Dear Mommas World,
We regret to inform you the car dealership has ignored our repeated insistance that they provide us with the correct information on your vehicle. Last month we gave up on them and sent them the $2,344 check you paid for your warranty. I hope you succeed in your next attempt to receive warranty coverage on your vehicle. Yes, this means you have no warranty and the dealership has pocketed your money.
Sincerely,
Ms.
T.Hought Yadwannano
Oh my goodness! I have been driving a vehicle for 3 months without a warranty! This needs to be fixed right away.
I call the dealership and speak to the finance department. "Yes, this is the finance department...I am sure they are misinformed. Our warranty guy is out on vacation. Let me call you back. Call me at 5 o'clock if you don't hear from me."
I call Sean, who sold me the car and he says "Gee Wiz! I worked so hard on this deal and everyone else is screwing things up. Let me talk to the finance and title people and call you back. If you don't hear from me by 5 o'clock call me."
Why the title office? I also explained I have a temporary tag and registration which expires TOMORROW! I have not received the permanent tag or registration yet.
Well, 5 o'clock rolls around and no one called me back so I call the dealership and guess what? They close at 5 o'clock! Every. Single. Day.
This morning, I sent an email to the dealership CEO, President, all the department heads, and the Sales guy. Lunch time passes and no response. No emails or phone calls from the dealership.
I am a bit fed up so I call and explain to the dealership receptionist that my temporary tag expires tomorrow. She transfers me to Tracey in the Title department.
Tracey pulled up my file (I am guessing on the computer) and said she is aware of the situation. She explained they are having difficulty obtaining the title.
I am completely STUNNED! Speechless! I think to myself…What?! They sold me a car without actually having the freaken title?! How is that possible?! Oh My Gosh, I have been driving this car for 3 months! Three months without a warranty. Three months I have paid for this car and the dealership who sold it to me doesn’t even have the freaken title! Deep breaths. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Come on woman, Breath!
I ask her how soon will she get the title? Her response… “In a couple of weeks. Maybe longer but I really don’t think it will be too much longer than that.”
My registration expires tomorrow. I cannot wait a couple of weeks or longer. I cannot drive the car without proper registration. What if I get pulled over for an expired temporary tag?
“You will be fine. Don’t worry about it. If you do get pulled over have the policeman call us and we will explain everything to him.”
And then...my head explodes.
In a sort of stupor I say “Are you kidding me?”
Tracey: “No, it will be fine. Just have him ask for the title department.”
Me: “Who should he ask to speak with?”
Tracey: “Just have him ask for me, Tracey.”
I can no longer continue this conversation with her. My mind is reeling and I have to find some dark corner to sit in the fetal position and regain normal heart rate and breathing.
After a few minutes I think I am stable enough to call the dealership again.
This time I ask for a manager.
I explained to Bud, my registration expires tomorrow and the first thing he says is “Why have you waited so long to contact us about this?!”
My thoughts were…Um, excuse me? I thought they were doing their job and I would receive the proper documents in time but now it looks like they dropped the ball. Oh silly me I forgot I was in charge of his employees. I should have kept them in line and on task. Wait, I do not work there. I am a customer.
He said he would pull up my transactions and talk with the title clerk. I explained I already spoke with Tracey who told me “You will be fine. Don’t worry about it. If you do get pulled over have the policeman call us and we will explain everything to him.” Imagine if you will a policeman laughing at me and saying “Here is your ticket. This is your fine. Take care of your business lady.”
Bud thought Tracey’s solution was “That is putting a Band-Aid over a difficult situation. This will not solve the problem.” Really? Ya think? Plus what about me being pulled over for something that is not my fault and so out of my hands? The embarrassment of being pulled over with police lights flashing and him finding out someone other than the dealership and myself are the real owners of this car on paper. Yeah, real treat for me. Cannot get enough of it.
I also explained the issue with my warranty and he said “I am hearing all sorts of problems that should never have happened to you.” He was going to talk to the finance/warranty department but I explained to him the man who handles warranties (right there in the same building as you Bud) is on vacation. Mmm, they really do not communicate there do they? Here I am a customer letting a manager know one of their employees is on vacation.
Bud again..."I just don't understand. They had 90 days, 3 months, to handle all of this and on day 89 I am left in the lurch." In my head I am thinking...Yeah, its all you Bud. The customer, me, would have no cause for stressing out at all. Bud interrupts my thinking process ... "I am here until 8 o'clock tonight. I will get to the bottom of this and call you back. If you do not hear back from me by then call me. Um, they close at 5 o'clock so he wants me to wait until three hours after they close to freak out again. Ok, sure Bud. Do what you need to do. I will be there tomorrow at lunch time looking for my free of charge loaner luxury car that will fit 5 Brownies scouts and two adults.
Ten minutes later Andrea, the dealership controller, calls me. In the voice of lawyer dude in commercials who speaks so quickly you might catch every other word....
"Bud just updated me on your problematic status. We are working on the issues. Warranty is being corrected. Something on the form was filled in incorrectly. We here will take care of any tickets, fines you might incur in the mean time. No points go against your license for expired registration/tags. Will try to get an extension on the Registration. The state does not normally issue an extension but I will try to cash in a favor. Any questions? I will call you by 5 o'clock tomorrow. If you do not hear back from me by 5 o'clock tomorrow call me."
It must be programmed in all of their employees to say "If you do not hear back from me by 5 o'clock call me." I suppose their thinking is if it is not fixed by close of business they will try again the next business day.
My head is spinning and I want to scream, yell and stomp my feet! But I don't. Instead my mind buzzes and I start to giggle. Yes, giggle. Then I start to laugh. I laugh at the complete stupidity that I have to deal with having bought a car out here in the country.
My plan is to call Andrea at 11:30 AM and check the status. If the registration and title issues have not been resolved I am driving over to the dealership with the phone number of the State Police and Licensing commission at the ready. If she does not produce a compilable vehicle before my lunch hour is over I will call the State Police and the Licensing commission. After which, I might have to borrow ManSon's new mountain bike to get too and from daycare and work. I wonder how Snow White will feel about riding on the handle bars until I find another dealership and vehicle?
I just called the state police who informed me it is against the law for me to drive my car after midnight tomorrow if I do not have the new tag (license plate), registration and tag sticker. The officer told me to go to the local court house and the local State Licensing commission office to receive something in writting explaining the details of all laws, fines, penalties, etc. related to driving with expired tags, registration and tag stickers. If that doesn't work with the dealership to contact my lawyer. The officer seemed to hint that I would most likely require the services of a lawyer.
6 comments:
"GET A LAWYER! GET. A. LAWYER!" That's what was running through my head reading this! Get a lawyer and take him with you to return that trouble-laden vehicle. Maybe a multi-thousand dollar return would get them to do their jobs correctly.
What a sham! Oops, I mean shame! (hehe) Buying a car is not supposed to be like that! A dealer is supposed to have some kind of reputation to uphold.
What are the insurance laws in your state? Would a ticket for driving w/o proper registration count against your insurance? Because a cop WILL NOT say, "Well, ma'am, let me pull out my handy-dandy cell phone and wait on hold with the dealership to verify your lovely story." He WOULD say: "Well, here's your ticket...take it up with the judge." And the dealership can't give you that time back!
I hope it goes well today, hon. If not...play hardball - because you DO NOT deserve that!
Right now I am shaking like a leaf. I was advised to go there in person and cause a scene. I just don't know if I am really capable to cause a scene. It is not in my nature to cause a rucus.
A co-worker suggested bring a TV crew with me. Yeah, I will come out looking stupid or just get all stage fright and throw up instead of talking.
Lots of Deep Breaths today.
Thank you soooo much for your comment. It is giving me more courage to do what must be done.
I would be pissed. As a matter of fact, I've been in a very icky mood all week and would be more than happy to do that for you!!!!
(and yes, that IS a frowny face, I'm just in such a funk...)
Good Luck! Call if you need our services LOL
Aww Thank you Pageant Mom. It might have been a better idea to take someone with me yesterday. I almost ended up in the hospital.
I will post about what happened a little later today. :-)
Ummm... you can take care of the expired temporary (I assume this is your temp tag while waiting for your plate) tags by going to a DMV office and telling them you need an extension. I have had to do that before when the state was slow turning sending me the registration and plates. Wasn't a biggie and I don't think they charged--not even a token amount--for it.
Hi Lori :-) Normally I would recommend an exstention but ...
Here in this new state and our old state the DMV, MVA, BMV or whatever, will not issue a new temp tag. They use to be paper/cardboard but now they issue a real metal plate.
The dealership and I both tried to get an extension but it was denined. The paper work is not in order. The dealership has screwed up the title by putting three other names on it and none of them mine so far.
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