I was sent to Grossinger Chevrolet by a friend who insisted they were good people. I believed it because the friend was a Cook County Police Officer. He said they bought several squad cars from Grossinger. Yes, of course they didn't rip off the PD did they! But they sure ripped me off big time.
In October I went there accompanied by my friend. He told them to treat me right, they assured him they would. Here's how wonderful they were to me. First I wanted to know what they could do for me, since I had less than perfect credit due to having to file bankruptcy after spending over $17,000 on a divorce, and then taking the dead beat back to court over child support and contempt for not paying any of his half of the outstanding debt. And he is now ended a 5 yr felony probation for owing $35,000 in back child support. Which even now he still owes $20,000 and they have done nothing to him even though he was to have paid it all by now or go to jail for 4 yrs. But that's another issue, just explains why I ended up having to file bankruptcy. For those of you who will say like the responder to one I just read, that it was my own fault for my bad credit and I expect a dealer to hand me a car under the same terms as someone who actually pays their debts and deserves to be treated better than I do! That's bull from the get go!
When I first sat down with Andrew (special financing dept for us worthless customers) he treated me as if I was a VIP. Promising that he could get me into a vehicle I would like and drive it home that day. But the only vehicle he wanted to sell me was an 07 Cobalt, plain Jane, no power options nothing. My payments would have been $360 month. I didn't like any of the ones he showed me, and he couldn't get me into anything else new on the lot. I left. The next day he called me and told me that they had a lot full of late used vehicles and that he could put me into something with low miles and low payments no problem, come on back in. I drove the hour up there again, decided on an 05 Chevy Colorado Ext. Cab. Which did not show a price on the window. I was told it was $15,000 and they could put me in it for $275 mo. Paymts. I sat in Andrews cube while he talked to the finance dept. And after 2 hrs. They tell me that they need a copy of my discharge, and wanted me to drive all the way back home and bring it back that same night. Like a fool, I did, even had a neighbor drive me there so I could drive home in the new car they swore I would take home with me. When I got there, they told me that the paperwork I brought which said at the top "discharge, US Fed. Bankruptcy Court" was not good enough, that I had to call my attorney and have him fax them some other paper.
Of course that would have to wait until the next day when the attorney office was open. I did not drive home with the vehicle. I decided to forget it and go somewhere else. But low and behold, 2 days later, Andrew calls me back again, telling me that my truck was ready to go, detailed and sitting there waiting for me to come finish the deal and take it home.in the meantime I had gone to their website and found the truck listed for $11,999. I printed this and took it back with me. When I walked through the door Andrew greeted me with "There you are, ready to take your truck home?". I said, "I don't know, think I want this truck instead" and showed him the print out of the online ad for the same truck at $4000 less. He said "Hmmm, what truck is this?". I said "The same one you are trying to sell me for $15,000." He made a face, shook his head, picked up my file and told me he had to go talk to financing about it. I sat in is glass office and watched him take the print out and my file to the financing dept. He handed it across the desk then showed the guy the online print out. Mr. Hund threw both the paper and my file back across the desk as if dismissing me all together. Andrew picked it up again, and I sat and watched them talk for a few minutes, making hand gestures and laughing. Andrew then came back in and told me that it would be a few minutes, that they were "working on the financing". But on the phone he had told me that the financing was already aquired and the truck was ready to pick up. I asked him about the price and he told me that he really couldn't sell me the truck for the price I seen online, NOT with my bankruptcy. But they would "fix" the price on the contract to get me approved. I asked about the fact that he told me it was already done before I agreed to come back. He said "Oh, don't worry, we have the financing for you, we just don't know which lender it will be with yet". I was kinda leery about that one, but I accepted it since he seemed to be "looking out for me" yea right! He left to check with financing on how they were coming along and asked if I wanted a coffee or a soda. He came back with a gaterade since they didn't have any soda after all. But informed me that I would have to come back tomorrow to get the truck, as they needed to "firm up" the deal. Again, I left without the vehicle. And was done with them. 3 days later, Andrew again calls me telling me that everything was firm, truck had a full tank of gas and all I needed to do was come in and sign the papers. My payments were right where I wanted them to be, all was a GO. I came in again, but the whole time was thinking in the back of my mind, this has been a disaster and can't be a good thing. When I started signing the paperwork, I was told that the payments were going to be almost $100 more than what we had talked about, they told me that they had never told me $275 a month at all and there was no way they could sell me anything on their lot for payments that low, that I was getting a really good deal, that they had gone the limit for me because of my friend sending me down there and they didn't want to make their friends on the force upset if they gave me a bad deal.
They told me that with my credit issue no other dealer would be able to even tough this deal. But they had "special financing" for "special people" just like me. What they really meant was people they could take to the cleaners just because they could! I asked about the financing and who the lender was, because it was not listed on any of the paperwork, and they had me sign another form saying that I accepted financing without a lender being named. Which they told me "We do this all the time, not just with our "special financing" customers, but it's a general dealer practice, that I had been approved and that part was just a formality. I would get paperwork in the mail from the lender in about a week or so. I did not have a payment due for over 30 days so not to even worry about it. I asked what kind of loan it was, and asked that it wasn't one of those high interest, paid all upfront first before I started paying on the principal. "NO way, He told me... They don't even do those kinds of loans anymore. It's a simple interest loan, just like all auto loans" Assured again that I wasn't getting screwed on that end of it. "Absolutely not" he told me. He also told me, because the payments ended up far higher than I had anticipated..."Come back in in 3-6 months, we can refinance you at a much better rate, and even trade you up to something new by then" This was what sold me. I thought, ok, I can handle this for a few months, it will start building my credit rating back up and I will be able to deal a better deal by that time!!! At this point I was thinking "These guys really are working with me, helping me" Was I ever wrong!!!
First of all I get into the truck, the gas level is on empty, and the low fuel alert is dinging. Not only was the truck not "detailed out" like he said, because there was still mud on the paper floor mats like there was when I first test drove it. I went back in and found Andrew, who now acted as if I didn't exist, and had me wait another 15 min. Because he was now with another customer, ok, no big deal. When he came back to me, he said "What's wrong?" I said, "You told me you had filled the tank, it's on empty". He acted like I was now just wasting his time. "Oh, well... I don't know if we even have a porter still here to fill it up. There's a gas station right across the street there" I just stood there without responding and he said "Ok, give me the key..." and he took it and walked out back. He came back and said, "They are going to get you some gas in it, you can sit out here and wait, it's going to be a few minutes" and pointed me to a vacant desk by the front door. And off he went, I never seen him again. I was no longer his priority, he had my signature right?! A guy came in about 10 min. Later with the key and handed it to me without saying a word. I walked out and drove the truck off the lot.
Never heard another word from anyone at the dealership, nor did I get any paperwork in the mail from the lender like he promised. 1 wk before the first payment was due, I called Andrew. He told me not to worry about it, sometimes it takes a few weeks to get it.in the meantime, I could call this number he gave me to make my payment. And the name of the lender was Americredit out of Texas. Never heard of them! I call them, and after about 20 min. On the phone they locate my account, tell me that they should have a statement out to me by the time my next payment is due, but that I would need to make this payment by phone with a $10 phone payment fee added. What choice did I have? I made the payment. The 2nd payment was almost due before I get the statement in the mail. It doesn't show that I made the first payment, but shows a late payment due along with the current payment. Not only that, it shows an extra payment more than the contract showed. And it shows the balance now at a few $100 more than the contract. They explain to me that the amount I owe is increased each day that the loan has a balance on it, and that this is a "simple interest loan". Not only that, but for the first 2 yrs. All my payments will go to interest only. And yes, this is a "simple interest" loan.
I now want out of this vehicle, and call Grossinger to tell them this is NOT what I thought I was getting. They tell me that neither Andrew or the finance manager who did my financing work there any longer and ask me who do you want to talk to. I said anyone who can help me. I was hung up on, twice! Now I read another consumer complaints from someone who says that in Feb. Andrew ripped them off too. Funny, he wasn't working there anymore when I called to talk to him! Looks like he is still there after all! Last month I took the truck to 3 other dealers Max Madsen, Lifetime Motors, and Jacobson Chevrolet. I got the same story from everyone of these dealers. We can't deal with you, you are so upside down on this vehicle we would need at least $5000 down to trade with you. Everyone of them told me that I got a really bad deal. As a matter of fact at Max Madsen I was told that I should get a lawyer, because I got scammed big time by Grossinger. I did contact an attorney and guess what? The attorney is already working on a "rip off" deal with another client from Grossinger. His 3rd one this year! Imagine that!!!
Never ever, ever buy a car from Grossinger Chevrolet, read all the rip off reports and bad deal reports on this dealer. Google it, it comes back with a list a mile long!!!
Never finance with Americredit thinking it is a typical "simple interest" loan. Mine is now adding up at a rate of almost $7 per day.By the time I pay off this loan, this truck that KBB and Edmunds calls worth $11,000 will cost me almost $26,000!!! And no dealer will touch it, no lender will refinance it!
And you want to know the saddest part of the whole thing... I filed bankruptcy on a total indebtness of thousands less than what I now owe on this rip off!!!
Pam
PLAINFIELD, Illinois
U.S.A.
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