Honestly, today I learned why Poulin Auto has the horrible reputation it does. I always would say- they've never done me wrong! Well, I found out today, I was incorrect.
I received a call last week from a salesman at Poulin requesting to see the car I purchased with them in 2015 to possibly buy back or help me trade in toward a different car. I was interested in a possible upgrade, so I played along and peeked at their inventory. After finding a couple cars I would be interested in (that were equivalent to the price I originally paid for my current car), I decided to schedule an appointment to meet the salesman, view the car, get an estimate on my car's value and discuss options. The day came today and I called Poulin an hour before to be certain the one car I was mainly interested in was still available and at their Colchester location to view. I was told they would have the car transported from Barre in time for our appointment. About 40 mins after that call, I received a call back from the salesman stating the car was in process of being sold in Barre, however, the deal fell through so the car is being transported but won't be in Colchester until closer to an hour after the appointment- roughly 5:30pm. I agreed to view it then and let them know I would be in around 5pm with my vehicle. To make a long story shorter, I arrived at 5pm with my vehicle and asked how much they would be willing to give towards it, etc. At 5:30pm I was told by the salesman I had been dealing with, Neal, that the driver transporting the car I was interested in had "got stuck in traffic" and would be arriving in roughly 10-15 mins (around 5:45pm). My family and I waited. At roughly 6pm, the person working in finance finally came out- he informed us that he had just spoke to the driver transporting the car and he was in the Waterbury/Richmond area (roughly another 45-55 mins away). That was a huge gap of time from what was originally said. At that point, I asked a second time if someone was going to look at my car to do an estimate. The person working in finance agreed to do so and looked over the vehicle. An hour passed, it was then 7pm (an hour after they close), and they decide to inform me that the car should be here any minute but with the numbers, my payments would raise over 50% AND that I still owe double of what my current car is worth (to them) -remember, Poulin sold me the current car in 2015 assuring me "it was a steal! Best deal within a 250 mile radius..." One would think with the amount of time available while waiting for the car to arrive from Barre that this would have been done prior to waiting hours. After over 2 hours of time being wasted, I had finally got the answers I needed to make a decision without even needing to see the vehicle. One of the most frustrating parts is that I was told numerous times prior to this meeting tonight that Poulin would definitely make the sale work- saying no question I could keep payments the same, etc. with my credit and finances where they were. I am disturbed that a business can act this way. I have been told for years to stay far away from Poulin Auto- "scammers, theives, drug addicts" are a few of the names I've heard. After tonight, all I can say is FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE to spend your energy, time and hard-earned money. After learning Poulin screwed me over years ago and again today, I along with my family and friends will never use Poulin Auto again. I wanted to write this so anyone reading can learn from my mistake and avoid Poulin Auto when they are considering a new vehicle. Don't shop Poulin.... I unfortunately learned the hard way. read more
