Complaint Review: Altmans Winnebago

No wonder you did not sell this MH to us, Stock number 205034 VIN number 5B4MP67G943392800, SERIAL NUMBER 10G66F284004, Mileage 1877, For $125,363.32 with a quoted payment of $897.42 as you sold it to someone else while we still had a deposit, approved financing, appointments, repairs at your facilities and an active deal working on it. You sold it on or before September 1, 2004 from under us, that is not legal, moral or right.

We came down to pick it up on Saturday August 28, 2004 at 3:30 pm as scheduled by Michelle and it was not ready for delivery. Bob Lacy said it needed to go to PDI, Inspection at Workhorse, broken items repaired, ordered parts installed, Tuesday August 31, 2004, and detail. You cannot even legally test drive a vehicle that has not passed PDI or a safety inspection.

Bill Burko or Bob Lacy sent it into PDI on Monday August 30, 2004. On Monday August 30, 2004 Bill Lacy said it was still waiting to be repaired and was in line as other customers where ahead of this unit. In fact the electric driver side sun visor motor was not even due in until Tuesday August 31, 2004 for replacement. I was told it would not be ready until Tuesday August 31, 2004 at the earliest.

I was called on Wednesday September 1, 2004 by Bill Burko and he said that it was going to be ready around 4:00pm. I asked about the brakes and Alignment and he said they checked out ok by Felix. He said if I wanted Workhorse to look at them and the alignment I would have to pay $99.00 if they found them to be ok. At that time we still had a $500.00 Visa credit Card hold deposit on it along with our credit approval, workup sheet and a cleaned out trade in. Danelle was to meet us in Woodland Hills on Thursday September 2, 2004 to sign papers because we had tags due on our trade on Friday September 3, 2004 and we could not come in until Friday September 3, 2004 to pick it up as my wife had to get that day off.

Danelle said she was doing this as a courtesy because we had come to your dealership twice and the unit was not ready and we had driven over 7 hours total back and forth. Once the vehicle was not ready to drive due to damage by a lot boy and the next time to take delivery but it was not ready and had some safety issues. Even Ron Said he was going to send it back as he smelled the burning brakes that were 6:15 pm Saturday August 28, 2004. Howard who was trying to do the walk through said he could not fix these items and that service was closed so we would have to come back, if the brakes had not been an issue we would have but Ron said he was going to send it back, that does not sound safe or ready for the road, he did not even want us to drive it on the freeway.

Danelle said she would offer to pay for an alignment after we had it filled with our belongings. How could you sell this MH out from under us? We still had first legal right to it. Joe Altman sent an email stating he did not want to deal with us and that was not until September 3, 2004 at 3:47 pm after you had already sold it two days earlier! Wanted to make sure the credit on their other people went through? He knew we would have a fit if he called to say he sold it to someone else while we still had a very active deal and money on it. How much more did you get? You complained that you where losing money selling it to us.

I was floored before this and now we are not only floored but hurt and wronged that you would do something like this. I called on Friday September 3, 2004 to talk to Mr. Altman but he was supposedly busy with customers in rentals. All I got from Mr. Joe Altman was an email. Danelle never said anything except that Mr. Altman would call us next week when he and his father returned from vacation. I said we still wanted the motor home.

Did you tell the new buyer that you had sold from under us when he called me on Friday September 3, 2004 to see if he could smooth things out? He had read our resent email so I know you had to have talked to him because he discussed information in that email from Friday morning. You delivered our Motor home to someone else on Saturday Sept 4, 2004, how could you! Wow I really do not know what to say.

I am going to track down this sale and get to the bottom of this as this is wrong, very wrong! And if you did anything illegal I am going to take the appropriate action! If nothing else you violated a very important business practice which is your word Mr. Altman. You cannot say you did not know because your own email says you have been in on the deal since the beginning.

You had better make this right immediately as I am going to make some calls in the morning September 7, 2004 and if anything was done that was illegal you can bet your a*s I am going after you! You claimed to be afraid that I would sue you down the line if anything went wrong. I have never sued anyone over a vehicle in all my years. We had warrantee issues with Barber but in the end they corrected them without attorneys or courts. If you do not make this right I will go after you with everything I have and give your lawyers a good workout.

In all the years of buying automobiles we have never had someone sell a deal out from under us. Especially when we had a deposit agreement, financing and your word. We were waiting for repairs and our final walk through on Friday September 3, 2004 as arraigned.

This is 150% unacceptable and I suggest you find a vehicle exactly like this one with the same terms and price. I would make it the only thing you do for how ever long it takes and call us immediately.

Email from the owner to me:FROM JOE ALTMAN:

"Our goal is to have all satisfied buyers and I'm convinced that there is nothing we could do to make you a satisfied buyer--you will be unhappy with whatever you purchase from us and we don't have the infrastructure in place to satisfy your expectations.

It was under my directions that Danelle Conley, Bill Burko, Bob Lacy, and Darylin VanWagner told you that the purchase experience you will have with another dealer will be better than one with us.

I am well aware of our limitations and know that every one is not one of our target customers -- unfortunately you are not one of our target customers.

I wish you well with your eventual purchase and hope you have great times with the RV you finally purchase."

--Joe Altman"

Robert
Newbury Park, California
U.S.A.