Rowe Special Credit PREDATORY Auburn Maine
If you have any other options AT ALL, do not buy a car from Rowe Special Credit. I mean ANY OTHER OPTIONS. At all. Public transportation, walking, riding a mule...anything is better than buying a car from these people.
I bought one from them and I will regret it every day from the next 3 years. First of all, they sell total CRAP vehicles. I mean, the bottom of the barrell, whatever was just barely above selling on the wholesale lot. Then they charge you three times or more what the vehicle is worth. The car I bought has a retail value of about $5,500. The lsit price that they charged me is $9,995 even though the car was FILTHY and not in what would be considered KBB "good" condition. Then on top of the ridiculous sticker price, by the time I am done paying for the car, I will have p[aid close to $13,000. For a $6000 (MAX) car.
It is worth noting that one of the other cars that they were charging the same price for booked at less than $3,000 in good condition, which none of their cars are in good condition.
Then they don't even CLEAN the cars before they sell them, which shows you what they think of you as a customer. I had to call a regional manager to get the car detailed because it was so filthy. Angela at the Auburn store pretended to be outraged when I showed her how dirty it was, and then later told me they would only pay for a touch up. Touch up? Touch what up? It was never cleaned in the first place. (I will admit the manager got it set up right away for a full recon).
Finally, they make it all but impossible to make your payment. The ONLY method of payments they accept are cash or money order, and it has to be paid in person either weekly or bi-weekly depending on how you get paid. What? Are we in the 18th century? Let me call with a debit card to make my payment. Noooooo, they would have to pay a fee to accept debit card payments. Really? The extra $8,000 you are making on me buying this car won't allow for a few debit card processing fees? Get real.
These people are a joke, this business is a total rackett. Stay far, far away from them.
The ONE good thing I can say is that they insist on your mechanic checking out your vehicle before you buy. Which we did, and our mechanic found a couple things, which Rowe then sent my car to Affordable Auto on Sabattus Street in Lewiston to be repaired, and then I had to take it BACK to my mechanic because something wasn't right, and it turns out the cut rate mechanics they sent it to din't even tighten the bolts on the part they repaired, and didn't give the car an allignment so it burnt right through one of my front tires. Rowe immediately set it up to have two new front tires and an allignment from Tire Warehouse, but instructed them to put the cheapest tires they had on it, so the brand new goodyear tires it had on it, were replaced with cheap no name brands.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Jamie
Auburn,Maine,
I understand
#4Author of original report
Fri, June 27, 2014
Thank you Jeremy, I appreciate your response and that is an IMMENSE help being abloe to just call in with my payment.
I do understand and accept that being a credit risk, I pay a premium price in a situation like this, I just feel that for the price we pay the vehicles could be in much better shape.
My advice to you as a customer is that a little bit of customer service goes a long way, and that's what will get you repeat customers. Treat them good. Let them drive off the lot in a car that is clean and in good shape (not parts falling off like my gas cap cover) and make your payment options more customer friendly and then people wont feel as burned because your price points and interest rates are pretty crazy. Again though, most customers in a poor credit situation understand they will pay a premium, but want to at least get a vehicle that outlives the payments, and want to leave the dealership feeling like a valued customer, not just another sucker.
I do have a couple issues I would like to discuss, but I'd preder to deal with you directly so I will be in touch. Thank you again for your response and flexibility.
Jeremy
Westbrook,Maine,
Rowe Special Credit
#4UPDATE Employee ..inside information
Thu, June 26, 2014
Rowe Special Credit has been in business for 20 years and 3 months. We take pride in the fact that we have helped thousands of customers with safe and reliable transportation during that time. We do give every customer the option to bring the vehicle to their mechanic before they purchase the vehicle, to have it checked out by someone they trust. We are a Buy Here/Pay Here Dealership, therefore our price reflects risk that we take for doing business. If you would like to make payments via credit or debit then that will be fine. I have already talked to Angela to authorize this. I am positive that if you call our office at 207-777-1414, then we can find a solution to your issues that you have.
Jeremy
Rowe Special Credit
Jamie
Auburn,Maine,
This is what has happned
#4Author of original report
Thu, June 26, 2014
Jim & Jeremy in the Westbrook location have been very helpful, and definitely worked to get some of this car's issues fixed, the starter went and they replaced that, as well as a switch that was causing the doors to lock and unlock and to constantly be arming the car alarm. I apprecaite that they did that, as it was a an expense I couldn't afford, but I still feel like we are having issue after issue with this vehicle and I think it's going to continue to give me trouble. Now the check engine light is on, the AC stopped working as well as the accessory power chargers (the lighter slots that you can plug a cell phone or GPS into) have stopeed working as well. In addition to front end noises that have been an issue since the very beginning.
At the end of the day, although they tried to make some things right, if they didn't sell total junk vehicles this wouldn't be an issue. So my review stands the same, you won't get anything fixed unless you talk to the right people, and the quality of the car is unacceptable for the price they are charging. Rowe needs to stop being so greedy and think about repeat business not just the initial sale and how much they can screw you out of the first time around. Definitely shop carefully...at another dealer. Rowe sells junk for 2 to 3 times what the vehicle is worth in good condition...and their vehicles are NOT in good condition.