I was in financial trouble trying to get my credit back on track because of a past relationship. I have a good job and thought it was time for a new start and I needed a reliable car, for the commute to work was around 25 miles in heavy traffic.
My old car died on me just about the time I was looking for a potential newer car. I didn't have much money saved at this point, but was in a jam to get back in forth to work, and I just landed this job and didn't want to lose it.
I checked around and came across BUTLER CARS & CREDIT where they work with people that have pass credit problems. When I first walked in a sales rep named MATT McCONNELL greeted me and we sat down and he took my credit application. The report came back shaky as I told him it would, he said it's not really that bad and a year or two of making steady payments I'd be back on track.
This excited me and we went out to the lot, with my score on the low side, we had to go in the back lot, there was around 15-25 cars to look at, and with what I had to put down it narrowed the search to around 5 cars. I test drove the first car which was a Ford Taurus and it rode nice, but there was another car that MR. MCCONNELL stated was a year newer, and for a few extra bucks down would be the way to go. I took the car for a test drive and it ran nice also.
I decided on the second car after talking it over with my boss, who by the way loaned me the money (around $800). Mr. McConnell at that time bragged up the customer service department and how much they care for thier customers, he stated that they have a rental car service, if your car is ever down and much more in his "sales pitch".
When all said in done, I signed a contract for around $8000, I knew this was overpriced but I needed a realiable car fast and Mr. McConnell guaranteed this was the car, to myself and my boss (Mr. Jerry Kelley). My monthly payments were around $250 and due on the 18th of every month. I called Mr. McConnell and asked if they could make the payment due at the end of every month because it would fit how I get paid (twice a month).
He put me into contact with JIM HARIFF who along with DARLA FULLER told me as long as the payment is in before the first of the month, it would be o.K. About the third month into the contract, I ran into financial trouble, because I had to pay a very unexpected bill. I had no where to turn and was late on my payment, the next day I went out to head to work, and to my surprise the car was gone...
I'm not complaining about this, because I know they have a business to run and they deserve the money. I did call and ask them why the didn't knock and tell me, because maybe I could make a call and get the money, but they said they don't work that way, which again, I understand.
The car was there for around 2 weeks, and once again my boss helped me get the car back, he gave me an advance on my pay. From the day I got the car back it didn't seem the same, I'm not saying they did something to the car, but I am saying it did run differently. Maybe if they towed the car, something happened because it was done in the snow, and the car was between 2 cars, but if they didn't use a tow truck, I don't know what happened.
Then around 2 weeks after I got the car back I was coming home in Pittsburgh rush hour traffic, and heard a clunk and my rpms went sky-high, and the car stopped right in the middle of a bridge. The car was towed to a shop and I was told the transmisson was totaly shot. I knew something was going on for the 2 weeks I had the car back, it wasn't performing the same. I was short on money because of the reasons stated, so getting it checked right then, wasn't a option. I put in all fluids and did what I could, but as stated before, this car had no issues before they picked it up..
I called them on the Friday it happened, and asked them what they could do for me. Mr. MCCONNELL stated he would get right back to me. I didn't hear from him, so on that Monday I had to rent a car to get to and from work, which they told me when I bought the car a rental was there for all customers. I called that Monday from work and they said the warranty just ran out and there's nothing they can do, except fix the car for around $1500. I told them this is crazy, the warranty just ran out, I'm paying $8,000 for a car that has a Kelly Trade in value of $2925, and I just paid them to get the car back about a week ago, and where is my rental car?
I called numeous times after the car broke down because of what Mr. McConnell stated about the rental car for customers, not only were my calls not returned, but this was never offered. I went elsewhere to rent a car for $26 a day, for 2 weeks, because I would lose my job (a boss can only help so much. This was told to Matt and then he transfered me to Scott or aka Slim, and he told me that they do have rentals but BOTH are out right now. How does that help? What service? The only somewhat fair offer came after I told Matt about this website, and threatning to call the BBB OR Attorney Generals office. The offer was reasonable, but it happened after 2 weeks of renting a car ($364) that should have ben there for me, per agreement.
The first offer was a joke, they said I could pay $750 to get the job started and they would put the other $750 on the last couple of monthly payments on the FIRST YEAR. I told them to shove it and keep the car. They then came back and said they would split the differance and I would need the first $750 to start the job and they'll "Eat" the other half, give me a break. I told them this offer is fair, and I would accept if they could break my $750 over the course of the loan, or even the first year.
I just paid to get the car back and almost $400 in car rental fees. I told them I'm not going anywhere and I would make good on my payments because I really need to get my credit on track. They declined and said the warranty is over and that's the offer, take it or leave it... I then checked around and found a guy who would fix the car for me and I could pay him monthly payments, I was debating if I even wanted the car now.
I decided to keep this car, because I just got my life back on track after years of heart-ache (I lost my fiance in a car accident back in 97 & didn't deal with it all that well, for a couple years). I now have a good job and a beautiful fiance and a 2 year old little girl, who is my pride and joy, and I want so much to clean up my credit and give them the things, they so much deserve, and I want also.
The date was now the 18th of the month and I still haven't talked to these "SLICK WILLIES", but I was in the process of having my guy pick up the car and start working on the car. He goes to the shop where it was towed, and guess what? The car was taken on the 18th. I know it was on the contract as the due date for the monthly payments, but I had an agreement from the first month that I could pay at the end of each month, as long as it was in by the first. This was also verbally stated to me, when I picked the car up, after they repossessed the car earlier in the month. Mr. HARIFF shook my hand and said, that is fine and MRS. FULLER said the same.
So they know have the car early and broke that agreement, when I was going to get it fixed. They call me and I tell them how I feel and let them know that'll claim bankruptcy before they ever get a cent off me. I figure my credit is totaly shot now and my future plans for owning a home, instead of renting are all but gone, so I start calling bankruptcy lawyers.in that time I get a repossession notice stating they want $6,653.46 for the unpaid balance on the contract-less interest & 223.00 for repo charges & pending court costs for a total of $6876.46.
I'm shocked, they have the car and my credit is ruined, leave me alone and sell the overpriced car again to another sucker. The next thing you know I get a CIVAL ACTION HEARING NOTICE telling me I'm being sued for $6653.46 plus court costs. I do not realize how they can have the car, which they got at an auction, and you know they didn't pay half of what they are asking and still sue me for that much money. They want it all plus ruin what I've been trying to clean up.
The big kicker to this whole story is on the first of the next month after they picked up the car, they went and sold it at a auction for around $1300. I guess that want to show some sort of loss, my question is, I agreed to the offer where they pay half and I pay the other half, but asked them to put it on the loan to help out, and they declined. They would have had that money plus 2 1/2 years of payments at around $250 a month. Do the math BUTLER PRE-OWNED.
Instead of making a good deal that went bad, good again, they choose to let it stay rotten and put it to me because they have deep pockets, and know I can't fight this through the system. My only choice is still bankruptcy. They just want to be "slick" and take it to the average guy instead of helpling, like they say they do..
To sum this all up, They sold me a OVERPRICED car and it was a lemon, after the car goes down, they do nothing to help and failed to offer the rental car, and never returned calls when I was paying money I didn't have for the rental. I take the offer to get the car fixed, if they pay half and they did, but asked to put my end on the loan, which they said no way ($750). They figured I wasn't going to do anything except claim bankruptcy, so they reposses the car EARLY, when I actually had someone lined up to fix it cheaper. They then turn around and sue me for almost $7000, when the car is book valued at $2925, and they already got $800 down from me, and about 4 monthly payments ($1000)...
Then they turn around and take the car to a auction, and sell it for around $1300, when I offered to pay my end but not up front. So they got the car back, want around 7,000 off me, plus sold the car at a auction for $1,300 when the orginally bought the car at a auction. What did they get the car for at the auction? I would say $3,000 tops... Talk about greedy, "slick willies"... They will never get a cent out of me and I'd like to warn everyone of this marginal group of people.in my book, MATT MCCONNELL, JIM HARIFF, DARLA FULLER, SCOTTY AND THE WHOLE GANG at BUTLER PRE-OWNED should have trouble sleeping at night, but they don't, slicksters usually don't... They have my word that they'll be on every message board I can find and word of mouth is not to shabby either.
Kimball
Vandergrift, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
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