ComplaintsforCentral Auto Sales

• Initial Complaint

  07/16/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Because of financial hardship, I have recently made payment arrangements regarding my payments. Every time I have paid the amount of the arrangement, they keep coming up with additional money that they say I owe even though I provide them the screen shot of the arrangement amount. The amount keeps increasing; the account manager states something was or was not added, which is not my doing, therefore, I should not continue to be held liable for mistakes of the account manager. 2 weeks ago, I had an arrangement due for $415 and after I paid that, the account manager told me that $488.50 was due therefore leaving me a balance that I still had to pay. on 7/5/24 the account manager told me $293 was due on the 16th. When I log into the online system on 7/13/24 it showed that I only had a balance of $40, however I paid the $293 as arranged and agreed upon. So, this morning the account manager tells me I still owe $61.75 for the **** This should have been a part of the arrangement, and it was not, it was not even a part of my balance when I made my payment. Central Auto Sales and its account managers are using predatory practices to bleed money from already struggling consumers.

  Business response

  07/19/2024

  Thank you for taking the time to review the complaint from *** *****. *** ***** pays his account online. His collateral protection insurance does not show up on his online statement until the day it is due. To help rectify the situation, we have emailed *** ***** his payment schedule for his convenience.
  Please let me know if there is any other information you need to assist with your review.
  
  ***** *****

  Customer Service Specialist

• Initial Complaint

  12/06/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  November 3rd I drove off the lot with a 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander on Tuesday, November 7th vehicle stalled in the middle of traffic .Contacted Central Auto Sales spoke with *** the service manager and had a tow truck come pick up the vehicle that took 3.5 hours even though he stated that it'll be only a 2 hour wait. Made it to the dealership and was able to re-select a vehicle. Signed paperwork between 5:30pm-6:45pm got into the vehicle to leave service dept wasn't open to look at vehicle but the tire pressure light was on and ****** G my sales rep and her manager ****** had me pull around to the air pump to install air in the tire after they put air in the tire I was advised that the light will go off in a few minutes once I'm driving on the road back to Little Rock. The next morning while taking son to school the vehicle's temperature gauge goes to almost the last level indicating overheating. I opened the hood and noticed that the coolant was completely empty. Informed my sales rep and she stated to just keep an eye on it and follow up if issue persists. While I was replacing the missing coolant a mechanic with a major Brand passed by me and stated that my engine was about to go due to a bad head gasket. Parked vehicle and contacted *** at Central Auto Sales and was advised to have vehicle towed again for a second time in 10 day span. Spoke with Sales Mgr ****** on Monday, November 7th, 2023 and was advised to bring vehicle in and if the vehicle indeed needed a new engine that I could reselect a different vehicle or cancel contract for a refund due to the vehicle being inoperable. On 11/08/23 I rode to dealership with tow truck driver since vehicle was down and had no other way of getting there due to it being in a different city. Upon arrival I waited over an hour before I was even acknowledged of being in the building. I had to find ****** and ****** both for further assistance. Was told that I'll have to leave my vehicle was stuck in Hot Springs. Told warranty was voided by Warranty company but *** does the claims and stated that I have to pay for repairs. Vehicle was parked but *** told warranty company that vehicle was being driven, incorrect. I wanted to speak with Warranty company but was advised they only make outbound calls. When the warranty company Precision Claims did contact me I was advised that *** asked them to call me to deliver the bad news but the warranty agent stated that Central Auto Sales performs their own claims in-house and the warranty company only suggests repair shops so therefore *** denied my warranty claim. Dealership stated that I put miles on vehicle but I live in a different city so of course there are miles I had to make it home from the dealership. Integrity does not exists with this dealership. Contacted dealership on November 9th and was advised that Sales MGR ****** is no longer with the company. Which was very odd due to him being the one who was assisting me and knew of all details. The finance dept also contacted me to end my contract but the papers that they sent also included documents that stated I couldn't further pursue this issue but I didn't sign them due to not agreeing with documents. I also have all documents from the first vehicle, second vehicle and other documents.

  Business response

  12/10/2023

  Central Auto Sales strives for an excellence in customer experience and satisfaction.  We appreciate the opportunity to respond and assistant when an issue arises.    The customer has expressed that they have purchased a vehicle elsewhere and would like to be refunded.  We will be happy to assist the customer with the refund.  Please feel free to reach out to me directly and I will help expedite the process.  

  Sincerely,

  ****** ******

  Customer Retention Specialist

  ************

   

  Customer response

  12/11/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  La***ise *****

• Initial Complaint

  04/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I bought a 2010 Ford Escape in Aug 2020 and have made $175 payments every other week since then as of April 24, 2023. During the "2 yr warranty" the ignition switch had to be replaced and every since then, the interior lights, parking lights and the radio will keep turning on and off without the key being engaged at all. I have to un hook the battery every night because it will drain the battery and the car will be dead in the morning if I don't. It has also caused all windows, sun roof, compass, and hands free phone functions not to work and the Sunroof leaks because I can't get it to close all the way causing me to have to put a tarp over the sunroof whenever it rains. They claim that none of that is covered under the warranty as it is all electrical and it will cost $600 dollars to fix. The air conditioner is also starting to go out and if we can't roll down the windows, it will be dangerous to drive in a hot car in the summer. I've asked to trade in the car numerous times for something different that works properly and they refuse saying that I have to pay off 75% of the car before I can trade it in for something different. My Husband is disabled and am his full time caregiver and we need to have a dependable car and this is our only means of transportation. I have done everything I was contracted to do as far as making on time payments, regular oil changes, etc. But, since this is the only vehicle we have, we are stuck. Now, on top of all that, as of April 6-16th, I noticed my credit score has dropped by over 100 points and I found out that they had a hack or something and that somehow, they removed my account "and countless others" from the credit reporting agency! I am having to move soon and I can't due to my credit score being affected because of their "mistake". All they say is that they are" Looking into the situation and they're sorry". I'm very upset and this is unacceptable! We have had nothing but problems with the car since we got it and they have don't care. I also found out that the arrangements we made for automatic withdrawal for the bi-weekly payments every Saturday have been reported as late because they didn't run the payment until Monday. this is showing me to be 2 days late on EVERY payment wile I'm trying to build my credit score. The lady told me in response to that that "it doesn't hurt your credit that much if it's within 5 days late! That is unacceptable because I make sure that my payment was ALWAYS available in the bank at the time it was scheduled in order to actively build my credit back up! So, not only am I paying for something that I'm not able to get fixed or remedied, now they have ruined my credit which is affecting our ability to find a place to live.

  Business response

  04/28/2023

  ******** ****** purchased a 2010 Ford Escape from Central Auto Sales in October of 2020.  The Car included a limited warranty (a copy of the warranty is attached).
  From our service records we followed the industry standard diagnostic tree and replaced the ignition lock housing on 8/27/2021, this is not a warranty covered item.  On December of 2021 we examined the vehicle again and diagnosed a “smart junction box” that needed to be replaced, again not covered under warranty.  The cost to repair at that time was $581 plus tax.    The air conditioning is out of warranty on time (more than 24 months). 
  JP Capital reports to TransUnion on a monthly basis for every finance customer as a courtesy.  We are aware of ********’s complaint and I have personally been in touch with TransUnion to help rectify the situation.
  I am also attaching a screen shot of the last few months of her credit reporting as well as the status.
  
  Thanks for taking time to review this consumer complaint.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.
  
  ***** *****
  Finance Manager
  JP Capital LLC
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩