confrontation, ugh. WWYD

zyas · March 2014

I really hate hate hate confrontation of any sort but today I have to do 2 different sorts. UGH

First story: we bought a vehicle last month for our business - used of course - that we saved up for. We had just enough for it and it seemed like a great deal. We bought it from a small family run dealership that has been in business for 50 years. They all seemed so nice there. Their mechanics had thoroughly gone through it and checked everything (so they told us) and said it was in great condition but just needed new tires. I guess that was our bad for trusting them.

So we got new tires and took it to our local mechanic for a oil change and a complete tune up. Well there have been ALL sorts of problems found. It's basically been in and out of the shop for the last month. So far the repairs have cost way more than what we paid for the vehicle. There were tons of major oil leaks, leaks in the power steering, it needed all new brakes, new shocks, new wheel drums, and tons more. The thing that really gets me is that the sway bar that connects the 2 front wheels had a huge crack in it. They told us that would eventually break and when it did the bar would jam into one of the wheels causing a huge blow out and probably a major accident. This makes me feel sick.

We just got it back last night and I have all the invoices and lists of all the issues that were fixed. So I am calling the dealership today but I doubt they will do anything. I don't even know exactly what I should say but 1) obviously their mechanic did not check the vehicle thoroughly so we were misled or 2) they did check it and choose not to disclose the issues so once again, we were misled. Either way, they have awful ethics.

Any suggestions on how I should approach the issues with them?

2nd situation: and I guess this is not as bad. But still. Many of you know the bad luck we've had with babysitters. Well we have 1 sitter left who we really love. However I have to talk to her tonight when she comes as we have been finding random things thrown into some of our animal cages. Our iguana has a terrarium in our living room next to one of our hedgehogs and my H kept finding random pieces of hedgehog food in there so he kept asking me why I was throwing them in. Um, I'm not a dufus, thanks Honey. Today he found a whole bunch of tiny dog treats and last night I found the bag of those dog treats next to the Iguana's cage which I thought that was weird. They were special treats for one of my dogs who has kidney problems and can only eat certain treats, and they are damn expensive! Almost the whole bag was gone! (not to mention they are not good for the iguana at all!). My H also found rice cakes and other odd things thrown in with our chickens and rabbits the other day. So now I know the sitter is feeding the animals - so it worries me what else she may have given them. 2 of my dogs are on special diets due to kidney and liver issues. UGH

EandIMommy86 · March 2014

With Issue #1, I would call them and ask to speak to the manager. Let them know you took the car to a mechanic and that you have the invoice of all the issues wrong with it and see what they can do.

By selling you a car they know had issues, that is technically false advertising and they can actually possibly get in trouble for knowingly selling lemons or ones that have severe issues. I do not know what you want the outcome to be, but in that situation if it were me, I would want them to pay for the repairs.

Issue #2. When you see the sitter again, I would just let her know you found things that were not in their typical spot, and you want to make sure there is no confusion then show her where everything goes and how it should be done. Let her know the iguana, hedgehog, and your dog can only eat certain things and it is fine that she feeds them, but it is important not to mix up what they can and can't eat.

If you would rather not be as confrontational, you could make a list for her and put it on the fridge. Just let her know you have a list of instructions to help her remember where everything goes and what the animals can and can't eat so that there is no confusion, and leave it at that. That way, you will not have to have a long conversation with her about it.

That is a frustrating situation. Good luck. I hope everything gets resolved.

zyas · March 2014

summergirl1211 said:

PaddyB said:

for the first one, did the put any of their guarantees/statements about the state of the vehicle in writing? that would be extremely helpful in getting them to do anything about it.

Does your contract/deed for sale say enthing about warranties or as is etc?

Yeah, I'd look into this too. Check the small print on the documents you received. I wouldn't be surprised if since it's a used car it was sold "as is", but you may be lucky. Unfortunately the lemon laws (that @TaviaBrad mentioned) only cover new cars.

Yep you're right, I just checked the papers and there is one that says no warranties, as is.

boo

zyas · March 2014

aimee223 said:

#1, I watch too much 20/20 and I'm pretty skeptical of mechanics and car dealerships in general, but I'd be worried the mechanic working on the car was trying to scam me and take advantage that the car was new to me and I didn't know it's issues.

#2, I'd just let the babysitter know that you noticed she might have been feeding the animals and that she didn't need to do it because the animals are on special diets and you take care of them, but you really appreciate her trying to help.

@aimee223 we were worried about this too and I actually called and talked to the mechanic last night when we got the vehicle back. He's my inlaws mechanic and my FIL knows him really well so I had to be careful of what I said as I didn't want to step on any toes. He explained everything to me in detail and after getting off the phone with him, I felt less like he was trying to take advantage of us. But you never know....

and I think I will use your advice on what to say to the sitter tonight. Thanks

zyas · March 2014

thank you everyone!

I did call the dealership (it's a small family owned one with the owner and only 2 salesmen). I talked to the guy we bought it from and he seemed surprised to hear of the issues. He is having the owner call me back. My biggest concern is the one that could have potentially caused a big accident - it could have fatal for us and/or other people. THAT is what is bothering me so much.

britbratjf · March 2014

summergirl1211 said:
@zyas: If you feel they were really being shady you could file a complaint with the Illinois Better Business Bureau. Not sure if you'd want to take it that far, but it's always an option. I'm sorry you're dealing with this.

In our state car dealerships are licensed through the Secretary of State & you can register complaints there. Look into who licenses dealers in your state & call to see what their complaint process is then register one.

zyas · March 2014

Update: so the owner of the dealership never called me back. I'll try calling him tomorrow again. But if he won't talk to me or do anything about the situation I will for sure call the better business bureau.

I just talked to our sitter and she seems to be understanding about not feeding any of the animals. She said Ava constantly throws food to the dogs but she isn't going to let her do that anymore.

Thanks everyone for your advice!

zyas · March 2014

ALou9785 said:
@zyas‌ If you need to escalate things with the dealership I'd recommend calling the Secretary of State. If you can get their dealer number before you call, that could help. It will be on the colorful plates they use for test drives, and also should be on a certificate that's displayed.

Thanks @ALou9785 I will do that. I just need to find their dealer number, hopefully it's somewhere on the paperwork I have.

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confrontation, ugh. WWYD

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