ComplaintsforBirmingham Broker

• Initial Complaint

  01/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a vehicle from Birmingham Brokers on 11/29 and begin experiencing issues soon after the purchase. I took the vehicle to a Mercedes dealer for an inspection and approximately 30 days later contacted the dealer. I spoke to the owner (***** *******) and was told he would research my concern and contact me back. A week or so went by and I received no follow up. I followed up, left messages and no one has returned my call. I informed the dealer that the analysis indicated that the motor was bad and that someone had begun working on it. Birmingham Brokers did not disclose this information and I notified them with in 30 of purchase. I have been calling the dealership and they will not return my call. They have the BBB listed on their website. I am hoping you can intervene in lieu of obtaining legal representation. I can be reached at XXX-XXX-XXXX. Thank-you for your time. Sent from ******** **** ******* (*********@gmail.com)

  

  Business response

  02/10/2022

  Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2022/01/28) */ After reading this complaint, I spoke with the previous owner and he stated that the only place that ever worked on the vehicle under his ownership was MB Birmingham. There has not been any masking or cover up on this GL. He is welcome to obtain the records from them if he would like. We have no way of knowing what happens or how a car is treated when it leaves our property. Much less in a 30 day time period. All customers are welcome to exercise whatever type of due diligence before purchasing. He signed multiple forms understanding that the vehicle is sold as-is and signed a form stating he would not be purchasing an extended warranty. I am not sure how we can be of any help from here, but we can certainly not warranty a 120,000 mile 8-year-old car in house. I sincerely hate his predicament. Consumer Response /* (3000, 7, 2022/02/01) */ (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.) I do no accept this response. On Dec. 29 2021 when I contacted ***** ******* and informed him of my time line of notice issues with this vehicle. I told him on the day I purchased it i didn't notice anything wrong because of where his dealership was located and in the test drive you couldn't get over 35 mph. when heading home after reach 60 mph I noticed a shake that seemed as if maybe the tires were not balanced and it sounded like it had a miss in the engine. 5 days later Is when I notice something more serious when trying to accelerate and get on the interstate the vehicle shook violently and could gain speed after a few minutes everything went back to normal. I informed ***** that at this point I thought that the spark plugs needed to be changed because of the high miles and the the should be changed every 60k miles. So 2 weeks after purchase I took it to a local mechanic but they didn't have time to take a look at it and I didn't have time to leave it because it is the only car I have. Dec 27, 2021 I had to go out of town for work which provided me the opportunity to get the car thoroughly taken care of. 2 days later is when I was informed of the damage to the motor. I promptly Call ***** told him exactly what was going on, told him where the car was located and asked that he would call and speak with the mechanic himself, which he did not. so since my purchase nothing has been done to this vehicle on advice from this very reputable mechanic that values his costumers enough to do the right thing. the oil has not been changed because there's metal in it that shows proof the motor was damage long before I purchased this car. The fact that the car was $2500 under price is a clear statement that something wasn't quite right. the fact that I called and left messages to get this issue resolve 6 plus time with no reply from ***** ******* is sign he knew something was wrong with this car. The fact that ***** ******* did not disclose that he was a consignment dealership is an even bigger problem because I would never had walked though his door had I known. I would not spend $20000 to by a car out of some ones yard but essentially I was dupped into doing just that. Below is copy and past from mechanic. The Mercedes Doctor Invoice No. ******************** XXXXXXXXX **********, AL XXXXX Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX FAX: XXX-XXX-XXXX Page 1 Order Date 12/29/XX XX:XX am Paid: 12/30/XX XX:XX pm Ref: CB AAA Discounts Show Your Card And Save *******, ******** 13 Mercedes Benz GL450 BLACK Quotes XXXX Xth ave 105.61 Odometer reading in:XXXXXX out: XXXXXXX/XX XX:XX am Tuscaloosa AL XXXXX Lic: DV22CF/AL 8 Cyl 4.6 Eng ******** in person. Vin: ***************** 02/13 Mobile: XXX-XXX-XXXX Eq: Work Phone: Comer, radio, needs back by Thursday if possible 12/30 Will try to pick up Monday or Tuesday. KC Job01 Check engine light on Labor: $110.00 L 09 Cust states that the check engine light is on and feels like it's missing. Check and advise. a short test and found faults PO XXXXX Combustion misfire has been detected and DICOCO High pressure could not be built up during eng surround possible right quantity control valve malfunction for high pressure fault. Performed compression test for misfire and found #2 cylinders may be the cause. Also noticed noise coming from right bank and seems to be coming from #2 cylinders. Removed #1 and #2 spark plugs to compare and found #2 plug appeared richer than #1. TOOK sample COM oil filter and found metallic flakes in oil. Suspect of valve train damage for misfire fault. Status: Completed Tech: CB Job Subtotal: $110.00 JobXX XXX Syn. Oil Change Labor: $0.00 No work performed. Status: Completed Tech: CB Job Subtotal: $0.00 Payments to The Mercedes Doctor Status: Paid Work Order Payments: $114.XX X XX/30/XX XXX.40 Debit CardLJC Cost Summary Labor Parts Shop Supplies Total Payments Bal Due Business Response /* (4000, 9, 2022/02/02) */ Once again, I am sorry that Mr. ******* is having issues with the vehicle. He had every opportunity to have it inspected before purchase especially if he felt "$2500 under price is a clear statement that something wasn't quite right". Most every car we sell is below retail because we are a broker, not a traditional retail dealer. I have researched the matter with my telephone company and with the previous owner and am having a hard time understanding the accusations. As far as " did not disclose that he was a consignment dealership is an even bigger problem because I would never had walked though his door had I known". We are incredibly transparent about what we do. Our name is Birmingham "Broker". Has Mr. ******* even looked at our website? There is a testimonial video on our home page explaining what we do. There is a Sell Your Car tab with great detail. There is a testimonial page with plenty of clarity of how we have helped community folks "sell their vehicle". We run radio campaigns about selling vehicles for others. I have emailed you (BBB) the forms that have been signed. Finally, the statement " I would not spend $20000 to by a car out of some ones yard but essentially I was dupped into doing just that", is offensive. I would like no further communication about this matter. This vehicle was owned by a great over the mountain family who we have sold several cars for.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩