Complaint Review: We Finance Auto Sales - Montgomery Alabama

We Finance is a "buy here, pay here" place of business for individuals recovering from bankruptcy or other bad credit. I had recently been through a bad divorce and was severely stressed out. When I went to look at automobiles, I spotted this 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier. The salesman, Terrence Stewart, quoted me a price of $5995.00, with $1000.00 cash down. I draw only social security and I saved for several months to get the $1000.00, as well as selling household furniture, since I was planning on traveling. I had asked on several occasions to test drive the car and he would have an excuse.

On August 3, 2006, when I called to tell him that I was on my way with the $1000.00 and test drive the car, he said I had to get my car insurance first. I did this by phone and had the papers faxed to Mr. Stewart. When I got there, he started to prepare the sales documents and I gave him the $1000.00. When I looked at the papers, the price had been changed to $6995.00 and other "taxes, doc fees, etc", added, making the amount financed $6,495.00. This including my $1000.00 down payment. The interest rate, of course, is somewhere in the vicinity of 25% and the monthly payment $300.00 for 30 months. I reminded him that I had not test drove it and he assured me it was in great condition and would get me to Panama City, Florida and then to Oklahoma okay.

On Friday, August 10, 2006, I was driving home from a restarant and it stalled in the middle of a main thoroughfare, Atlanta Highway. I called Mr. Stewart and he said it was my problem as I did not purchase a warranty. I had to towed to a Haigler Auto, a nearby mechanic shop, where they informed me that it needed a new fuel pump and filter and quoted me a fee of $866.00. I again called Mr. Stewart and he said that if I had it towed to "his" mechanic, Meadows Auto Service, they would repair the problem and charge me on a separate side note.

I immediately filed a complaint with the consumer affairs department of the Attorney General's office. I rented a car from Enterprise for the weekend errands. On Monday, I called Mr. Meadows and he said that Haigler had cleaned the filter and the car had been running since being towed there. The Enterprise people took me to pick the car up at Meadows. As I had to travel to Panama City with a fully packed car on Saturday, August 26, I asked if they had replaced the fuel pump. They had not, and further informed me that it might stall at any time until a new fuel pump was installed.

I left on my trip and, Thank God, made it all the way to my sister's house in Panama City. Then I left to unload some things at my neice's place of business. When I finished around 6:00 p.m. on Saturday night and attempted to leave, the car would not start. I could not get a mechanic until Monday, but had to get it towed back to my sister's house. The mechanic in Panama City, Diagnostic Tune, had to replace the fuel pump and filter.

The first payment is only due today. I have had the car 30 days and had the use of it approximately 20 days and have had to spend $1,064.33 for repairs. I have asked We Finance to refund my money and pay for the repairs, but they will not. It is obvious now, why the salesman would not let me test drive it before purchasing it. He was afraid it would stall while I was test driving.

These people are so unreasonable, fraudulent, and are quite aware that all of the cars have some sort of defect. I have notified them that I will not be making a payment until the Attorney General mediates this matter, or they pay me back $2,064.33 and take their car back. I was by another dealer today and he had a 2005 Chevrolet with only 30,000 miles for just $9000.00 and they charged me $6995.00 for a car that had 105,000 miles on it and they knew would not run.

If there are other people out there that has had any problems of any sort with We Finance, please notify me at my email address as I plan to sue for fraud, physical and mental anguish. By the way, when I returned from Florida, I was so stressed out that I had a minor stroke. Paramedics said my blood pressure was 260/160 when they arrived. This was as a direct result of the feeling of helplessness that one feels when they are being defrauded and the car is needed no badly.

Bettye

Montgomery, Alabama
U.S.A.