Complaint Review: Mathews Nissan Suzuki - Clarksville Tennessee

The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones

 This quote from Shakespeares Julius Caesar  takes on a new meaning when someone is talking about a person involved in a business.   A business can be responsible for doing a lot of good in a community and be an example of the way businesses should be run,  but with just one negative comment by a disgruntled customer, and all that good is overshadowed by negative perception from anyone who believes the naysayer. 

            Case in point.  Mathews Nissan Suzuki.  Over the years, this company has set an example in the way to properly conduct business.  They have garnered awards for outstanding customer service.  The Nissan Owner First Award has been presented to Mathews Nissan for several years in a row.  This award goes to dealerships that exemplify strong leadership in dedication to customer loyalty and a commitment to a superior retail experience.  According to Brad Bradshaw, Vice President General Manager, Nissan Division, Mr. O. B. Garland, Managing partner of Mathews Nissan , is one of Nissans best and brightest and we are  inspired by  his exceptional performance.

            Besides being a good business in terms of customer satisfaction, the dealership is also known for being community minded.  The dealership is quick to offer their location to such events as the MS walk which benefitted more than 7,000 people in the mid south.   When the troops were returning from deployment, Mathews Nissan Suzuki gave away thousands of dollars worth of gas to those returnees.  During last years gas crisis, when a gallon of gas was pushing $4 per gallon, the dealerships on-site gas island stayed with their commitment of giving huge discounts through their loyalty fuel card.  The Nissan dealership just recently donated a vehicle to a young man through the  Make-a-Wish foundation.

            One can only hope that after years of commitment to customer satisfaction and being a good neighbor in this city, we can dwell on another quotable saying.  One bad apple doesnt spoil the whole bunch  and we will look at each customers complaint with an open mind and to consider the source.   One customers shouting shouldnt muffle the  publics calm contentment.

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The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones

 This quote from Shakespeares Julius Caesar  takes on a new meaning when someone is talking about a person involved in a business.   A business can be responsible for doing a lot of good in a community and be an example of the way businesses should be run,  but with just one negative comment by a disgruntled customer, and all that good is overshadowed by negative perception from anyone who believes the naysayer. 

            Case in point.  Mathews Nissan Suzuki.  Over the years, this company has set an example in the way to properly conduct business.  They have garnered awards for outstanding customer service.  The Nissan Owner First Award has been presented to Mathews Nissan for several years in a row.  This award goes to dealerships that exemplify strong leadership in dedication to customer loyalty and a commitment to a superior retail experience.  According to Brad Bradshaw, Vice President General Manager, Nissan Division, Mr. O. B. Garland, Managing partner of Mathews Nissan , is one of Nissans best and brightest and we are  inspired by  his exceptional performance.

            Besides being a good business in terms of customer satisfaction, the dealership is also known for being community minded.  The dealership is quick to offer their location to such events as the MS walk which benefitted more than 7,000 people in the mid south.   When the troops were returning from deployment, Mathews Nissan Suzuki gave away thousands of dollars worth of gas to those returnees.  During last years gas crisis, when a gallon of gas was pushing $4 per gallon, the dealerships on-site gas island stayed with their commitment of giving huge discounts through their loyalty fuel card.  The Nissan dealership just recently donated a vehicle to a young man through the  Make-a-Wish foundation.

            One can only hope that after years of commitment to customer satisfaction and being a good neighbor in this city, we can dwell on another quotable saying.  One bad apple doesnt spoil the whole bunch  and we will look at each customers complaint with an open mind and to consider the source.   One customers shouting shouldnt muffle the  publics calm contentment.

ONE MONTH, & go over each contract & have every customer there with them while they investigated every piece of paperwork, the FBI would find that Car Dealerships are SCAMMING, FORGING, & ALTERING documents in a way that no one would ever believe! Consider this- A few years ago New Car Sales in the USA was at about 17 MILLION per year, and Used Car sales was well over 30 MILLION per year.

I now seek a refund of $382.16 from Mathews Suzuki, for $349.00 for C.B.P. plus $33.16 for applicable sales tax.

On August 12, 2009, prior to signing our contract, my wife asked the salesperson, Raphael Porter, how the contract grew from the $15,999.00 upon which Porter and I agreed, to $18,137.70. Porter replied that the difference was for taxes and fees. I only recently discovered that $349.00 of the fees, identified as C.B.P. was for a coupon book, which Mathews neither explained nor gave to us. Last week I phoned Cheryl Poff at Mathews, who was kind enough to offer to mail the coupon book to me.

On October 1, when I received the package in the mail from Mathews, I realized the book was something I would never have ordered, and it was of no use to us. As stated in the booklet, The coupons in this booklet are only valid at the dealership where you purchased your vehicle from. Since the dealership is on the other side of town from our residence, it is not practical for me to use the coupons. Additionally, the coupons, offering items such as free oil when I pay for an oil, lube, and filter change, 10% discount on an oil change, and $5.00 discount for tire balance and rotation, are of questionable  if not zero value.

The August 12, 2009 vehicle invoice and bill of sale, for the $18,137.70 total, is availble as reference.

I filed a complaint with Tennessee's Division of Consumer Affairs. Imagine my chagrin when I received, from Consumer Affairs, Suzuki's response, particilarly when it included copies of a bogus sales contract and a bogus vehicle service contract.

I rapidly filed a counter-response with Consumer Affairs, which I now share with Ripoff Report readers, as follows:

Mathews Nissan Suzukis response is untrue and unacceptable, and I am providing additional information as follows.

1. The purchase order dated August 12, 2009 for a total of $18,685.75, submitted by Mathews, is bogus. At 8:00 p.m. on August 12, in Cheryl Poffs office, my wife and I signed a contract for $18,137.70. Ms. Poff gave us a copy, without our signatures; I have attached a copy.
2. On August 14, Derrick Davis faxed the bogus contract for $18,685.75, without our signatures, to Kim Clinard at Altra Federal Credit Union. On August 17, Ms. Clinard gave me a copy, also without our signatures; I have attached a copy.
3. The vehicle service contract is bogus. Prior to sale, I told the sales representative we did not want an extended warranty; we never signed for one, and we never received a copy. Furthermore, neither the legal nor the bogus contract lists an extended warranty.
4. Suzuki claims in their submissions to you that the kited amount of $548.05 is for extended warranty, but the bogus contract instead added an item for MBI, which I only recently learned, on September 26, stands for Mechanical Breakdown Insurance.
5. Suzukis comment that, Mr. Cutting asked to cancel the warranty that he signed is untrue. I asked for return of the kited $548.05. I did not ask to cancel a warranty that I signed because I never signed one, and Davis never told me that I had.
6. I phoned Ms. Poff on August 14 after discovering the $548.05 overcharge. She directed me to Davis, who said he would research and phone me on Saturday, which he did only after my e-mail via Suzukis web site. He then explained he mistakenly faxed someone elses buyer order to my credit union, which turned out to be untrue, and that he would refund his error to me on Monday.
7. Most important, I never met Davis until Monday, August 17, when I attempted to pick up my refund, and neither my wife nor I signed any documents at any time or any place other than at 8:00 p.m. on August 12 in Ms. Poffs office.
8. I learned today that a $349.00 contract item for C.R.P. is for coupons, which I never   received. No one explained the item to us; if they had, I would have declined. However, since I already paid for them, I asked Ms. Poff to mail them to me, to which she agreed.

Sincerely,

David L. Cutting

MBI usually stands for 'Mechanical Breakdown Insurance'.  I'd really question that mysterious $349 fee. Almost looks like the cost for a 'Polyglycoat' wax job. If the buyers order was falsified these folks are in some serious trouble. Let your credit union know what happened. I guarantee that won't accept any more finance requests from Mathews.