Russell of Floresville, TX on May 18, 2009
In September of 2008 I returned from Iraq and needed a car. So I went to Northwest Dodge on HW 290 in Houston. I had bought a van there several years before from a retired Navy Chief who was working as a salesman and got a fair deal. So, I thought that was the general policy of the dealership.. boy was I wrong!
I considered buying either used or new. I had selected 3 autos that I was interested in. Of the three, my Avenger was supposed to...
* be a 'certified pre-own' (guys, don't ever believe someone when they say this, its a scam)
* came with the remainder of the 3/36 (it was a 2008 w/ less than 32k miles) warranty.
* came with a transferrable 100k powertrain warranty.
I questioned the "As Is" paper. I was told that the "As Is" meant that the dealer was not providing any additional warranty beyond the 3/36 and 100k powertrain provided by Dodge. They pointed out that, without buying an extended warranty that the AC would not be covered, and that's what "As Is" meant in this context. It made sense, right? If its under the 3/36 than it does indeed come with a warranty, so their explanation sounded plausible.
It was the more expensive of the three, but the cost was justified supposedly because it was 'just like a new car'. I decided to purchase this car SOLELY on this differentiating factor (the powertrain warranty).
In fact, we discussed a new truck because it came with a 'lifetime' power-train warranty, but I was assured that this car's 100k power-train was transferrable.
Well, the salesman could have been mistaken, but I discussed the transferable warranty with both the sales manager and the finance guy (who tried to push me into a 3rd-party stated-coverage junk warranty). I told him "I don't need it, I want to transfer the powertrain warranty and that will be sufficient." So, at several opportunities they could have clarified any misunderstandings, but it was their plan to lie to me all the way to the end (and hide behind the "As Is" later).
The next day, I came back to the dealer and asked for the transfer paperwork because there was nothing in my packet. I was told by the sales desk that all I needed to do was call a 1-800 number (that he gave me) and talk to Dodge and the transfer is done over the phone. So I called and talked to the "Dodge Agent" who assured me everything was good-to-go. I now believe that I never actually spoke with Dodge, but was calling a 1800 number to the dealer with someone working the scam on the other end to keep customers in the dark.
In January - AFTER THE 3-DAY CANCELLATION PERIOD - their story suddenly changes. Of course, they're willing to help me resolve the issue by (1) selling me the crap warranty they tried to sell me before for $3k or (2) giving me 1/2 the value in trade (rolling the other half onto the new loan) towards buying a new truck. I guess they thought I was still as gullible as I was in October. Either way, solving their deceit involved me parting with large bundles of cash to fix it for them.
So.. this sounds like a dealer only issue, right? Well, this dealer is in good standing with Dodge. I filed a formal complaint about this to Dodge. Guess what I got... silence.. not even a "go-away" letter. They flat out don't give a damn what their dealers do under their brand.
