Don's Auto Exchange

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
I respectfully do not agree with dons auto exchange. They have made accusation that are completely untrue about the situation. I have not touched the truck besides doing some minor repairs to get it to run right. which I stated in my previous complaint that I was not worried about the repairs that I had to fix.  I do have a chevy nova and my intensions was to put the 388 stroker engine in my nova. until I found out that the truck was not a 388 stroker engine. I did tell [redacted] that was my intentions, but I have not done so due to the truck engine being the same size that is already in my nova. I did not take the Cadillac convertors off of the truck. I would not do so and knowing if I took them off I would have to put the them back on to get a va state inspection sticker. I spoke with the gentleman who owned the truck before [redacted] and he stated to me that he knew the truck did not have convertors on it and that is was not a 388 stroker engine the previous owner told me that the engine would not run right with the cadilac convertor because the engine would run so hot that it would met the inside of the convertors.. as far as the chevy avo that I traded to him for the truck was in great shape I bought it from [redacted] in bluefield wv in December 2013 and I never had any trouble out of the vehicle. in [redacted] reply back he gave no resolution to the problem he have only continuing to lie and put my fathers business down. my fathers family owned business has done work for [redacted] for the past 40 years. I did have intensions to pay him the down payment in the sum of 1600.00 dollars until I found out the truck was not what he told me. [redacted] never told me anything about him not knowing for sure what the engine was. He reassured me several times that the engine was a high performance 388 stroker engine. and that was the reason he had the battery terminals unhooked. I started out dealing with the older [redacted] and he test drove the my chevy aveo and I showed him the receipts and car fax that [redacted] had giving to me when I had purchased the car. I did not test drive the truck because I trusted don for his word. After big don tested the aveo and I gave the 200 dollars he left and told me to deal with his son [redacted] like that was all he was concerned about was the cash. little [redacted] a he also assured me it was a 388 stroker engine. I would like for the car lot to give me my money back for what I have in the chevy aveo or give me the chevy aveo back  that don has already sold or put a 388 engine in the truck so I can do what I had intensions to do to start with or give me the title to the truck and we both take a loss.  
Regards,
[redacted]

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
a 383 is not the same as a 388. I guess we will go to court because the truck is not what he said it was. and the gentleman that sold
Don the truck has agreed to testifiy that there was no converters on the truck and that it is not a 388 stroker engine and don just said that it was not a 388 stroker engine that was the whole reason for me to buy the truck. The va state police is investigating the garage that put the sticker on the truck bc there was no converters on the truck. [redacted] has told state police that it has not had converters since the day he bought the truck. [redacted] bought it from Tennessee and he stated that was the reason he sold the truck was because he could not get a sticker put on the truck in va. In tennesse you do not have to have converters but in va u have to.  and Don told clearly told me that it was a 388 stroker engine and the it was street or strip legal I have provided u with the attachment of the sticker that was in the window of the truck the day I bought the car. if u look online there is a major dollar difference in a 383 and a 388 stroker engine and also a majoy horse power difference .  we will go to court. Dons Auto can give me my money back for the truck or return the 2008 chevy aveo I traded for. or give up the title. and we both take a loss. Lets not get off track [redacted] is the one that stated to me that it was a 388 stroker engine and now he is saying it is a 383 he clearly only told me it was a 388 stroker engine to sell the truck. as 388 stroker engine will not run with the converters on the truck bceacuse there is so much heat that comes off the stroker engine that it melts the convertors and I can prove that the engine will not run with converters on the truck.
Regards
[redacted]

The man that told me today he called me today he had put a 383 stroker motor in the GMC truck I sold to [redacted] II.  He called me today.  His name is [redacted].  He told me a motor 383 pr 388 is no difference.  He owes me $1600 all he wants is to not pay me for the 91 GMC pu.  He said the truck did not have converters on the truck.
Truthful Don's Auto
[redacted]  Owes me $1600 and I will be taking him to court if he doesn't pay.  He can make payments or I will take him to court.

Review: I have traded for a 1991 s10 I traded a 2008 chevy aveo which I paid 5000 cash for from [redacted] and it was in perfect shape. and Im paying him 1800 dollars to boot I gave him 200 dollars at signing . I know I bought the car as is. I not complaining about the repairs I have had to fix such as: I had to put a new alternator on the truck which I figured it had a charging problem because the battery was unhooked at the car lot. I had to replace the distributor and the cap the bolts was pulled out of the cap which I did not know of . The spark plug wires was burned, I had to replace that. It had a bad exhaust leak and the fuel pump went out. but im not complaining about these repairs I bought the car as is. I am complaining about a high performance 388 stroker engine that was supposed to be in the truck and it is not a 388 stroker engine. the truck was supposed to be street or strip legal,, and it is not street legal. the Cadillac convertors had been takin off the vehile and will have to be put back on before I can put the truck on the road. The engine will be 4000 dollars if I put a 388 in it. to have Cadillac convertors put on it will cost me 600 dollars to have put on. when I bought the truck it had a tag in the window that I still have that says: " runs good 1991 411 rear engine 388 stroker strret or strip legal 5995.00 trade cash 4900.00. Don himself told me it was legal for the road and it had a 388 engine in it.Desired Settlement: I would like for him to make it right with a 388 stoker and the convertors. im only asking for what he said was in the truck because just the s10 alone is not worth 1200 dollars itself.

Business

Response:

Thank you for your letter notifying us that one of our customers had issued a complaint with your

agency. This letter is a formal response in regards to Complaint, ID# [redacted].

Don's Auto Exchange is a small, independently owned and family operated dealership, and has been in

the business of serving our local community by providing reliable transportation to the customer for

well over forty years. We have always strived to treat all who enter our establishment with the respect

and good service that members of our community deserve. That is why it concerns us so to hear of a

customer complaining to your agency. As stated, Don's Auto Exchange, Inc., is a family business and we

consider those we serve as an extension of that family. We work hard at providing a service built on

fulfilling the customer's needs while conducting ourselves with the utmost integrity and respect for both

the customer and our craft. While spanning four generations of our family, our business has incurred

only two complaints to your agency. I can't help but feel like we have been fair and honest in our

dealings with our customers. Most of our customer base are repeat buyers and consist of parents and

grandparents who have purchased from us in the past and now, continue to bring their children and

grandchildren back to purchase, what often times is, their first automobile. And they return, time after

time.

However, anyone who's ever been in business and especially one dealing firsthand with the consumer

on a daily basis can understand that, while it's true, there are some unscrupulous businesses in the

market place, we can't deny that there are some consumers who are just as unscrupulous in their

dealings as well. I believe this to be so in this particular instance.

First, in his complaint, the customer states that he traded in his vehicle ON 05-02-2014, a sub-compact

2008 Chevorlet Aveo for the 1991, modified and street legal GMC pickup, and agreed to pay $1,800.00

down, stating that he was to receive a check for $2,400.00 from the [redacted] in

two weeks. The customer did pay $200.00 down the day of the sale and assured me that he would pay

the remaining $1,600.00 in two weeks. Two weeks having passed, the customer called my office saying

he couldn't pay as agreed due to his bank having put a "two week hold" on the check he received. I

advised the customer that although he had promised to pay on time, that I understood that banks do

sometimes require a holding period on government checks, and that I would wait another two weeks for

the balance of the down payment. Since that conversation, and before his reporting of our dealership

to your agency, I have made multiple attempts, in excess of ten times, to reach the customer and he

refused to return my calls.

Secondly, in his complaint, the customer referenced the fact that the battery cable was unhooked on

the vehicle while it was on our lot for sale. The reason for this was not that the alternator or battery

was defective, but that said vehicle had a very large and high performance motor and we did not want

to take the chance on someone starting the vehicle in our absence, revving up the motor and causing

possible damage to the engine. We have done this in the past to protect not only the automobile but

also the customer from any potential dangers. We want to be present with the customer when a

vehicle is started on our lot.

Thirdly, the customer complains of bolts missing in the distributor cap as well as spark plug wires being

burned. I would respectfully say that if such was the case, most likely the vehicle would not have

started, definitely would not have ran smoothly, and the customer would not have been able to drive it

home from the lot.

Fourthly, the customer makes the claim that we had removed the catalytic converters from the exhaust

system. Doing so would be illegal and I assure you that we do not engage in such illegal activities. Said

vehicle was "street legal," the converters were in place on the date of the sale. Since the customer's

complaint surfaced, I have spoken to the police and they concluded that the customer himself had

removed the catalytic converters at his family owned muffler shop. l, myself spoke with the inspection

station attendant who had serviced the 1991 GMC pickup. He added that when they inspected the truck

for a sticker, both converters were present on the exhaust system adding that he could lose his license if

he were to place a valid inspection sticker on a vehicle missing such vital parts and that he was not

about to lose his license and livelihood over such. The catalytic converters were in place on the date of

sale. In addition, the previous owner, before trading the vehicle to us, had been driving the vehicle on

the road and throughout the community and the vehicle had an up to date Virginia inspection sticker as

required by state law. In fact, the customer's car, a 2008 Chevrolet Aveo that he traded in, was being

driven illegally, as it had no inspection sticker installed. Said customer had advised us that the Aveo was

in perfect running order. Yet, when we presented the customer's trade-in for inspection, as we always

do in preparing a car for re-sale, it did not pass inspection and we were required to replace a tire as well

as parts of the vehicle's suspension, including a tie rod as well as front brake pads and rotors on both

front wheels which required and expenditure of over $300.00.

Fifthly, the customer states that I guaranteed or assured him that the motor in the 1991 pickup was a

388 stroker. What actually occurred is, I had only repeated to the customer what the gentleman who

traded the truck in at an earlier date had told us about the truck. I made no assurances, but only

advised him of what I had been told by the previous owner. I advised by word and in writing that the

1991 GMC pickup, when purchased, came with no guarantees or warranty, and was purchased AS-IS

without reservations. The customer agreed.

Also, in the customer's complaint, he states that the 1991 GMC alone, minus the engine, was not worth

$1200.00. The truth of the matter is, the wheels and tires, the many accessories, including traction bars,

an aftermarket electric fuel pump, tachometer, in-line shift transmission, along with other accessories

make the truck value in excess of the amount specified by the customer.

Let it be known, that before lodging his complaint against our dealership, he had already removed many

of the parts from the truck, and had begun installing them on a vintage Chevy Nova that he was

rebuilding. In fact, on the day of purchase, the complainant advised that it was his intent to disassemble

the truck and use the parts to restore the Nova. It is our opinion that if there has been any damage

done to the vehicle, the motor, the exhaust system, etc., it has been done by the customer during the

tear-down process.

Lastly, the complainant purchased the vehicle willingly AS-IS. It is our belief that he never intended to

pay the remaining $1,600.00 down payment and his complaint is an attempt to discredit us so as not to

have to pay.

Again, it has been our practice to act honestly and in good faith with our customers these many

decades, and while it saddens us to have to address the issue before us, we feel it necessary to set the

record straight concerning this matter.

Respectfully,

Don's Auto Exchange, lnc

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I respectfully do not agree with dons auto exchange. They have made accusation that are completely untrue about the situation. I have not touched the truck besides doing some minor repairs to get it to run right. which I stated in my previous complaint that I was not worried about the repairs that I had to fix. I do have a chevy nova and my intensions was to put the 388 stroker engine in my nova. until I found out that the truck was not a 388 stroker engine. I did tell [redacted] that was my intentions, but I have not done so due to the truck engine being the same size that is already in my nova. I did not take the Cadillac convertors off of the truck. I would not do so and knowing if I took them off I would have to put the them back on to get a va state inspection sticker. I spoke with the gentleman who owned the truck before [redacted] and he stated to me that he knew the truck did not have convertors on it and that is was not a 388 stroker engine the previous owner told me that the engine would not run right with the cadilac convertor because the engine would run so hot that it would met the inside of the convertors.. as far as the chevy avo that I traded to him for the truck was in great shape I bought it from [redacted] in bluefield wv in December 2013 and I never had any trouble out of the vehicle. in [redacted] reply back he gave no resolution to the problem he have only continuing to lie and put my fathers business down. my fathers family owned business has done work for [redacted] for the past 40 years. I did have intensions to pay him the down payment in the sum of 1600.00 dollars until I found out the truck was not what he told me. [redacted] never told me anything about him not knowing for sure what the engine was. He reassured me several times that the engine was a high performance 388 stroker engine. and that was the reason he had the battery terminals unhooked. I started out dealing with the older [redacted] and he test drove the my chevy aveo and I showed him the receipts and car fax that [redacted] had giving to me when I had purchased the car. I did not test drive the truck because I trusted don for his word. After big don tested the aveo and I gave the 200 dollars he left and told me to deal with his son [redacted] like that was all he was concerned about was the cash. little [redacted] a he also assured me it was a 388 stroker engine. I would like for the car lot to give me my money back for what I have in the chevy aveo or give me the chevy aveo back that don has already sold or put a 388 engine in the truck so I can do what I had intensions to do to start with or give me the title to the truck and we both take a loss.

Regards,

Business

Response:

The man that told me today he called me today he had put a 383 stroker motor in the GMC truck I sold to [redacted] II. He called me today. His name is [redacted]. He told me a motor 383 pr 388 is no difference. He owes me $1600 all he wants is to not pay me for the 91 GMC pu. He said the truck did not have converters on the truck.

Truthful Don's Auto

[redacted] Owes me $1600 and I will be taking him to court if he doesn't pay. He can make payments or I will take him to court.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

a 383 is not the same as a 388. I guess we will go to court because the truck is not what he said it was. and the gentleman that sold

Don the truck has agreed to testifiy that there was no converters on the truck and that it is not a 388 stroker engine and don just said that it was not a 388 stroker engine that was the whole reason for me to buy the truck. The va state police is investigating the garage that put the sticker on the truck bc there was no converters on the truck. [redacted] has told state police that it has not had converters since the day he bought the truck. [redacted] bought it from Tennessee and he stated that was the reason he sold the truck was because he could not get a sticker put on the truck in va. In tennesse you do not have to have converters but in va u have to. and Don told clearly told me that it was a 388 stroker engine and the it was street or strip legal I have provided u with the attachment of the sticker that was in the window of the truck the day I bought the car. if u look online there is a major dollar difference in a 383 and a 388 stroker engine and also a majoy horse power difference . we will go to court. Dons Auto can give me my money back for the truck or return the 2008 chevy aveo I traded for. or give up the title. and we both take a loss. Lets not get off track [redacted] is the one that stated to me that it was a 388 stroker engine and now he is saying it is a 383 he clearly only told me it was a 388 stroker engine to sell the truck. as 388 stroker engine will not run with the converters on the truck bceacuse there is so much heat that comes off the stroker engine that it melts the convertors and I can prove that the engine will not run with converters on the truck.

Regards