Complaint Review: Executive Dodge Jeep

I am writing to warn everyone about the dishonest and unethical sales staff at Executive Dodge Jeep in Wallingford, Connecticut.

I live in Indiana and after looking very seriously for a Hummer H3 for over six months, I found one on Executive Dodge Jeep's website that seemed to be just what I wanted.  I called to ask about it and the salesman told me it was "pristine."  He offered to send me photos from his cell phone.  (The dealership had only posted a stock photo on the internet.)  He sent me several pictures, all low resolution and taken from a distance.  However, on the phone he assured me over and over again that the vehicle was "pristine" and he added that he couldn't find a flaw on it anywhere.  

 This H3 only had 27,135 miles on it, but it was nevertheless a 2007 so I would have expected at least a few minor imperfections.  Therefore, I asked the salesman point blank if it had any paint chips from rocks and he said no.  I asked him to look along the edges of the doors because that is a common place for dings, and he said there were no dings.  I asked about scratches, and he said there were none anywhere.  He said that the paint job was perfect, that the vehicle was immaculate and he repeatedly
used the word "pristine."  He also told me that the vehicle had never been in an accident.

The vehicle was priced at about $3000 under the kbb.com value for a 2007 H3 with low mileage in "excellent" condition.  I asked why it was priced so low and he told me it had been on their lot for a couple of months at a higher price and it hadn't sold, so the General Manager decided to lower the price and post it online to move it.  He also said there were several people who were considering buying it because it was such a "steal" so if I wanted it, I'd better put a $1000 deposit on it right away.

Well.... I believed him. 
Am I stupid?  Naive?  Maybe. 
I'm one of those people who is honest to the bone, and I always trust people and think that they're honest too.  I should know better by now.  I got a loan, bought the vehicle, and had it shipped to Indiana.  I paid nearly double for shipping to have it transported in an enclosed carrier rather than an open carrier, because after all it was pristine and I didnt want it to get damaged in transit.  WHAT A MISTAKE!!!  

Upon receipt of the vehicle this past Sunday, I noticed immediately that there are tons of paint chips and scratches all over it.  Many of the scratches are very long and DEEP -- down to the primer and bare metal.  I also noticed right away that the vehicle appears to have been wrecked.  The red paint on the grill does not match the red on the rest of the vehicle and the hood doesn't align with the grill but rather sits at least 1/4" below it. 

I felt sick to my stomach.  I knew in an instant that I had been PURPOSELY lied to and ripped off.  

The driver of the transport truck knew I would be upset.  He commented that the vehicle had a lot of problems and said that it looked like a contractor had owned it because it was so banged up.  He gave me a copy of the Bill of Lading and pointed out that he had marked seventeen major defects above and beyond minor nicks, dents, and scratches found on any used vehicle.  He showed me where he had put an s after several of the defect abbreviations to indicate that there were multiple paint chips and scratches in those locations, and he told me he had to track the General Manager of the dealership down in order to get him to sign the document, but he did in fact sign it.

I called the salesman and asked him why he told me the vehicle was "pristine" and he said "It IS pristine!"  I told him there were more paint chips, dings, and scratches than I could begin to count and that the vehicle appeared to have been wrecked, but he stuck to his story and repeated the word "pristine" several more times.  I told him I wanted to have the vehicle shipped back at the dealer's expense and I expected a full refund.  It was Sunday so he said he would talk to his General Manager the following day and they would try to resolve the problem.

The next day I called the General Manager myself and asked for his help.  However, he echoed his salesmans sentiment with regard to the vehicle, proclaiming It IS pristine! and adding that hed had the vehicle on his showroom floor and everyone who saw it oohed and aaahed over it.  I told him I did not want to debate the definition of the word "pristine" because it was a matter of opinion, but the fact remained that the salesperson told me the vehicle had absolutely NO paint chips, NO scratches, NO dings, and NO flaws of any kind.

After a lengthy discussion, the General Manager offered to have the vehicle "detailed" for me saying that the scratches would "buff out."  I told him that I'm no body shop expert but I'm smart enough to know that scratches that are down to the primer or bare metal don't just "buff out" and paint chips don't either.  He said that I had purchased a used vehicle, that he wasn't going to take it back unless it had structural damage, and that I had gotten a "bargain"on it implying that I had nothing to complain about.  I replied that it was no bargain in light of the fact that the body is in such poor condition and furthermore, the fact that the vehicle is used is not a valid excuse for deliberately concealing the truth about it.

I asked him if he would look at photos of the vehicle if I sent him some and he said he would.  I sent him 43 close-up photographs showing the scratches, paint chips, and misaligned hood.  The photos speak for themselves.  He has acknowledged the receipt of the photos but so far, he has not commented on them.

I agreed to get estimates for detailing (although I did not agree that detailing would resolve the problem).  Thus far, I have talked to people at one detail shop and two body shops.  All of them have had the same opinion that buffing will only remove surface scratches and that the vehicle needs extensive body work to remove the deep scratches and paint chips which are on every panel of the vehicle.  Exactly! They also agreed that the front grill was probably not original because the paint on it doesnt match the rest of the vehicle, and they noted that the hood is very misaligned both indicators that the vehicle has probably been in an accident.  They explained to me that repairs which are not turned into insurance and not completed at a dealership do not always get reported to CarFax.  To make matters worse, both body shops noticed that there are two melon-sized dents on the roof of the vehicle possibly from a garage door opener closing on it or from hauling 2x4 boards or other similar construction materials.

Executive Auto Groups motto according to their website - is Treat Every Customer Like Our Best Friend and they refer to their honest and courteous staff".  When Executive Dodge Jeep knows that a vehicle has numerous deep scratches and paint chips and deliberately lies about it to make a sale, it not only discredits their parent company and tarnishes their reputation, it leaves their customer feeling ripped off and victimized.  I may have been incredibly foolish to believe what the Sales staff at Executive Dodge Jeep told me on the phone, but that doesnt excuse their dishonesty.

I am still trying to resolve this problem with the dealership.  I believe that they should restore the vehicle to the condition they represented to me as the buyer or honor my right to cancel the deal and recover my losses.  However, because I dont feel like much progress is being made toward a resolution, I have decided to share my story online.  If I can save even ONE person from making the same mistake I made in trusting this dealer, then the effort to post my experience on the internet will be well worth it. 

Linda from Indiana
765-319-8691