We purchased a vehicle from these folks. I am not at liberty to discuss most of the details, pending litigation. As a general summary, though, the car has catastrophic failures in several systems. Some of these issues were claimed to have been addressed prior to the sale. Their advertising touts a full work-up by a certified mechanic. Furthermore, their site claims that "We have not had a single customer have a transmission go out or find themselves stranded on the side of the road." (Direct quote from the main page of www.silverponymotors.com). This is no longer true, if it ever was. One of the components failing on my vehicle is the transmission. However, in the course of trying to settle the numerous issues, they have tried to use intimidation tactics to prevent me from talking about my experience. They have threatened to sue for slander/libel if I should speak out against them. I suspect they may be misinformed as to the legal definitions of such. Other tactics they use to silence dissatisfied customers include a binding arbitration clause. Unfortunately for them, Georgia law only allows that in cases where a car is financed, not if it is purchased outright (as in my case). It is important to note that, even if you signed an arbitration agreement, but were mistreated by this company, there are courses of action you may still take. The more of us who file reports, the less they can continue these practices. Please contact the Georgia Department of Law Consumer Protection Division at: 404-651-8600 Or go to their website at: http://consumer.georgia.gov/contact-us Please be sure to file a complete, detailed report. And do not be intimidates by threats. You have a right to complain. You may also contact me with your experiences and I will forward them to my attorney, if you are amenable.
#2Author of original report
Fri, June 03, 2016
You met me for 30 minutes, perhaps an hour. It's amazing how you believe you know so much about my character and my life. Well, since you asked so nicely, there are several circumstances that have led to me being in a position to need to buy an inexpensive car right now. None of them are your business, nor do I owe you any accounting of my personal finances. That said, I choose to share this bit of information. The primary reason that is that I continue to outlive a progressive genetic condition that killed my sister at the age of 19. While I remain blissfully still alive, my condition does not allow for sustained employment at present and medical bills can be extensive when dealing with specialists and advanced diagnostics. To further address your burning curiosity about my personal life, since you seem so fascinated by my ability to use big words in their correct context, I am autistic. Language just happens to be an area in which I excel. Now that you have some factual information on my personal life, perhaps you can soothe your hurt feelings by making some commentary on my disability status? Given your pedantic viciousness, herein demonstrated, I would not be surprised. Ladies and gentlemen, I feel that this...gentleman has demonstrated his corporate (lack of) ethics and character far better than I ever could. He has also done a fairly good job of providing an example of the definition of libel, as well as demonstrating his disdain for people in difficult financial circumstances. Lastly, he has, in his own words, demonstrated that he, himself, has so little confidence in his product that a car (which the entire purpose of having is to get around) should not be expected to function properly if you drive it for long distances. Thank you for making my points for me! I'm sorry (not really) that I hit enough of a nerve that you felt the need to attack me personally (even though you don't actually know anything about me or my life). As for the rest, it will be determined by the court. I'm frankly not going to waste any more of my precious time replying to the rest of your fabricated musings on my life. If you do feel the need to further insult and libel me, please feel free. It only adds weight to my case. Furthermore, it reveals far more about you than it does me. To the other poster, thanks for your opinion, but not all the facts and evidence are outlined here, so your input, while appreciated, is not based upon a full understanding of the situation.
Jim
Florida,#3Consumer Comment
Fri, June 03, 2016
If you bought this car "AS IS" you can go to any attorney you wish and they will very gladly take your money to tell you..."YOU HAVE NO CASE". You made no mention of a warranty. Therefore, the reader must presume this was an "AS IS" purchase and as such, you are not ENTITLED to free warranty service.
Silver Pony Motors
Winder,#4REBUTTAL Owner of company
Fri, June 03, 2016
Thank you for your eloquent review! Ms. Ballenger you unsurprisingly neglected to mention a few details to make your case seem more valid. You didn't mention that you drove the car from Georgia, to North Carolina, to Ohio, and back to North Carolina in the two months you've had the car. You purchased the car on March 29, 2016 and emailed us on June 1st, 2016 two months later. You did not email us attempting to "settle" or discuss working out the issues that you so clearly inflicted on your own car. You emailed us waving your mighty flag of the law, perched upon a pole of condescendence and arrogance. Had you approached us like the kind people we have been to you, you would have found this situation to have a much better outcome than the one you're hoping for right now.
Since you seem like a powerful keyboard warrior, allow me to relay some insight that might actually help you in the future. You cannot drive all the way to GA to purchase a $5000 2002 GMC Envoy, drive it thousands of miles in two months, then contact the dealership saying that the car is acting up while spouting your threats of litigation. You should be proud of the 2002 GMC Envoy that got you from GA, to NC, to OH, and back to NC. Isn't it curious you drove to four different states and all of a sudden now it apparently has "catastrophic failures"? The only thing catastrophic is customers like yourself that beg for a discount and have the gall to complain about the car two months and three thousand miles later. That ma'am, is a catastrophe. May we perhaps recommend, say, an oil change?
Are you under the illusion that you purchased a brand new Mercedes Benz? You're so confident that the arbitration agreement doesn't apply to you because you "purchased it outright". Ma'am the typical reader may confuse your complaint for a new car. You purchased a $5000 SUV. We sell pre-owned cars here. For a fearsome keyboard warrior such as yourself, you truly lack even a modicum of logic and reasoning. Why did you leave out the fact that you purchased that vehicle over two months ago and drove it through numerous states? Litigation?
How about knowing thyself instead? When has life been so favorable for you that you thought you could buy a car that costs as much as Apple's latest desktop computer, and it would just take you on a road trip across the country with literally no maintenance performed whatsoever? Instead of wasting money on "litigation" and "filing lawsuits" perhaps you might consider snapping back into reality and use the money to maintain your car like someone with common sense. I hope your attorney makes sure his retainer is fully cleared in his bank account. You might win the case and then ask for your retainer back a year later. Yikes.
Since you've been empowered and strengthened by some civilian protection group's opinion of what an arbitration agreement is, allow me to remind you of one more thing you forgot to mention. You signed an as-is without warranty form. Twice. After you lie to yourself and everyone here saying you never signed such documents and were not provided copies, please reach into your folder and re-read it on your own time. Every time I think back to when you first called us and said that you would be coming from out of state and that you would need a hefty discount on the vehicle for it to "worth your drive", it is my deepest regret I didn't say no. We discounted the car pretty much to the point of literally giving it away and you would embarrass yourself like this? No worries Ms. Ballenger. We will continue to sell the nicest cars in town, at the lowest prices possible, and we will repair ALL customers' issues. Just not yours. Because we know they'll let us know within a few days of purchase. Not two months and thousands of miles later. Since you're so intelligent and know so much, why didn't you just go buy a brand new car? Why did you lower your highness to our "catastrophically failing" 2002 GMC Envoy? Food for thought.
Thank you for giving us an outlet to show the community that business owners will no longer be bullied and made to be the bad guys. You Ms. Ballenger is who people should watch out for. Someone who tries their best to buy a car at invoice cost, drives it for thousands of miles, and tries to use the law to gain free repairs two months later. I'm surprised you haven't contacted GMC and asked them for a brand new GMC. The sheer level of entitlement. How shameful and disappointing as a fellow human being. I think at night right before you go to sleep, a small smirk forms on your lips because you know you're a liar and you truly believe you're going to accomplish something by typing up a page long essay about catastrophes and trying to rally up people to support your case. Ms. Ballenger no one is going to team up with you to say that they faced similar issues with their car. May I tell you why? Because none of them drove it three thousand miles and waited sixty days to start claiming their car had issues.
Wishing you the best of luck Ms. Ballenger.
With love, Silver Pony Motors