I contacted Discount Mobility USA from their website looking for a handicap van for my father in law. They had a Ford E-150 van for sale marked as "Special of the Month". I spoke to Michael and several other people on the phone and expressed my interest in the vehicle. We agreed on a price and they faxed me a contract to sign.
The contract stated that there was a deposit required but no amount was stated. I called and made arrangements to pick up the van with 2 one way tickets to Orlando from Wisconsin. Michael then stated the deposit would be $500.00 prepaid because he just realized he had the van on a long term lease with an older couple. I asked if he could get the "Special of the Month" van to his site to have me look it over and I added that the deposit would be refundable by my inspecting it because the van was being used daily as a rental and was not sitting on the lot as I thought from the ad.
I had already purchased 2 non refundable one way tickets to Orlando and Michael called me up the day before I was heading into Florida and went ballistic and said that he thought it over and they were making more money renting it out than if they sold it to me and it was no longer for sale. I checked their website and sure enough he had taken it off the for sale page.
Now I was stuck with 2 one way tickets to Orlando, nothing to drive back, and no rental car reserved. Michael told me I had not given him enough time to get the vehicle back from the renters. The fact is I had e-mailed him 35 days earlier requesting measurements and more information and he didn't see fit to respond till the 11th hour.
I tried to fix the situation by calling the owner Ira, he said he felt bad and the van SHOULD NOT have been listed for sale. Ira told me he should cover my extra expenses, but that was worth the paper it was written on. I stayed with a freind in Florida and gave them 10 extra days to get the van back and offered to pick it up on the way back to the airport and they blew me off and said it was not available anymore. "We're making too much money renting it out" Michael and Ira's words. What about the money I spent because of you're stupidity?
I feel I was RIPPED OFF because: I had to change my tickets the last minute to round trip and paid over $1,000 to do so. I also got stuck renting a car the last minute and paid through the nose because of the lack of vehicles during the Daytona 500 and Presidents week. I was supposed to be driving the "Special of the Month" I haven't heard back from Ira or Michael since. They need to take some classes on customer service and honesty. These two give a bad name to Car Salesman.
I would avoid them if I were you. They talk out sides of their mouths. Don't follow though when you ask for information and their contracts are lopsided in their favor. Go elsewhere.
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