Nelson Toyota Scion

Review: Received sale brochure for $2,000 for use as down payment per ad. Ad was for Nelson Toyota. Jeep was advertised as $11,980. Paper work in process price of Jeep changed by dealership to $13,980. Showed proof that internet price was $11,980. Price changed by dealership to note $11,980 and additional fees applied to equal amount of $16,000+. Nelson Toyota would not honor $2,000 off that was advertised in their brochure. Sales manager was hostile and yelling at the customer( my husband and I). We had to ask for the keys to our own vehicle 3 times before we could leave. Sales manager implied that we were not comprehending the price adjustments as he shoved the paper in my face. They faxed the note to our bank without our approval, and tried to get the bank to finance for the amount of $16,000+ without showing us the paperwork first. Dealership refuses to honor the $2,000 off. We never received our complimentary gift card as well.Desired Settlement: Meet the advertised requirements of brochure, including the gift card.

Business

Response:

We are very

sorry to hear that Ms. [redacted] was dissatisfied with her shopping experience at

our recent sale event. We additionally feel sincerely disappointed that we were

unable to reach a satisfactory agreement on the vehicle that she was interested

in. We submit the following facts as the

basis for our position:

As a standard and usual practice, we change the

displayed prices on our vehicles based on available models, auction

pricing, retail market prices, days in stock, and other factors. Our

online pricing can change as often as daily or as infrequently as

monthly. We use a number of tools

including Dealertrack’s AAX software program to provide daily pricing at

major national and regional auctions as well as retail market data.

Although Jeep liberty models are available broadly,

across most markets, the CRD or diesel model is very rare and thus we have

no intention of selling the vehicle at a loss.

It can be complicated to work with customers with

negative equity as the balance above the actual value of the trade vehicle

must be applied to the financed amount and can seem confusing to the

buyer. When the buyer reviews the

amount financed the total includes purchase price, negative equity, state

sales taxes, sometimes local taxes, as well as processing fees. Only down payments are subtracted from

the total. Finally, loan documents

also display the total of all of the payments including total interest

paid. Either of these totals will

likely be a far larger number than the purchase price of the vehicle.

Although we have not been able to verify that a

staff member had “ become hostile” or “yelled” at Ms. [redacted], a number of

staff members stated that Ms. [redacted] had become so loud in the busy

showroom as to attract the attention of many shoppers and employees

attempting to conduct business.

We, along with all retail businesses, reserve the right

to price our vehicles at whatever we elect is appropriate for our

market. We spend considerable time

every month in making sure that our vehicles are appropriately priced for

our market. We also respect all of

our shopper’s right to peacefully reject any price or trade in allowance

offered. This balance of sellers

and buyers rights has served our nation as well as our community for more

than 238 years.

Our offer to attempt to find Ms. [redacted] a vehicle

where we can overcome her negative equity and discount the vehicle an

additional $2000 below market value still stands, and if there is anything

at all that we can do to resolve this matter to Ms. [redacted]’s satisfaction,

we will do our very best.

Today I checked and there are at least eighty 2006

Jeep Liberty vehicles available within 200 miles of our dealership,

however there are only 4 diesel models and we have the only one with less

than 100,000 miles.

At Nelson

Automotive Group, we have served our community for more than 40 years and

tirelessly work to satisfy all of our customers. We have more than 1000 vehicles currently in

stock and we feel comfortable that we can find a great deal on a vehicle for

Ms. [redacted], however, as in all of the free market, should she choose a rare or

exceptional vehicle, we will have less latitude particularly when a negative

balance must be factored into the equation.

Sincerely

yours,

[redacted]

Director of Operations

Nelson Automotive Group

Review: Went to lot to find a 4X4 vehicle at a good price that would be reliable. Test drove vehicle and found issues I wanted fixed if vehicle purchased: 4 Wheel Low Gear and headlight oxidation. On my way home I found the gas gauge did not work. I called back to dealership and was told they would add to list to look at. During the rest of that evening, I had a change of heart about buying this vehicle since the problems were building. I took the vehicle back at 8:30 the next morning asking that I be let out of the contract. The Sales Manager declined to do so. I waited there until 1:15PM hoping they would give in and tear up the contract to no avail. I work third shift and could wait no longer. I took the vehicle back to have the repairs done as I was told to do. They gave me a loaner vehicle that was unsafe to drive- It had no driver windshield wiper ( they did repair it) and the rearview mirror dangled and was not useable. I had the loaner vehicle for 6 days while they were supposedly fixing my vehicle. I was called on 2/27 at 10:00 and told my vehicle's gas gauge had been repaired, but the 4Wheel Low part was on backorder for 30 days. I went to pick up the vehicle, the gas gauge was on Empty, I put $24.00 of gasoline in it which filled it up, got into the vehicle and the gas gauge read Empty. It had not been fixed. I drove back to the dealership and was told they would not spend any more money on the gas gauge and they would call me when the part for the 4 Wheel comes in. I told them that leaving a woman with a broken gas gauge is unsafe. I was told I could figure out how much gas it held and figure out when it was getting empty!!!Desired Settlement: To have a safe vehicle to drive in inclement weather or void the contract and give me back my Kia!!!!

Business

Response:

RE: [redacted] - Nelson Toyota Scion Dear [redacted], With regard to Mrs. [redacted]’s concerns after having purchased a 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee from our Toyota store, I have spoken to the sales manager, [redacted], and I have reviewed the transaction documents. No warranty was expressed or implied beyond having agreed to repair the four wheel drive issue and recondition the headlamps. A part is on back order from the manufacturer and when the part arrives, we will cheerfully meet our commitment to the customer. After purchasing the vehicle, Mrs. [redacted] returned and asked us to also repair the fuel gauge. As a goodwill gesture, we had our technician check out the fuel gauge concern in order to see if it could be something simple. Apparently the repair will be fairly involved and we, having made no promise to repair this concern, have elected not to participate in the repair. Lastly, we sell new vehicles, Preowned vehicles with warranties, and we sell Preowned vehicles without warranties. We sell these vehicles where our customers have budgetary restrictions limiting their ability to purchase newer vehicles with some protections against mechanical issues. Most of our customers understand that the price of the vehicle they are buying is related to their assumption of some risk of repair expenses going forward. I am truly disappointed that Mrs. [redacted] does not accept this reality. Nelson Automotive Group has been serving our area for more than 38 years with compassion and integrity. We are saddened whenever there is a concern with one of our customers, and what we have agreed to repair, we will, no matter what it costs. Sincerely yours, Tony Albanese Director of Operations Nelson Automotive Group

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. First of all, I do not accept this resolution because of the lack of compassion of the Dealer. I returned this vehicle within 16 hours of purchase asking that they void this transaction because of the issues I found on the way home from the dealer. There is no way to know that a gas gauge is not working until gas in placed in the vehicle and the gauge does not move at all from Empty. I gave up a 2010 vehicle for a 2005 vehicle that turned out to be in worse shape than the one I traded despite having more miles on it. That is why I asked that the gauge be fixed. This is a safety issue for a woman who may run out of gas in a bad area. I was told that I could figure out how much gas the tank holds and figure out the mileage I get from a tank of gas, thus knowing when it needs a fill up! Is this any way to treat a customer? What if this was their mother, wife, girlfriend...etc? Regarding the 4 wheel drive: I was given a We Owe You paper that states if the repairs are not done within 30 days, the We Owe You is null and void. I was told the "part is on back order for 30 days." This is after the 30 days so I would guess that this repair will not be done either. I was told that the Dealership has already spent $700 on parts and repair. I feel this is not my problem. The repairman who diagnosed the gas gauge problem and supposedly fixed it is to blame for a misdiagnosis. The gas gauge still does not work. I have driven the vehicle for a week now and it has cut off on me twice when having to put the brakes on abruptly. I feel this vehicle could be a death trap and money pit. Sincerely, [redacted]

Business

Response:

[redacted] - Nelson Toyota Scion Dear [redacted], With regard to Mrs. [redacted]’s response to our statement regarding her 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee, we are completely committed to repairing the four wheel drive issue, as we have agreed to do. Furthermore we replaced the fuel tank sending unit as a goodwill gesture, but we acknowledge that further diagnosis needs to be done by a Chrysler dealer to determine why the gauge still reads incorrectly. As we stated in our first statement, Ms. [redacted] purchased the vehicle without any warranty from Nelson Toyota expressed or implied, and as a result, we are not willing to repair any further issues at our expense. I have contacted the Chrysler dealer where the part for the four wheel drive system is on order and they stated today that the part is on national backorder and that they are contacting area dealers to see if the part can be procured faster. Due to the delay from the manufacturer, we will honor the “WE OWE” without any time limitation. In response to Ms. [redacted]’s new concern, I submit that she should take the vehicle to a repair facility and have the vehicle diagnosed. Most issues that could cause the vehicle to stall are not major repairs and all preowned vehicles can, and do require attention from time to time. Sincerely yours, Tony Albanese Director of Operations Nelson Automotive Group

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. Thank you for your good faith effort to have Nelson Toyota Scion fix the issues with the 2005 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I have learned a valuable lesson about buying used cars from this dealership. I have ran into other dissatisfied customers who have had problems with the Nelson Group. They were unaware of reporting complaints to the Revdex.com. They know now and are spreading the word of the possibility of filing complaints with you when issues arise, whether through Nelson or other businesses. While I still have had no resolution to my problem, and doubt that I will, I will use your agency with other consumer issues in the future. Thank you again. Sincerely,[redacted]