ComplaintsforLaubert's Auto Sales

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  We purchased a 2011 **** F350 that **************** had performed a repair on the fuel system just prior to the sale. Within 2 weeks from date of purchase and only 300 miles driven, we experienced a malfunction in the fuel system. After being towed to ******** ****, the certified diesel technician discovered that the repair **************** made on the fuel system was an incomplete repair and metal debris from the previous failure was still in the system and caused the latest failure. We are now facing a $12,000 repair to correctly repair the fuel system and **************** will not participate in any of the expense.

  

  Business response

  03/12/2024

  **** - *************** to your BBB complaint rather than continuing communication by email. My response to your original complaint about the truck is in the attachment and again, I am truly sorry you are having issues with the F350. I do just want to reiterate the truck was purchased AS IS and in addition you declined the warranty even though we suggested it based on the history of issues with these vehicles.

  
  With that being said, I will first address that you stated Laubert's Auto Sales is not communicating. Your last email was sent Friday evening. As we are a small family business, we have chosen to be closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Due to being in the evening on Friday, I was unable to respond in that time. Monday, I was in meetings all day and unable to respond. However, you had already filed a complaint by approximately 12:30PM Monday. I apologize that I had prior commitments to manage. 

  Again, it is really unfortunate your truck is having issues and again we understand the frustrations. While considering you purchased the vehicle AS IS and rejected the warranty and keeping in mind that Laubert's Auto Sales has no obligation to assist, as an act of good faith, we would like to assist. If you purchase the parts directly from **** and provide those, we will complete the work to repair the vehicle. That allows for a huge cost savings regarding labor because we do not charge the hourly rate associated with the other repair shop. In addition, we will cover the costs of the labor if we complete the work. 

  In summary, if you will have the F350 towed to us, provide all the appropriate **** parts, we will complete the repairs and will not charge you labor. Again, this in no way implies we are obligated to do this or any future repairs, it is also not an implied warranty either, but this is only being offered as an act of good faith.

  If you would like to proceed, please let us know. Thank you. 

  Customer response

  03/15/2024

  Complaint: 21414896
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I am requesting Lauberts pay at least a portion of the labor cost for ************ to perform the repair (28 hours @ $100=$2,800) so that I will have a warranty on the expensive repair, as we will not have any warranty by bringing the vehicle back to Lauberts mechanic.  I believe this is an equitable solution because it somewhat satisfies me (customer) and it saves an additional tow bill, and Lauberts would not have to tie up their mechanic for nearly a week on this repair.  Additionally, Lauberts mechanic did not perform the repair correctly the first time, so I do not have much confidence that the second time will be different.  I am not comfortable spending over $6,000 in parts for no warranty and low confidence that repair is correct.  I do appreciate that Lauberts is in discussions with me trying to maintain their reputation for a sustainable business.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  

  Business response

  03/16/2024

  We have offered to assist to the best of our ability with the issues you are having with the F350 even though it is not required of us. You have since requested that we pay additional $2800 at a reduced hourly rate at the repair shop that you are choosing to you. While I understand you wanting to utilize **** for warranty purposes, the cost is still almost double what it would cost us. Our cost for the repairs without parts would have been approximately $1500. In lieu of doing the repairs, we would still offer to pay that same amount to the repair shop of your choosing. Again, this is an offer of good faith and not an implied warranty or because it is required of us.

  To reiterate, we have offered to do the repairs for you if you provide the **** parts, which you have declined, or provide monetary support in the amount of $1500 equivalent of what it would cost us to complete the repairs at our maintenance shop. 

  Customer response

  03/18/2024

  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. Please tell me how you wish to make payment
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/18/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 3/8/22 we contacted Laubert`s for a car they had listed for sale. When talking to our sales person ***** ****** he stated the car was in good condition. A $500 deposit was made in good faith to purchase the car. We went to the dealership on 3/12/22 to test drive the car and finalize the purchase. Upon an OBD2 scan, 3 of the 6 emission modules were not set. This will cause the car to fail emissions in the city we live in. ***** said that since the car dealership is not in a city/county that is required to pass emissions that this is not his problem. We were offered to come back the following week to drive the car to St. Charles to have the car tested. Upon speaking to ***** again, he said that the dealership has changed their mind and wouldn't allow us to take it to be inspected as promised. If the car will not pass emissions inspections we cannot get the car registered or titled and plated in the city we live in. We asked for a refund of the deposit as the car will not pass inspections and was denied the refund. ***** knew where we lived and that there would be inspections required. I feel this car was not offered for sale with good intentions knowing it will not pass the required state inspections. We are both in Missouri. I am requesting a return of my deposit due to the issue above and not being disclosed before a deposit was made. I am unable to provide a receipt as one was not provided by the car dealership as requested. I only have the charge on my credit card statement. I have also filed a dispute for the charge with the credit card company.

  

  Business response

  03/31/2022

  We have reviewed the complaint from ******* *****.  I will provide to the best of my ability's details of our interactions with ***** ***** and ******* *****.

  We received an email of interest from ***** on Monday, March 7th, 2022, regarding a Volkswagen Passat that we had for sale.  When speaking with ***** by phone, he stated that they would be unable to come and view the Passat until Saturday, March 12th, 2022, and that they would like to purchase the Passat on that day.  It was explained to ***** that the only way we can hold a vehicle for someone is if they put down a $500.00 nonrefundable deposit.  He agreed, understood the deposit was nonrefundable and put the deposit on the vehicle by credit card on Tuesday, March 8th, 2022.  He also agreed to the processing fee of $4.95 which occurs when taking a payment over the phone. Disputing those charges with their credit card company would be fraudulent since ***** made a verbal binding agreement to both fees.

  When ***** and ******* came to pick up the Passat, there were no check engine lights and no issues with the vehicle.  Included with the sale, we also included the state required inspection which has already been completed and the Passat had passed that inspection as well.  We do not provide an emissions inspection, nor do we guarantee it will pass an emissions inspection.  This is because in Cole County where we are conducting business and completing the sale, this is not a requirement.

  Upon inspection of the Volkswagen, they stated that 3 out of the 6 emissions modules are not set.  We are unaware of emissions modules not being set in the Volkswagen.  We are unaware if ***** and ******* had brought an expert that was able to decipher this for them or how they were able to determine this as an undisputable fact.  From what we were told, a gentleman checked the codes within the Volkswagen with his code reader.  However, it was never specified if these are stored codes or active codes, whether his code reader is functioning properly, if there is updated software needed, if he is an expert emissions and Volkswagen, etc.

  There would be stored codes from the previous Volkswagen recalls and regarding other mechanical issues that may have occurred during the life of the vehicle.  The previous recalls specifically those pertaining to emissions have been completed by a Volkswagen service technician and are also covered under a factory warranty (included).  It appears the emissions recall was completed on January 20th, 2020 (Carfax included).

  It was also discussed that ***** could take the Volkswagen to have an emissions inspection completed.  However, at our discretion we declined to put additional miles on the vehicle that they were no longer interested in purchasing.  It was determined the purpose of taking the vehicle to St. Charles for an inspection was to hopefully get a failed emissions inspection.  This information was provided by Heather, and she felt that if she could provide a failed emissions inspection she would be entitled to a refund of the nonrefundable deposit.  This is the reason behind our decision to not allow additional use and wear and tear.

  Regarding the complaint, it was clearly explained what a nonrefundable deposit was, the reason behind it and ***** agreed to the terms and therefore no refund is due. 

   

  Customer response

  04/03/2022

  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  My husband spoke with the sales manage of this car dealership on Monday, March 7, 2022 do discuss our interest in purchasing this vehicle. Long discussions were had about the condition of the vehicle and the work that had been done on the car. We were told that this car was in good condition and that there were no known problems with the car. Car fax was provided to confirm vehicle history. Due to the information provided by the sales manager we agree to place a down payment on the car with the full intention of purchasing the vehicle upon inspection and test drive. The sales manager that we were dealing with was aware that we were coming from St. Charles, MO and that we would not be available to take off work and drive out there until Saturday, March 12, 2022.  On Friday, March 11, 2022 I went to the bank and obtained a check for the full remaining balance to pay for the car in full. We drove to the car dealership on Saturday to inspect the car on Saturday as agreed to. The drive of the car was sluggish as compared to other cars of the same make and model that we have been test driving recently. We attributed this to the fact that it is a diesel car and that it was cold outside. We did bring a mechanic with us as this is a used vehicle to help look over the car as there is no warranty offered with this used car before we finalized the purchase of the vehicle. Upon connecting a OBD2 reader to the car, there were no codes present, but 3 of the 6 emission modules were open, which means the car will not pass the emissions inspection required by the state of Missouri in the county we live in in order to get it registered and obtain license plates. We brought this to the sales managers attention and he stated "this is not my problem". He stated that several times while we were there to discuss this. Our concern with these open modules is that it could be a very costly repair to fix. We expressed this concern and we were told that due to the car dealership not being in a town where the passage of an emissions test is required it again was not their problem. We were still very interested in purchasing this vehicle. I asked if the sales manager was aware of any vehicle repair shops near the dealership had the ability to test test this to clear up or concerns. We were told by the sales manager that he would call around on Monday to check but he was not aware of any. I asked before we left if it was possible for me to provide the cashiers check to them to hold on to in good faith so that I could take a day off to drive back out there to take the car to a place that could check the emissions concerns we had so I would know if it would pass inspection and if not how much it would cost me to repair. We were told that we could do this and that it would have to be done Monday- Friday during the open business hours of the dealership. We called back and spoke with the dealership on Monday, March 14, 2022 when they opened to schedule a time to do this. At this point we still had every intention to purchase this vehicle. We were told during the call on the 14th that they had changed their mind and would no longer be willing to allow us to do this. I did not even go back to the bank until Thursday, March 17th to cancel the cashiers check hoping that we would be able to address our concerns. At no point did we ever say that we did not want the car or that we were unwilling to purchase it. It is this car dealership that decided to go back on their word and choose to not allow us to have this car inspected prior to purchase after we had a verbal agreement to do so. This causes me concern and I feel like they are trying to hide the issues that the car is truly having. The dealership did not offer any other options and I feel in complete bad faith were just happy to be able to take our deposit money and be rid of us.  I am very disappointed in how this happened as we had every intent on purchasing this vehicle. At no time did the business owner ever attempt to reach out to us to discuss this us.  I feel that this whole transaction was not in good faith by the business as they have nothing to loose any only profit weather we purchase the car or not. And as they stated if there is anything wrong with the vehicle it is not their problem. The dealership went back on their word to allow us to have this car inspected as agreed to on March 12. This was a verbal agreement just like our down payment was on the car to purchase it. I feel that they should return the deposit money as they are the ones that choose to go back on their word to allow us to have the vehicle inspected and back out of this sale. At no time did ***** or I ever state that we wanted to prove that the vehicle would fail an inspection in order to back out of this sale. The only people in this transaction acting in bad faith is that of the car dealership. Bank statement provided to prove the transaction history of the purchase of the cashiers check for final payment of the vehicle and the cancellation of the check and the funds returned to our bank account.  
  
  Sincerely,
  ******* *****

  

  Business response

  04/05/2022

  Wednesday, April 6, 2022

   

  Better Business Bureau

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

  Re:         Complaint ID ********

  Dear Sir or Madam:

  We have reviewed the rejection from ******* *****. Unfortunately, it was clearly explained what a non-refundable deposit was, the reason behind it and ***** agreed to the terms and therefor no refund is due.

  As mentioned in our original response, previous recalls specifically those pertaining to emissions have been completed by a Volkswagen service technician and are also covered under a factory warranty. The emissions recall was completed on January 20^th, 2020 and are still covered under that VW warranty. To our knowledge, there were no issues remaining after the recall was completed.

  Regarding taking our vehicle to get an emissions test, the question asked by ******* was ‘If we take the Volkswagen to get an emissions test and it fails, can I get my deposit back?’ This was asked after the deposit was already requested to be refunded, a clear indication that they wanted their non-refundable deposit refunded. During this same call, ******* stated if we did not give her a refund, she was going to call to dispute the charges with her credit card company even though the charges were authorized. Both requesting a refund and stating she is going to state fraud on credit card charges are in no way an indication that they were interested in continuing with the purchase of the Volkswagen.

  We did not indicate verbally or by written commitment that the vehicle would pass an emissions test. We did not include a passed emissions test in part of our agreement or state it was a condition of the sale. We do not research a customer’s state, county or city residence laws as they do not pertain to our business nor would we in anyway be an expert on what is required at each location.

  We take a non-refundable deposit as a commitment to buy and to cover for expenses of a lost sale.  As in this case, we turned away several customers that were interested in purchasing the VW.

  The non-refundable deposit and your request to have it refunded is the totality of the issue. I sincerely apologize if you do not agree with our policy, but since it was clearly explained prior to taking the deposit there is no refund being issued on the non-refundable deposit. I do understand the frustration. However, that is why we do our very best to clearly explain what a non-refundable deposit is and why it is taken.

  Thank you,

   

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

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