A DEALERSHIP has come under fire after a customer claimed they gave her a dud car and did not pay off her old vehicle.
The woman said she went to the New York state dealer in hopes of getting a newer car – but now she regrets giving the old one up.
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Heather Brown says she went to Broadway Cars LLC to get a new vehicle, and ended up choosing a 2017 Infiniti QX60 with a ticket price of over $15,000, according to CBS affiliate WRGB.
In exchange for $11,000 in cash, her old 2015 Ford Escape, and the remaining amount put onto a credit card, Brown left the dealership in June with the Infiniti.
Now, she says, the new car has been getting work done ever since she bought it.
“The Infiniti has been in the shop literally almost the whole time for the past two months,” she told WRGB.
“It took three times to start the car.”
She then claims that the Infiniti dealership told Broadway Cars’ owner that the fix would cost almost $14,000.
“The woman on the phone did tell me that this car needs extensive work and that [the dealership owner] denied the work.”
Brown also said that the dealer has yet to pay off her old car’s $3,600 lien despite it being a part of the deal.
“Under the terms and conditions, he was to pay off that lien immediately,” Brown told the station.
“Unfortunately, that lien has not been paid off.”
“It’s affected my credit score.”
Broadway Cars LLC did not respond to a request for comment made by The U.S. Sun.
The woman said that due to the car’s issues, she even asked for her 2015 Ford Escape back, but the dealership claimed they had already loaned it to someone else.
She told the station that she felt as if the dealer “essentially stole” the car she traded in.
What makes a car a lemon?
Each law has different parameters on what defines a lemon, but generally, a car is lemon when it’s in the shop for longer than it’s on the road.
Progressive Auto Insurance describes a lemon as a car with “a significant defect or malfunction that makes it unsafe to drive,” though exact parameters vary by state. All 50 states have lemon laws covering new vehicles, but only seven have lemon laws to protect used car buyers.
Federally, however, consumers are protected under U.S. Code Chapter 50 covering consumer product warranties. In layman’s terms, the law dictates that consumers be compensated by the manufacturer when “multiple attempts to repair a vehicle under warranty fail.”
What to do if you think you bought a lemon:
- Research your state’s lemon laws and their exact parameters.
- Contact the dealership, especially if it’s still under factory warranty.
- If the dealership refuses to repair the issue, contact the Automotive Consumer Action Program or the National Automobile Dealers Association.
- Send a certified letter to the manufacturer with an explanation of the issue, with documentation and proof that you’ve contacted a dealership.
- Depending on the outcome, you can report the dealership to the DMV for selling a car that needs immediate repairs.
- Consider small claims court.
- Consult an attorney specializing in lemon law through the National Association of Consumer Advocates.
Source: Progressive Auto Insurance
On their website, they say the dealership will “show you how easy it is to buy a quality used car in Albany.”
“With years of experience serving the area, our dealership is dedicated to offering high-quality, pre-owned vehicles to our customers.”
