I filed a complaint with BBB due to the unethical and fraudulent business practices by Tennessee used truck dealer J & S Inc 2816 John Deer Drive, Knoxville, TN 37917 also know as Knoxville Trucks 9929 Rutledge Pike Corryton, TN 37721 and owner Jim Courtney. The owner Jim Courtney whom I bought this truck from is a modern day con man. I called J & S Inc truck sales on on October 4 about stock #228J a red 2006 Frieghtliner Columbia truck Model CL12064ST Columbia 120 VINW63862 with 888,848 miles listed at the price of $29,950 that was advertised in the truck paper. The listing claims engine has had a $13,000 engine overhaul 210k miles ago and zero down financing was available.
I called J & S and spoke with the Jim Courtney and he said the truck was still available and he would fax me a credit application and once approved I can set up a date to come look at the truck. I then received a faxed credit app from Jim Courtney I filled it out and sent it back the same day. On October 6 Jim Courtney of J & S Inc contacted me on my cell phone stating I had been approved by the bank for $50,000 and zero down financing. We set up a date for the following week for me and my wife to drive the three hours to Knoxville Tennessee from Atlanta Georgia to look over the truck I had initially called about and possibly make a purchase.
During our phone conversation Jim assured me that J & S Inc would help pay for tags, Georgia sales tax and the 2299 heavy highway vehicle use tax and any other paper work that needed to be done with the department of transportation to get the truck on the road. He stated if the truck was less than the loan was approved for it would be no problem so since the truck I asked about was $29,950 and loan was $50,000 Georgia sales tax and the 2299 heavy highway vehicle use tax, tags and title fee would be covered. On Friday October 14 me and my wife made the trip to J & S Inc 2816 John Deer Drive, Knoxville, TN 37917 to meet with Jim Courtney.
Once we got to J & S Jim handed me the paperwork for the repairs done to the red 2006 Frieghtliner Columbia truck Model CL12064ST Columbia 120 VINW63862 truck I called about and stated it was not on the lot but was getting detailed so while I was on the lot Jim showed me 3 trucks he pointed out on the lot which he said where all within the same price range as the red 2006 Frieghtliner Columbia truck Model CL12064ST Columbia 120 VINW63862 listed as $29,950.. After looking over those trucks Jim Courtney drove us to the detail shop location to show us 5 other trucks including the one we came for.
After looking over each truck Jim educated me that even though the truck I initially called about has had a engine overhaul all the parts around engine are in the condition of the truck prior to repairs basically bad mouthing the truck to deter me from getting that one. I eventually was pressured into another nicer prettier Red 2006 Freightliner Columbia VIN 1FUJA6CK86LU05069 with over 730,000 miles. Jim suggested himself that this was the best of the many we looked at and on Monday we would do the paperwork and he would have truck delivered to me with a full tank of gas 30 day temp tag and paperwork for the warranty he stated came with the truck. The following week J & S had a driver deliver the truck on empty tank of gas with no warranty paperwork and needed me to sign bill of sale and Tennessee Commerce Bank documents.
After inspecting the truck I noticed the tank was on empty and the key was not the correct key and was some type of dummy key because it took 20-30 minutes of wiggling just to start the truck. I then called Jim and told him about the gas and the key not working he assured me he would get a key made and compensate me for fuel. Upon review of the documents after signing them I noticed a discrepancy in the price of the vehicle. I immediately called Jim Courtney back and to let him know the error in price too because my understanding was all the trucks I looked where in $29,950 price range of the Red 2006 Columbia advertised in the truck paper, he advised me yes its $29,000 range as well and when he gets back in the office Monday morning we would figure the numbers out.
On Monday I called Jim Courtney about the price and he could not give an answer Jim then said he had to look over paper work and would call me back which he never did. After 3 days of calling everyday only to be avoided Jim he finally came clean and told me the truck was in fact the $39,500 that was on the copy of the bill of sale not the $29,000 price range I was told when I called and asked him on delivery. I was in total shock because both of the bill of sales I was mislead into signing said two different prices one for $39,500 and the other $49,500 both where not what I was told.
The next day I called Tennesse Commerce bank and went to the Georgia tag office to speak with a representative to see if Jim Courtney had paid the Georgia sales tax she educated me J&S Inc had Fedexed a copy of a 2290 document filed in Knoxville, TN with my (forged) signature for a heavy highway vehicle tax and a copy of a check in the amount of $2,388 from J & S Inc made out to Cobb County Motor Vehicle office for sales tax on 2006 Frienghtliner Columbia VIN 1FUJA6CK86LU05069 with a purchase price of $39,500 I immediately called Tennessee Commerce Bank and spoke with assistant manager she told me they had the documents signed by me at the purchase price of $49,995 and the funds had been released to J & S Inc on October 21 which was three days after Jim had the truck delivered to me, the same three days he avoided me and could not give me an exact price of the truck.
I then explained the falsifying of business records and fraud that was done by Jim Courtney and J & S Inc she then agreed with me that in fact there was fraud done but there was nothing she could do because they have the documents signed by me. As a result I am contacting Better Business Bureau and will be retaining legal consult to resolve this business transaction. I have copies off all the fraudulent documents and forged signature of my name Jim Courtney of J&S Inc has filed with the IRS and Georgia motor vehicle department I will be forwarding them to BBB and Tennessee Commerce bank. After everything was said and done I feel it was a bait and switch deal. Jim mislead me on the price of the truck and the truck has no warranty.
Tennessee Commerce bank has a loan of $49,995 in my name and since October I have not been able to use the truck because it is Inoperable I had to get a key made and for safety issue the truck is not department of transportation ready as stated by Jim Courtney. The truck needs major repairs and is sitting in the Frieghtliner repair shop for repairs that are supposed to be covered by the warranty Jim Country told me was effective in October. This whole business transaction has been unethical, fraudulent and I feel I have been scammed by J & S Inc and Jim Courtney. I am contacting the better business bureau for help in resolving this issue as a last resort I have contacted Jim Courtney over a hundred times to resolve this issue only to get false promises and lie after lie with no resolution.
This Truck belongs in a junk yard as told to me by a representative in the service department at Peachstate Frieghtliner in Forest Park, GA there are a list of issues engine leaking oil, rear differential leak, fly wheel needs replacement, multiple engine hoses busted, air compressor needs replacement and the entire windshield needs to be resealed because the interior gets severely wet whenever it rains. Over all the general health of the truck is not satisfactory to be driven on the road and total repair costs are in access of $8,000 dollars. This situation has had its toll on me financially I'm currently unemployed and I've still had to make $2400 in truck payments and $4000 in insurance payments thinking I was going to be able to fulfill a trucking contract I had lined up prior to purchasing the truck.
Starting my own trucking business was my goal when purchasing the truck from J & S Inc I have not been able to attempt to attain this goal all my savings have been depleted and I'm on the verge of going bankrupt and not being able to fulfill my financial obligations of the $49,995 loan Tennessee Commerce Bank has placed on my credit report. I have tried for months to resolved this situation with J & S Inc and I've had it with them the last straw was in December when Jim Courtney told me the warranty on the truck was effective.
He told me on December 20 those repairs would be covered by the warranty and that he had added a warranty with a company by the name of premier 2000 after my purchase but when I contacted the warranty company there is in fact no warranty on the truck and they cannot pull any records in there system by my VIN 1FUJA6CK86LU05069. This is just another one of his lies Jim himself told me he added a warranty after the fact on December 15 and to bring the truck to Frieghtliner for warranty repairs but there is in fact no warranty. Jim Courtney and J&S Inc are not covering the cost of repairs for me to be able to put the truck on the road so as of December 29 the truck has been sitting at Peachstate Frieghtliner taking up space.
0 comments