My husband found a car online autotrader.com and wanted to purchase it as a birthday gift for me. So he contacted the dealership Luxory Automax of Tinley, Illinois. The purchase price online stated $7489.00. My husband asked to make an all cash purchase of $6000. The salesman by the name of James Maxey said he could not go that low because they dont have the margin and will ultimately be losing money. So later I decided to call and ask what is the best they could do to make a possible deal, Maxey said they could do about a couple hundred. I said ok, what about financing options? He said that is definitely do-able. We then made arrangements to see the car that coming weekend. He told me that it is tax season and they already had a few people interested and stated we should come right away.
So, we went the very next day after work. We live over 100 miles away and I was very impressed as to the features and upkeep of all the information that was posted online. We made it there approximately 7:30pm and they were closing but decided to stay and help us (so they said). We looked over the car and took a test drive. It was dark out, so we didnt notice how dirty the carpet and leather seating and doors were at the time and also it has a few minor dents on the passenger (never look at a car at night time). It also had a bad odor to it that I couldnt quite make out the smell. While driving I noticed the sunroof wouldnt open, cd/dvd/navigation wasnt working nor were the headrest tv monitors coming on. These were just the minor things we found to be a problem that nite and stated online that this car had all these features (never stated minor problems or wasnt working at all).
After discussing the problems Maxey stated these were all easy fixes and they would make sure it all gets taken care of. That made me feel a tad bit better about the purchase. Once we were ready to make the deal we had to sit down with the owner Jimmie. He said he was already working on the paper work and he'll be ready shortly. After about 30mins of waiting he called us to his desk, He went over paperwork with my husband. I noticed the price on the bill of sale read $8687.00. I stopped him in mid of his sentence and asked what's this price here, it should be what we agreed to $7289.00? He stated, "Oh that's just the bank fees". So, in my head I calculated and told my husband, thats not bad then as far as interest. So we said ok, lets do it. We gave this man $6000 down payment just so my husband can build his credit more. Even though our goal was to pay it off within a few months time. So while giving him our Visa bank card, the card was denied. So I called Visa and told them the charges were not fraudulent and to release my funds. However considering it was after 10pm at night, the release did not register. So I told him how about we write you a check to hold until the Visa clears. If that doesnt work my husband will just bring in cash. He hesitated and then said ok. Before leaving he wrote up and order called," We Owe" it had all the problems they were going to fix that we agreed to when we bring the car back in. However. he said he need to call and make the appointments ahead of time and they will call me with the dates. He also said it may not be done all at once. I was a tad bummed about this but agreed to do it. So the deal was done and we were on our way home around 11pm.
The very next morning I heard thumping underneath my gas pedal while driving so I called and told him. He said to add to my list of fixes and they'll take a look at it when I come back in. A week later still no call with an appt date, so I called to see what was going on and to report my brakes were squeaking, he then said they would look at that as well and that they should know the date when Maxey gets back in from an family emergency leave. A few days later we receive a letter an itemized notice from Nationwide CAC LLC (financing bank). The notice had in great detail the terms of purchase and financing prices listed. I was so confused by then because according to them it clearly stated the cash sale price of car was $8687.00, cash down payment $6000.00, total amount financed $3573.27, amount of finance charges $1442.97. My husband and I was appalled and very angry because this information said to us that we were cheated. I then called Jimmie and asked him exactly what this letter meant and he stated Oh, this is what the banks do, the charge acquisition fees which are hidden charges that they dont tell the customer's about. I said, WHAT??? This is illegal they cant to do this. He then said they do it all the time. I told him we do not agree with this and something has to be done to change this. He told me to call them and see but he knows there not going to admit to me. I said ok, Ill call you back.
After speaking with the bank, they said they do not charge any fees directly to the customer accept interest fees. They dont alter any cash sale price of cars that is all handled at the dealership and they submit the paperwork already completed when they receive it. I was so confused and even more pissed. After going back and forth between their supervisors and loan officers and the dealership, I started recording all conversations. It later was revealed after Jimmie told me to do a conference call with the bank because they dont know their jobs, he was lying. Once I got the manager of the bank on the line with him, he was singing a different tune and now didnt want to talk to me any further. But before I let the call drop, I had the manager Tony ext 1334 of Nationwide state to Jimmie that, "They do not change anything on any contracts from any dealership, thats all handled prior to us receiving the documents". Now Jimmie is saying he didnt not say this and that I am a fabricator and he doesnt understand why. I politely told him, no need to lie I have you recorded stating this. Now he's sounding more nervous and speaking jibberish and no longer feels comfortable speaking to me. I told him he's a fraud and I want him to change the paperwork to reflect the correct sale price and he declined. He also did not fix all the things promised on my car and to add injury to insult the back driver wheel we noticed was bent in the day we finally got to drop it off to them before I called him about the bank letter. So now my car is sitting and cant be driven because it isnt safe to drive.
So just to sum this up: We were victims of price gouging, defective & false advertised product by a con-artist who's quick to say he has been in the business for over 20yrs and he knows what he's doing. So of course my understanding of his statement was, of course you know what your doing you've been manipulating innocent, hardworking trustworthy people for over 20yrs. Your a professional con- and you need to be outed and shut-down. The worst part of all of this is that I cant take him to court to out him because my husband signed an Arbitrary clause without my noticing due to me being on the phone with the bank.
This place of mis-conception of a honest dealership should be investigated and shut down. Im sure we were not the only victims. Any help would be surely appreciated. Thank you for your time!