Champion Ford Sales Inc

Dear Mr. [redacted]Champion Ford will make an appointment with a rental vehicle at [redacted]’s convenience or she canmeet with us to trade out of the vehicle.Regards,Mark W[redacted]Vice President

This letter is in response to a complaint filed by [redacted], your file #[redacted].Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this issue. Mr. [redacted] purchased this vehicle over16 months ago, the only time Champion Ford was made aware o f any problem wasSeptember of 2014, at that time we fully...

reimbursed him fo r the repairs.Mr. [redacted] did not pay $9907 for this vehicle, the purchase price $7888, the difference being tax,state fees, and insurance. Please keep in mind that the truck at the time o f purchase was 13years old and had over 100,000 miles. We did not dupe him into buying this truck, and in facttold him it was recently traded and was being sold as-is. Mr [redacted] signed 4 separate timesacknowledging the fact it was without warranty. The one document even encourages him tohave an independent mechanic approve the condition.Based on the letter I received, the issues with the truck are all maintenance issues (fuel pump,alternator, battery, cables, etc.) and not something anyone could predict would fail 6 monthsin the future.Despite the fact it was sold with no warranty, when we were made aware of an issue we paidto have it resolved.I think the request fo r repurchase is unreasonable based on the amount o f time and that wewere never made aware of any problems.I would make M r [redacted] an offer to purchase the truck, based on fair market value, or give him ano charge estimate on what it would cost to inspect the vehicle and do the work at a reducedrate.

Review: I purchased a 2001 F-250 on 9/22/14 from Champion Ford. The name of my salesman was Merch C[redacted]. When I bought the vehicle, it had 124,808 miles on it. The sticker on the truck shows that it was inspected on July 3rd 2014, the expiration of the sticker shows 7/15. The inspection station number was [redacted], which is [redacted]. Champions station number is D58, so the truck was not inspected by Champion when they sold it. The inspection sticker also showed that when the truck was inspected it has 124,108 miles on it. The total sale price for the truck was $9,907.80. The day after I bought the truck, I drove it to work. After work I went to pick up my kids from daycare and the truck would not start. I had to have the truck towed from East Springfield, PA to [redacted] in Cranesville PA. On 10/02/14, the truck needed fuel tank straps and a fuel pump, and the fuel gauge was also not working properly. I called my salesman, Merch C[redacted] and he acted like he could not care less, the deal was done, so his business with me was done. I had to argue over the phone and talk to the manager until they agreed to pay the bill. Keep in mind, I hadn't even owned the truck for 24 hours yet. The mechanic at [redacted], [redacted] said that the whole underneath of the truck was rusty and ratty. On 11/13/14, the fuel gauge was not working again. I had to take the truck back to the garage for another pump and to have a plug on the truck replaced. On 12/9/14, the fuel gauge was still not working, so I took the truck to another Ford Dealership. The mechanic there had to remove the fuel tank, tested the sender, replaced the fuel lines, and the mechanic said that the truck had vent issues. At this point, I had put 1,077 miles on the truck. On 1/9/15, the truck broke down on me again and left me stranded, this time it needed a new alternator. I installed the alternator myself, I have the receipt for it. This was a $156.87 bill. On 3/15/15, The truck broke down yet again leaving me stranded. I had to call [redacted] at [redacted] to tow me back to his garage again. This time the a/c compressor froze and a new a/c bypass and belt were needed. This was a $314.35 bill. On 4/27/15, the truck had fluid leaking so back to the garage it went. This time 3 trans lines were needing to be replaced. This was a $273.62 bill. Then on 8/14/15/, the truck would not start again. This time the wires that go to the battery needed to be replaced because they were all rotted and the battery terminals also needed to be replaced because they were rotted as well. On 8/31/15, I took my truck to a ford dealer (not champion) to be inspected. I was told that the truck needed license lamps, exhaust manifolds, ebrake shoes and cables and their was an emissions canister missing a line and that there was an exhaust leak. At this point, I had not even owned the truck for a year yet and I already had put over $1,500 into it and it was going to cost me another $2,000 to get the truck to pass inspection. In the 11 months I had owned it, I only put 3,661 miles on it. The truck was broke down or in need of repair for a majority of those 11 months. I have not drove the truck since August 2015 when it failed inspection. The only time I drive it is to move it out of the way in my yard. In September of 2015, I tried to take the truck back to Champion to sell it, and the same salesman who sold it to me, acted very uninterested and very rude as if he knew he sold me a giant piece of crap. He was real jerky to me and did not want to deal with me at all. I tried to trade the truck in at another Ford dealership and I was only offered $1,500 for the truck. How can a truck go from being sold on 9/22/14 for $9,909, to only being valued at $1,500 on 10/17/15?

I feel that I was screwed over big time with this truck. They sold me something that they knew needed a lot of work and that is why they did not have one of their own mechanics inspect it, because they knew, that being a Ford dealership they were be dumping a lot of money into this truck. I was given a very bad deal, and it makes it even worse when the salesman treats you very poorly as well. He knew very well that truck was a piece of junk, but he sold it anyways. I am paying $165.13 a month for a truck to sit in my yard. I have kept all the receipts and repair invoices for this truck, any paperwork that is needed I can provide.Desired Settlement: I want Champion to take the truck back and pay my loan off so I am done with this truck.

Business

Response:

This letter is in response to a complaint filed by [redacted]. [redacted], your file #[redacted].Thank you for the opportunity to respond to this issue. Mr. [redacted] purchased this vehicle over16 months ago, the only time Champion Ford was made aware o f any problem wasSeptember of 2014, at that time we fully reimbursed him fo r the repairs.Mr. [redacted] did not pay $9907 for this vehicle, the purchase price $7888, the difference being tax,state fees, and insurance. Please keep in mind that the truck at the time o f purchase was 13years old and had over 100,000 miles. We did not dupe him into buying this truck, and in facttold him it was recently traded and was being sold as-is. Mr [redacted] signed 4 separate timesacknowledging the fact it was without warranty. The one document even encourages him tohave an independent mechanic approve the condition.Based on the letter I received, the issues with the truck are all maintenance issues (fuel pump,alternator, battery, cables, etc.) and not something anyone could predict would fail 6 monthsin the future.Despite the fact it was sold with no warranty, when we were made aware of an issue we paidto have it resolved.I think the request fo r repurchase is unreasonable based on the amount o f time and that wewere never made aware of any problems.I would make M r [redacted] an offer to purchase the truck, based on fair market value, or give him ano charge estimate on what it would cost to inspect the vehicle and do the work at a reducedrate.

Review: The dealership performed a repair on our Ford Focus on March 28th to which they relpaced the Range Sensor. The week of April 7th the vehicle was acting up so we made an appointment to take it back. On Apil 11 Champion Ford told us that there as an internal problem in the transmission which would cost $2,800 to $3,800 to fix.To get a second opinion, on April 14th I took it to a transmission shop. The new shop scanned it and said there was a problem with the Range Sensor, the very part that was replaced 2 weeks prior by Champion. On April 15th I followed up with Champion and they claimed that the Range Sensor was fine, it was something else.On April 17 the Range Sensor was replaced at the Transmission shop and everything is now in working order.Champion Ford wanted to charge us thousands for a service we did not need. They performed the same scan and there is no reason they should have missed the Range Sensor. The part was still under warranty but I do not trust them to touch our vehicle. If I didn't go to an honest mechanic I would have wasted thousands of dollars. They should be ashamed of themselves.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund of the original service (replace range sensor) that did not take the first time as well as the follow up appointment when they lied to us. Total of around $380.

Business

Response:

My sincere apologies are extended to Mr. [redacted] for the apparent incorrect

evaluation on his follow up visit with us.

At the time of his follow up visit we evaluated the vehicle and found no

fault codes with regard to the transmission range sensor and since we had

just installed it, had no reason to suspect it again at the time of his

visit. Seeing no fault codes, we ascertained that the issue may be internal

to the transmission and therefore require further evaluation and possible

overhaul or replacement.

It is evident based on Mr. [redacted]'s experience after the repair at the

transmission shop that the original range sensor was faulty and that we

were mistaken.

I take this very seriously and integrity of our service is paramount. Never

would we intentionally mislead or lie to our customers.

I would be happy to discuss further and provide reimbursement to Mr [redacted]

for the repairs done as a gesture of goodwill. The original sensor would be

warrantable if it is available.

Sincerely,

Champion Ford Sales

Review: I purchased a used vehicle through my local Ford dealership, and expressed to my salesman that I was interested in taking the car to my mechanic to have it looked at. The sales associate, [redacted], informed me that not only the vehicle had inspection stickers on it only four months old, but that it had been looked over at the dealer as well. I purchased the car the next day, and within 36 hours of owning the vehicle the engine was over heating (redlining) and smoking, leading me to believe the engine would have caught fire had I not been able to pull over right away. I contaced the dealer the next morning as soon as they opened, and after stopping once and calling three times I was finally able to talk to the manager. The manager very shortly told me it was sold without warranty, they do NOT, in fact, look them over, and there was nothing he would do for me. I would just have to continue paying my loan for a car that was not driveable.Desired Settlement: I would like a refund for my car, and for them to take the vehicle back. I have no desire to purchase another car from this dealer, nor would I like to have this van repaired, as I'm not confident they would be repair the issue up to my standards.

Business

Response:

See attached document September 9 ,2 0 1 3 This letter is in response to a complaint filed by [redacted], your file number [redacted]. Champion Ford had been in communication with Mr. [redacted], he informed us he had the vehicle looked at by a mechanic and stated the radiator was in need of repair, to the amount o f $500.00. We offered, as a gesture of good will, to pay S250 o f the repair. Mr. [redacted] said he would think about it and let us know. I have not heard back from him. I have enclosed several documents that very clearly express the fact that the vehicle was sold “as is” and Mr [redacted] has initialed or signed on all. Thank you for your time,

Review: I had an existing appointment for a regular annual state inspection. After about an hour I asked if there was a problem. I was told no. Another half hour went by and inquired again and was told no. I was then told that it takes about 2 hours because they pull all 4 tires off. I was spoken to like a complete it. I am almost 40 years old and have waited for many state inspections. After 2 hours I was told a rotor was pitted and they are failing it for inspection. It took 2 hours to see a rotor? I just purchased the vehicle 11 months prior and now they are saying that in that short amount of time the whole front is out of alignment, there is a problem with the brakes pulsating and the rotors are shot. I told them the probability of all that just happening in that short of an amount of time is almost impossible and that we complained about the same problems from the first day we purchased the vehicle. But when we tried to call and get someone on the phone after purchasing, nobody wanted to assist us. The employees are rude and terrible with people. The same employees who apparently work in the repair department were wandering around the whole time I was there. Then when I got home they had the nerve to tell me off on social media (Facebook). This is what they posted... "Sorry you don't feel the same now as when you bought your vehicle, your review then was stellar. We will be sure to instruct our employees to appear more rushed when using the vending machine on their lunch break. Also, we have multiple openings for a qualified technicians, which may be of interest to someone with your skills. Apologies for taking too long, BTW - your gender has no bearing on the situation." This is so completely unacceptable.Desired Settlement: I'm not even sure at this point. After their actions and behaviors I would definitely not even trust them to work on any vehicle of mine. These things have been wrong since we bought the truck. We love the truck, but it's not right that they refuse to help or fix what was always wrong until we have to have it inspected and then deny it was wrong all along.

Review: Going forward with the problems I have already had and what may happen I would like Ford to take the vehicle back, it was misrepresented to me and I do not want this vehicle. I have nothing but problem after problem with this vehicle, I have been lied to after service. I was told this is a good vehicle and it is not.

Listed problems I have had:

1) I was told that the vehicle had a few services that had to be done when I first looked at it and I was told they would be done before I received it. There was a tire sensor light on when I test drove the vehicle. I was told it would be fixed. When I picked the vehicle up the light was still on, they told me to drive it for 100 miles and it should go out that they replaced it. They lied to me about that because 200 miles later I took it in and they replaced the tire sensor. I received no rental while it was in service.

2) When I purchased the vehicle there was no motor noise, now I’m not a mechanic but I’m also not stupid. Three weeks after purchase a loud tick began to occur, I’m not sure if they put something in it to quiet it down when I test drove it but it was not there when I looked it over. I took it in for service and told them the problem; I received a call a few hours later stating that they could not hear motor noise. I told them that it is there please look it over again. They agreed I then received another cal a couple hours later stating that they still do not hear it please come in and ride with a mechanic, I said I would. When I later arrived at the dealership a mechanic got into the vehicle with me and before we even got out of the parking spot I showed him the noise and he all of a sudden heard it too. Now the mechanic said he drove the vehicle about 6 times that day and could not hear the noise and as soon as I sit there with him it magically there. Not to mention the drove the vehicle 60 miles to try and find this problem. I believe I was being lied to about this problem. I made an appointment they said they will have the vehicle for two days but I had to wait two weeks for a rental, they wanted me to drive the vehicle with a motor noise that was getting louder everyday for two weeks before repair because they didn’t have a rental available. I told them I’m taking it in it need to be done before more problems start to occur because obviously the noise isn’t natural and should be fixed immediately. I received no rental while in service.

3) At the same time the vehicle went in for the motor noise it also went in for a hard shift in the transmission. I was told that it was the PCM needing to be reconfigured and it needed to learn my driving type. I have yet to have another problem but this scares me due to I have already been lied to before.

4) Also with the visit for the motor noise it went in for water leaking into the cab. I told them I think it is the third brake light since it is common with this year. When they called me they confirmed that it was the third brake light and it was replaced. Two weeks later I am getting water into the cab of my vehicle again along with a musty moldy smell. I took it back in and told them I’m still getting water into the cab and the smell. I was told to bring it in so we could look at it. I proceeded to bring the vehicle in, they took a look at it and said after 10 min that It will have to come in next week for testing and repair. They made me drive 25 miles into the shop just to set up an appointment. When they took the vehicle in for repair I received a call stating that it was the rear window and it had to be replaced, also that they were ordering a new headliner since it had huge water stains on it from the leak. After they had my truck for two days with no rental. I was told it will have to be brought back in for the head liner to be replaced. I asked about a rental since this is my only means of transportation to and from work and they then told me that they are scheduling rentals two weeks out they might not have one available. At that point I was irritated and stated I have had this truck in here 4-5 times now and have yet to get a rental. I’m sick of getting rides from friends and family because the vehicle is in the shop. They then said they might have one available. How do you all of a sudden have one available, I don’t get it?

5) To top it off the overhead light does not turn on when the door opens like it should and that is the next problem to be fixed.

I am sick of being lied to by this company. I do not want to business with them ever again. I am a young guy getting married in two months and have two kids, I purchased the truck because I needed something bigger for my family and I was misrepresented about the quality of the vehicle. I cannot continue to take the vehicle in for service every week. It has been in service at least once 4 out of the 6 weeks I have owned it. I’m scared of what’s to come with this truck and when is the dealership going to finally say tough luck and stop fixing the problems. I just want them to take the vehicle back so I can get something that is reliable for my family. With the amount of problems I have had with this vehicle already there is no way that they did not know about at least some of them.

In closing I do not want the truck. I want them to take it back. I have been misrepresented and lied to I do not want this truck. I want Ford to know that this is their product and Champion is their dealer, I would not recommend them to any one and I will never purchase a vehicle from them again. Thank you for your help.

Business

Response:

Dear Mr. [redacted]Champion Ford will make an appointment with a rental vehicle at [redacted]’s convenience or she canmeet with us to trade out of the vehicle.Regards,Mark W[redacted]Vice President