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Help needed with slimy dealer

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by jkash, Dec 13, 2005.

  1. jkash

    jkash Member

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    We recently bought my wife a new car. Not a Prius unfortunately, but that is not what this is about. We bought the car on November 27th, and our credit union has still not received the payment for the trade-in. I called the week after we bought the car and was told the payment had been sent by Fed Ex. That appears to have been a lie. When the payment still did not get there by the end of the week I called again. Again I was told that they used Fed Ex but it went out on Wednesay. On Friday, the credit union still did not have the payement so I called again. I spoke to general manager who got angry that I was calling and bothering him about this. He would not give me a Fed Ex routing number but assured me the payment had been made. Now we are in week three. The credit union called last week and were told that the payment was mailed last Tuesday. They would not specify how the payment was mailed. It is now a week later and the credit union still does not have the payment. The credit union is in Michigan and we are in California, but one week should be long enough. Our first payment for our new car isn't until February nor is the next payment for the trade in. We don't know what to do at this point. I have called the manufacturer and have been told there is nothing they can do about it.

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
     
    #1 jkash, Dec 13, 2005
  2. Kiloran

    Kiloran New Member

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    You should file a Better Business Bureau complaint.
    Not providing a tracking number is pretty suspicious.
    Talk to the credit union. They may have leverage you don't.
     
    #2 Kiloran, Dec 13, 2005
  3. Mystery Squid

    Mystery Squid Junior Member

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    Somebody, somewhere, knows. I hope someone familiar with CA laws in this respect can chime in, but maybe attempt to call up the bank from which the money is being sent directly instead of the dealership...
     
    #3 Mystery Squid, Dec 13, 2005
  4. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    I have no expertise in theis area. But I can tell you for sure if it happened to me one of the first people I would contact would be my states Attorney General, don't write a letter it's to slow, contact them by email or telephone today. You may be dealing with someone who is in the throws of bankruptcy. Also you could contact the Better Business Bureau and see if there have been other complaints. Sounds like you might need the services of an attorney.
     
    #4 tumbleweed, Dec 13, 2005
  5. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    #5 IsrAmeriPrius, Dec 13, 2005
  6. jkash

    jkash Member

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    Location:
    West Hills, CA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
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    I am happy to report that the credit union got the check to pay off the trade-in today. This entire thing could have been avoided if the general manager had told the truth from the beginning. His initial response was to tell me what he thought I wanted to hear. That being that they had sent the check two days after we bought the car by Fed Ex. When things went all the heck is when I asked for the tracking number as the check had not arrived by the next day. Needless to say I am relieved, and will never be back to that dealership again. Just for fun, I looked them up on the BBB today. You guessed it. They had a D rating.

    Thanks for your comments and support on this.
     
    #6 jkash, Dec 13, 2005
  7. Jack 06

    Jack 06 New Member

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    Location:
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    I'm not an attorney. To review:

    You've discharged your legal obligation and have a bill of sale showing that the dealer took possession of the trade-in---right?

    It would seem to me the CU's attorney can file to place a lien against the trade-in, (meaning trying to get the title from CA DMV, I think) but it may already be too late for that, if it's been wholsaled or otherwise sold. Don't know if the CU can place a lien against other property belonging to the dealer--but would think so.

    This is not the first time it's happened to the CU, you can assume. They know when and how they should act quickly.

    Am I missing something in terms of background info?
     
    #7 Jack 06, Dec 13, 2005
  8. Mystery Squid

    Mystery Squid Junior Member

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    Put a brick through one of those nice showroom windows. :angry:
     
    #8 Mystery Squid, Dec 14, 2005
  9. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    The net effect of that would be: the dealer's insurance pays for the window, and the defrauded customer goes from being the aggrieved party with a legitimate complaint and legal case, to being a petty criminal and possibly facing jail time.
     
    #9 daniel, Dec 14, 2005
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