Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  03/21/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Purchased 2005 ***** Civic VIN ***************** on 1/10/2023 for $7,000. Carfax value $2150. On 12/31/2022 ******** **** if Lubbock, a Cavender Family Dealership, performed pre-owned service check which included cooling system treatment. On 6/14/2022 the previous owner, *********************, took the car to *********************************, complaining of engine overheating. I experienced overheating on multiple occasions throughout 2023/2024 and took the car to *********** on 2/21/2024. They advised that the car had a history of overheating and that they advised *************** the fix would be replacing blown head gasket. *************** took the car back to *********** on 12/22/2022 for service and then traded the car in at Cavenders. On 3/19/2024 I called the sales manager, ****, at Cavenders to discuss and **** advised there is nothing we can do. The car was sold as is. He said that he would speak to the General Manager and would call me back that day. I have not heard from ****. This car is my 10th *****. Its exactly like my 8th ***** that unfortunately was totaled. I love this car and am disappointed that it was sold to me in the condition it was/is in. I paid twice what it was worth due to the Covid supply and demand issues. I just want it fixed.

  Customer response

  03/22/2024

  I didnt see these subjects in my initial filing   Filling in now   

  Nature of Complaint:
  Repair Issues
  Date Problem Occured: 6/14/22 with previous owner; ongoing with me, since purchase
  Date(s) Complained:
  3/19/24 ****, sales mgr
  Purchase Date:
  1/10/23
  Salesperson:
  **** (no longer there) 
  Product/Service:
  None Provided
  Model #:
  None Provided
  Account #:
  None Provided
  Order #:
  None Provided
  Purchase Price:
  $7000.00
  Payment:
  Credit card

  
  

  Customer response

  03/22/2024

  Estimate for repairs from ********************* just to advise you of the damage.  I am 64. Living off of Social Security  income.  I thought I was buying a reliable car.  My 10th ******  

  Customer response

  03/28/2024

  Car was overheating again today.  Eventually it wouldnt start and I had to have it towed to my sons mechanic, Juniors ******. I cant afford to repair this car and I really regret buying it.  It shouldnt have been sold in this condition.  Id love for ********************* to pick up the car and fix it.  Address is in the attachment regarding towing.  

  Business response

  04/12/2024

  We can defiantly help fixing your car give us a call, we tried calling you thank you.

  Customer response

  04/12/2024

  I have reviewed the business response and accept this resolution. Would love to get my car repaired. 
  I have no messages from Cavendars.  
  

  Customer response

  04/12/2024

  This is not resolved.  The Cadillac GM has said that I need to talk to the ******** GM, because I bought the car at the ******** dealership.  He said he would have them call me but I have not heard anything.  
  Not resolved.  

  Customer response

  04/16/2024

  Issue not resolved.  Have not heard from GM at Cavender *********  Had to tow the ***** to a mechanic over two weeks ago due to overheating, eventually wouldnt start.  This was an issue with the car before I bought it.  Still an issue.  

  Customer response

  04/22/2024

  This still is not resolved.  I havent heard from Cavenders.  My car has been towed to a mechanic but has not been repaired, Im waiting on Cavenders as their previous message via this file gave me the impression that they would fix it since it shouldve been fixed before it was sold.  Need prompt attention. Thanks.  

  Business response

  04/24/2024

  Thank you for reaching out regarding the current status of your vehicle repair. We understand your concerns and appreciate your patience as we address this matter.
  Upon reviewing your case, it's important to clarify that the vehicle was sold to you "as is," and all necessary repairs that were identified at the time of sale were completed. Our records indicate that the vehicle underwent a thorough inspection and any issues requiring attention were addressed prior to the sale.
  However, we understand that unexpected issues may arise after purchase, and we empathize with your current situation. While we are not obligated to provide further repairs beyond what was initially agreed upon, we are committed to assisting you to the best of our ability.
  Please be assured that we take customer satisfaction seriously,and we will do our utmost to help facilitate the resolution of this matter. We will contact you shortly to discuss potential options and determine the best course of action moving forward.
  Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Your satisfaction is important to us, and we appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns.

  Customer response

  04/24/2024

  I have reviewed the business response and accept this resolution. 
  My prayer is that the car will be repaired to satisfactory condition because as is was not disclosed as far as the overheating condition that the previous owner and mechanic were aware! Your service department should have seen the issue at the time it was serviced.  

  Customer response

  04/26/2024

  This issue is resolved without participation from Cavenders.  I spoke with ****** in service and he offered to fix the car at 10% over cost but I feel the car shouldnt have been sold in the overheating condition it was in.  The previous owner shouldve been honest about issues.  Im still not happy about paying $7000 which was more than half of the cars value.  
  Not happy but this report is closed.  

• Initial Complaint

  09/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a vehicle from this dealership in August 2023. During the process of buying this vehicle, I was informed the windshield on the vehicle was cracked and that they were going to replace the windshield. After buying the car, the dealership said I can take the car home and they will send me a check for the amount of a new windshield so I can get it replaced myself. It has been 2 months and I still havent received a check. When I call them, no one answers and I have to leave message after message. Ive texted the salesman I got the car from, and still no answers. They are giving me the run-around. Not to mention they didnt even have the vehicle serviced before I took it home. I had to get my own oil change and maintenance done after they told me they were going to do it but didnt do it. I was also supposed to be reimbursed for this on top of the check for the windshield and I havent received anything. I just wish I hadnt bought the car from them now.

  Business response

  10/10/2023

  ************** reached out to me on the 26th of September.  He mentioned that he was promised a check that was never delivered. I got with out accounting team and dispersed a check to him. In the attached is his Fed Ex tracking to show we have re mailed a check to his address. 

• Initial Complaint

  06/29/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  All of the details of my complaint are included in the attachment. Here is a brief overview:We began working with Cavender Cadillac of Lubbock on October 5, 2022 when our daughter's Cadillac SRX quit running. The determined issue was that the engine needed to be replaced. They had the vehicle until December 13, 2022. When they discovered it was the engine, they quoted us a price of $10448.28. When they called to inform us that the service work was complete, we were told the total was several thousand over the estimate. After expressing frustration about the discrepancy multiple times, we finally agreed on $12954.05. I was not happy with it still being $2500 more than they told, especially when the estimate was already extremely high and they had the vehicle for so long. Flash forward to the end of March 2023 when the car AGAIN had to be towed again to them because it was seeming to behave similarly. They called us and told us that it was again the issue and that in order to assess and "prove" it was a faulty engine so that the warranty would be honored, they would need to complete disassemble the car, communicate the issue with Cadillac/GM and then put in another engine. I was in disbelief. How did this possibly happen, and so soon after it was supposedly repaired. Since that time, it has been a nightmare. We expressed our frustrations to the business multiple times and the only resolution we have seen up to now is they finally found a loaner car for my daughter, although it was not given until the car had been in the shop for TWO months. We sent a complaint to Cadillac company customer care with complete description of the situation and our complaint, and we have not heard back, two months later. We are now about to begin month FOUR that they have had the vehicle and nothing. AND, the only time we communicate with the business is when we reach out FIRST. Customer # ***** Invoice # ***************************** ************* Case # ************. More details attached.

  Business response

  06/29/2023

  Hello ***********************,

  My name is ******************************* and I am the General Manager for Cavender Cadillac of Lubbock.  I wanted to reach out personally and address this complaint and acknowledge that I have read your experience regarding the situation with the vehicle we are servicing for you.  I would like to apologize for the breakdown in communication as you stated that any follow up or updates have not met your expectation which is something we definitely have never intended that to be the case.

  I looked into your case for your original work order and the current one we have here at the dealership.  The hardest thing to explain is the slower process on engine replacements is that the process is so time consuming.  To make a long story short we have to break down an engine level by level until it hits "failure".  We have to relay these tear downs step by step and send in the progress and wait for a reply to continue to breakdown to the complete failure.  In your particular vehicle we have been able to verify that it was an internal part failure.  I comprehend why you would feel like that was the obvious answer but from time to time their have been cases where an engine failed due to customer inflicted damage (which we would not be saying that about your particular situation) which makes us have to put that "disclaimer" out.  

  We have placed an order for your replacement engine and are awaiting an update for it's availability.  Please note that there is 0 gain for us as a business to have your vehicle 1 more minute than needed as it is a vehicle that occupies a bay that could be used for other vehicles.  We check on back order or pending parts daily so we can continue to move work forward and complete jobs.  I do greatly apologize that the engine had that failure, but it is something out of our control as a dealership.  I will own though any breakdowns in communication as we do control that, and for that I apologize and will take corrective actions to address this and learn from this.

  Your business is greatly appreciated and your job is a top priority to us.  We want to continue to take care of your daughters vehicle and are very compassionate to the situation as most of us are parent's and can understand the anxiety of this for you and your husband.  If you would ever like to speak with me directly please do not ever hesitate to reach out to me at the dealership.  I will be more than glad to provide you my personal cell also if you do not mind calling me at the dealership.

   

  Respectfully,

  *******************************

  General Manager

  Cavender Cadillac of Lubbock

  Customer response

  07/03/2023

  I am rejecting this response because:   there is only acknowledgement of the lack of communication from the business.  It does not discuss the time it took to fix the vehicle the first time (Oct-Dec). During that time we were notified that part of the problem that delayed it was the first engine that was ordered was the wrong one. How could a car company who has the vehicle and VIN# not order the correct engine. It also does not acknowledge the fact that they quoted us one price up front (in October) and then the final cost was $2500 MORE than the estimate and that was ONLY after I argued the price with the company several times because it was so far off of the original estimate. I have researched this issue and legally, they should have honored the estimate price that they quoted me. /

  Jumping forward to now and they have had the care MORE than 3 months.  When we had it towed there the second time, we were told that they did not have a loaner vehicle to give us. I understand that kind of thing happens, BUT the car was back needing service because of an issue related to a VERY recent repair that cost ALOT of money. To compensate for this problem and to provide good customer service, they should have AT LEAST offered to help offset costs to rent a vehicle. When they discovered the problem the second time, they told us that because the repair was the engine and the engine would need to be pulled apart before they could install a new one, it would be 6 months because of the number of vehicles requiring extensive repairs and we were number eight in line. We did find out a few weeks later that that timeline was incorrect. HOWEVER, because the issue was a direct result of the engine they placed in the car, I would have liked to think that they would make every effort to move us ahead of others to, again, provide good customer service.  The original service person that we were working with left the business not long after the car was in the second time.  For a moment my husband talked to a manager and he assured us that they were going to try to move it up in the line.  That didn't happen. After a month, we still did not have a loaner car from the business. This inconvenience caused our family to make adjustments on our vehicle situation and had to drive back and forth from ******** to Lubbock multiple times so family members could have a car when needed.  This created wear and tear and lots of gas to do this.  After about the month, a new employee, *****, began working and became our go to contact. He has been great! Although there is still virtually no communication, he was able to find a loaner for us. The next issue was because our daughter would be using it, as she did the first time, they could not authorize it because she was under 25.  Again, another battle. Thankfully, ***** fought for us and was able to get the car to us towards the end of May.  Now, here we are the beginning of July and we are still waiting for the car to be repaired and we have been given no estimate as to when it will be done. 

  The lack of the business attempting to make things right with the hefty cost the first time and the lack of urgency in repairing it this second time has been so frustrating and irritating. Everyone that we have discussed this ordeal with has said we should be battling with this company. We have not done that at this point.  We have complained directly to them without much effort to right their wrongs.  Then, we submitted a complaint to Cadillac/GM Company and we have not heard a word in the 2+ months since it was sent.  

  Business response

  07/13/2023

  Thank you so much for the reply back.  While I can empathize with you and agree with the frustrations we would have hoped that there would be some understanding that parts availability is not something we can control. 

  I agree that they should have sent in the first engine with the correct one in the box, but we do not handle parts distribution or loading at the plant level.  We do have to be the ones that relays that message to the customer though once it arrives, which makes us the only person to talk to and vent and express your dissatisfaction to.  We share in your frustrations regarding those things for sure.  I can not speak to the transaction during your first interaction last year as I was not employed here. But reading your original complaint did prompt us to try and shuffle our very limited amount of loaners that we have, especially one that would be going out for a longer duration of time.

  I do know that the engine for your vehicle arrived and is being installed and will be going through its finals steps before releasing it back to your daughter or yourself if you make the trip down to Lubbock.  I do prefer to speak over the phone if at possible and make myself available to you if you would like to call as reading an email sometimes can be interpreted in a manor which is not as intended.  My office number is ************.

  Thank you,

  *******************************

  Customer response

  08/20/2023

  We received our vehicle back from the dealership (for the second time) on July 18 (when it was taken to them on March 27). The invoice we received from the service center stated that the issue that required service was the engine due to "damage of the crankshaft".  At that time the engine was replaced as well as "injector seals, oil filter, housing gasket, water pump gasket, thermometer gasket, water outlet seal, fuel pump gasket, fuel coolant".  The invoice also mentioned that the oil had metallic material in it.  On August 6, the check engine light came on. We did not drive the vehicle from August **** and on August 11, when it was next driven, the error light remained on and it began making the exact same sound as when we had to take it in to get serviced. So, on August 14, we had it towed AGAIN to Cavender Cadillac of Lubbock.  When they received the vehicle and called my husband to find out the concern/issue, he explained what was going on and that we were NOT happy and that he (my husband ***) wanted to speak with the general manager (******************************* who was the person who responded to my complaint previously).  In the meantime, *** got a text with a video attached from the mechanic who looked at the vehicle to determine the problem.  The video showed that AGAIN there was a crankshaft issue and gasket issues and that there was an issue with the coolant which most often is a result of a break or crack somewhere in the engine.  SO basically all of the issues THIS time are again a result of engine issues, which Cavender supposedly fixed both the first and second times the car was serviced.  I am BEYOND angry! This again means that the car is not driveable and needs repair. Also, once again, there was not a loaner vehicle available for my daughter to use and she begins classes at ********************* this Thursday, August 24.  Cavender has done NOTHING to try to compensate or make up for the money, time, inconvenience that this entire experience has caused. Also, since this is the THIRD time that the car has needed repairs AND the problem this time seems almost identical to the problem the second time (after Cavender "fixed" and repaired the engine), it seems plausible that some of the issue is direct result of the work they are doing.  My husband and I are currently in town for the weekend and leaving tomorrow, Monday, August 21, 2023 but before we leave we are going to try our VERY best to go to the business and speak to ****** in person.  This whole thing is completely unacceptable!!

*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. ↩