On July 31, 2009 I heard on the news that Congress had passed another round of the Cash for Clunkers Program and figured why not try and get in on it, ecspecially since I'm on disability and I don't have the money to do a down payment. That's when I looked online and saw that Family Hyundai in Tinley Park was participating in the CC program. Just to be safe, I called there and spoke to Lou, a salesman and told him my situation. I let him know I was on disability, no cash at all and had 2 vehicles to get rid of. He said he'd run a credit report on me and call me back. About 1/2 hr later I got his phone call, my credit was good and he said they would take BOTH OF MY VEHICLES on the Cash For Clunkers Deal and I'd get a good $9,000 down payment for them. He said to get there early the next day, August 1, 2009 and ask for him.
I got there at around noon on August 1, 2009 and asked for Lou. The showroom was like going to Walmart on the busiest shopping day for Christmas! I waited a good 1 1/2 hours and finally got the ball going. He got all the titles, registrations, insurance records along with anything else that was needed, including my income and I picked out my new car, the 2009 Elantra. It took forever to get all the paperwork done, even though I never saw absolutely any of it being processed in my presence. From what I was told, because of the Government and all the paperwork, that is why we were waiting. Also the loan, which I questioned because the night before I was told it was all a go! But that it got lost??!! Lou, came back and asked for $1000 to get loan processed faster and all I could come up with was $500, which I thought was confusing since I had 2 clunkers that were already taken to the back lot! And I was told they would be destroyed that night!
That's a pretty hefty down-payment, and then you needed cash on top of it? By about 7:30 pm we were done with Lou, loan all final, with a payment of $387 a month due on September 14, 2009. I asked why my payment was so high and he said it was because I was disabled and hard to finance. From 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm we just waited, and waited. That is when I got the paperwork done and an appointment made to Teflon the Elantra. Then more waiting, and by 10:15 pm I finally saw the finance guy, John Burke, who showed me the vouchers for cash for clunkers, I signed all the paperwork and was told I was done. All I got was 2 pieces of paper, The CUSTOMER PURCHASE ASSISTANCE INCENTIVE CLAIM FORM & the STATE OF IL SALES TAX TRANSACTION RETURN FORM, and with all the waiting, me in pain and exhausted I simply asked where all the paperwork was that I NEEDED?? John told me due to CASH FOR CLUNKERS getting him backed up, (fax froze up & phones busy) I would get everything within the week and said to call him if I I needed anything. My first car payment was due, Sept 15, 2009.
I started calling John after 1 week and to date I have never received any papers, nothing I've signed and none of my calls were acknowledged until mid September. August 10 is my son's birthday, well I got a Happy Birthday call finally from Lou on mid-SEPTEMBER, not August 10. Of course I thanked him and said it was my son's birthday in August not mine and that I was glad to hear from someone since I was missing all my paperwork and needed to know where to make my car payment. He sounded shocked to find out that I never got anything or even a phone call! Since that phone call, I started getting bombarded with Denial Letters for financing and even got a call that another $2000 was needed to get me a loan and that my Van and Renault were not part of the CASH FOR CLUNKERS either. I told him again that I had no money for down payments and my 2 cars and the $500 should be enough. That's supposed to a good $9500 down payment! My next call I was told to bring the 2009 Elantra back and pick up my van and Renault!
After that I got one more phone call, telling me that the Manager, personally got me financed, I was not in the CASH FOR CLUNKERS program, my payments went down by $100 a month and all I get is the $2000 Rebate anyone gets when they take the Rebate over the cheaper gas deal. Nothing for my 2 vehicles I traded in! ZERO and I can't take them home either. I even asked how much was financed and was told, "I don't know"!! I was also told they were doing me a favor and taking a loss! And they expected me to come in on Thursday, September 17, 2009 and sign all new papers! I was highly insulted, as they thought I was stupid and ignorant. No, I am angry and hurt that they took advantage of the situation I'm in on a daily basis. I was being told was yet another con, perpetrated in order to get me on their property in order to try and steal MY new Elantra. Just because I'm sick it does not mean I am stupid.
I contacted the government's Cash for Clunkers hotline and filed a claim against them. They told Family Hyundai would be fined when found guilty. And they told me they had to honor the Cash for Clunkers agreement because that's the deal I signed for. Well, guess what?? They never faxed in the deal to the government. Even so, I was told not to return the 2009 Hyundai Elantra and to try and get a lawyer. RIGHT! No one would touch it because it's not a Lemon Law problem. I also filed a complaint with Lisa Madigan's office. They tried to help and also told me not to return the vehicle.
In finally came down to the fact that since Family Hyundai did not honor our deal, CASH FOR CLUNKERS, and SWITCHED IT TO A REGULAR LOAN, I was not protected AND I never got the paperwork I signed.
Well on Saturday 10/10/2009 at 8:30 am - XXXXX Smith (REPO GUY)708-XXX-XXXX, came over. Told him the WHOLE story about Cash 4 Clunkers, Loan Scam and all the lies and that Attorney Gen office and CARS.GOV told me NOT TO RETURN THE CAR, TALK TO ATTORNEY. He called Hyundai, Josh Briker, the managers son, and told him he didn't want to bring me in with the car because of the lies and about the Clunker program and that he would get me there IF I would leave with the Hyundai financed & with the correct deal. Josh said he would give me the deal and he needed for me to come and talk to him and do a new loan. I aked if he got the letter I wrote asking for all paperwork and the dealerships name and number as listed with Cars.gov and my invoice numbers on my clunkers. He said I would get all the paperwork that I signed but that I was only a trade in NOT in the clunker program! & asked if my son would co-sign, I said yes, then he said part time work was not enough, NO DEAL, I would get my cars back.
Told him I just filled the gas tank on the Hyundai and wanted my $500 back and gas in my tank to get home. Told me he had no gas there and to bring in the canceled check Monday 10/12/2009, no one was there to refund my money. Asked to transfer the Hyundai plates to one of my cars, said they don't do that, only on new cars!! NO GAS, PLATES OR REFUND!!!! When I got my vehicles back, you could see they were on the lot to be sold and my floor mats were missing too. I can't believe they sent me out of there with no plates or registration, not even legal!
Honestly? This is not only Bait and Switch, but also discrimination against the disabled and that I was a single female. If I were a healthy man they never would have tried to pull off this despicable scam!
Due to the Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office, Josh offered to fix my van up. Well, by December nothing was fixed on it got it back. They haven't done ONE thing to make this right. As far as I'm concerned they should have given me the Elantra for all the lies and deceipt that has gone on. Instead they cause me more problems. I was told to take them to Small Claims Court, but I am too stressed out from it all and ended up getting sick over it all.
I pray that other consumers looking to buy a Hyundai read all of this and NOT GO TO FAMILY HYUNDAI in Tinely Park, IL. Find another Hyundai dealer, I wish I had.....
To date I still have NONE of the paperwork that was done on August 1, 2009, even though I have written to them and gone there a FEW TIMES. Either the person there to get them is gone for the day or I can pick them up later. Later never comes.
Family Hyundai needs to pay for what they have done to me. Because of all the lies, I missed out on the entire Cash for Clunkers deal and now my CLUNKERS are falling apart and to trade them in is worthless. So in a short time I will not have a vehicle.