My son, who is paralyzed, answered an ad on craigslist for a used 1997 Mercedes-Benz E320 that was advertised as being in super condition. He made arrangements for me to see the car on July 11, 2014 around 11 or 12. "Tyler" showed up with his dog and the car, with all the windows down, which I thought was odd since it was a really hot day, creeping up to 90. I asked a lot of questions about the vehicle and was assured that it was dependable, never had any issues with it, had it serviced at Mercedes at 130,000 miles, had a clean title and we settled on a price of 2650. Then out of the blue he said the title was in his grandfather's name but his father owned a dealership so we could go there and do all the paperwork. I noticed that the A/c was not working, the back tail light was out and the spare tire was not in the trunk but on the rear passenger side.
when I was presented with the paperwork the sales price stated 1650, plus the other costs, 2039 total. I gave them the funds and told them I was concerned about the A/c and tail light, was assured it was just burned out and the air just needed a can of air conditioner refresher. Wrong on both counts, I also asked to see the title and his grandfather replied gruffly "it's clean" I had a friend with me who witnessed the entire bizarre experience. As soon as I got into the car the dash displayed "Tail light malfunction" so I went back in and asked for a refund.
Again they told me it was just burned out, went out to the vehicle, hit the reset button which cleared the dash but still no tail lights. At that point in our state a dealer is not allowed to let a car leave with safety issues. We stopped at Napa and got 4 bulbs and a can of air conditioner refresher, but neither worked. Not true. I called Tyler and told him it did not fix it and I was very unhappy. Later that evening he sent me a text message that said "I believe they only charged you 1650, when we agreed on 2650...please contact me asap thank you" so when I got the message the next morning I called him and I told him I thought they did it on purpose because of the issues I pointed out. I gave him another 800 and asked him about re-doing the paperwork, to make it legal. They never did. So the state was sent under reported revenue.
Next thing I know I have a dead battery, called Tyler to ask him where the battery was located, and he knew right off it was under the rear passenger seat. I got it jumped, went to the grocery store and it sat until I could get it to the mechanic's a few days later. When I tried to start the car it was dead again. I got it jumped and off to the mechanic's we go.
Took it to a mechanic that they recommended who called me back 5 hours later and he said "that car needs a new home, there are so many issues with it. It needs a new transmission, electrical work, the CAM system is broken, the a/c is totally fried, big draw on the battery and of course the tail light malfunction was caused by plastic that had melted into the square frame. I went back to the dealer and told them that according to WA law, I was entitled to my funds back. They started hemming and hawing and said well, we want you to be happy, so the options we can come up with is working out a deal to fix it with the mechanic or trading it in for another car on the lot. I asked if someone could show us cars on the lot and Cindy, who sits at the front desk barked at me "No, there's no one who can help you now. Now mind you, there were 2 men in the back room, and two other people in the front besides Cindy, so we looked a little bit and left. They had said they would have an resolution for me in a day or two. After numerous phone calls and not getting anywhere my friend drove me there and the grandfather was not there, although I am sure he was in the back room, and he would call me. Never got a call. So I called on the second day of waiting and he said if I gave them another 290 they could sell me an extended warranty that would cover all the problems. I called the warranty company and found out that was not true, The car was older than 2000 and had over 100,000 miles so I could only qualify for the package that would only fix the transmission. Here's the kicker...no pre-existing conditions. So I called the dealer again and Cindy 'said he was not there but I needed to stop in and get an application for the extended warranty. I explained what I found out, and that I am not going to lie and commit fraud to get it fixed, I said i demanded a refund. Every time I have called since then, he is always at lunch or on a test drive.
I reported them to the BBB, who had 2 complaints already with another one of their companies, and they never responded to anyone. Then I filed a complaint with the Attorney General's office, and they sent them a notice, which I am sure they will ignore just like they do to everyone else. I found complaints at yelp.com, the BBB, and Buildzoom.com where the compaints were against their other company, Affordable NW Exteriors, and the second complaint there said they also bought a car from them that only ran for 2 days. The last conversation I had with Cindy I told her that the warranty would do no good, and her reply was, well I don't know what to tell you.
I am very concerned about how these people run their businesses, I checked the Superior Court cases in Clark County, WA and was horrified to see how many times they have been to court for many issues, from financial institutions suing them to them not handling their business with L&I. I have sent my second demand letter today. I am sure they will not pick up any registered or certified mail, just like they did to a girl who complained at yelp.com.
In WA we don't have a used car lemon law, but there are other avenues in place, the Consumer Protection Act, FTC rules and the UCC. They broke them all in this transaction. They even wrote 0.0 on the bill of sale, there was no buyers guide in the vehicle as it is supposed to be posted.
When I did a VIN check I saw that the car had several collisions and was also marked on one of them as disabled. Tyler said that he had been driving the car for 10 months and never had any issues. Wrong. The last transaction on the VIN report was June 23, 2014. I would never have even stepped into it had I not been lied to.
So, take a look at the web sites I mentioned and Robert H, the second complaint on yelp, is almost identical to my nightmare. We need help, not just for us but for everyone else they scammed and new people that will fall for the same lies. So they broke almost every law in the books with me, from guaranteeing soundness of vehicle to a clean title. I have documented everything, transcripts from the text messages, and the voice mail that Tyler left me where he said thanks again for making it right, we are good now, to a list of all of their violations. We need help exposing these people. It is not fair to prey on consumers.
Tyler even went over to the mechanic and yelled at him for telling me the truth. They need to pay for their lies and deception, which goes against WA Rev codes 19.85.010 through 19.86.920.
As I said, I have all documentation from beginning to end to support my claim. They need to finally be held accountable. We are not wealthy. My son supports me, although he has not been allowed to get up and around in 6 years due to wounds from his 12 or 13 operations and procedures. I have no income, as I take care of him, so in return he pays rent and feeds me.
This has been so stressful for me that I am back on anti-anxiety medication. Can someone help us, please!
Victory Lane Motorcars Inc. Reviews
My son, who is paralyzed, answered an ad on craigslist for a used 1997 Mercedes-Benz E320 that was advertised as being in super condition. He made arrangements for me to see the car on July 11, 2014 around 11 or 12. "Tyler" showed up with his dog and the car, with all the windows down, which I thought was odd since it was a really hot day, creeping up to 90. I asked a lot of questions about the vehicle and was assured that it was dependable, never had any issues with it, had it serviced at Mercedes at 130,000 miles, had a clean title and we settled on a price of 2650. Then out of the blue he said the title was in his grandfather's name but his father owned a dealership so we could go there and do all the paperwork. I noticed that the A/c was not working, the back tail light was out and the spare tire was not in the trunk but on the rear passenger side.
when I was presented with the paperwork the sales price stated 1650, plus the other costs, 2039 total. I gave them the funds and told them I was concerned about the A/c and tail light, was assured it was just burned out and the air just needed a can of air conditioner refresher. Wrong on both counts, I also asked to see the title and his grandfather replied gruffly "it's clean" I had a friend with me who witnessed the entire bizarre experience. As soon as I got into the car the dash displayed "Tail light malfunction" so I went back in and asked for a refund.
Again they told me it was just burned out, went out to the vehicle, hit the reset button which cleared the dash but still no tail lights. At that point in our state a dealer is not allowed to let a car leave with safety issues. We stopped at Napa and got 4 bulbs and a can of air conditioner refresher, but neither worked. Not true. I called Tyler and told him it did not fix it and I was very unhappy. Later that evening he sent me a text message that said "I believe they only charged you 1650, when we agreed on 2650...please contact me asap thank you" so when I got the message the next morning I called him and I told him I thought they did it on purpose because of the issues I pointed out. I gave him another 800 and asked him about re-doing the paperwork, to make it legal. They never did. So the state was sent under reported revenue.
Next thing I know I have a dead battery, called Tyler to ask him where the battery was located, and he knew right off it was under the rear passenger seat. I got it jumped, went to the grocery store and it sat until I could get it to the mechanic's a few days later. When I tried to start the car it was dead again. I got it jumped and off to the mechanic's we go.
Took it to a mechanic that they recommended who called me back 5 hours later and he said "that car needs a new home, there are so many issues with it. It needs a new transmission, electrical work, the CAM system is broken, the a/c is totally fried, big draw on the battery and of course the tail light malfunction was caused by plastic that had melted into the square frame. I went back to the dealer and told them that according to WA law, I was entitled to my funds back. They started hemming and hawing and said well, we want you to be happy, so the options we can come up with is working out a deal to fix it with the mechanic or trading it in for another car on the lot. I asked if someone could show us cars on the lot and Cindy, who sits at the front desk barked at me "No, there's no one who can help you now. Now mind you, there were 2 men in the back room, and two other people in the front besides Cindy, so we looked a little bit and left. They had said they would have an resolution for me in a day or two. After numerous phone calls and not getting anywhere my friend drove me there and the grandfather was not there, although I am sure he was in the back room, and he would call me. Never got a call. So I called on the second day of waiting and he said if I gave them another 290 they could sell me an extended warranty that would cover all the problems. I called the warranty company and found out that was not true, The car was older than 2000 and had over 100,000 miles so I could only qualify for the package that would only fix the transmission. Here's the kicker...no pre-existing conditions. So I called the dealer again and Cindy 'said he was not there but I needed to stop in and get an application for the extended warranty. I explained what I found out, and that I am not going to lie and commit fraud to get it fixed, I said i demanded a refund. Every time I have called since then, he is always at lunch or on a test drive.
I reported them to the BBB, who had 2 complaints already with another one of their companies, and they never responded to anyone. Then I filed a complaint with the Attorney General's office, and they sent them a notice, which I am sure they will ignore just like they do to everyone else. I found complaints at yelp.com, the BBB, and Buildzoom.com where the compaints were against their other company, Affordable NW Exteriors, and the second complaint there said they also bought a car from them that only ran for 2 days. The last conversation I had with Cindy I told her that the warranty would do no good, and her reply was, well I don't know what to tell you.
I am very concerned about how these people run their businesses, I checked the Superior Court cases in Clark County, WA and was horrified to see how many times they have been to court for many issues, from financial institutions suing them to them not handling their business with L&I. I have sent my second demand letter today. I am sure they will not pick up any registered or certified mail, just like they did to a girl who complained at yelp.com.
In WA we don't have a used car lemon law, but there are other avenues in place, the Consumer Protection Act, FTC rules and the UCC. They broke them all in this transaction. They even wrote 0.0 on the bill of sale, there was no buyers guide in the vehicle as it is supposed to be posted.
When I did a VIN check I saw that the car had several collisions and was also marked on one of them as disabled. Tyler said that he had been driving the car for 10 months and never had any issues. Wrong. The last transaction on the VIN report was June 23, 2014. I would never have even stepped into it had I not been lied to.
So, take a look at the web sites I mentioned and Robert H, the second complaint on yelp, is almost identical to my nightmare. We need help, not just for us but for everyone else they scammed and new people that will fall for the same lies. So they broke almost every law in the books with me, from guaranteeing soundness of vehicle to a clean title. I have documented everything, transcripts from the text messages, and the voice mail that Tyler left me where he said thanks again for making it right, we are good now, to a list of all of their violations. We need help exposing these people. It is not fair to prey on consumers.
Tyler even went over to the mechanic and yelled at him for telling me the truth. They need to pay for their lies and deception, which goes against WA Rev codes 19.85.010 through 19.86.920.
As I said, I have all documentation from beginning to end to support my claim. They need to finally be held accountable. We are not wealthy. My son supports me, although he has not been allowed to get up and around in 6 years due to wounds from his 12 or 13 operations and procedures. I have no income, as I take care of him, so in return he pays rent and feeds me.
This has been so stressful for me that I am back on anti-anxiety medication. Can someone help us, please!