I have had a horrible experience when purchasing my vehicle from Heritage Cadillac in Morrow, Ga. At first when my boyfriend and I came to Heritage we were aware of our credit difficulties, but because we both made over 100,000.00 a year we were told by Saundra Watson that we could get a car. She sent us a few pictures of used escalades, and she said that our credit was not strong enough for the one we originally wanted on their lot, so she was going to get it from another lot.
So we saw a truck we really liked and supposedly she was supposed to go check the truck out and test drive it or whatever. She asked me for 1000.00 escrow money which I gave her in the form of a check so that she could secure a car from a different lot. Ok, well a few days later she asked that the payment be split since there were 2 other lots involved. I then gave her a few money orders which were split so that she could apply them where need be. (This is where I messed up.)
Saundra is an older lady and she treated my boyfriend and I in a motherly type fashion, so we really trusted her. When I gave her the money orders she said she would put the appropriate names on them and I believed her. She wrote me a hand written receipt so I was at ease. On top of that she assured me that the check I previously wrote was ripped up. Well the truck that we really wanted and the one she was supposed to be trying to get us was sold.
This was the first time she was caught in a lie. She showed us the pictures on a Thursday, I called the lot myself to ask about the truck on Monday and they said they sold it Saturday. However she told me she test drove it on Tuesday. I let it go - maybe there was some type of mistake? Hardly. So finally we found financing and they sold us the truck on the lot that we originally wanted. When we picked up the truck we handed her a check for 4000.00.
This made it a total of 5000.00 downpayment which is way more than we wished to spend. The paperwork was not completed when we picked up the truck because it was the weekend but they let us take it home anyway which was cool. A few days later Saundra Watson came to our home with the paperwork but this time the terms were completely different then we discussed at the dealership. They now wanted 1000.00 more and the monthly fee would be higher.
My boyfriend really wanted this truck so we agreed. We wrote her a check (not to be confused with the check that was to be ripped up) for 1000.00. When they deposited this money on the 1st (around my rent time) they tried to deposit both checks. One of them cleared (the one that was supposed to) but the second one bounced - yes the one that Saundra Watson supposedly ripped up, causing me a bad strike with my bank and a 35.00 fee. This is where it gets good...
I called Saundra Watson to tell her about the oversight and requested a letter from Heritage Cadillac about the mistake on their part so that my measely 35.00 fee could get waived. She said she would take care of it. A week passed and I didn't hear from her. I called the finance office this time and explained the situation, they later came back to me and said that they had no record of the money orders and I knew there must be some mistake, I advised that I would take it up with Saundra and called her back.
Again she said she would take care of it. For days I hear nothing until the manager Joel of Heritage Cadillac called me (I thought to handle the issue at hand) but intstead he's questioning me about a 1000.00 check that I bounced and he wants to know when I would pay it. I patiently explained the issue to him and then asked to speak to Saundra, he says "she's right here..."
She gets on the phone and while I'm asking her questions about the money order she is responding to me "mmm hmmm" and yea" like she was trying to hide something from the manager.
I asked her if she needed to call me back and she said yes... I knew she was a crook at this point. So I finally talked to her and she tells me how shes sorry for the mix up and something didnt go right and I wouldnt have to worry about paying for the new rims and tires for the truck, I was like I don't care about any of that I just want this issue taken care of, this dealership thinks I owe them money!!! I'm the customer for goodness sae and I am being treated terribly! She says she will have the money in there by that Friday.
I asked her, if they don't have the money orders who cashed them? She states that she did. WTF? I was so upset that I didn't want to hear anymore. She betrayed our trust and I don't know why she cashed the 1000.00 but she did so at my expense. The next day Joel calls again. He tells me tofax him the receipt and the money orders so that he could investigate. I told him I would by Friday. Saundra did not call me as expected so I faxed over the documentation.
A week passes and I hear nothing from Joel. As the manager I didn't even get an apology for my experience with his saleperson at his dealership. Furthermore I needed the letter faxed to my bank. I finally called Joel today. He in so many words tells me that this was between me and Saundra Watson and the dealership has nothing to do with it. So now I'm left womdering - did I purchase the vehicle from Heritage Cadillad or Saundra Watson? Hmmmm.
I explained to him my dissatisfaction with the dealings I've had with their salesperson, the fact that I spent 26,000.00 and they are giving me a hard time abouot 35.00, and the fact that they wont take responsibility for any of this when as a manager of the dealership and the boss of the person who did this to me should. He tells me that he has written Saundra up but if I push it further he will fire her. And I should care why?
All I want at this point is an apology and a letter written to my bank. If I can't get this I will be suing Heritage Cadillac for a number of reasons and instead of writing the letter to my bank for the 35.00 they will be paying me the 35.00 and the court fees. 35.00 may not matter to them, but the thing is - it doesn't matter to me either, its the principle, and I refuse to be treated like garbage at a place that is suppose to be prestigious.
Also, My grandmother has owned Cadillacs all of her adult life, My Grandmother was going to purchase a brand new cadillac from them - cash. There is a moral to this.
Don't do business with Heritage Cadillac!!!
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