On July 3rd, I called MedVed to determine if I were eligible for a loan, and if they had the car that I wanted. It was yes to both
I went to the lot to sign the papers and pick up my car. I took it for a test drive, and it seemed fine. I work for GMAC, so I asked if it were GM Certified, and I was told "yes". I did not question further (stupid, trusting me). I signed the papers and I had my "new" car! (2006 Chevy Cobalt, the "only one" they had left, very odd) It had a 3-month bumper to bumper, and the original power-train, warranty.
About halfway home, as I was decelerating down a hill, the car started vibrating violently. It really scared me. I immediately called the sales guy, Frank, to tell him about it. He apologized and said he would set it up for me to come into the shop on the following Saturday to have it checked out. He said to call the next day so he could let me know that he had it set up for me.
I called Frank the next day and he assured me that the service department was expecting me on Saturday. Also, the financing department called me that day and they mysteriously were able to lower the price of the car. That was very strange
On Saturday, I drove the 2 hours to the shop (I live in the mountains). I got there, and Adam, the service manager, told me that they did not do anything but lube jobs on Saturdays, that they only had a light crew on duty. He said that Frank should have known that. I had to make an appointment for during the week. I agreed to leave the car there. I still had my old car, I had left it at the dealership, so I was able to drop my car off and still get home. I also work an hour from my home, so having that extra car was helpful.
It was determined that they needed to look at the brakes/alignment/etc, and check the steering column as it was making a strange rattling noise.
Later in the week I was informed that my car was fixed, that they had "turned" the rotors and replaced the steering column. I drove the 2 hours to pick up my car. A day later, I turned my old car over to the buyer that had graciously allowed me to keep it longer, even after it was paid for.
That weekend, I went for a drive. Coming down a hill, the car started shakingagain. It was Sunday, so I waited until Monday and called.instead of calling the sales person, I called Adam, the service manager, and told him what was going on. I also told him that my steering column was making a weird rubbing noise that wasn't there before. He said I needed to bring it in. I explained to him, again, about my constraints, and said that I would need a loaner car in order to get back and forth. There is no public transportation to and from my office, and it was an hour away from my house. He said that they didn't do that, but they would shuttle me to my office. This entailed me driving 2 hours to the shop, then another hour and a half to my office. Adam said that they "should" have it done by the end of the day. I could not be without my car. If it wasn't done, then I would be stranded at my office with no way home. I couldn't take that chance. I told him I would have to see what I could do.
I kept in touch with Adam over the next few weeks and kept telling him I had no way of getting to and from work without a car. He kept telling me that he couldn't give me a loaner, and I couldn't take the chance that they would take longer than a day (it was three the last time).
Adam called me one day, about two months into this back and forth and told me that I needed to get the car in soon. Finally, I was able to take a day off and get it in with the hopes that it would get fixed. I figured that if it wasn't, they'd have me stranded in their lot and have to do something. So I made the 2 hour drive to the shop. When I got there, Adam entered everything into the computer and printed out paperwork for me to sign. On it, it stated that I would have to pay about $100 for the inspection if I didn't have the repairs done, that the brakes were out of warranty and I would need to pay for those. I raised hell! I stated that the problem was there to begin with and I shouldn't have to pay for it. I also stated that I had a GM Certified car, and that the issues I needed fixed were not fixed prior to me buying the car. I asked again if the car was certified, and he assured me that it had been. So I asked for the paperwork showing it. He printed the "certification" inspection sheet and the repair history. I took them and left.
At some point, Adam also tried to tell me that the brakes were warped from me braking too hard down a hill.interesting that I've lived in the same place for years and have driven the same roads for years, and have never had that problem before. Also strange that it happened within 2 days of them being turned. Adam contradicted himself by suggesting that it was my fault, then saying that it wouldn't have happened in two days.
I called the sales guy the next day and told him what was going on. He assured me that it was a big mistake and he would take care of it. He called me back and said that they had a loaner car available and that service would make the repairs. The next day I again made the 2 hour trip and dropped off my car. I took the loaner car home, the one I've been told for weeks I couldn't get!
A few days later (a few days, not the one they promised, good thing I didn't have them shuttle me), they called and they had replaced the steering column, but refused to fix the brakes. It was out of warranty, and they refused to do anything about it. They did offer me half off any repairs I wanted done. I refused. I went to pick up my car, and they tried to charge me for the deductible on the steering column! They were only fixing what they broke to start with. I refused and demanded my car. The guy, not Adam, did not want to deal with me, so he asked the mechanic to bring up my car. To add insult to injury, they did not put down a mat, so I ended up with grease all over my floor-mat and a few other places in my car.
I sent an email to my sales guy and his boss detailing the issues. They never responded. The inspection sheet that I had did not indicate that it was GM, so I looked for one of GM Certified Inspection checklists and they were not even remotely close. I then checked their inspection against the repairs that were done. The person that test drove the car noticed the shaking, bad tires (I was told they were good by Frank), and some other things, but there were no repairs done to correct any of it.
I called GM to file a complaint. They called back and stated that the dealership told them that they never told me it was GM Certified and her hands were tied. I sent another email to the dealership. The sales guy, Frank, called me to say that he never told me it was GM certified. Yet I clearly heard him say it was. He insisted the they do a "Gold" inspection. Of course, it's useless if they don't make the repairs before they sell the car.
The inspection sheet that they provided me showed that they knew there were issues to begin with. And the steering column rubbing didn't start until they replaced it. They should have fixed these problems. But they won't. Now, I have a dirty car with brake and steering wheel problems (the rubbing is still there).
I have filed with the BBB. If it isn't resolved through there, I will file a lawsuit, I have already covered it with my attorney. Their practices are unethical to say the least. If anyone else is interested in comparing notes, let me know. I plan on pulling up everything on here that I find to show that they are scam artists. I was a girl with poor credit and they had a broke down rental they needed to unload
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