Stick
Phoenix,#2Consumer Suggestion
Fri, March 26, 2004
First you have to always remember that the dirty car tricks and scams are never going to be revealed to you in a news story to help protect you. You also need to keep in mind that most auto rrelated web sites have only one main goal, that is to direct you to a car dealer in one way or another. So keep your guard UP and all times. Never say you have a friend in the business that is going to get you a great deal. You are just an easy sucker for your so called friend to increase the size of his or her pay check. Here in the valley many car dealers, not all but many like to make you think that you need some kind of extended warranty. They want you to think that an auto lender just might not finance your car deal unless you sucker up to an over priced warranty. Do not buy that scam! Most car dealers make most of their big money off of the crap their finance people try to sell you. Window etching, paint protection, security systems that are over priced, life insurance. you name it, they will try to cram it or hide it in your car buying contract. I have been helping a local law firm go after a few car dealers for sending falsified credit applications to auto lenders behind the car Buyer's back. Make sure that you and ONLY you fill out the credit application. Make sure no one else puts any of their hand writing on your credit application at all! If you do it the way I am telling you and a few months after your car has been approved, contact the lender and ask for a copy of your credit app. if the hand writing is NOT yours, you have a GREAT LAW SUIT! for FRAUD! Want proof it happens? http://miami.fbi.gov/pressrel/2003/mm070103.htm SEVEN INDIVIDUALS AND TWO AUTO DEALERSHIPS INDICTED FOR SCHEME TO SUBMIT FRAUDULENT AUTO LOAN DOCUMENTS Car dealers across the country love this little scam. They do it because many consumers want more then they can afford. If a car dealer's employees pad your income, lower your rent amount, and change a few other things, BAM! you have a car loan because of auto dealer deception. Next: about your credit and it's true value. The auto lenders like to see a credit report that is called a Experian/TRW. You might say it is the bench mark of the credit industry. They post on your credit report what is called "Fair Isaac Score" it goes up to 850 if you have score that is over 700, you have GREAT credit. in most cases you can have just about what ever kind of loan you want. You need to first go to a credit union and become a member. Then apply for an auto loan. You will most always get a much better rate if you go to a credit union. Most, not all car dealers will rip you off if you let their team get you a car loan. By the way, don't be too fast to believe all of the car dealer advertisements that you read in the newspapers. Most not all ads are just packed with hidden lies and hooks to sucker you in to a rip off. I hate these off site tent sales. Most car dealers will only take their strongest sales people to those tent sales. Never buy a car from a tent sale. If you like high pressure and don't care what can happen, then by all means to run to your next tent event. Next: I will ask that you go to the following web sites and read what has happened to car buyers. You will soon find that you have to never let your guard down. Also: don't take your friend or your daddy unless they sold cars for at lease 12 months. If you take someone that has never sold cars with you, they will hurt you not help you. Scams are hidden not out for you to see. You must never think that you have 3 days to bring a car back if for any reason that you do not like your car deal. Trust me you do NOT have a 3 day cooling off period in this state. Most but not all people that pass laws like big campaign money from car dealers, so they are not willing to pass a 3 day cooling off period, so if for any reason you do not like your car deal you can bring it back and do what is called an unwind. Car dealers have the pwoer to unwind a car deal befor it gets funded if they want to unwind it. I am not saying that the dealer in this report mentioned below is a bad car dealer. I just want you to read the report. I was told that he wanted to be removed from lease and put into a purchase the next day after he bought the truck he bought. In this report you will sadly find that he is no longer with us. I was told by his family member that he could not handle the pressure and he took his life after is wish was denied. Read the whole report to understand what happened from what a family member said and posted. http://www.badbusinessbureau.com/reports/ripoff36168.htm Next, I want you to go to the following web sites and read what I think is very informative for a car buyer. Read these real good that then ask this question. "Hey would a local newspaper ever do a story on cases like these? If you want me to post more helpful info that will protect you, Just post a request. everything below is what I found on the net. Before you sign any documentation, go to a second car dealer and see what they can do. Check this out! Car dealer is being sued over shutoff device http://www.th-record.com/1999/08/14/carpayme.htm Want more to check out? Dealer's Separate Spot Delivery Agreement Violates Law http://www.carlaw.net/articles/spot.shtml Read this one. Dealer Required to Honor Erroneous Advertised Price http://www.carlaw.net/articles/mistake.shtml I hope you all have fun reading these! NORTH COUNTRY CAR DEALER SUED OVER DUBIOUS BUSINESS PRACTICES http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2000/oct/oct26a_00.html ILLINOIS AUTO DEALER FOUND GUILTY OF FRAUD http://www.krohnandmoss.com/news/pr.asp?id=11 http://miami.fbi.gov/pressrel/2003/mm070103.htm SEVEN INDIVIDUALS AND TWO AUTO DEALERSHIPS INDICTED FOR SCHEME TO SUBMIT FRAUDULENT AUTO LOAN DOCUMENTS http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/1224202003_new07motion.asp The Ohio Attorney General's office has filed a motion asking a judge to force a Marietta auto dealer to speak with the state's lawyers about charges he defrauded the state and consumers. http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ins/pressrelease/wcollr/08112000_1.htm Zionsville Auto Dealer Sentenced to Prison for $1.7 Million Bank Fraud http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/12/09/national/main587622.shtml Fraud Rampant At Auto Dealerships Auto Sales Fraud Case http://www.consumervoiceusa.com/HotTopicsHTML/SubTopic-D/AutoPurchasing/InTheNews.html http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2001/may/may30b_01.html USED CAR DEALERSHIP SUED FOR FRAUD Spitzer's Office Finds Altered Titles and False Sales Claims Car dealer sued over car timer http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/stories/081499/new_exlion.html AUTO DEALER SUED FOR RENEGING ON DEAL http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2002/nov/nov07b_02.html Auto Financing Charges May Cost a Billion http://www.abcnews4.com/news/stories/0104/121636.html Court accepts case addressing lawsuit limits over loan deals http://www5.cnn.com/2004/LAW/01/20/scotus.carloans.ap/ Do you think a newspaper would do a story on the above info? I hope all who read what I post find it all informative! I would like to know why I can find any cases like these in this state? Maybe this state goes much easier on car dealers!
Jim
Orlando,#3Consumer Suggestion
Fri, March 26, 2004
Over and over again, people go thru the long litany of how bad they were treated, defrauded, etc, etc, etc and knowing this going into the deal they REWARD the dealer by STILL giving them their business! Incredible!!! I doubt very much this is the only car dealership within 100 miles of you! No, I won't tell you what you want to hear because you made some major league mistakes here that clearly showed this dealer you were willing to play "doormat". If the figures on the contract were not right, why did you proceed? They didn't keep you there five hours, YOU STAYED! Why did you read the contract AFTER the fact? Yes, you were treated poorly but you asked for it! Go ahead, get mad at me but the bottom line is these schlock operations continue because people don't have the guts to WALK OUT! They play doormat and then cry bloody murder after the fact. Learn from this... If they lie on the contract, you're dealing with liars! Read the contract BEFORE you sign it. In fact, ask them to make you a copy of the filled out, unsigned contract to take home and read. If they won't do that...WALK OUT! Never rely on the salesman to tell you what the contract says...read the damned thing yourself! People, the government or any organization won't put crooks out of business soon enough. Its up to us, (you and me) to NOT play doormat and not to be "car crazy". We have two feet. Lets use them. JT
Holly
Mesa,#4Consumer Comment
Thu, March 25, 2004
I'm not a very trusting person in general and not very nieve. I have already been down that road of trying to negoiate with a car salesman and i told them either i get what i want or no deal and they jus kept trying to keep me there till i finally said take me back to my car,( we had drove the car for sale to another lot of theirs)and that i wanted to go home period. I now want to find out what shouldn't be on a contract and what to look for so i can correct them before signing any paperwork. I really don't want to get stuck with a bogus deal. I take it that you were a car salesmen, right? Can you tell me what to look for?
Stick
Phoenix,#5Consumer Suggestion
Thu, March 25, 2004
I tell would be car buyers to spend more time on the net and less time on a car lot. if you spend some time on the net you can become a very informed consumer. Most car sales people want you to like them. They want you to feel real cozy with them. Once you like or trust a sales person, you are in trouble. If you like a sales person they then have the needed power to get what they want from you. When I sold cars I found that the car buyers that liked me put the most money in my pocket. The car buyers that did not like me got a better deal. They were out to do what ever it took to save money, they did not come to the lot to make friends. Once you get to a car lot, Pick out a sales person that reeks, talks a lot of BS or crap, maybe a sales person that reminds you of someone you can't stand at all. If you do not like him or her and you let them know that you don't like them, you will get a better car deal. it is wise for a consumer to keep this in mind. if a person that is trying to sell you something trys to act like they like you, they are sucking up so they can get you into an "unsafe comfort zone" once they get you into a unsafe comfort zone, your guard is down and you are in trouble. It's a ploy so you will give up your hard earned money. Let's face it, thats the only thing they want. If they find that you have no money, no job or no cosigner. They will soon Lot drop you. Wake up America and stop giving your money away!
Holly
Mesa,#6Consumer Comment
Tue, March 23, 2004
Thank you for letting people know about showcase honda and their scams. I myself are researching to buy a new car in about the next six months, even though it won't be a honda, i like to have an idea what fees on a new vehicle contract should look like. I hope that more people complain about dealership rip offs to let the public know.