They padded my income to get me to qualify for vehicle worth more than what I make in a year. Ripped off and scammed screwed others too ripped off and scammed
Luke's lazy "LOT Sharks" waiting for their next victim, or as they "car sales salesmen refer to us consumers as".. UP'S
Basically, Joe our much experienced salesman at Bill Luke Dodge asked me to fill out a credit application to just check my credit. He said he couldn't check my credit unless I filled out just some of the info needed on the form. He actually filled the whole thing out himself. Twice I asked him if I should add my $2,400.00 per year child support in the blank box labeled 'other income' on the credit application before I signed it. He told me twice that the amount of $2,400.00 would not be enough to qualify so to leave the 'other income' box blank.
I did as he told me and left that area blank on the application He left acting like he doubted if I would qualify for the vehicle worth $6,000.00 more than my annual salary and even told me so. I'm thinking he's just checking to see if my credit was as good as I stated to him and we had told him that if my salary was not high enough that we would go to their used car dept. And find something $10,000.00 cheaper that I would qualify for.
That's when he actually sprung to his feet, said he would just quickly check my credit but to "not hold your breath". He himself acted and made comments of his doubt about being able to qualify. I mentioned that it was to just check my credit anyway, not to actually buy or lease.
He comes back 20 minutes later and said I'm approved to buy a vehicle that's worth more than I make a year. I ended up leasing this vehicle for the handicapped friend who was with me and desparately needed a car for work and to visit his hospitalized wife. He was going to buy out the lease within 3 to 4 months from the bank which was KEY BANK.
Unbeknownst to me, the salesman had put in the 'other income' box that he explicitely told me to leave blank, the amount of $4,800.00 rental income.in his own handwriting. KEY BANK people read it to mean $4,800.00 per month. The person at KEY BANK I talked to on the phone three months after I was scammed read it to mean a MONTHLY income of $4,800!
I'm in the process of suing them. I'm one of six people who have or are suing Bill Luke Dodge in the past 2-3 years.
Why did these salespeople think they could get away with this scam?
First fact: All the dealers I called told me that they don't give you a copy of the application. Yes, they will not give you a copy of the credit application you have to sign if you want them to check your credit. If your credit is real good like mine was when I walked into Bill Luke, they will be licking their chops when they come back to you to tell you that you qualified. Don't believe it. They may have padded your income and you won't even know. Even if you ask for a copy later after signing the contract, they will lie and tell you it gets shredded once you're approved for "privacy reasons".
They can even pull out your copy first BEFORE they then pad your income so the bank thinks you're worth more than you are to them and you see only the copy that doesn't have the 'padded income' listed on it.
Secondly: How many people, after paying for the car for let's say six months, then fall on hard times, now has to give the car back. They are now still liable for the difference of the now lower value and what's still owed on the once new vehicle. How many will continue to pay for a vehicle that they are not using?
If they had good credit, they will pay to keep their good credit intact. They would never think that they never would have had possession of the car and the big payments if the salesman had not padded his income.
After going into 6 dealers and asking for the same priced vehicle, using the same salary and info on the Bill Luke credit application, but leaving other income box blank, I found that all the salesmen either told me to pad my salary or pad my income by adding more money than I actually made in a month.
One even prefaced his suggestion with the quote: "I'll deny that I told you this if someone asks me if I told you this, but if you were to fill out another credit application and add $450.00 to $500.00 per month to your monthly income, I guarantee you that the bank won't call your employer to verify.
I'm thinking as he said this, that yeah, I know the bank won't, KEY BANK sure didn't when they got my application. And they read the amount as a monthly amount. These banks are so anxious to buy "paper" on cars with people with good credit that they will not take the time to check the info out. The bank loses too but it's their own fault.
I'm now learning about all the scams car salespeople use against consumers. I will not buy a car from a dealer ever!
How many people have had to have their credit ruined without them knowing why they really got approved for that high priced car? How many are still paying the difference amount when they give the car back to the dealer/bank? How many would have bought a cheaper car in order to qualify and then could still afford the payments when they fell on hard times? At lease they wouldn't have the higher payments of a new car.
It's a sneaky little scam that sells a lot of cars to those of us who only make maybe $15,000-20,000.00 per year. The salesman can add whatever amount he knows is needed to get the bank to accept you. This scamm would not be necessary to use on those that make higher incomes. They normally qualify okay based on their actual higher income that they make.
This is a way for the salesman to make more car sales on the backs of lower income people. I wrote to the Atty General's office. They wrote back that they won't do anything unless they get a bunch more complaints from people that were scammed this way.
Well guess what? I never whould have known if not for an extremely unusual rare occurence that triggered a question in someone's mind to check my file at KEY BANK. I'm so glad they did. I never would have known and I'd be paying for that crooked salesman's commission and the loan person at KEY BANK who wanted a sale for them as well. I reiterated to the ATTY GENERAL's office that this is a hidden scam and that people won't know that the salesman padded their income even if they get an unpadded copy before the salesman pads the income before faxing it to the bank. The atty general's office don't care.
They ignore the most important fact: It's undetectable and the salesmen use it at their own discretion based on what you make and what vehicle they can sucker you into buying or leasing.
I welcome rebuttals from not only the truly knowledgeable and helpful Rip-off staff but also lowlife car salesmen that scam customers on a daily basis. Why do I get the feeling that not one salesman will rebutt this complaint but I sure welcome their deceptive drivel. Oh yes, after picketing them, I was threatened, my truck was vandalized by a Bill Luke employee who was actually wearing one of their Bill Luke Dodge polo shirt when he did it. There was a witness and he reported it to me and I had a police report taken.
Donna
Phoenix, Arizona
0 comments