Complaint Review: Franklin Pontiac Buick GMC

I recently went to this dealership and saw a vehicle I had wanted to purchase there. I was immediately greeted by a salesman on the lot and I was told by the salesman the vehicle passed a full safety inspection and checked out fine, and he let me do a quick test drive. I was getting a fairly good deal on the vehicle which I was happy about and did not do a very good job of looking over the vehicle as I mistakenly gave faith to what the salesman told me about the vehicle passing the inspections. I signed the contract papers, which also included a manditory arbitration agreement, which I regret now very much.

Looking back I should have realized if the dealership was forcing its customers to sign this agreement to throw away our rights to pursue them in court if something were to happen, I should have ripped the contract up right there.

I drove the vehicle home and parked it. The next day I try to back out of my driveway and the vehicle will not go in reverse. I also found the rear tires to be completely bald as well as a long list of other major components on the vehicle that did not function. I brought this to the dealerships attention and was basically told tough luck you bought it as is. The rear tires I hadnt noticed were bald because of the wet tire spray they put on so I hadnt looked at them good enough, and the transmission I never got to test in reverse because the salesman asked me to get out of the car so he could park it himself.

I asked them for a copy of the safety inspection they said they ran and was ignored, or told I would receive a call back which would never come. I later got them to admit there was never a safety inspection on the vehicle and they never even looked at it prior to placing it on their lot for sale. All they did was spray the tires with the wet tire gloss.

I asked them for my money back or to repair the vehicle and they refused. They only offered to sell me another vehicle they had on the lot which would cost over TWICE as much. That was the only offer made to me.

The dealer committed fraud by selling me this vehicle. The dealer also never made a buyers guide window sticker for the vehicle and they claim its because they were going to auction it later on so they didnt need to. I know this is a $11,000 FTC violation and is required on all used vehicles placed on the lot for sale regardless of them stating they were going to auction it. It was on the lot displayed for sale, therefore it was a requirement to have the buyers guide.

The dealer listed my vehicle wrong on the sales contract as selling me, strangely enough a van instead of the 2 door sedan car I bought.

The dealer also sold me a theft deterrent warranty for $300 stating they will compensate me in the event the alarm installed on my vehicle failed to prevent the vehicle being stolen. I dont know if this is referring to the factory anti theft device on my vehicle, which is broken and does not work or another alarm they supposedly installed. Either way there is not an alarm on my vehicle and Im sure they cant sell me a warranty on something I dont have.

Prices are also all in the wrong places and are wrong in a bunch of areas on the contract. The dealer doesnt care and just told me tough luck.

A few weeks ago I went into the dealer to complain and asked something be done to help me, and the general manager Marty Luplow agreed to take my car in and look at the transmission to see what they could do for me. He wouldnt give me alternate transportation so I had to call my girlfriend to ride all the way out and pick me up.

A week went by being stuck without a vehicle and no word from the dealer so I called the salesman, general manager and service dept and they either ignored my calls or said they would call me back and never would. I finally was able to get a ride down to the dealer and confronted the general manager who looked surprised to see me. I asked about them looking at the transmission and they said they never looked at it and refused to say why they didnt.

The owner of the dealership, Peggy Cockerham came over and bluntly told me I will either buy a new car from them, or I can take my car and get out or else they are calling the police. I have never been so insulted by this before and did nothing wrong to deserve this treatment. The general manager disappeared in back for a few minutes and then pulled my car around to the front giving me a dirty look after I told them I will take my vehicle and go then.

The next day while driving to work my tire blew out on me after going over a bump, which I knew was going to happen sometime, but it was very fishy for this to happen right after getting it back from the dealer. When I tried to put the spare on, I found that the vehicle had locking lug nuts. There was no key to be found anywhere so I could take the tire off and my vehicle and I were left stranded. I called the dealer back and they said again, you bought the vehicle as is, tough luck, and refused to order a replacement key for me even if I paid. What really gets me is the salesman who I spoke with said to me


"We will tow your car back to the dealership for at our expense for you but only if you buy (said vehicle that cost twice as much)"


So now, I am stuck driving an unsafe vehicle with a spare still on the back. I cannot afford new tires and am still driving with the spare. I cannot afford a new transmission in the vehicle which will cost in the thousands. And I cannot afford the arbitration which will cost $1000 just to file a case, and then I have to pay the mediator $150 to $300 an hour. And since the arbitration company is a business working for the dealership, its not hard to wonder just who they will favor in the outcome.

private
private, Tennessee
U.S.A.