Lies, Promises and Deciet - PatrickSLK350
*** Buyer BEWARE *** ** SCAM ALERT **
I lost $8,000 dollars in one day at RENEWIT Car Care.
While living in Atlanta, I found a beautiful 2005 SLK350 Mercedes on the web. After a number of phone calls and research, I flew to RENEWIT in Seminole to buy the car. The team was so accommodating and friendly, it really put me at ease. The car detailer that took the test drive with me said it was the best company that he'd worked at in years.
When the taxi dropped me off, I gave it the best inspection I knew. Where I found a problem or question, specifically the navigation, the mechanic looked at it and wasn't sure what the problem was, so the sales manager gave me a book of CD's and told me that would fix it. All throughout the sales process, I was pitched the extended warranty. I had time to decide, but to ease my concern, the salesman assured me several times that the car came with a 3-month engine and drivetrain warranty, so if I didn't want the extended, i was covered. I believed him and drove off, back to Atlanta.
When I got home, my wife offering to help me, went into the trunk to get my travel bags and BANG, the trunk lid came crashing down on her head. Apparently, when I was inspecting the trunk on the car lot, the salesman was holding it open, keeping it from crashing down on me. Well, several doctor visits later, she's finally cleared of head trauma issues.
Now, by the time I got back to Atlanta, the car wasn't acting correctly. I wasn't sure what it was, so I took it to to a certified Mercedes team to review it. They said it had a code that was an early warning of a catastrophic engine failure and would cost $3,500 to repair. Further, the dual-zone AC unit was broken (which is why it wouldn't adjust). Yes, I asked the RENEWIT mechanic about that, he didn't know. And lastly, the instrument cluster was broken. The grand total for repair was $8,000. Keep in mind, this was diagnosed the day after I bought the car.
I called RENEWIT and was offered the warranty again. After calling the warranty company, they said it wasn't a covered item. It was a warranty that sounds good, but does not protect you. I was told by the sales manager that they would swap out the car, just wait for your title to come in. Well, they bungled the out-of-state paperwork, filled it out incorrectly and when the DMV finally processed it, the overcharged fees were refunded to RENEWIT, not me. I guess they felt it was a tip or something.
I didn't drive the car anymore. After two months of not driving the car, making car payments, the title came in and I called to make arrangements to return the car. That's when the shadow owner stepped into the sunlight to inform me that he wouldn't honor the 3-month warranty, wouldn't honor his sales managers agreement to take the car back and suggested that I find somewhere else to trade it in. Too bad I didn't buy the warranty, he said.
Please see picture excerpt from the sales contract that spells out any representation of the salesperson will not be honored UNLESS IT IS WRITTEN. If it's not written in the sales contract specifically, the existing small print is there to protect the dealer and leave no accomodation for the buyer - hence buyer beware.
I lost $8,000 dollars in one day at RENEWIT Car Care. Don't buy a car without heavy documentation of the promises their sales team gives you. Demand to document and have evidence of what you are told.
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