Buyer beware still the best warning when car shopping
Beware car buyers! Once again, letters to the Better Business Bureau and State Attorney Generals Office offer no hope of alerting folks to scam practices in Richmond.
This summer I was interested in trading cars and went to a local new-car facility. After considering their offer, decided I didn't quite want to spend that amount of money and thanked them for their offer. That was in June. In August they called me at home, asked me if I might be interested in the same deal, but only $1,500 and my car rather than $4,000 and my car!
I drove the car and went in to accept their offer only to find out the offer and their dealings were no more than a scam. In order to get the deal, I had to fill out their credit application. The salesman indicated they needed to know if I qualified before they could sell me the car and better yet (now get this) it was a law through Homeland Security. Homeland security? Do they need to know if I'm a terrorist to sell me a car? "I'm not a fool" were the words I indicated to the salesman as I left.
It worked. It got me in their showroom only to find out the bottom-line price was the same. I should have known better. The Better Business Bureau and Attorney General's office send you a nice letter indicating they sent your complaint to the company you complained about, but the word never gets out to the people of Richmond. I received a copy of the letter from the car dealership to the Better Business Bureau this week. Of course they couldn't remember any of the above. Be careful. You never know who you are dealing with.
Sue Kern, Richmond