John Paul’s Automotive

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.First of all, that vehicle didn't activate that feature when I test drove it. Your salesperson also stated that fact to your used car manager. Second, I did state I liked the vehicle. However when the stop/start started the day after I purchased the vehicle I called right away. Told all three salesperson,used car manager, and director of finance would have never bought vehicle if we were aware of that feature. Thirdly, was told by your director of finance it was are fault for not researching the 2015 Malibu to see what features the vehicle has. In your statement you said that your dealership has sold 2015 Chevy Malibu's with that feature and have had no issues in the past selling them. Then why didn't your salesperson or your used car manager know about that feature. Salesperson didn't even know about the battery for that feature. He stated the battery for that feature was for the pump in the trunk. Furthermore, we didn't except the check to be in are name. Why would it be since the lien was in my credit union name. Told your director of finance to write it to the credit union. Since they are the ones who have the lien. Thats when he decided to run are credit through your company. We didn't want him to do that which we told him. But he did it anyways. Next, I told your salesperson and used car manager that my phone was broken. They were aware of it. Borrowed phone and was keeping contact with your used car manager. Missed one call from you when your dealership called my husband work and he was already home. When I got new phone there were three voice messages from your dealership which I called back and talked to salesperson. Additionally, did become very upset. This was after your director of finance called us stupid three times for not researching the Malibu and that credit union don't even no basic math. Finally, all I want is the difference of the price paid and the pay of the Malibu which is $2,969.08. We tried to work it out. If your director of finance would had did what my credit union needed we would have gotten the other vehicle from you. 
Regards,
[redacted]

Never ever buy a used vehicle or extended warranty from this place. They protect them selves with notifications and not covered in warranty. My parents have leased a 2006 pontiac torrent AWD in 2009 which has been nothing but a pain in the but. The abs failed in 2009 the wheel bearing the sun roof leaked and in the past 2014 I spent 4k in repairs the lovable coffin on wheels is now having a abs and a t/c problem along with starter problem and heater core problem Im not happy I want my lease paid off
and the 17k plus 4k in repairs I"LL NEVER EVER BUY A CAR BUY THEM OR DO SERVICE REPAIR BY THEM EVER!!!!!

Review: I had a recall done on my 2006 Pontiac G6 for my brake lamp, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL. Which they fixed by attaching the wiring harness to the BCM with a spacer, apply dielectric lubricant to both the BCM and harness connector and the BAS and harness connector, and will relearn the brake pedal home position. Now I had all 4 brakes locked up which started right after the recall problem came up they stated they did nothing under the hood and this was not part of the recall and denied all responsibility. So I took it to my mechanics at Monro muffler and tire, they replaced just about everything yet still my front left brake caliper wont bleed. So my mechanic calls the dealership to confirm what they did they stated they never touched my brakes and opened up the HYDRAULIC system. Now how could they not when they knew I had a kink in the line which they say is the cause or could be. Also they charged me to free up my brakes the only way to do that is open the HYDRAULIC system and bleed the brakes. So now they lied and before the recall all my brakes worked, after all but this one wont work, so they say it needs to be tech 2 bleed and want to charge me for something I believe they did when they opened up my lines and let air in or from their recall. I am not happy being played and lied to and my mechanic did like it either when he was trying to find out the cause for this. Also adding to this when all was done and they told me and my mechanic it could be a 1000$ module that could be broken now, they told my mechanic this brakes needed to be tech 2 bleed because of the Abs as I also found online so how come they didnt tell me about this before or anything. Over all I believe someone on their end damaged my vehicle and because of my age is playing me all the lies and way things were done I dont agree with. As well as my mechanics don't, so now I have to pay more for something that should have been taken care of as I have bought 3 GM vehicles and now 1 Pontiac also GM but if this is the way they handle things I will never buy another and I will make [redacted] sure no one else does. Because I am not the first one with this type of problem.Desired Settlement: I don't want them to touch my car anymore, and I feel like the way I was treated with being lied to and played with everything was just unprofessional. I know it wont happen but I would like not only an apologize but payment for the damages, time and run around they gave me.

Business

Response:

I certainly can understand the frustration the customer has had in dealing with the problems with his vehicle. I'm sorry that he has had the problems and has had difficulty in finding the answers to solve the issue to his satisfaction. However, to summarize our position, we first received a call from the customer on 11/14 around noon and he advised us that the vehicle was at another repair center and that they could not get any of the brakes to "free up." He had been made aware of a recall involving the brakes on his 2006 Pontiac G6 by someone at the repair facility and was inquiring if the recall would fix his vehicle. Our service manager advised him that the recall was for a brake lamp malfunction and that it shoudn't have any bearing on the performance of the hydraulic and/or anti-lock brake system (ABS). The recall was to address the electrical connections of the Brake Apply Sensor and the Body Control Module and those repairs are made from inside the vehicle. The customer stated that he would have the vehicle towed to our facility since they were unable to get the brakes "freed up."

The vehicle arrived that afternoon and one of our technicians, upon inspecting the vehicle reported that three of the four wheels were spinning freely, meaning that there was no unwanted brake application, but that the right front brake caliper was applied and thus not allowing the wheel to spin freely. The tech completed the Brake Lamp Malfuntion recall as well as two other recalls that were identified, one involving electric power steering assist, and the other a potential transmission shift cable problem. After a visual inspection of the right front brake caliper, right front brake flexible hydraulic fluid hose as well as the preformed metal brake fluid line between the flexible hose and the electric brake control module located under the hood, he found what appeared to be a kink in the brake line near the right front strut typical of what might be found if the vehicle had been in an accident at some point though we had no knowledge if it had or had not been. The tech attempted to push the right front caliper piston back into the caliper to relieve the pressure on the brake rotor but was not successful. He then noted his findings and provided an estimate for the necessary repairs to fix the problem and reported his findings to the service advisor. The customer was given the information and he informed our advisor that he had to "think about it." We tried to contact him the next morning and someone other than himself answered the phone and when advised that we were calling concerning the vehicle the man answering the phone stated that the repairs were too much money and they would be over to pick up the vehicle. The only charge to the customer was for the towing to our facility (which the service manager had placed a call to the towing service and arranged for a discounted fee) and for diagnostics of the brakes. The recalls are no charge to the customer.

On 11/17 our service manager received several calls from a man identifying himself as the manager at the other repair facility. He asked what we found and could tell him about the vehicle belonging to the customer. They had replaced both front brake calipers at the customer's request but were having problems bleeding the brakes. He was advised that there possibly could be a need for a special tool called a Tech 2 to bleed the brakes IF there is air stuck in the ABS system. He stated that there was a problem getting fluid out of the Brake Pressure Modulator Valve, part of the ABS system. The manager indicated that the customer was irate with our service and had indicated that we must have caused these issues when working on the recalls. We confirmed to the manager that we did not open the hydraulic brake fluid system as part of the recall or as part of the diagnostic and thus could not be responsible for any hydraulic issues. Our service manager asked him to have the customer call us directly so he could explain what work was performed, where on the vehicle it was performed as well as answer any questions he may have. We did not receive a call so proactively called him ourselves to try and resolve any misunderstandings or clarify any issues. The offer was made to come to our shop and we would show him exactly what and where we worked on his vehicle. At the conclusion of the conversation our service manager was under the impression that the explanation had carified the issue for the customer to his satisfaction . We tried to contact the customer again today after seeing the noted issues to try to address his concerns but he was not available so we left a message to contact us at his convenience so that we can address further and clarify any questions or concerns.

We try very hard to assist all of our customers in the most courteous and professional manner possible. Again we are very sorry for the issues the customer has had with his vehicle and can understand the frustration it has caused; but, it was not something that was caused while in our facility.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

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 went to [redacted]l to purchase a Saturn Vue .
I went there and I test drove it it was a nice car it had over 100,000 miles on it. I told them I was going to pay cash, but it would take me about 4 to 5 days to get it. So they tell me to right out a check for the amount of the car, and put down $200.00 cash so I did . They told me that I had to sign some papers to hold the car . So they told me I could drive the car home if I wanted to , but I told them no not until I talked to my insurance agent . So while I was also looking at the Saturn I also seen a Chevy Equinox they had on the lot. So the weekend went by and on Monday morning I called them and told them I decided I didn't want the 2003 Saturn I wanted the 2011 Chevy Equinox.
I got off work and went to [redacted] and I told the salesman what I wanted and he went to his boss the used car manager and they came back and said you have to trade the Saturn in for the 2011 Chevy Equinox.
I said how do you figure I don't own it and they said yes you do because you signed all the license and title papers . so I said fine then so they came up with a deal that a automatic $2000.00 came off the price of the car , and the car never even left the lot.
they told me the car has another owner on it so now the title shows 2 owners now . and I said well it shouldn't be processed yet and they said when you sign the papers it is automatic .So I finally received my money in the mail to pay for the car and when I got there they told me I didn't have enough money and that they processed my check that I wrote out for the 2003 Saturn that the 2003 Saturn is mine not the
2011 Chevy Equinox .so I took the 2003 Saturn home and the 2 days later called them and told them I was coming back to buy the 2011 Chevy Equinox and when I got there they pulled it around back and told me it was already sold and no one new it was sold until I got there and they tried to sell me a different car and they basically laughed at me. they said they couldn't budge on the price so I told them that I was looking for a dealer that I could go to and get work done on my car with no problems and they didn't even want to make a deal to keep a customer happy , so I told them fine I am going somewhere else and take my business some where else . I drove down the street to Holz Motors and they made me a deal I couldn't refuse , and I purchased a fully loaded 2010 Chevy Equinox for a less price as the one at John Paul GMC Buick
Then I find out the Saturn was on Recall fro the ignition switch , that they didn't tell me about .
I also found out from some other dealers that you have up to 10 days to return the car you are purchasing .

Review: My husband went to this dealership to have four new tires along with other repairs made to his vehicle 13K miles ago on his 2008 Buick (bought from this dealership). My husband has never had this car serviced by another mechanic because he trusted that he was being taken care of by his dealership. The total amount of money spent on this one visit was $697.00. He told the mechanic to complete all repairs needed to his vehicle. Now a little over a year later, one of his new tires is constantly losing air and has to be filled up everyday. My husband assumed he had run over a nail and took it back to the dealership to have it repaired. They informed him that the tire was close to exploding due to the cords sticking out and needed to be repaired immediately. After looking at the tire today, they determined it was due to the fact that the tires were not aligned when they were installed at the dealership. Instead of fixing the mistake that they had made by providing a new tire and alignment, the manager - [redacted] - indicated that my husband is an it and spent $700 at their dealership and declined the alignment. I asked if that is indicated in his paperwork from the mechanic and he told me no. But insists that is the only way their service department would not have aligned his tires. My husband DID NOT refuse any service. He walked into the dealership with $1K and was wanting the necessary services performed on his car. And expected the dealership that has been servicing his vehicle for 5 years - with every oil change included - to take care of a loyal customer.

Instead they called him an it and showed him the door. I've never heard of a place provide worse customer service to a loyal customer that has spent thousands and thousands of dollars at their dealership.Desired Settlement: Replace the tire that is unable to keep air because your service department did not complete the service as expected when the tires were purchased and installed.

Business

Response:

Our policy is to work with our customers and to have them leave here completely satisfied. When we do not accomplish that we are truly sorry and will make every attempt to work with the customer to resolve the issue. The customer was very upset at the time of the phone call and that is understandable as there is nothing more frustrating than problems with a vehicle. We would never be disrepectful to our customers and if that's the how it was taken by indicating that we always recommend an alignment with a tire purchase, I can only reaffirm that was never the intent. Mutual respect is a key component to working out an acceptable solution to problems. To rehash the details in this instance would not be helpful as I believe we have come to an agreement with the customer. The important issue is that we want to take care of a loyal customer. We have contacted the customer and I believe we have worked out a mutually acceptable plan to solve the problem with the tires. We value our customers and will always try to go the extra distance.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. A representive from [redacted]) was extremely respectful and recongnized that we are loyal customers that have spent a lot of money at their business. We expect good service from this business and have always received that. It is nice to know that a company will admit their mistake and make up for it. We are very satisfied with the result. Thank you.

I have had the pleasure of dealing with John Paul's service department for more than five years, and they have always been courteous and helpful. When they need time to diagnose an issue they do so in a timely manner, and have a shuttle service if the repair will take some time and you don't care to wait. You also have the option of a comfortable waiting area. I've referred multiple individuals to the center, and all of them have received the same level of quality service. To anyone in the Milwaukee area, I highly recommend this location for all your automotive needs.

Review: Signed my car title over to Greenfield Pontiac Buick, Inc. DBA Greenfield Pontiac Buick GMC (John Paul's) on April 14, 2008. I have recently received Storage/Tow Fee Collection Notices from the City of [redacted] on this vehicle which I no longer own. I have been told by the dealership that they have spoken to someone regarding this matter;but they have no written documentation to provide me with or to the City of [redacted]!!Desired Settlement: If this issue is not resolved and I have to pay for legal fees, costs/damages, then I am holding Greenfield Pontiac Buick liable and will be looking for compensation!

Business

Response:

After much research related to this issue, I forwarded to the customer all of the information related to the vehicle trade in which occured in April of 2008. There was a towing issue in June of 2009 which our office manager helped to resolve with an [redacted] police department at the time it occured. It was an error that took place more than a year after the vehicle was sold by us at wholesale auction in May of 2008. We faxed other information to the customer as requested on 8-9-13 related to this vehicle. However, in the process of this search we found that information on the current collection issue is not related to that vehicle. Documented by the VIN # on the collection notice the current issue is with a vehicle that we did not sell or have any involvement with at any time. If the customer does not still own that vehicle will need to contact those involved with that transaction and research the title for that vehicle.

I thought I would get over what happened to me at your dealership. Weeks later, I'm still outraged at the fraud your agents tried to perpetrate against me. I've decided to contact the Revdex.com. I know your job is to make money, but it should not be at the expense of the truth. Either I was lied to, or the agents and technicians are not competent in their jobs. Either way, I have no faith in their ability to properly service me. To make a long story short, by the rate that the air decreased in my tire, I am confident that you sold me the car with the nail in it.
Given the first diagnostic report I received upon purchasing the car, the tire is question had a lower PSI level than all the other tires. On top of the air depletion rate, there was a ton of construction going on in front of the dealership when I purchased the vehicle. That's not the main issue though. My primary concern is when I brought the vehicle in to get it checked out, the agent tells me I have 2 nails and they would patch me up and get me on my way. He comes back a few minutes later and says that I actually had 3 nails and no patch could be done. Instead of patching, I had to purchase a $275 tire. I left and took my vehicle elsewhere. Needless to say, the certified mechanic I took my vehicle to said there was only 1 nail in my tire. Tell the truth and you would have gotten more of my business in the future instead of a little $275 tire.

Our experience buying a USED CAR was very pleasurable and positive at John Paul. There was a bit of a hiccup with something that was not the company's fault and was corrected by the employees and owner immediately and in a fair manner. I definitely recommend JPA to family and friends and have done so already.

Review: We spoke to John [redacted]’s used car manager directly on 12/29/2013 and inquired about a specific car advertised for sale on their webpage. He told us that the car was available and “very nice” and ‘on special sale’.

My wife, who was to be the actual purchaser, and I went to John [redacted]’s lot on 12/30/2013 to check out the car in question.

Clearly, this car was not “very nice”. Not only did the car have rust and other cosmetic issues not apparent on the webpage photo, the salesperson said the car had a exhaust leak in addition other mechanical issues and was being sold-as-is.

The salesperson told us in order to finance the car, we were required to submit a check for the $500.00 down payment along with the credit application.

We told him then that we were caught up in the [redacted] Store credit/debit card security breech, and that our debit/checking account balance, except for funds required to cover all outstanding checks and direct pay obligations, had been transferred to her savings account while we waited for the bank to mail out new debit cards. Nevertheless, he insisted we had to write them a check in order to even submit our credit application to the finance department.

The salesperson convinced us to ‘at least’ write a check for $100.00 “earnest money” in order to show the finance department that we were serious buyers WITH THE PROMISE THAT THE CHECK WOULD NOT BE CASHED until such time that the bank loan was approved.

.

We were told that when the time came for us to sign the loan papers, we would get her check returned UNCASHED and she could pay the down payment via cashiers check drawn from her savings account.

The salesperson submitted our check and credit application to the finance department, returning short time later declaring that no bank would finance that particular car, therefore it would have to be a cash sale.

When we declined, he switched us to another vehicle that was newer, with lower miles that he said would qualify for bank financing – However, at over twice the price.

Was this the classic ‘bait and switch’? We don’t know, but my wife, needed transportation for work, so we decided to apply for financing for the second car.

Several days later we contacted the John [redacted]’s Automotive finance to find out the status of the loan application. We were then told that we needed to put an additional $1000.00 - $1500.00 down for potential bank approval. When we declined, he proposed that we buy a less expensive car – exactly what we tried to do in the first place!

We were thinking over his offer two days later when we were contacted by her bank regarding overdraft fees. We arranged for a printout of debit card charges thinking we were victims of the [redacted] debit/credit security breech. No, we were victims of John [redacted]’s Automotive FAILURE TO KEEP THEIR PROMISE not to cash the $100.00 earnest money check!

When contacted and asked to return the money from the cashed check written for the first car, which they could not finance, then apparently applied to the second car, which they could also not finance unless we agreed to change the down payment terms of our offer, which we did not, they refused.

John [redacted]’s Automotive initially refused to return the money, saying; “We got a receipt for the check didn’t we – and people only get receipts when they make a payment, right? – Therefore the $100.00 check was a payment to them – What’s the problem?

The problem is that this ‘logic’ makes absolutely no sense, especially since the check clearly states “refundable deposit” on the memo line! After much hesitation on their part, they agreed to return our money – promising that they would issue a check and place it in the mail by the end of that very business day.

We have not received our money to date!

In short, John [redacted]’s were never able to finance us. They outright lied and said they wouldn’t cash our check if they were not able to finance the car we actually did make an offer on – then promptly cashed the check causing us to incur bank overdraft fees, and apparently are now trying to take our money even though the already agreed to return it!

We regret ever going to John [redacted]’s Automotive in Greenfield, WI. and cannot, in good conscience, recommend them to any potential car buyer, or to those looking to do business with a forthright car dealership. Clearly, they are not “very nice”.Desired Settlement: We want John [redacted]’s Automotive to do the right thing and return our money in a timely manner or we will take this further, this time our claim will include all damages/losses, including the bank fees and other incurred expenses.

Business

Response:

There are a number of issues addressed here so let me just start by apologizing for an experience at our dealership that was less than satisfactory for you. That is never the experience we want our customers to have when doing business with us. In regards to your check being deposited I can only say at this point I am truly sorry for the breakdown in communication that allowed that to happen. When we agree to hold a check until a deal goes through normally it would be tagged as such and that is what would happen. During the middle of the process of your transaction the original salesman that helped you left for an extended leave and regretfully your deal may have not been followed up on as soon as it should have been and if that is the case I apologize for that as well. I can confirm for you that a refund check was mailed to you on 1-15-14 so if you did not receive it today I would think that you should be getting it tomorrow at the latest. Regarding the vehicles that you looked at unfortunately we were not able to put together an acceptable deal for you at this time. The original vehicle due to age and mileage on the vehicle would have required a cash deal as it did not meet the parameters for financing. We did try with various sources to secure financing on the other vehicle. The terms required for the second newer vehicle did not fit your needs so regretfully we were unable to put the deal together. Thank you for giving us the opportunity for your business. We are a family business and our customers are our most valuable asset.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

DO NOT go to this dealership. We went to go look at a buick. Salesman was nice and not pushy at first. Gloated about how nice the vehicle was. "The vehicle is in great shape!!!" "This dealership goes over and beyond" "We care about our customers" The used buick was very nice cosmetically with a few minor flaws as a scratch here and there. The salesman told us they ALWAYS put new brake pads on each car unless they look new for safety reasons. He stated a new belt, diagnostic, and all fluids were checked. He assured us that buick mechanics do a very thorough job at making sure the cars are safe to take off the lot. We took it for a test drive and it drove nice. We decided to take it to a different mechanic just to be on the safe side. SOOOOOOOOOO glad we did. After a total of 6 hours of researching, test driving, time at the mechanic's shop, and $65 dollars later for a safety inspection/diagnostic/suspension check...we discovered the vehicle would need at least $3,000 and upwards worth of repairs. Things that needed to be fixed...... a new belt, new trans fluid and a flush because it was dark red which means it wasn't and probably hasn't been changed, the engine was leaking in a few different spots, gas lines were near rotted, brakes needed to be changed, the rear suspension was starting to give, 2 hoses would have to be replaced, power steering was leaking, and the diagnostic test came back with 3 codes, ect. How is it that a buick mechanic can let ALL of these things slide??? Not even change the transmission fluid, really??? Rather then admit fault or appoligize the buick salesman kept insisting the mechanics were the ones that were lying. From my one and only experience here at this dealership, I'd recommend going elsewhere.