your problem. Even if the car blows up in the lot.

If you let them repo the car, they will sell it at auction and you will be responsible for the difference. If you don't pay the difference, they will harass you, and try to garnish any monies they can. A repo is very very bad on a credit report.

Check into the Lemon Laws in your state, and see if any of those could help you.

Next time you buy a used car, grab a gear head friend or relative to check it over. Do not trust what the car dealer (new or used) says. Also, look at things like Consumer Reports and recall notices.

If the dealership does anything for you, it's a bonus. Where I live, it is so sad, too bad.



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02 Nov 2014, 9:41 am

Here is the Idaho Lemon Law that governs complaints and remedies for the sale of motor vehicles which don't comply with the law:

http://www.ag.idaho.gov/publications/co ... monLaw.pdf

It might help you.

Good luck.


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10 Nov 2014, 5:10 am

I'm currently having a similar situation as the OP. I just recently purchased a 99 Ford Escort from a buy here/pay here dealer. I was at the house where I used to rent a room to help this guy I used to live with move, since his mother is selling the house. I go out to the car, start it up, and I hear all sorts of clanking noises coming from the engine. The other guy comes out of the house, and hears the same noise. He tells me to call the dealer where I bought the car, and have it towed to their garage. Turns out, the engine threw a rod up through the engine block. The dealer is supposed to be finding me another car, as this car isn't even worth salvage, and I only had it one month. This same guy and his mother are saying this dealer is good to deal with. I've had bad experiences with both buy here/pay her, as well as major new car dealers in the past, so we shall see...