Complaint Review: Gage Auto Sales

Perhaps the most confusing event of my life occured at Gage Auto when, unbeknownst to me, I decided to buy a car from some of the most brazen group of sheisters in the field. What you will read here may astound you but you can rest assured that what I put down as my testimony is true and was witnessed by a close relation and recorded by an audio device, legal in The State of Oregon.

I first filled out an online credit form found on their webpage. A salesman, named Brandon, called me the very next day. During our initial conversation I honestly informed Brandon that I was ending a 21 year relationship, was in the process of moving and that my commute to work would no longer be a half hour walk but a 45 minute commute by car.

I disclosed to him right from the start that I had poor credit, little money down and that I did not want to waste my time or his. 'If you can't help me, fine. But tell me now,' I said. 'If I can't get a car I must find another job closer to where I am moving, and i have four days to do that.'

"No...you can get a car through us no problem. Catherine, you've already been approved, okay?"

I went out to their lot and was met by a man called Miles who said Brandon wasn't in that day, and the he would be the saleman for me. We looked around and I didn't really see anything that struck my interest. I told Miles that I didn't want a car with 85,000 miles on it nor did I want to purchase anything I could not afford. He then pushed me to a 2006 Susuki Vitara that had 5500 miles on it. I told him I could not afford that car. He had me wait while he supposedly had a private conversation with the owner. He came back smiling, "Guess what? You can have that car if you want it. Oh, it also has a warranty." I did not want that car yet he kept goading me to test drive it, so I did...and I loved it.

During the test drive he sat in the back seat, talking on and on about himself and his views on life, and even went so far as to hit on me, asking if I wanted to go to a Ball Game with him. I declined. Frankly, it was clear to me and my companion that he was jacked up on some sort of speed. When we got back to the sales room he and the owner had yet another private meeting and came back out together to inform me of The Deal: $1000.00 down in three weeks and the car could be mine. Of course I asked how that was possible with my poor credit history and was told that they have many ways of getting loans for all kinds of people regardless of their credit history. I couldn't believe it as it seemed too good to be true...and in fact, it was.

I was given some papers to fill out. As I sat at the table filling them out, Miles suddenly reached across the table, took the papers from me and said, "Let me fill them out. I can do it faster." Well he certainly filled them out faster but he filled them out wrong, falsifying household financial responsibilities I had to read a much smaller number. I questioned this and he said, "Nevermind. It's not a big deal," as if I was being difficult, then got up and went to another room to fill out more papers. In the meantime I was sent to a desk where I could call and get insurance for the Vitara. I was told to use their Insurance Guy but I said I would rather use Geico. While I was on the phone, Miles came out, got on another phone, and began a loud bidding campaign against Geico with Farmers Insurance right in front of other customers waiting to buy cars. From one end of the room he yelled out quotes he was getting that were much less then Geico offered. "This guy is our buddy and he can beat anyone's rates." He was yelling so loud, disrupting my call that I went with the Farmers agent, a man who promised to bring the insurance papers by my office the next day. Of course, he never showed up. But more on that at the end of this report.

When it came time to sign the papers I was told that the car had no warranty. The financeer was angry that the salesman, Miles, had told me otherwise and went out to look for him. Then the Financeer had a problem with my downpayment being set ahead for three weeks and went in search of the owner who had agreed to extend the time. It was as if none of them were on the same page. I became suspicious of how they chose to do business, noting that it was obvious that different people get different deals depending on who they deal with. There appeared to be no set policy for them to follow.

After four hours out in the intense sun of the lot I was tired, hungry and thirsty and just wanted to get out. So I signed for the car thinking the deal was set.

As I was leaving the lot I heard shouting and turned to see the salesman, Miles, being yelled at by another salesman as they drove together off the lot. "I am sick of your s**t!", the other salesman yelled. "You CANNOT DO THAT!" I don't know if this was because he hit on me or falsified my documents, was shouting quotes in front of other customers or all of the above. I only know that his coworker was angry.

I left the lot in the 2006 Grand Vitara and found that it was almost out of gas. Great. Thanks guys.

Two and half weeks passed and I was getting ready to pay my downpayment of $1000.00 when I received a phone call at work from Gage Auto telling me I have to bring the car back because they could not finance me on it. I was blown away! As they knew, without a car to get to work in I was in danger of losing my job. The Financeer told me that he was sorry but he couldn't get ahold of me because Miles had failed to put my forwarding address on my application. I told him that I put the new address on there myself and was told that Miles had filled out another one out of my sight. I was to bring the car back as soon as possible and work out another deal. When I questioned the business ethics of Gage Auto I was threatened with "If you get an attorney I will see to it that you do not get a car. And by the way, no one will sell you a car at this point because you have been turned down here." I did not want to lose my job so I opted to try Gage Auto one more time.

After days of crying, wondering how I was going to keep my job if I didn't get a car, I went out a few days later and selected another car...but this time I had my companion "wired", meaning he was recording the entire transaction from start to finish. I was met on the lot by Brandon, the salesman I had my first contact with via phone, and he took me around the lot spilling his guts about how he felt about the business and about Miles in general. Miles, the saleman who had "sold me" the Grand Vitara, had been fired due to the fact that, after he had partied with the owner and his coworkers, he had threatened them with physical violence. After the party, he had been arrested after eluding the police with a pound of marijuna in his car. Nice!

Anyway, I was told that I had already been preapproved for $10,000, then an hour later that amount climbed to $12,000 and then $14,000. Of course, days later I find out that I was never approved, and began another long and agonizingly painful wait wondering if I was going to be able to keep this second car and my job. I was finally approved...but just barely.

The car I selected had high miles and no warranty; however I was told I could purchase one and I did. Hopefully they will keep their word on the warranty as I have our agreement and quite a few other promises on audio. Good thing I did this as, one week later, the Farmers Insurance policy they helped me set up proved to be invalid as the agent they set me up with was not licensed in the State of Washington. This is why the salesman falsified my address. Gage Auto and a certain Farmers Insurance agent are in cahoots. The insurance policy I paid for was in a slightly different name than mine and registered under a different address. In fact, having never had an accident or a ticket, ten day after I bought the second car I was declined insurance because my policy was being held by SOMONE ELSE who had a claim against Farmer's! I actually had to switch agents in order to clear this up. The nightmare on this is still ongoing and may require the services of an attorney.

My advice to anyone dealing with Gage Auto is to go in wired with an audio recording device. You will need it when you find that everything they promise is a lie they won't back up. Also do not use their insurance buddies.

Better yet: Avoid Gage Auto altogether.

All The Wiser
Portland, Oregon
U.S.A.