Complaint Review: JD Byrider Knoxville

In December of 2008, I was in a major car accident that left my car totaled. After fighting with the insurance, I walked away with nothing in terms of being able to get a new car. Unfortunately, I have damaged credit and didn't feel like having to get a co-signer. I was attracted to JD Byrider since I had always heard extremely positive things about them when living in Atlanta.

After making an appointment, I arrived on a Saturday morning with $500.00 cash. I filled out all my paperwork and was told that of course there would be some mechanical problems with the car as it was used, but nothing drastic as all cars had been through a thorough inspection. I mentioned one or two of the cars on the lot that I would like to have and would like to see if I qualified for. I was told my sales agent would go and talk to the finance guy I had just spoken with to find out what I was qualified for.

After awhile, he came back and brought around a car from the back of the lot, a Ford Taurus. I test drove it and noticed the brakes where a little soft. I mentioned this to the agent and was told that he noticed it too as he came around the building. I then told him I wanted to look at another car. I once again mentioned the two cars out front since they were the ones I really wanted. Not some car that was hidden in the back.

While my agent (Bob) went to get another car I was qualified for, a man and his daughter came in. They mentioned that they had had too many problems with the car and just wanted to give it back. They were quickly ushered into another room so someone could come and speak to them.

In the meantime, Bob goes outside, then comes back in and gets a portable battery charger, and goes out again. Obviously, he was using it on the car he wanted to sell me. Obviously, I was not going to be buying that car. He showed me a 90 something Nissan Sentra. The car did not appear that clean and honestly looked like it had been used relatively roughly.

When I brought it back, I found out that of all the cars on the lot, those were the only two I qualified for. Then the pressure of the sale began. Eventually, I took the Taurus. I went to sign my paperwork and during the process, mentioned the brakes. I was told I would fill out a piece of paper that detailed anything I had noticed that needed to be fixed and they would call me the next day to set up an appointment and get everything taken care of. I also asked about returning the car, etc. I was given a bit of a song and dance and no real answer. Assuming I was dealing with people who wanted to remain competitive, I figured I had about 14 days to return the car and get a refund. After paying my $500.00 down, I also found out that apparently, they were going to fund the car for a grand total of $10,000, only $5,000 less than the Suzuki I bought brand new in 2007 (the car that got wrecked.)

After taking the car home, I noticed it was getting harder and harder to start and the brakes were getting softer and softer, even though the fluid reservoir was full. I did not receive the promised call and had to call the service department myself. I mentioned my main problems, also some noise coming from the engine and from one of the tires. I then had an appointment made for me for a week away. On the day of the appointment, I had to work late and ended up having to cancel because I was just too tired to drive to Knoxville.

I called back and mentioned that the problems were getting worse. Also, I would be free all weekend and in the morning all the next week. I was given a date TWO WEEKS away. About two days later, the car just died. It would not start or anything. They paid for a towing company to come and tow the car.

The next day, I went to JD Byrider and told them I just wanted to turn in the car and get my money back. After Bob condescendingly told me that mechanical problems were to be expected, In fact, he mentioned that he himself had a new car and had had several electrical problems with it. I tried to explain that I either needed to get another car which was actually functional, or just get my money back. I also mentioned that usually when a car has been through a thorough inspection, the brakes are not soft nor does the electrical system fail without warning. Also, I mentioned that the repair people hadn't really seemed to care about getting me in quickly until it was a major mess up. Not to mention, they were asking me to trust the same people who had missed soft brakes on an inspection to actually fix this car. I was told that they assigned people coming in based on priority. It depended on how serious the situation was. So in effect, I was told that brakes which were soft meaning that they could fail rather quickly causing me to wreck, are low priority. Considering I had just had to have major back surgery due to fracturing a T-12 vertebra (a fact I actually mentioned when buying the car) as a result of my car wreck in December, not exactly something I wanted to put off.

I was eventually led into a small room where a woman talked to me. I was advised I would be getting none of my money back. She also proceeded to tell me she had a brand new car and had to have in the shop two or three times a month for electrical problems. The main thing they seemed to be trying to say is that they are all idiots for keeping their cars and that ALL cars have electrical system problems which cause them to cut out. I informed her that I had lost faith in the mechanics, as well as the car. I just wanted to return the car and get my money back. I wasn't even asking for the full $700 I had paid so far, just the $500.00 I paid down.

I was told me again I was going to get nothing back. She also told me I had had the car for about a month, not true, I had it for about 14-15 days. She also wrote as the reason for my car return being because I had found another car. Also not true, I was driving my mother's car. She continued what seemed to be the trend there of berating and condescending to me when she spoke. Asking me about my credit report, finances, etc. She then told me that because I have a bankruptcy, which will go off of my credit in about a year, I would have to buy from a buy here/pay here place and then they wouldn't cover any repairs, etc. I counted with the fact that at least there I would know what I was getting in to and they wouldn't be charging me 10,000 for a car that doesn't work.

After being blown off, and returning the car (funnily enough, during this whole process, I was informed the car was ready if I still wanted it. They acted like it was a big deal the mechanics had been able to get it fixed in the time I was there. Since I had to spend over an hour there, I wasn't that impressed.) I came home and emailed the corporate office. I mentioned that I had tried on several occasions before returning the car to get in touch with the GM of the lot and what my experience had been. I received a call the next day from one of the finance people telling me I was not getting my money back due to a "per diem." I carefully read over the contract and found nothing about a "per diem" in the contract. Not to mention what I paid for that car for two weeks of driving, I could have rented a luxury car from a rental place and still come off cheaper.

So in conclusion, I would shy away from JD Byrider in Knoxville. I don't know about the others locations, but this one does seem to be a giant scam that preys on those with less than perfect credit.

Robert
Oak Ridge, Tennessee
U.S.A.

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