On 5/12/08 I traded my 04' Ford Explorer at Forts Toyota of Pekin for a new Prius. The sales manager tested my Explorer and discovered what he determined to be a problem with the AWD system (a slight vibration on blacktop during sharp turns at idle speeds). For this reason I was offered a low trade value due to needed repairs. During the deal the sales associate and sales manager inquired as to whether I had an extended warranty. I told them that I did and suggested that we hold off while I have the vehicle checked. I was then told that it wouldn't make a difference and that they could sell the car I was purchasing to someone else if I wasn't ready to trade. At that point we traded "as is" and I accepted the low offer. On 7/11/05 when I bought the Explorer at Uftring Auto Mall of East Peoria I purchased an extended warranty (#BY52989 Automotive Warranty Services (aka RYAN) 72 month 75000 miles) at a cost of $1763. I had owned the vehicle almost three years and had 51,390 miles on it and was due a prorated refund as I had not used the extended warranty.
I had yet to return to Uftrings for my warranty refund when app. Two weeks after the trade I received a customer satisfaction call from my warranty company asking me about warranty repair I received on 5/22/08 at Uftrings (ten days after I traded). I notified the warranty company and contacted both North Pekin and East Peoria police (neither of which would file a report). Finally I went to Uftrings and asked a cashier for a copy of the invoice. There it was invoice #FOCS387501 dated 5/23/08 using my name address and my home, work and cell phone numbers and a paragraph stating what " I " claimed was wrong as if " I " had brought it in. The invoice included a warranty authorization number #08243952 for a total of $1303.75 and total invoice charge to customer of 0.00. I took this invoice to the East Peoria police who took a copy to Uftring Auto Mall. Uftrings then sent me two checks totalling $539.45 as my warranty refund.
Forts Toyota had taken the vehicle to Uftrings and received warranty repair in my name and Uftrings received a check from the warranty company for $1267.24.
I turned them in to the Illinois Attorney Generals Office Consumer Fraud Division case file # CONSC-00221519. After intervention from the AG's office Uftring returned warranty check and billed Forts who after responding to AG sent check #060889 in the amount of $1267.24 to Uftrings. I have copies of all of this including response letters to AG's office from Forts sales manager and Uftrings CFO (chief financial officer).
A quote from the letter Forts sales manager sent to AG's office on 7/21/08." They (meaning Uftring Auto Mall) informed us that the vehicle was covered under the customers' extended warranty and there would be no charge for the repairs." To quote a letter sent to AG's office by Uftrings CFO on 8/25/08 " Forts Toyota of Pekin brought the vehicle in for us to repair under the customer's extended warranty. We mistakenly relied upon the representation that Fort made to us that the customer had approved this transaction. The repair was completed and submitted to the warranty company for processing. Prior to receipt of payment from the extended warranty company we were notified by the customer that the repair was not done with his permission. We therefore had no authority to bill the warranty company. As soon as this fact was brought to our attention we we stopped the process of submission. However we notified the company too late and we received a check as payment. The check was returned as a result of the customer notifying us that he had not authorized the repair."
Forts Toyota has not even as much as apologized for their role in this criminal act and in fact Patrick Fort has gone on line and publicly called me a liar. I along with the Illinois Attorney Generals office however have all of the proof.
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