A GEARHEAD who spent months researching and carefully planning the purchase of her dream car was later faced with delays and frustration – after the dealership failed to transfer the title.
Sarah Schiltz from Wisconsin was forced to wait 113 days by a dealership in Tucson, Arizona, after they sold her a 2020 Yukon Denali without properly disclosing its lien status.
A car dealership in Tucson, Arizona, is in hot water after failing to transfer a vehicle title over to a recent customer[/caption]
A gearhead was sold a 2020 Yukon Denali without properly disclosing its lien status[/caption]
The dealership’s failure to transfer the car’s title over to her meant someone else had a claim to the vehicle[/caption]
According to KOLD, Schiltz picked up the Denali from Quebedeaux Buick-GMC – but faced significant challenges after they failed to transfer the title to her.
“I shopped for this car for six months, for a long time,” said Schiltz.
“It’s just I’ve never had a vehicle this nice so to be able to work hard and save and be able to purchase it felt like a great accomplishment.”
Schiltz said she did her due diligence, which included obtaining car history and maintenance reports, as well as hiring a mechanic.
But despite that, the dealership failed to transfer the car’s title over to her – meaning someone else had a claim to the vehicle.
Schiltz added: “Tell me you’re going to have a title in one to four days, now it’s been another three weeks. It’s been 113 days as of today. I still have nothing.”
Worse still, when she attempted to resolve the issue, she was passed around by different departments working with the dealership.
“I was flipped around from person to person,” she said.
“I can’t tell you how many times I called them, hundreds of times.”
The dealership eventually resolved the lien issue after Schiltz filed complaints with the Arizona Attorney General and ADOT fraud hotline.
Cisco Gonzalez, the manager at Quebedeaux Buick-GMC in Tucson, Arizona, was involved in addressing Schiltz’s case.
In a letter addressed to the Arizona Attorney General’s office, Gonzalez said: “Unfortunately, there was a breakdown in communication during the lien payoff and title processing, and we acknowledge the impact this had on her confidence in our dealership.”
The letter goes on to say: “In response to this situation, we have strengthened our internal processes to ensure that we never provide inaccurate information regarding title or registration timeline to our customers.”
Gonzalez also confirmed the dealership received a lien release on June 16, allowing Schiltz and her lender to finally be added to the title July 1 – some four months after Schiltz paid $39,000 for the vehicle and shipped it to Wisconsin.
“I feel that they don’t truly care,” Schiltz said.
“They addressed it with the attorney general only to satisfy them. But they haven’t come back to me to satisfy anything.
“I feel like that whole dealership didn’t handle me as a customer in a professional manner at all.”
“I do still love my car, but it’s been a thing,” she added.
Later, it was revealed ADOT had launched an investigation into Quebedeaux’s processes.
Dealership Tips
Here are some expert tips when purchasing a car from a dealership lot:
- 1. Set your price: Ensure you’ve calculated your monthly budget before going to the lot. You should include the car’s loan payment, insurance costs, fuel, and regular maintenance.
- 2. Research: Make sure you know which cars you’re interested in test driving before you reach the dealership.
- 3. Pre-approval: Secure financing before you go to the dealership. Dealerships may give you a better interest rate if they are competing with an outside bank.
- 4. Test away: Get behind the wheel before making any payments. A car purchase will be worth thousands of dollars – drivers should ensure they like the drivetrain, steering feel, and comfort of the car before taking it off the lot
- 5. Haggle: Drivers should always try to negotiate the price. There are so many good cars on the American market – buyers have a strong hand when negotiating price.
Source: Kelley Blue Book
