Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  01/23/2025

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I leased a vehicle from said business 7 months ago. From day 1 i had issues with vehicle overheating and not running as it should. The business replaced a thermostat and the problem was not fixed. I regular changed the oil every 3,000 miles. I had a major engine failure approximately 3 weeks ago that rendered the vehicle inoperable. I had the vehicle towed to said business and they looked it over to find the issue. The owner of said business contacted me and stated that the engine wasn't lubricated and that i had never changed the oil resulting in the engine block being cracked. I told the owner that i regularly changed the oil and he told me "There is no way the oil was ever changed since we gave you the vehicle and I have pictures to prove it!". I told him I would not continue paying for the vehicle and i will come to get my belongings out of it. I have spent approximately $3,000 in payments and another $1,500 in my own repairs as the dealership couldn't figure out the issue in months prior to the major failure. I replaced the radiator, water pump, thermostat, and even had the coolant lines flushed and checked for exhaust in the coolant. All of my repairs had come up empty handed as none of the things i did fixed the fact the vehicle continued to overheat periodically. I would like to recover the money for the payments in the amount of $3,000 as the dealership failed to repair my vehicle resulting in a major failure. I had to rent a vehicle through budget rentals for the time being in the amount of $321 every 2 weeks continuing forward as I do not have another vehicle to use. I would just like to recover my loss of the payments for this vehicle.

  

  Business response

  01/27/2025

  
  Dear Sir:
  We are in receipt of the aforementioned claim and appreciate tje opportunity to respond.
  On May 20,2024, Mr. ***** leased a 2013 ***** ******* from our company. It is important to
  note that this is a lease and our company is the Lessor (owner) of the vehicle and that Mr. **** is
  the Lessee.
  At the time the lease agreement was entered, tlie vehicle had a11 odometer reading of 155,533
  miles. From the date of the lease and original mileage, our company issues a 3 month 13,000
  mile powertrain warranty, as well as provide other vehicle service perks - specifically 250
  rewards points that are equivalent to $250 and can be utilized for any future service on the
  vehicle. Additionally, a client can earn additional rewards points with timely lease payments.
  This rewards program is designed to assist our customers with general maintenance during the
  time of their lease.
  Post-sale, Mr. **** did have some service issues which were addressed at that time and which lie
  was not charged for. The work performed was covered under "goodwill" and warranty terms.
  The vehicle in question was last serviced by our company on July 24,2024.
  On January2 1, 2025, Mr. ***** had the vehicle towed in to our facility and claimed the vehicle
  had overheated and the engine shut down. At this time, the vehicle odometer reading was
  190,275 miles. Mr. **** had driven the vehicle 34,742 miles in 8 months - an average of
  4,342 mileslmonth, or 52,113 miles annualized. A M averages for annual mileage range from
  15,000 - 17,000 miles per year, Mr. **** had driven 3 times the AAA average. As noted
  above, the mileage limitation under the terms of thewarranty is 3,000 miles. Based upon the
  34,742 miles that Mr. **** operated the vehicle, it was no longer covered under the warranty.
  When the vehicle arrived at our facility, our lead technician was assigned to diagnose the vehicle.
  He discovered that the oil in the vehicle  was extremely low and black/sludgy. I11 addition to the
  oil, the oil filter appears to have never been changed - it was clogged with particulates and sludge
  to the point that it was completely solid and it had burnt oil on the exterior. I have attached
  photographs of the filter (as well as other photos to provide context for this response) as evidence
  of its condition. Mr. **** claims to have serviced thevehicle regularly, but 1 would challenge
  him to provide dates, mileage, and receipts for tlie service work done. Given the amount of miles
  he had driven, there should liave been approximately 8 oil changes performed (every 4,000
  miles). I doubt highly at this routine maintenance has been done.
  As an extension to the poor mechanical condition of the vehicle resulting from the deferred
  maintenance, I have attached photos of the interior of the vehicle for review. As you can see
  from them, the vehicle, as a whole, was not maintained at any level.
  To summarize the condition of the vehicle in simple terms, this engine failed due to lack of
  lubrication and was driven to failure. Subsequently, due to tlie engine failure, tlie vehicle can not
  be driven to determine the condition of the transmission, brakes, front and, or any other
  driveability metrics the vehicle might have.
  Mr. **** is seeking reimbursement in the amount of $3,000, which represents the approximate
  total of the lease payments lie made during the 8 month period he leased the vehicle. Our
  company has no legal obligation to reimburse Mr. **** as requested as he has not been denied
  the use of the vehicle. Quite the contrary, the vehicle was used/driven miles well in excess of
  normal operation. As noted earlier, Mr. **** had driven the vehicle 34,742 miles in 8 months,
  which is greater than the annual mileage allowance of 25,000 miles for a full year under the
  terms of the lease agreement. Furthermore, the party that has suffered a loss is EZ Own Auto.
  The vehicle in question is owned by EZ Own Auto, ,not Mr. ****. Mr. **** has driven the
  vehicle to failure and it's now worth less than $1,000, which means our company is losing an
  asset that would typically be worth approximately $8,000. The eventual disposal of the asset will
  result in a loss of an estimated $7,000 -the difference between the actual value in current
  condition and what it should be worth had the engine not been damaged beyond repair.
  Mr. **** is in default of his lease and it has been terminated. We have grounds to pursue legal
  action for the remaining lease payments based on this default. However, it is our practice not to
  pursue legal action against our clientele.
  Based upon the facts detailed above and the documentation provided, We will not be granting Mr.
  **** his request for reimbursement.
  Should you have any questions regarding this response, please feel free to contact me at * ******* *****
  S. P*****, GM
  EZ Own Auto, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  12/05/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The repo guy was very rude and mean said if I can pay a cellphone bill I can take a ****. It’s hard times right now. I had a agreement with owner to pay in full have the account current on Wednesday 12/7 They agreed I also put the insurance on as of today Monday. I want my vehicle it’s not even 30 days late.

  

  Business response

  12/06/2022

  Dear Sir or Madame: In response to this complaint, as of today, Ms. ***** retail installment contract is contractually delinquent for the November 4th, 2022 payment (32 days) and $600 in arrears.  Additionally, the collateral has no collision insurance coverage as required in the contract.  Both of these circumstances are events of default.  Further to the insurance coverage, there is collision damage in the amount of $2,082 per an adjustor's estimate dated August 17th, 2022 (when she still had insurance coverage) which has still not been repaired.  The account is delinquent and our company's collateral is impaired, which makes recovery justifiable as well as legal. As for Ms. ***** claim she had arrangements with the owner, myself, for payment arrangements for Wednesday, December 7th, 2022, that is false.  I have not spoken with Ms. *** since November 11th, 2022 at 12:40 PM.  Ms. *** refuses to call our office to discuss the account, so communication has been digital.  She was given until the close of business Friday, December 2nd, 2022 by one of my collection staff to bring the account current and provide proof of insurance.  She failed to do so and the account was assigned for recovery Monday afternoon, December 5th, 2022. With respect to her claims the tow truck driver was rude and mean to her, I can neither confirm nor deny.  At this point, it would fall under the "he said, she said" category of claim.  The recovery company is an independent contractor and works in conjunction with my partner.  I have been told by my partner, who was on the phone with the agent at the time of recovery and could hear Ms. ***, that she was rather animated and using colorful language. We don't condone any foul or offensive language from our staff or contractors.  If the agent used a snarky tone, perhaps it was in response to her behavior.  However, I will discuss the matter with the recovery comapany's management.  Ms. *** has the legal right to redeem her vehicle within ten (10) business days of the date of recovery.  To do so, she would need to pay the account current, pay any recovery and/or storage charges, provide proof of insurance, and have the collateral repaired (the existing collision damage).  We look forward to hearing from her regarding her redemption. Respectfully Gerald P*****, GM Discover Saratoga Capital / EZ own Auto 

  Customer response

  12/06/2022

  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.  Regards,  ******** ***  I have gotten my insurance in effect today and will come current with my payment as I get paid tomorrow on Wednesday. As for the damage I will have it repaired as I planned on purchasing this vehicle. I have asked for a break. As I was getting insurance taken care of and payments up to date.

  

  Business response

  12/06/2022

  Dear Sir or Madame: As noted in Ms. ***** response, she still has not met the requirements of the original retail installment contract or the conditions for redemption of the vehicle.  Payment has not been remitted, adequate insurance coverage has not been provided, and the collateral is still impaired.  She has ten (10) business days to comply.  The recovery was justifiable and legal.  Whether she chooses to accept or reject our response has no bearing on the current status of the transaction/account. Respectfully, Gerry P*****, GM Discover Saratoga Capital / EZ Own Auto 

*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. ↩