Dear Director of Customer Relations ([email protected])
My husband and I worked with Mike Cofield on the purchase of an 2003 black Silverado in the past two weeks. Approximately 8 days after we worked out this deal based on a strict monthly payment, Mike called my husband to
sign some "other papers". My husband and I were concerned, but trusted Mike when he said that the paperwork would not affect the payment we
originally contracted.
He said it would just be a different bank handling the loan. After having to call Mr. Cofield back on several occasions (because he didn't follow up his original call), I spoke directly with him.
He promised me that the financing on the vehicle had been finalized when we left the lot with the truck and that there was no need to worry. On the next day, he speaks with my husband to advise of an interest rate increase
AND payment increase per month. He told my husband that he signed a contract stating that this could happen as long as the financing had not been finalized.
All in all, Mike lied to me on the phone and in every phone call preceding that. He was untruthful in all of his dealings with us. He allowed us to leave your business with under a completely false pretense of what
our monthly payments would be.
And to finalize his dealings with us, Mike sent a courier on the night before Christmas eve with the documents to increase our payment. Mike told us that signing these documents were the only way to keep our vehicle. We were under undue duress to sign this documentation by Mike Cofield.
When we should have been enjoying our holiday and new vehicle purchase, we were
worrying over how Mike Cofield was going to take our new vehicle or negatively effect our budget. It was also quite concerning that he sent this courier of your company on such a stormy night to deliver these documents when it was not really necessary to do so.
In retrospect, I feel that all of the dealings my family has had with Bill Heard, Mike Cofield, Mike's supervisor (Don S.), and Don's Supervisor (Brad) have been extremely dishonest on the part of Bill Heard Chevrolet. Our intentions had been to buy all of our cars from your company because of the great deals you offered and the friendliness of your staff.
It turns out that we should have believed the skeptics who said "when things seem too good to be true... They are too good to be true". I had hoped that would not be the case with Bill Heard, but it has been my experience that it is. I feel extremely violated by this experience.
I am coming to you with this first, before I take this information further. I feel that you deserve the opportunity to correct the mistakes made by
representatives of your company. I would like reinstatement of our original agreement for the vehicle loan and for your discard the second set of loan documents that we were forced to sign.
I understand that Bill Heard may lose money on this deal, but that is something that Mike Cofield should have considered before making it. I have spoken with the appropriate chain of command on this: Mike Cofield, then his supervisor (Don S.), and then his supervisor (Brad). I understand that by law we have time to rescind the second contract. This has been the epitome of unfair lending at work.
If this cannot be handled appropriately, I am prepared to have my attorney draft letters to the Better Business Bureau in your state (naming specific parties as well as the company), the CEO of Chevrolet, Bill Heard, and to the Attorney General.
I hope that it will not come to such measures. I work with several other people who have incurred the same exact situation from your company... They went to
buy a vehicle, got a "great deal", went home with the vehicle, and several days later got bombarded with a different rate and payment.
Each of these people are prepared to write statements to accompany any claims that I am forced to proceed with.
I work in the customer service industry for a well respected mortgage company. My goal every day is to treat my customers as I would like to be treated in business dealings. I feel sure that you have similar goals in your job.
Please handle this as if it were your own personal financial matter. The little faith that I have remaining in the decency of your company rests in your hands. I assure you that the appropriate handling of this matter will be noted positively with the administration of your company.
I have a four month old son, so jolts to our finances are just not an option. We were honest on our loan application to your company and I expect equal integrity from your company. Immoral sales practices, such as
those of Mike Cofield as a representative of your company, are simply not acceptable. Please send me a written confirmation of how you will be
handling this situation in no less than 5 days (I am adding in time for theb holiday that approaches).
Again, I feel that my spouse and I were unduly pressured to sign the second set of documents sent to us and would like reinstatement of the original agreement and for you to discard the second set of loan papers that we were forced to sign unnecessarily. We have arrangements for financing through another financial institution when our
loan officer returns to her office on January 2nd.
All we need for you to do is hold the documents so that
Bill Heard Chevrolet doesn't cost us anymore conflict or money.
Victimized customer
*PS... We had a trade in of a 1998 Ford Truck that should have been paid in full no later than January 1. Please see that this is taken care of so
that we do not experience further difficulties because of Bill Heard Chevrolet.
I have sent this message via email to ensure the timeliness of it's receipt, because time is of the essence in this matter. I waited all day on Christmas eve for a call back from Brad (Mike and Don S.'s supervisor), but never did receive on as promised. I do expect a confirmation of this letter from you.
This is a similiar situation that I have found in my research:
Auto Dealers Submitted: 5/2 8:15: 48 PM
My wife and I had shoped for a few months for a nice standard cab Z-71 in our price range. I found a 1998 GMC Z-71 on Bill Heard Chevy web site. It had 126,000 miles on it and they had it listed for $9,525.
I called and prequalified and they told me everything looked great that they could put me in the truck with no money down and get my payments where I wanted them. My wife, my two children and I drove 2 hours to this dealership at 6:00 pm on a week night because these guys assured me everything would be done they way I needed it.
The salesman that had helped me all this time filled me in that the sales manager was not at all happy about the price that we were paying for the truck. He said that it was put on the web site at the wrong price. The sales manager was throwing things and yelling about the whole deal. Well, the salesman said that they would have to sell the truck for that price because thats what the add said. My wife and I turned down one offer of 0 down, 19% interest rate and $345 a month for 42 months.
We had told them that we did not want our payments to be over $300 a month and they told us that would be no problem. Now this. Well they give us to another finance rep. And he told us with our scores he could get the deal bought through GMAC for 14% at $294.00 a month for 42 months. We agreed that this was the best deal for us. We signed contracts and all other paperwork finalizing the deal. They said it was a "DONE DEAL". It was 9:00 pm and we had another 2 hour drive to get home.
We all shook hands and my wife and I headed back home with our new truck. The next day I heard nothing, so I thought all was well. That night I went out and spent $50.00 on a few little things that I wanted for the truck. These things could not be removed. The next day (the 2nd day after we signed the papers) they called and said they couldn't get nobody to buy the deal, that it wasn't our credit, that the truck had 6,000 more miles on it than the lenders will allow.
The only place they said would do it was the very first lender they offered us at 19% interest. I said I would bring the truck back but I wanted a refund of the $50.00 that I had put in the truck. The salesman aggreed. Again, my wife and two children and I drove 2 hours to take the truck back. When we walked in the salesman we had been dealing with was not there and the sales manager was helping us. Mind you this was the same sales manager that had pitched a fit over the price being too low. He proceeded to tell us that they just couldn't get the deal bought at any of there 30 lenders except this one that offered us that unreasonable rate. (FYI-GMAC had called me at work and talked to me the day before and asked what the vehicle would be used for and who would be the primary driver).
He said "Whats another $50.00 a month if you really like the truck." We did not want to put another $50 a month in the truck. He proceeded to talk to us like we were some kind of idiots that didn't know anything about financing or interest. He even went as far as to show us how much they had in the truck. He said, "We would only be making $175 on the deal", and said they was doing us a favor. When I said no to the deal, I asked about the $50.00 that I had put in the truck, he said "We didn't tell you the deal was done, and we didn't ask you to put anything on the truck."
We also notice that as soon as we drove up someone was waiting to show the truck to someone else. They continued to show the truck to someone else as we left and I hope they don't get screwed the way I did. That will be my last trip to any Bill Heard Dealership, I will ride a Schwinn first.
Robert
Villa Rica, Georgia
Christie
Montgomery, Alabama
U.S.A.
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