Red, White And Blue Auto they robbed myself and my family completely, they misrepresented their vehicle to us, they lied to us and denied responsibility Anchorage Alaska
My husband and I have six children and make only enough money to just support them each month. We don't even have any savings to lean on during rough times. Basically all times are rough times for us. Every year we receive "Permenant Fund Dividends". Each resident(including children) of Alaska, if they've lived here long enough, receive the Perm. Fund. Dividend. for poor families, (my family falls into that catagory) the Perm. Fund is a GodSend.
It allows them to purchase school clothing, winter clothing, school supplies, food. etc. every year when it would not be possible any other way.l Many of these families buy a much needed car during this time. Sadly, many used car businesses here in Alaska take extreme advantage of these people and the fact that they have a large chunk of money to "throw around".
They don't seem to care at all that this money is the ONLY money that these people have or WILL have for another year to come. Red, White and Blue auto took complete advantage of me and my family. they honed right in on myself and my husband the minute we arrived at their business and took complete advantage of us. We put a 3,500 dollar down payment down on an Explorer Sport and were to pay 290 dollars a month after that until paid off. within a week the vehicle began to thoroughly fall apart.
The interior door panels fell off, the doors fell below the hinges meaning that we had to "lift and slam" each door to close them, the blower motor went out in 17 degrees BELOW zero, the gasket seals went t**s up, the 4 wheel drive was operable ONE TIME, and then went completely OUT, the brakes went out, the starter went out, the outside door handles snapped off on an extremely cold day so the windows had to be partially rolled down in order to open either of the doors from the inside, the rear window seal came out, the roof had a large leak that we only learned about in the lazer wash, the windshield did not actually fit so water literally poured in when it rained, the fuel injection went up the creek and finally the transmission went out. we had the vehicle in the shop 7 times in the ONE year that we had the vehicle.
I spent almost 3,000 dollars ON TOP of what I put DOWN on it, not including the payments I was trying to make each month. I got an honest quote from two different mechanics of at LEAST 2,500 dollars to fix the transmission and make it operable again. When the tranny went out I still owed 800 dollars on the NIGHTMARE LEMON. I called Red, White and blue auto and explained the situation.
I wanted them to drop the final 800 dollars owed due to the misrepresentation of the vehicle. I explained the problems we had over the year and the cost. They completely denied responsibility, saying that "It had to be your driving because we sold you a d**n good vehicle" I have been driving for 24 years.
I have never once had a moving violation. I have never once been in an accident while I was driving. I actually drove for a living for several years. MY DRIVING? Red, White and Blue Auto said that I had purposefully damaged the vehicle in order to try and get out of paying for it. I told them how much I spent and I was LITERALLY laughed at. I was told this "anyone who would spend that much money to keep a vehicle running is an IDIOT." I was in tears.
They told me they would be suing me for the remaining 800 dollars including TOWING fees. (I parked it and told them to come and get it, I no longer wanted it) I had no money to counter sue them. I had no option other than paying for the vehicle to get fixed when it had broken down over the year. We had spent so much money on it already that we had to fix it. They ended up suing us for the 800 bucks as well. the vehicle cost us over 10 thousand dollars. The sad thing is that I had trusted them to be honest with me and believed in them. They took food out of the mouths of my kids as well as clothing off of their backs. They took complete advantage of me and my family.
They burned us so totally that I will NEVER ever trust a car dealership again. Their business is set up so that people like me and my family will use them. They don't require credit checks and give you a "chance" when your credit isn't so hot. One of their advertisements actually touted that they worked with families on AFDC (welfare). Of course they do! They deal with people who cant fight back. who don't have the money to fight back and wh have been scraping for so long that they are just used to getting screwed.
RED WHITE AND BLUE AUTO burned my family. I have since talked to several other families who have been burned badly by them too. It is so sad that businesses like theirs are even allowed to operate. It angers me to know that none of the people that work there will even bat an eyelash while they are dishing up dinner for their families. They wont even give a mother on welfare a second glance while she is walking down the road with her 4 kids to the bus stop...with a RED WHITE AND BLUE AUTO vehicle broken down in her driveway. They honestly dont care who they hurt. I have never in my entire life been taken advantage of by any business like I was this business. I PRAY that those of you who read this WONT EITHER.
Kim
anchorage, Alaska
U.S.A.
7 Updates & Rebuttals
Will
Anchorage,Alaska,
U.S.A.
Stay clear of fly-by-night car dealers
#8Consumer Comment
Thu, April 14, 2005
Anchorage is full of sleazy little used car lots.
Best to stay clear of them.
Kim
Anchorage,Alaska,
U.S.A.
Comments the Perm. Fund is a GodSend
#8Consumer Comment
Fri, March 18, 2005
To APRIL in WILLOW:
I think you may have mis read my report concerning Permenant Fund Dividends in Alaska. I never said that they were specifically meant for POOR PEOPLE. I said this:
" Every year we receive "Permenant Fund Dividends". Each resident(including children) of Alaska, if they've lived here long enough, receive the Perm. Fund. Dividend. for poor families, (my family falls into that catagory) the Perm. Fund is a GodSend."
I see where you may have misread it. I said that the Perm. Fund. Dividend, for poor families, is a Godsend. I forgot the comma.
Looking back after all of this time I see where I came off as a "helpless victim" which is exactly the last thing I wanted to portay. I do have every bit of paperwork proving that the vehicle I purchased from Red White and Blue fell completely apart. I do whole heartedly believe that Red White and Blue Auto takes advantage of people by misrepresenting their vehicles. I know that it was my responsibility to stand up with whatever options I had and fight it. I could have called Legal Services, a program for low income people and they may have been able to help. I could have at least tried small claims court and spent the money to file the papers. I did not do those things. Why?
Mainly because of fear. The fear of looking stupid. The fear of losing. I don't know exactly, but I know it WAS fear. No matter what, each party in a situation such as the one I found myself in, is responsible for their part. I signed that contract. I had doubts then. I kept my mouth shut and continued to make payments even after everything was starting to fall apart. I whined to everyone but the right people. In a nutshell, I let them rip me off.
I have learned a GREAT lesson. I still suggest that if anyone wants to buy a used car from Red White and Blue Auto, that they think long and hard before doing it. How much money are you willing to part with?
Alex
Atlanta,Georgia,
U.S.A.
Don't buy a used Ford
#8Consumer Suggestion
Sun, February 20, 2005
Look, I know I am about to open a big can of worms with this statement. Bottom line don't ever buy a used Ford. I have had plenty of stories through friends and families about the troubles they have had with Fords new and used and the amazing amount of money they spent to repair them.I personally have always driven Honda's and have never had any repairs at all in the time I have owned the vehicles with the exception of tires, brakes and oil.
I know there are alot of other companies out there who also have high quality products, Fords are not one of them. You obviously are online, do your homework next time.
Sorry to all the Ford Loyalist out there, my dad still drives Ford. He usually buys a F150 every three years and he has had decent luck but he also drives maybe 2000 miles a year, if that.
April
Willow,Alaska,
U.S.A.
Kim why didn't you contact the local authoritys
#8Consumer Comment
Fri, February 18, 2005
why didn't you contact the local authoritys? There is a 3 month lemon law in alaska. Why didnt you contact the DA? Second of all its just my opinion but you could of gotten something for less than 5 grand and it being a 1999 and over. They are advertised as this.
I have not experienced any problem with red white and blue. I bought a vehicle there that i practically stole from them according to nadaguides.com and it still drives/looks like a dream.
In all reality look at it this way 99 dodge caravan for sale great condition i see for around 3 grand . motor to replace around 3 grand. You can have it rebuilt too.
6 grand for a new vehicle? Makes more logic sense to me than paying over 10 grand for a USED vehicle. Expecially since you state you are poor. In all reality POOR people cannot afford car payments FYI. Alaska dont have poor people due to the high paying jobs and dividends etc.. Shoot even the bums get paid more than most of us. Its a statistic. Its also the way you spend your money.
To sue someone its only 30 bucks. Should of done it when ya had the chance to prove it. You dont need an attourney if you have proof of it being a lemon everyone knows this.
Expecially in the first week of problems. Just make sure you dont buy from cal worthington ford. I am only posting this for other alaskans to read. I hear about this all the time but i dont see them standing up to the culprits. You have to start out by a police report then a local machine shop then a 30 dollar lawsuit. Oh kim have you got that paperwork from when you took the car to the shop all this time? Credit report people may just reject there claim against you. If you show them proof. Just an idea. But your paperwork has to be shown you had MAJOR work done during the first 3 months. Second of all the permanent fund dividends are not for "poor familys" its for ALL alaskans rich or poor that lives here for a certain amont of time.
Kim
Anchorage,Alaska,
U.S.A.
Re; Jim in Orlando, Sadly I did not have a mechanic check out the vehicle before I purchased it from Red, White and Blue Auto
#8Author of original report
Tue, August 31, 2004
Thank you for your response Jim. Sadly I did not have a mechanic check out the vehicle before I purchased it from Red, White and Blue Auto, that I am responsible for. Would you have had me pay the remaining 800 dollars owed on a vehicle that was no longer running nor would be running until another $3000.00 was put into it? What do you think I should've done?
That does not change the fact that this company takes advantage of it's customers and sells vehicles that are total Lemons. Red, White and Blue Auto specifically take advantage of people who don't have many other options, ie, people with poor credit, low income, etc. Their advertising is geared for this purpose as I stated in my original report. They are fully aware that the people that they deal with quite often do not have the means with which to fight back and THAT is the point I am trying to make. That is the reason that this website was set up.
Yes, the final purchase WAS my responsibility. I guess I honestly never believed that a company could so blatantly burn the customers that put their money and trust into them. Because I wanted to believe in the basic honesty of others, I did a terribly stupid thing...I trusted somebody.
Jim
Orlando,Florida,
U.S.A.
Did You Have This Car Checked Out? you have the RESPONSIBILITY to make sure the car you are buying is right for your family
#8UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sat, August 28, 2004
I am sorry money is so tight for you and no, they shouldn't have taken advantage of you, if that's what they did.
Wouldn't you agree you have the RESPONSIBILITY to make sure the car you are buying is right for your family and is going to get the job done? Of course you would.
So I need to ask, who checked out this vehicle before you bought it? Did you have a mechanic you paid go over it? If so, we wouldn't be here now, would we.
Its an expensive lesson you learned...when buying a used car, get your mechanic to check it out for you.
Also, having this dealership take back the car did more harm to you than them. It is a voluntary reposession on your credit record.
Kim
anchorage,Alaska,
U.S.A.
STAY AWAY FROM RED WHITE AND BLUE AUTO. PICTURES SOON TO COME.
#8Author of original report
Fri, August 27, 2004
I forgot to add a couple of things that I feel are relevant to the report.
The first time I scrubbed the upholstery I was confused when all of this "strange" red paint kept coming off on my cloth. (the interior and upholstery was red) I was worried that the upholstery conditioner was damaging the surface. then it DAWNED on me! The upholstery conditioner was fine...the bastards had actually COVERED UP BURNS, SCUFF MARKS AND SCRATCHES with some kind of bull&%*@! paint!! I was shocked because by this time I had begun to realize that I had been burned by this so called business and I just couldn't believe that this was allowed to happen.
I also forgot to mention that the FOG LIGHTS which were one of the things I thought was really "neat looking" about the vehicle and one of the things that sold me, they FELL RIGHT OUT OF THEIR SOCKETS one day and were just hanging there by their wires, unbenownst to me...and the subsequent banging and smacking against the body of the vehicle while I was driving broke the plastic light covers and the bulbs inside.
The F-ing passenger seat flew right off of it's TRACK and the lever broke, causing the back of the seat to be PERPETUALLY leaning backward. There was no way to fix it other than replace the entire track underneath which was a full on project which would have cost quite a bit...we would have also had to replace the seat. Because of this we had to prop a 2x4 behind the seat between the back of the seat and the front of the back seat...this was a real b***h. we also had to TIE the seat to the track somehow so it wouldn't slide back and forth. I was EMBARASSED to let anyone ride with me in my SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLAR NEW CAR!! (remember, I only had this vehicle for 1 YEAR!)
AND last but not least we kept having problems with it's starting witihin a week of owning it too. WE WERE TOLD that the engine was powerwashed so intently that important parts were flooded (I think they said the distributer cap was flooded not allowing it to fire up) JERKS!!! TOTAL JERKS!!!
SO....I just learned that these TOTAL @#$%$@&s after they reposessed it (when they got almost 11,000 dollars out of us by this time) they ended up AUCTIONING IT OFF to this poor sap without the KEY so he couldn't start it and drive it to check it out. well, he would have found out that it didnt move due to the TRANSMISSION being gone, but it being KEYLESS allowed them to BULLSHIT this guy into believing somehow that it ran. SOMEHOW he found us and asked us for the key. I had given them the key when I parked it so they purposefully sold it without. I told him all about the vehicle and how they had burned him. I told him how much they got out of us and he said he got it pretty cheap and felt bad telling me how cheap he got it. (BY THIS TIME HE STILL THOUGHT ONCE HE STARTED IT THAT IT WOULD DRIVE) I felt sorry when I saw a sign up selling the vehicle for peanuts. He was asking 800 bucks. it's worth 100 bucks. HE wanted to get at least half of his money back. SO THE JERK OFFS SOLD HIM A NON MOVING VEHICLE FOR 1,600 DOLLARS!!!!!!! They had recently repoed the vehicle when I bought it. I believe they got at least 25,000 dollars out of that one vehicle by the time it was thrashed completely.
STAY AWAY FROM RED WHITE AND BLUE AUTO. PICTURES SOON TO COME.