Wasted time, money, energy and lost value in vehicle plus damage all due to the failure of this business to provide requested information
On 4/17/2017, I submitted an inquiry request via. www.cargurus.com for a 2014 Lexus GS350 F Sport vehicle that was for sale at www.carstock.com.
"I am interested in this vehicle and had a few questions. Do you accept trade ins? Would I be able to take vehicle to dealership for inspection? Is the price negotiable? I am a Florida resident and would need to know if there are any fees and/or taxes in addition to final sales price?"
Eli called me via voicemail that same day. Due to a long work day, I was able to return the call as it was after hours.
On 4/18/2017, I was contacted again by Eli via who responded with:
"Nathaniel,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding our 2014 Lexus GS350 F Sport Grand Sedan.
We do accept trade ins, and you are welcome to get it inspected at Lexus, as it is still under full factory warranty.
Since you will be registering it in Florida, the out the door price will be just the price of the vehicle + $99 tag/ title fee which covers temporary tag and title processing. We charge no other dealer fees.
Please feel free to call me at 770-882-9608 if you have any other questions, or would like to set up a time to see and test drive it."
On Wednesday or Thursday of that week, I called the dealership in order to get more information about trade in of my vehicle. I initially spoke with the manager over the phone who stated that he would be able to provide me with a "ballpark" quote for my vehicle and that I would need to bring it in to get an accurate estimate. He asked me to text Eli the VIN number and that they would get back in touch with me for a ballpark number. I never heard back about it, even after I asked Eli again about it. Because I had already scheduled an appointment in advance for a pre-purchase inspection at the dealership, I went ahead and continued with the trip with the thought that I would get at least the trade in value range provided by Kelly Blue Book. I made it to the dealership about 0945 EST and no one was there. There was a sign on the door stating that they were out for lunch. I called Eli and he stated he had to take a car to the dealership and someone would be by shortly to open up. Shortly a lady appeared and retrieved the keys. I thoroughly inspected what I could while waiting for Eli to return. He finally returned and I proceeded to ask him about the trade in value because the entire deal depended on that. He does his "inspection" and claims that half of the vehicle was repainted because of a "line" near the top of the door. I explained to him that I was never informed about any accident and the Carfax report was clean, which he already knew. After his inspection, he called his manager and came back to me with an offer of $10k. KBB had it valued at $11500 to $13800. I informed him that this wasn't even close to what KBB listed and there is no way I could do that. I also informed him that I asked him multiple times about getting a ballpark estimate based on the VIN because if I knew this prior, I would have never made that trip. All I received was an "I'm sorry, I thought I gave it to you." Needless to say I was upset. I text Eli and asked to speak with his manager. He then called back to say that he could offer $10500 then $11000. I said that wasn't good enough and asked again to speak to his manager. He said he would have him call me and I never received a call. I text Eli again the next day asking when I should expect a call and again, I never heard back. I took a 5 hour trip to Atlanta from Florida which ended in nothing but a fake apology. Now the value has dropped even more with all the mileage put on and I wound up with a cracked windshield on the way back to Florida which wouldn't have occurred if I was properly notified. I want them held responsible for their terrible business practices and wasted time, energy and money getting there and back, not to mention the lost value of the car. read more
