Ill make it brief. I am in military. Resident of California, but moving from state to state obviously;job. I bought a car from this dealership in june it is now jan and still i have no registration. After showing me false documents of a smog inspection, and insuring me that I would be registered as a resident of california even though i was going to be out of state.
I contacted the DMV after waiting the alotted time allowing the DMV process to go through. DMV told me that the vehicle is pending smog and registered as non resident. Now I am in Texas since july and have making complaints since then. I submitted DMV invetigations and here it is...
Record of vehicle purchase with West Coast Wheels LLC (WCW).
Dealership: West Coast Wheels LLC
President: Omar Rodriguez cell phone 1-619-414-2557
Salesman: Joe/Fernando
Dealership broker: Larry
Phone: 1-858-654-2886
Fax: 1-858-277-2333
Address: 5135 Convoy Street
San Diego, Ca 92111
Issues:
-NO Registration - DMV hasn't received smog certificate and WCW attempted to register my vehicle as non-resident (specifically told them I am a resident)
-Bounce check from dealership no refund
-Contract for extended warranty through western general still not turned in.
I would like to start of by expressing the fact that I tried to work with the employees and the President of WCW to ensure that they had sufficient time to fix the problems I was having with the purchase of the Honda Prelude. As of today, the 14th of November I have yet to receive my actual registration from California due to mistakes or the lack of professionalism from WCW, refund of a bounced check I was given by WCW, and my contract for extended vehicle warranty through Western General has not been turned in.
I spoke with the salesmen, the dealership broker, and even the present of the company. Every time I explained my situation over again to each person they would ensure that the situation would be taken care of, but after weeks went by I did not even receive a phone call keeping me updated on my situation; which they ensure would occur.
I am disgusted by the quality of service I received after purchasing the vehicle with this company. I am unaware of the limits of what exactly I can do about this. At this time I am making a complaint with the DMV investigators, and will make a decision once I am aware of the options I have in regards to my situation.
When I was in the process of purchasing this vehicle I made it very apparent to the WCW employees that I am a Staff Sergeant in the United States Army, and I would be leaving California very shortly. I was only in town for vacation. Although, at the same time I am still a resident of California and I wanted my vehicle registered in the DMV as a resident to limit the amount of re-registration I would be forced to do, because of the numerous times I would be moving during my military career. Joe and Larry both expressed how they completely understood me and my concerns.
Up to date conversations with the employees of West Coast Wheels
5-7 June Test Drive and inspection
In the first few days of June my wife (Duyen Carr) and I stopped by WCW to view the vehicle that was at this time still for sale. The car had a tire blow out (stated by Joe) so we postponed the test drive. When we did test drive the car there were no apparent problems with the vehicle's performance. When tried to drive the car onto the freeway Joe said we are almost out of gas and I don't have my card on me so lets just keep it to the industrial roads around here then go back to the shop. There was some body work and parts still missing from the vehicle. The body kit was not paint matched to the vehicle and there was paint chipping. The driver side wheel was/is missing its splash guard (never received the part), the front turn signals were/are missing (never received the parts), the second radiator was missing (part received), center console interior piece was / is missing (part never received). They only thing Joe and Larry said would not be fixed was the body work. I was told by both of them that the other parts were in the garage, and they would have to wait for the mechanics to get back in order for me to be given those parts.
Prior to purchasing the vehicle I asked Joe and Larry if the vehicle was safety inspected and smog certified. They both told me that the vehicle passed both inspections, and then I was shown the inspection certificates by Joe. I also asked Joe and Larry if a tune up was done on the vehicle. I specifically asked if the air filter, fuel filter, and spark plugs were changed. They also told me that they were. Later I will cover the fact that I had a separate mechanics shop look check my filters and plugs. They were not changed, and I was shown the original stock fuel filter that was pulled from my vehicle.
8-9 June Bought the car
During the contract and agreements I was given a Non resident registration form to waive fees. I told both Joe and Larry that I was a resident of California and wanted to be registered as such. They ensured me that everything would be okay, and that the reason I was filling this form out was because I am military and I get a discount. I was told by Larry that they would file that registration paperwork with the DMV, and I would receive my plates in 30 to 60 days.
During the bargaining phase I requested that if the body work was going to be done that I receive some type of money back due to the fact that the car was not refurbished at all prior to resale. I was told by Larry that because we spent so much money getting the vehicle to pass smog they could not lower the amount of the vehicle or else they would see no profit. I then replied that that was understandable, as long as the parts mentioned above we given to me, and everything in fact was complete (i.E. Smog, safety, etc.). I drove the car off the lot that day. When I got on the freeway not even 2 minutes later the check engine light came on. I drove straight home. The next day I went back to the dealership, and explained the situation about the check engine light, and also I noticed the temperature gauge was not working.
I have some experience with automotive work, and I know in order to erase the check engine light with out fixing the problem you must disconnect the battery for more then 30 seconds. When you do this it erases data from the cars computer and also other electronic devices; when it dawned on me. Yesterday, when I drove the car off the lot I had to re enter the stereos theft code in order to get it to work. I got that from the owner's manual in the vehicle, which is why I did not bring that to Joe's or Larry's attention at the time.
I was directed by Larry to take it to their mechanics shop around the corner. During the time I spent at the shop I watched the mechanics that were working on my car. The quality of their work was unsatisfactory.
When I returned to the dealership I explained to Larry that I was unsatisfied. I had more concern for the reputation of the dealership being damaged due to the unprofessional conduct of the mechanics they had be paying to do their work for them. I told Larry I would be taking the car to a shop I could trust. He said that would be okay and that he would like to know what they say about the vehicle. I took the vehicle to Chris's Auto shop, and come to find out the fuel filter was original, the air filter was never changed, the spark plugs were shot, and the vehicle alignment was off. When the alignment was fixed the mechanics had to repair the right front camber in order to properly align the suspension of the vehicle. A pattern of contradiction to what I was being told by the employees of WCW was beginning to take form.
Between day of purchase and now.
With complete professionalism I brought the situation to Larry's attention again. He said he was going to discuss the situation with the president of the company, and get back to me. After calling the dealership daily a week went by, and they finally agreed to pay a percentage of the cost to repair my vehicle. I received a check from WCW for the amount of $230.in order for me to cash the check into my bank I had to mail it in (USAA Bank).
When the check was finally cashed it bounced, and I received insufficient fund fees from my bank. Again, I call Larry and he tells me that they had to close the account because some bank information was jeopardized. He said he would get with the President again, and get back with me.
After weeks went by, and numerous messages left with the secretary of WCW for Larry in regards to the situation at hand I realized that I would have to start looking into legal means of solving my situation. I contacted DMV investigations, and was told to record all contact with WCW and to notify them of my decision. Understanding that calling the dealership was not getting anything done; I called the president. On or around the 16th of August I called the president repeatedly leaving numerous messages regarding my situation. When Omar returned my call I explained the situation to him, and expressed my feelings in regards to the quality of service I was receiving from his employees. He assured me that he would handle the situation, and everything would be taken care of. Ever since that one phone call from Omar I have not heard from WCW since.
I called the DMV asking about my license plates, and why I have not received them. They informed me that they never received a smog certificate, and that the vehicle was being registered as a non resident. I also called Western General Auto Insurance, and they never received my contract from WCW. I told all of this to Omar when I spoke to him.
I am done trying to work with the employees of this company and also the President for that matter. They obviously have no concern for the amount of heart ache they have put me through. I tried to be patient and understanding with them, but the fact of the matter is it is almost the middle of November (almost six months later), and my vehicle is still missing promised parts, I have yet to be refunded the money that I did not receive from WCW, the insurance contract for my vehicle has not been turned into the proper places, and most of all I have no registration, because WCW took it upon themselves to register me as a non resident without smog certification.
The whole way in which this company has handled the situation, or should I say not handled the situation shows through the accounts that I have made during this time period. I would like to make it very obvious, and understandable that at no time was I ever contacted by any one from WCW in cooperation to solve my discrepancies. The whole six months. Except once in September, when the President, Omar Rodriguez, contacted me, and assured that everything would be taken care of. I am in the United States Army I need to have up to date registration for my vehicle in order to get on and off post. This has been nothing but a hardship on me and my family. I can not afford to be thrown on the back burner any longer with the service from WCW or their employees and President.
All information in regards to the sale and purchase of the vehicle is attached. I just want to get this situation solved, and behind me.
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