BUYER BEWARE!! SEE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU COMPLAINT! - TJ
BUYER BEWARE OF THIS DEALER!!
The following is a copy of a complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau against this dealership:
Complaint Description:
Salesman misrepresented condition of car & didn't disclose nature of accident damage/details of report when specifically asked on the phone to do so.
This car is advertised on the internet as: "All vehicles are inspected and serviced by certified technicians. Visit Credit Cars at 4500 W. Colonial Drive in Orlando, FL or call 407-295-6211 for more information".
12-30-2014: I spoke with the salesman, Odeen Kearse, at length with questions before I came in to view a White 2006 Scion XB, VIN #JTLKT334850198144. I asked if the vehicle was "beat up"? He said the car was clean & was a rental car. I told him other dealers lied to me about the condition of cars before I visited them, & I didn't want to waste my time with worn interiors or beat up body panels. He said the car was in an accident. I asked what type & was the accident in the front or rear? He said he didn't know. I asked if he had a Carfax? He said he had an Autocheck, so I asked him to email it to me. He said he couldn't do that, but could fax it. I don't have a fax, so I asked him if there were any problems on the Autocheck? He said there were "no problems with the Autocheck". I asked him again to verify the condition of the car before I made a long drive there. He said the car was in good condition & clean--not to worry--I would be taken care of. He advised to "be careful because it was raining" while I drove to the dealer.
I found the following defects upon inspecting the car: 1.Windshield was not original & the top edge of the roof paint where the windshield meets the roof was gouged & rusted (bad install job); 2.Inside the car, the right upper windshield seal material was poorly installed & dried showing an "oozed out" seal; 3.Overspray paint was on the front grille & both headlights (bad repaint job); 4.Right headlight had chipped paint around it & body panels didn't quite match up (I suspected this was impact area of accident); 5.Other body damage found: Either paint chips or light scratches around LFront headlight, on both bumpers & ALL body panels except RFront & LFront doors, LFront fender, RRear quarter panel, Rside running board; 6.I turned the headlights on-they worked-but I turned them off/on again, & RFront headlight didn't work; 7.Driver's seat belt was severely twisted & wouldn't set properly; 8.All seats & driver's door panel had cigarette burn mark holes; 9.LRear carpet had 7" cut; 10.The jack tool said "03 Kia Spectra" on it (not the Scion XB original jack); 11.Tire lug wrench/jack tool was missing; 12.Head liner was stained; 13.One license plate bulb wasn't working-the other bulb worked; 14.Fuel door would not open--I couldn't check gas cap; 15.Hatch door interior & cargo area had significant scratches.
I pointed out these defects to Odeen, he tried to dismiss them & said, "it's a used car" & they are minor issues, but said he would fix the RFront headlight, the seatbelt & fuel door. I didn't look underneath or test drive the car. By this time, the dealer was closing for the night. I asked to see the Autocheck report,& he gave me a copy. I drove home & found the following on the report: A)Overall score=33 (out of 35-58 range); B)5 owners; C)Negative title or other problem(s) can indicate serious damage or other significant problems & disqualifies the car for Autocheck Buyback Protection--detail showed one reported accident with frame/unibody damage in the RIGHT FRONT CORNER; D)Specific vehicle use(s) or events reported--detail showed fleet, rental or lease records; E)Repossessed records--detail showed two title repossessions. I called Odeen the next day with what I found on the report & was irate when I asked why didn't he tell me these things before I came in? He said "As a salesman, we don't go through the report & give details." However, he read enough of the report to tell me it had one accident & it was a rental car. Yet he clearly omitted damaging information on the Autocheck report & misrepresented the condition of the vehicle. He did this all the while knowing I would be driving +80 miles one way on the rain & accident-ridden highways along the way to the dealer in Orlando, FL.
Your Desired Resolution:
The salesman, Odeen Kearse, asked what he could do to earn my business or remedy this matter? I told him I would never buy a car from him or waste any more time with this dealer. I told him the best remedy he could implement is to not lie to any other customer ever again & promise me that he would answer customer questions honestly with full disclosure about vehicles they are interested in before customers ever visit the dealer.
He offered to have me speak with his sales manager. I told him I already wasted a full day looking at this car which entailed me driving +160miles round trip to Orlando on rain slick roads with accidents & traffic on the way to and from the dealer. I asked why would I want to waste more time talking with a manager when the matter was very clearly explained to Odeen? I asked if I was his family member, would he honestly lure me to drive a long distance in the rain for a frame/unibody damaged vehicle that he told me was in "clean" condition? I told him I was appalled that he had the audacity to say they treat customers like "family". He said he understood & apologized.
I told him I would complain to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) & would write a truthful review regarding this matter on dealer rating websites. He was very concerned with me registering a complaint with BBB or writing a truthful, bad review. I told him I want others to be aware of this dealer's practices--particularly because they advertise on their business cards & placards that they are A+ rated with BBB; that they treat customers like "family" with "respect" & perform "multi-point inspections".
To summarize, this is what I am seeking:
1) An official, written apology from the dealer acknowledging this matter. Specifically, the apology & acknowledgement letter should address:
1A) The true condition of the vehicle (as indicated in my complaint that details visual defects & functional tests) vs. what they verbally represented as a "clean" car with "no problems with Autocheck". The acknowledgment needs to also indicate an accurate summary account of the unfavorable details of the Autocheck report for this VIN#. To be clear, these are the summary of details from the Autocheck report that are indicated in my complaint above.
1B) The dealer's purposeful neglect to disclose details of the car when specifically asked, particularly regarding the Autocheck report.
2) The dealer is to provide to the BBB (in response to my complaint), a full paper copy of the Autocheck report for this VIN#.
3) The BBB is to scan the Autocheck report that the dealer provides for this VIN# & publish it on the BBB's website under this complaint as an attachment to show proof of my complaint. NOTE: I would attach the Autocheck report if I had it in a digital format, yet I do not have it in a digital format.
4) Full published disclosure of complete details regarding this matter on BBB's website under this dealer's name for anyone to review & be forewarned of this dealer's practices.
NOTE: When I called the BBB, I was told that as of about one year ago, the BBB makes complaints visible on their website for anyone to review who may be inquiring about a BBB member. Why this hasn't always been the case is quite alarming, since that would, in essence, be protecting the business from anyone being able to see negative reviews on any given BBB member.
This case will be reviewed by a complaint specialist at the Better Business Bureau, and then forwarded to the business for their response. It is our policy to allow the business 30 working days to respond to your complaint. You will be notified when the business has responded.
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