AutoTeam Delaware

Review: Good evening. I purchased a vehicle (Nissan) from Deleware Cadillac on 10/03/13. I was told by the sales person [redacted] that the vehicle was in perfect working condition. On the day of purchase, I observed that the telescopic steering motor was broken on the vehicle. Adjustment needed to be made in order to drive the vehicle safely. I told [redacted] on the day of purchase before I drove it off of the lot that the steering mechanism was broken. [redacted] told me to drive if for a few days because it was probably stuck. He further stated if it did not begin working, his dealership would honor the repair. He stated that his boss [redacted] would be the one who signs off on this. Furthermore, I told [redacted] that I would be bringing the vehicle to an independent dealer mechanic to make sure all was in working order[redacted] agreed and stated that problems would be taken care of by the dealer if there were any. He again assured me that there were no problems whatsoever. To my surprise, the vehicle was taken to a Nissan Dealership10/08/13 to get the navigation map updated and I was informed of the following: The crank case had a serious leak, the head gaskets had been resealed and possibly leaking, the valve stems were broken and leaking, and other issues I took care of. The repairs aforementioned are in the area of several thousand dollars. I called [redacted] back as [redacted] refuses to take calls. I had a secretary telling me he was in the building in a meeting, and [redacted] was home with a back injury. Ultimately, Deleware Cadillac has failed to reimburse me for the steering issue which I paid out of pocket based on [redacted] assurance that I would be reimbursed. They also failed to disclose a leaking crank case, a resealed head gasket and broken valve stems. All of these issues were well within the 1000 mile 30 day warranty period. I clearly have a copy of their advertisement which does not disclose any of these problems. I do have invoices from the independent Nissan dealer corroborating all times, problems and costs.Desired Settlement: I would like to have the issues Deleware Cadillac failed to disclose on the day of purchase repaired at their cost. I would like to reimbursed for what I had to pay out of pocket in order to make the vehicle safe on their word. I would like to protect other consumers from running into the same issues I had with this very deceptive and dishonorable dealership.

Business

Response:

To: Revdex.com

Date: November 3, 2013

Subject: [redacted] purchased a pre-owned Nissan on 10/3/2013. He received our standard Used Car Limited Warranty that I have attached. This vehicle was subjected to our regular used car mechanical check out before it was offered for sale and it passed our checkout. We spent about $2000.00 on mechanical reconditioning before the vehicle was offered for sale.

Shortly after taking delivery, our sales associate, [redacted] agreed to reimburse [redacted] for a repair to the steering adjustment mechanism. [redacted] our Assistant General Manager in charge of pre-owned cars, is the person at our business that must finally approve an expenditure of this nature and send a check through our office. Unfortunately, Lee was on medical leave for an extended period of time in October. We never indicated to [redacted] that we would not honor his request for a reimbursement; it was simply delayed because [redacted] was out ill.

We never state that used cars that are 4 years old with 70,000+ miles on them are “perfect”. What we do state is that we have had them go through a 129 point mechanical check out and that we are satisfied with the results that indicate that the vehicle is a good one. We then issue a guarantee upon purchase that covers major mechanical items. We offered [redacted] an optional service contract that would include additional protection. He declined the service contract.

In addition, we use CarFax and these reports are available online through our website at no charge. This is the industry leading used car reporting service and, in this case, the Nissan has a clean CarFax. Both CarFax and AutoCheck disclaim that not all repairs are reported to either service. We rely upon CarFax, but we know that neither of the services are absolutely 100% accurate all of the time.

Last week, [redacted] by phone and agreed to handle the check request. [redacted] also offered to trade out the vehicle if [redacted] was completely dissatisfied with his purchase. [redacted] agreed to accept the repair reimbursement of $469.83.

I’m sorry that we had problems with the sale with [redacted] I regret that it took so long to resolve his issue with the steering wheel. We are not deceitful and dishonest but we communicated poorly in this case.

I believe that this complaint was caused by communication problems that are now resolved. Let me know if you need any further information or further discussion.

Very truly yours,

Review: Around March 24, 2014, I saw a commercial stating that I could receive a $100.00 if I test drove a Cadillac. So I set up an appointment to test drive a new Cadillac SRX through [redacted], Client Relations for Cadillac. I had an appointment for 2:30p. on I think March 26th. When I got there they acted like I didn't have an appointment and I waited around for over 45 minutes. I finally got a chance to test drive the car and I filled out a form to receive the $100.00. I was told it would take 4-6 weeks to receive the check. I have emailed Laura at least 2 times and she kept saying she would get in touch with [redacted], sales manager. As of July 14th, I have NOT received the money nor have I heard from anyone at Cadillac.

It's been well over 3 months and I have not received my check for $100.00. Seems Cadillac had a commercial with false advertising.Desired Settlement: Desired settlement/outcome would be to send me a check for $100.00 immediately and a written apology for being treated so badly. Their customer service is horrible.

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com,

I have completed my investigation of this issue and am somewhat embarrassed. According to our Cadillac sales manager, [redacted] has stated the situation accurately. She came in, took a test drive, and was told incorrectly that she would receive a test drive certificate. Please read the rules below as issued by Cadillac:

TEST DRIVE OFFER:

During The Cadillac Spring Event, current non-gm owners and lessees can test

drive a 2014 ATS and get a $100 Visa® Prepaid Card. At participating dealers

only. Offer valid while supplies last or until 3/31/14. Must show proof of ownership

of a 2004 or newer non-GM vehicle. Must be 21 years of age with valid

driver’s license and proof of insurance. Allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer is

not transferable, nonnegotiable and not redeemable for cash. Test drive lasts

approximately 30 minutes. See [redacted] for complete rules and

details.

We had 3 problems, our supplies had run out, the client had to have proof that they were a non-GM owner, and I believe test driving an SRX did not qualify. Therefore, [redacted] did not qualify for the offer and we should have told her immediately at that time. There was confusion as to how to deal with this complicated program from Cadillac and so it appears that nobody here could supply her with the proper information about it. This is our fault.

Therefore, we have sent a check to [redacted] for the $100 that she will never receive from Cadillac. I apologize for the confusion and non-communication or faulty communication with her by our staff. This issue should never have arisen to the level of a consumer complaint.

I have copied [redacted] so she can see our response quickly. Let me know if you require any further information.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I truly appreciate that they took responsibility for the issue.

Review: Cadillac CTS was purchased on 9/6/12. At that time an extended warranty was also purchased, which covered the vehicle for 48 months or 48,000 miles. Written on the contract is 0 deductible. In April, 2014 a bolt fell out of the car. I was told the warranty does not cover this, but the repair shop told me to contact the dealership because they are claiming there is $100 deductible with this policy. At that time I spoke to April, the Finance Manager at the time. She advised me that she has the same contract we do and it shows 0 deductible.

On December 12 the transmission failed and the car was towed to [redacted] Transmission in Middletown. Repairs were approved by Old Republic insurance company, but when the work was completed I received a call from [redacted] advising me that there is $100 deductible. After numerous calls to the insurance company and 4 calls and 1 email to DE Motor sales, I was told that DE Cadillac insists there is $100 deductible. This information came from the insurance company, because John Banbe, the current Finance Manager could not or would not take my calls. I paid the $100 because the car would not be released to me until I did so.Desired Settlement: The $100 has been charged to my credit card. I would like to have that amount credited to my account

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com, we have investigated this and found that the zero deductible on the service contract was written in error. To resolve this, we have refunded the $100 deductible charged on the repair to our client. In the future, if needed repairs are performed at one of our dealerships, we will be able to handle the deductible confusion internally. Therefore, I urge our client to bring his car to us for needed repairs. I am very sorry for the confusion surrounding this matter.[redacted]President

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

Review: Had an oral agreement on the purchase of a new vehicle that they did not honor. When I showed up at the dealership to complete the purchase of the vehicle at the agreed upon price; the Sales Manager reneged on the oral agreement that his dealership committed to. The deal was confirmed and re-confirmed over the phone prior to me making the 2 1/2 hour drive to the dealership - when I arrived the Sales Manager said he could not sell the car at that price and attempted to sell me a different car.Desired Settlement: For Auto Team Delaware to honor the deal that they agreed to.

Business

Response:

Delaware Revdex.com, this complaint is a result of confusion between at least 2 different vehicles. I have attached an email string from the client. I have spoken to [redacted] and have offered to adhere to the "TrueCar" program coupons, the details of which are also attached. If you review the program coupons, you will notice they are on differing vehicles and the client wanted the higher priced vehicle at the advertised price of the lower MSRP vehicle. I am willing to admit that there was confusion on the part of our sales consultant, but it is very clear to me that the certificate for the car our clients wanted shows a sale price of $22,886. In addition, the vehicle they wanted had additional dealer installed accessories of $1506 that our manager offered to just throw in on the deal to resolve the pricing issues. I offered to honor that arrangement even though the pricing was lower than the TrueCar parameters.

The clients declined that offer and the car has subsequently been sold and delivered to someone else. I would be happy to walk the Revdex.com through all these documents if it is necessary to understand them.

I expressed my regret to [redacted] for the confusion and apologized.

Let me know if you need any further explanation or have any questions.

Review: On March 25,2014, my son purchased a car from this place. The salesmen was a jerk but he still bought the car. Shortly after the purchase the salesmen then asked my son to complete a survey. Well when my son did the salesmen didn't like the survey so he called my son yelling, how he's not going to Florida this year due to my son's survey! Very disrespectful! Well that was four months ago. Now last evening my son opens his mail, gets the shock of his life! The car he traded in to buy the new car is being driven around the city of Wilmington running red lights and collecting tickets in my son's name! When that tag was supposed to be turned into DMV! I've called this dealership twice today and no one will return my calls. Now I did go to DMV this morning and the tag was flagged as being traded to this dealership! So my son doesn't have to pay this ticket, but it's frustrating that this company won't even try to fix the problem! Ignoring is the wrong thing to do.Desired Settlement: Pay the City of Wilmington $110.00 for a red light ticket on a car my son no longer owns! Should've Never happened if they turned in the tag to DMV!

Business

Response:

[redacted] I have tried to contact this person several times by both the phone given (out of service) and email and have not received a response. When a used car is traded to us, we fill out a DMV form that notifies Delaware that the used car now belongs to us. The tag is not removed and sent back to the DMV. It appears that the error is purely on the part of the DMV. I hope she did not pay a fine without contacting us.