Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  07/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  See pdf upload

  

  Business response

  07/22/2024

  Honestly *************, we are just shocked. You purchased a used nine year old vehicle for $9778 from us back in February 2024 and since then we have been so patient dealing with not only one but two of your family members. Now you want to point the finger at us and say we are wrong when all we did since your first relative came into our dealership screaming in our lobby and your second relative taking up so much time was try to find a solution. We did not need to speak to them but we were trying to help. Now, you are slandering our company and making accusations of us intentionally wanting to harm you. How could this be? You know we have no obligation towards you and we sincerely and genuinely took your family's personal situation into consideration to help you in such circumstances, this is how you show your appreciation. In todays world screaming doesn't help, asking does but the owner overlooked it. We appreciate our employees and they all worked hard to help you. Our GM did so much to make your family happy but no matter what, it was never good enough for them. being nice and honest and reasonable is the way to go with us. The owner went above and beyond when he has no obligation; once you purchase a vehicle the burden of repairs is on the buyer, yet he still tried to help. Feeling bad for you guys has prolonged this discussion. I want you to reconsider your statements and retract them, you came to the dealership you saw our car lot, you dealt with us personally. You know the truth. I want you to notice your request is for us not only to buy a car back after six months but for more than the price you paid. Cars depreciate, you know this, it is a fact. You want us to refund your taxes? Is this acceptable? You want us to refund taxes paid to FL ********** of ******** You want us to pay for registering your vehicle and electronically filing it? Have you seen other dealerships and their reviews and what they do in such situations? Have you seen the complaints other dealers have. Some dealers go out of business, the guy next door to us did, if one of his previous customers has a problem how can they resolve it? Your accusations of us is "plain wrong". If you want to do what is right, you need to retract your false accusations as you are slandering us. Your statements are hurtful and untrue. Be realistic you know you purchased a used car but this reaction is extreme when we did nothing wrong. Since the moment we were contacted we have been professional and trying to make your family happy and that is hard to find today. I hope you do what is right, please be honest with yourself and publically honest as well. 

  Customer response

  07/26/2024

   
  Complaint: 22021681
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Slander would be to make a false statement. These are the questions I asked myself.
  

  1. Did your business know that the control arm bushing was worn out? Yes
  

  2. Was your business given a written statement from ******************** by a certified
  technician that the issue at hand needed to be addressed and used the words worn-out,
  failed, and Caution: Needs attention soon? Yes
  Were the words Caution: Needs attention soon written in capital letters and underlined?
  Yes
  

  3. Did your business tell me of the issue before I purchased the vehicle? No
  

  4. Is the information I provided in my last statement as to what can happen with a worn-out
  control arm bushing correct? Yes, it is accurate and fact-based.
  

  5. Did two other independent certified mechanics inspect the vehicle? Yes
  

  6. Were the same issues identified by both? Yes
  

  7. Does Michaels Autos have an obligation to make sure what is driven off the sales lot is
  safe? Yes
  

  For the reasons stated above I do not believe I have slandered or accused your company of
  anything that cannot be proven. I have not posted anything on social media or the internet to
  damage your reputation. I have contacted and provided the information to the ************** that oversee Consumer Protection Laws. The reason I showed a $12,000 refund is because that is the amount of the financial damage that has been caused to my grandma as she is the one who paid for the vehicle. I do not feel we should take any loss when you were aware and did not disclose the vehicle safety issues.
  Ty Espe 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *************

  

  Business response

  08/02/2024

  Michaels Autos has been responding and actively trying to resolve your specific situation for several months now. We have made different offers to your family members and none were accepted. We take pride in running an honest and transparent business since 1995. The majority of the vehicles we have are late model high end that have a remaining manufacturer warranty. You bought this 9 year old car "As Is" meaning no warranty for $9,778. You declined to buy an extended warranty. You were able to inspect the vehicle prior to purchasing it. You received and signed a Carfax at the time of purchase. We did not try to hide anything from you whatsoever. This vehicle did not have a salvage or rebuilt title, or structural damage or gave false mileage information. Your request is not within the norm, there is no cooling off period in the state of *******. Repairs are the responsibility of the buyer. Yet the owner was kind and made an exception to make you happy and buy your car back (extremely rare).  Your statements have gone against our ethics and policies, we would never knowingly sell a vehicle that is not safe to drive. You test drove the car prior to buying it, the car drove fine. Even the information you provided was not consistent. It is a 9 year used car for $9,778 and anything can happen at anytime even with brand new cars.  Most dealerships would have lost patience or ignored your requests and not responded.

  The owner is willing in good faith to assist you with Option 1: $1,500 refund. This is very generous and a one-time offer, that is 15% of your purchase price.

  Option 2: The owner is willing to honor his original offer of purchasing your vehicle for $8,000 even though it lost more value.

  Customer response

  08/15/2024

  See Attachment

  Customer response

  08/20/2024

  I ************* will accept your offer of $8,000.
  I am returning to college next week and would like to return the vehicle on
  Monday, August 19", 2024.
  Please make the Cashier Check out to ** ***************************.
  *************
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  01/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a car from this dealer in May/2022. While driving in October, less than 2,000miles added to odometer of ****mi at purchase, the engine blew. The car has been undriveable since that time. At the time of the roadside incident, I was towed to a local dealership. Over time, they uncovered that the car had sustained water damage and rust in several places AND that the car would require over $50K to repair. So now I have this invoice in addition to a car loan of about same amount. The car is under *** warranty, but they will not honor due to water damage and my insurer will not cover due to policy exception. I called the dealer to explain that they had sold me a vehicle that had substantial damage and they did not reveal it to me prior to the sale. They gave a number of irrelevant excuses before finally landing on "you bought it as-is". Service records uncovered by the dealer that took the car after the blown engine show that the engine was replaced TWICE and had documented water damage. *******'s Auto, if they are the car experts they claim, did or should have known the extensive damage and either fixed prior to sale or disclosed. They did neither. I contacted them and was referred to their attorney. I am seeking legal representation as well. I saved numerous years to buy the car of my dreams and now I have a ****lb immovable block of metal. Ideally, they will take the car back and refund my money and all associated expenses, OR they will pay my entire repair bill. Since they dismissed my request to settle fairly, I will pursue these as well as other damages.

  

  Business response

  01/18/2023

  Yes, customer bought the car and signed As Is Form that protects us as a business from being responsible for anything once customer takes possession of the vehicle. As he stated he drove it 5 months without a problem. In general *** mechanics advise any vehicle with water in the engine (as stated by customer) cannot be driven 5 miles, so how did he drive it 5 months and **** miles? *** fact is his claim is false and whatever he is referring that happened to his car happened on his clock not ours. He has slandered our business and threatened legal actual therefore we had our lawyer contact him directly. Once again in this complaint he speaks of legal action. It is advised once legal action takes place that the attorney speakers and not the individuals involved. 

  Customer response

  01/19/2023

   
  Complaint: 18818136
  
  I am rejecting this response because: Notice that the vendor did not speak to the fact that the engine was rebuilt TWICE prior to my purchase and the service records indicate water damage that obviously occurred before my purchase.  Legal action it is.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩