Uncle Mel's Used Car Clearance Center
Uncle Mel's Of Plantation - Global Auto Sales Ripoff Bait and Switch Spent over $4000 in repairs

On 12/17, I purchased a 2001 Huyndai Elantra from Uncle Mel's Used Car Clearance Center, with an $1100 down payment. I then purchased new front and rear brakes, headlights and two new tires for said car, which cost me over $1000. At the time of purchase, I signed paperwork for two separate finance companies, as the salesperson was not sure which one of them would approve me. On 12/28, I received a call from said dealer, telling me that I needed to come in for more paperwork. When I arrived at the dealer, I was told that the financing on my car fell through, neither bank would finance me, and I either needed to come up with more money for a down payment so that they could finance me in house, or get a different car. As I had no further money to put down on the car, because I had spent it on putting the other car in good driving condition, I was forced into a 2000 Dodge Stratus, or they told me they would keep the down payment. They refused to provide me with letters of denial of credit, thus violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act. They also refused to provide me with the names, addresses and phone numbers of the banks involved, and did not provide me with copies of the paperwork I signed for each of the banks, because the credit was denied.

I immediately took the car to my mechanic for inspection, and was told that it needed 4 new tires, a new tie rod, a complete rear brake job, a new coolant overflow jug, and that it had a motor in it from a junk yard. I took the car back the next day (because my contract said I had 24 hours to cancel the deal), and was told that I could buy the parts and they would do the labor for free, or I could leave it at the dealer as a voluntary repossession, and they would again get to keep my down payment. They made no mention of reimbursing me for the work I paid for on the Huyndai, which the dealer has since sold. I told the sales manager that as long as the car was reliable, and I didn't break down on the side of the road, that would be fine. The sales manager told me that I would not break down because the car was in great condition.

5 days after I signed the contract on that car, it overheated and broke down in the middle of traffic. I had it towed by AAA to my mechanic, who told me the water pump was leaking. The dealer towed it to their shop and had it for a week before it was fixed, I got it back on 01/09. They paid for the tow to their shop, and replaced the water pump and timing belt. I did not have to pay for that repair.

On 01/13, The car again overheated on me and stalled in the middle lane of rush hour traffic on Cypress Creek Rd. The Fort Lauderdale police came and helped me move the car off the road and waited again until AAA arrived to tow the car. While waiting for the tow truck to arrive, I called the dealer several times, and was transferred to their service manager's cell phone, which he did not answer and could not receive messages on. Since I could not reach the dealer, I had the car towed to my personal mechanic again, and he fixed it the next day, replacing the radiator cap, thermostat and flushing the cooling system. I then got the car back on 1/16, and paid $94.96 for that repair.

On 01/20, the car overheated again and broke down. I had it towed a third time to my personal mechanic, who diagnosed the car as having a blown head gasket. I called the dealer on 01/21, who said they would have the car towed to their shop, and they would work on getting me into another car. The car was towed to the dealer's shop, by their tow truck contractor, on 01/23, and their shop agreed with my mechanic that it had a blown head gasket. They claimed that they were going to repair the car, but had no estimate as to when it would be fixed.

While all these repairs were being made on the Stratus, I was making weekly payments to the dealer, to the total of $412. That, plus the $1100 down, plus the $94.96 in repairs on the car now at their shop, and over $300 in repair on the car that they resold, would have purchased me a decent used car in cash.

After all of that, they still REFUSED to give me my money back, and forced me into a 1999 Volkswagen Passat, for which they made me give them an additional $500 down, still did not reimburse me for any repairs on the other cars, and made me feel like they were doing me a favor, and said that I should have to wait for the repairs on the Stratus to be finished. The Passat broke down on 01/26, TWO DAYS after I purchased it. They towed it to their shop, told me it had an electrical problem, then put a rebuilt engine into it, after having it for two months. I also mentioned that the airbag light was on, and was told not to worry about it. I got it back in April and shortly after that, it broke down again, needing a new neutral safety switch (which they claimed to have replaced), a new turbo and two new tires, which I had to have my mechanic repair, because they refused to. Furthermore, I paid the manager of the dealer $150 for tires which were never put on the car, and $300 for the replacement of a switch. I paid over $3000 for the repairs from my mechanic. My mechanic also mentioned that the airbag system is faulty, and that should I have an accident in the car, the airbags will not deploy. Total cost for that repair is going to be over $3000.

Furthermore, the dealer and I signed an affidavit authorizing them to transfer my tag from a previous car to this one, and it was to be delivered to me within 30 days. They never did so, and I have been unable to find out what to do, since they had a NEW registration issued for the car and never delivered the tag to me. I received a ticket on 09/05/06 for the expired tag (which expired 08/28/06), and I called everyone I could think of to complain. Once I reached the owner of my finance company, who is friends with the manager for this car dealer, I actually received a response. I picked up the now expired registration on 09/08/06, and renewed it the next day online. I did not have to pay for the new registration, as the manager took the $150 I paid him for tires that I never received to pay for the registration, which was done without my consent or authorization.

Upon further research, I discovered that the dealer is in violation of the FTC used car rule, because they DO NOT post buyer's guides in any of the cars that they have for sale on the lot, nor do they properly disclose the warranty that they offer on their paperwork (they omit how the price of repair will be determined). They do give buyers a copy of the Buyer's Guide at the time of purchase (when the paperwork is signed). They refused to respond to a Better Business Bureau complaint, so I am filing complaints with the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and the Broward County Consumer Protection division of government. I tried to resolve this amicably at the suggestion of the DMV complaint agent, but so far, the only other option I am being given is to get another car, again with no mention of refunding me the over $4000 I have had to spend on repairs. If I had over $4000 just laying around, I would have taken it to a NEW car dealer and bought a NEW car with that as a downpayment. Just because I have bad credit doesn't mean people should take advantage of me!

Company: Uncle Mel's Used Car Clearance Center
Country: USA
State: Florida
City: Plantation
Address: 501 S State Rd 7
Phone: 9547977877

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