Complaint Review: CarHop

Do  NOT  go here!

This is the most deplorable example of used car dealers I have ever encountered.  They not only have lemons...but they also employ predatory selling/lending tactics.  They know people coming to them have credit issues and are desperate to get into a vehicle.  The give you a song and dance about how they report to all the credit bureaus to improve your credit (more on that later) then they put you in the worst car on the lot if they can.  My experience...they didn't even fill out my information into their system!!..they had ME do it on their computer!

Isn't that one of the only things a salesman has to do in a place like this??  I did not have a car.  I called before hand to ask if they had vehicles that would be in my price range because I only have X amount of dollars to put down.  They assured me they did and insisted I come down right away so they could 'help' me.  I went there...filled out my own information...and was told I needed more documentation about my income. Why wasn't I told I'd need more??  So I get the documentation...call them back and ask again if they have an economy car in my price range.  YES, they insisted..come on down so we can put you in a car.  

Great...get down there and they of course give me the song and dance about how I need more down...after I had told them twice before that I only had X amount of dollars.  Well they just couldn't put in me in a car that day unless I had Y amount of dollars.  So I left with the agreement that I would be back with Y dollars to put down and get into the economy car I can afford (YES...my fault for agreeing to further dealings with these people).  The day comes where I have the Y dollars, so I call and ask again...third time now...do you have the economy cars in my price range?  

YESSSS!...come on down we can finally put you in a car!  Great...I get down there...they somehow need to run through the approval process yet again for the Y dollars even though it was agreed to a couple days before.  Great!..I'm approved for the Y dollar down payment...BUT...'we don't have any economy cars in your price range'....!!!!???  SO..being the desperate fool I was...because I have a family to feed and needed to get to work or else lose my job..and thought it would be too expensive to continue renting a car (more on that later)....I agreed to getting a Kia mini-van.  

Yes...a gas guzzling..minivan.....at a monthly price way more than I could really afford to spend.  When challenged about the price..I was again reminded of the song and dance about reporting to all credit bureaus..and how my credit would dramatically improve...blah blah blah.  So I sign...begrudgingly.  Within a week, the van was in the shop because a wheel's bearings had gone bad..and could have killed me and my family had it ceased up on the road.  Also, I saw they were wanting the first payment within a week of me putting the Y dollars down that I was barely able to come up with.

So, I called and explained that I was tapped out because of that Y dollar deposit and needed them to delay the first payment.  The told me NO.  They had absolutely no concern about the situation and refused to budge.  I told them it wasn't a matter of want..it was a matter of impossibility.  They didn't care.  So...I did not make the first payment...but made the subsequent payments without a problem.  They called about it multiple times demanding payment and I kept having to explain the payment issue over..and over..and over.

THEN
within the 2nd month of purchase...It broke down...twice...on a weekend.....and I ended up being out of pocket $250 because of it..(new battery, car rental, etc).  I got the minivan to the repair shop sunday night.  The mechanic calls me on Monday saying the things wrong are under warranty but he could not get approval until I call the finance company.   Well, you can guess how that went.  They wanted me to get current with the one bi-weekly payment I was behind.  I told then that wasn't possible because I just spent $250 in costs incurred BECAUSE the car broke down.  They...said 'so what'...didn't care one lick...refused to authorize payment.

I finally told them to pound sand!  Because....the monthly cost of the (economy size) rental car was going to be LESS than the total cost of this minivan.  I am in the process of multiple complaints (clearly) along with legal action against them.

Do yourself a favor....do NOT go to CarHop....it is a CarSCAM!