Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. 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.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/11/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Per the dealer, this 1977 ********************* was purchased by them for about $11k. Without checking the car over, they immediately asked $17,900 for the car and were advertising it as having a 350 engine and not the correct 305.With info I knew about the car and their own inspection,they discovered that the car did not run properly, a/c broken, dome light broken rotting body mounts, ripped front seat ,door not closing properly etc...They decided to only change one spark plug and put a new pin in the door (still not working). Due to all of these issues, they lowered the price to $14,500 and I decided to purchase the vehicle (see bill of sale). While I was on the way to pick up the car, I was told that although I had been told that the car had heat, the heat was now broken, the tailpipe is "swiss cheese" and that the front seat is broken and does not move.When picking the car up both ***** and **** (owner) stated that heat was likely a $15 thermostat issue. I was also told that no further price reductions would be made to compensate for these issues. At pickup I also discovered a not previously disclosed dent in the door (see pic). It turns out that all of these repairs will be much more expensive that anyone expected. When I brought this to their attention after the purchase, ******** said that she was going to terminate my call and ***** said that they showed me videos of some of the issues because "we knew you would be one of those customers". They offered to buy the car back but I do plan to keep it and make those repairs not covered by the warranty. My complaint however is that once the car was at my home,I discovered a lot of fluid on the garage floor. Mechanics have concluded that the engine rear main seal, oil pan and transmission are leaking (see estimate). The dealer is refusing to honor the 30 day/1000 mile engine and transmission warranty which contains no exclusions (see warranty)-very unprofessional-not like other dealers I have purchased from.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/12/2024

  ******************** called us on a 1977 ***** Monte ***** that we had online for sale. He stated he was so happy to see the car for sale because he lives in ** and traveled to ************* to see this vehicle, prior to us purchasing this vehicle it was for sale by the owner. ******************** stated that he even had pictures of this car and had it checked by a mechanic in ************* and that the owner was rude and he ended up not purchasing the car. ******************** knew everything about this car before he purchased it, he wanted this vehicle, he gave us a deposit over the phone, he stated that when he test drove it from the prior owner that the car felt like it had a skip to it, upon inspection we found a defective spark plug in which we replaced. As far as the heat is concerned, he also knew about that before he paid for the car. When he got here to purchase the vehicle, he noticed dent in door and pointed it out, I explained to him that the dent had been there since we had purchased it, he spent 2 hours with the vehicle test driving it and inspecting it. He knew everything about this vehicle. He then paid for the vehicle and went outside and put his ** plates on the car and called AAA and told them he broke down and needed a tow back to ********. About 5 days after purchase he called us and stated that he would like $500.00 dollars back for the heat not working and he stated that it was not just the thermostat, we told him that we lowered the price to $14500.00 from $17900.00 to reflect the issues that we found, we also told him that if he was not happy with the vehicle to bring the car back and we would give him a full refund. We explained to him that we only gave him a 30 day warranty on Motor & Transmission. After that conversation about a week goes by and he calls again and stated that his oil and transmission fluid are leaking, he was again explained that the warranty we gave him was Motor & Transmission ( meaning if the motor went or the transmission went we would replace) we explained that the warranty does not cover leaks, seals or gaskets. He stated now that he would like us to cut him back $1500.00, we said no. At that point he stated that he was going to file a complaint with the ** ******************** we told him that that was his right and if he is unhappy that would be the next step seeing we offered him his money back and he refused. Upon the ** ****************** receiving his complaint they sent us a letter to respond, we did and the ** ****************** stated that we ( Smithfield Classic Cars ) did nothing wrong and sided with us. At that point ******************** was upset and requested a hearing which is on March 20, 2024. May I also add that prior to the sale to ******************** this vehicle passed ** Safety inspection by a licensed ******** inspection facility. This is not a matter of giving him money with us, it is the principal.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/13/2024

  Before 12/16/23- Engine was not 350 as advertised but much cheaper 305, front body mounts rotted, ac broken, front seat ripped and cracking, dome light broken,  as a result, dealer reduced price from $17,900 to $14,500. I decide to finalize purchase. Day of purchase- 12/16/23. Told heat not working (they said $15 repair), front seat broken and not moving,discovered an undisclosed dent in the driver's door and was told that no price adjustment would be made and if i was unhappy with that, they would cancel the sale since they have another buyer. I  completed all sales and 30 day/1000 mile no exclusions engine/transmission warranty paperwork and called AAA for the 200 mile tow I am *********** as a Premier member. Since ** does not issue temp plates and the running condition for a 187 mile trip was questionable, i decided to use the 200 mile tow included in my paid AAA membership. On or about 12/26/23 I brought to the attention of ******** at the dealership the inaccuracy of their heat and seat repair cost. Although i knew that this was not under warranty, I asked that they consider a credit since this was not part of the original price reduction. This is when she said that she was ending my call. I moved on and began driving the car and smelled a very strong burning smell. Mechanics checked and found the engine rear seal, oil pan and transmission leaking. I am not a mechanic and no one ever mentioned this major problem to me. It is a huge $1500 job as the transmission must be removed. I notified the dealer and they refused to honor their own no exclusion warranty. Please ask the dealer to provide any document signed by me disclosing exclusions to the warranty. They cannot just randomly decide what is covered and what is not. The ** law shows a long list of at a minimum parts which must be covered including "all lubricated parts" and the "engine block" where the main oil seal retains the oil which lubricates. In any case, the dealer did not exclude any engine or transmission parts. They say that as a matter of principle they will not pay...i say that as a consumer with a written no exclusions warranty...as a matter of principle i will use all available remedies to enforce the warranty. Clearly this major oil leak was never part of the price reduction to $14,500 as the dealer implies. In 40 years of buying cars for myself and my family, I am happy to say that all dealers have gone above and beyond to provide great service, problem resolution and certainly honored any warranty....keys to staying in business and having a positive impact on the industry reputation...not this one. 

  Business Response

  Date: 02/15/2024

  Before 12/16/23- I am not sure were the customer seen this vehicle advertised with a 350 Engine, I have attached a copy of our Ad, If somewhere is was posted with a 350 Engine then it was a mistake by our ********************* The customer knew what motor was in the car, as i stated previously he looked at this car when it was for sale by previous owner and had a mechanic go thru it. I am not going to use the BBB site to go back and forth with this customer. Bottom line, he knew everything that was wrong with this vehicle. We gave him a motor & transmission warranty, if the motor or transmission went in the first 30 days or ***** miles whichever came first we would replace. Because this vehicle is exempt from mileage, ( even though it reads ****** miles you can not tell on a classic car if that is actual mileage) we are not required by law in the *********** to give any type of warranty, we like to give our customer's at least Motor & Transmission, again, this does not cover leaks, seals & gaskets. This customer spent 2 hours with vehicle the day of purchase, he did not have to purchase the vehicle, we offered him his deposit back in full and after a week of having the car we told him to bring the vehicle back for a full refund! This is a customer that we can not make happy. This is a classic vehicle 50 years old, who knows what is going to happen down the rode. I am happy to say that all our customers over the past 3 years have been a pleasure to deal with, from sending us pictures with there classic cars to coming by with coffee after purchase. This customer has filed a complaint with the ** ******************** the ** ****************** explained to the customer that we did nothing wrong and sided with us. The customer then requested a hearing which is scheduled for 3/20/24, Let us respond when hearing is completed

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/15/2024

  Better Business Bureau:I have reviewed the response submitted by the business and have determined that the response does not satisfy or resolve my issues and/or concerns in reference to complaint # ********. Please add your rejection comments below; if you do not provide any details, your complaint will be closed as Answered. [You must provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.  If you do not enter a reason for your rejection, your complaint will be closed as Answered.]Businesses and Customers should be civil, courteous and polite in their responses to complaints. It is important to remain professional and productive when participating in the BBB complaint process.FAQRegards,*******  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/20/2024

  This vehicle was advertised by the dealer as having a 350 engine...perhaps an error on their part. Besides being a base model with many issues the dealer did not want to fix,this was a key reason for the price reduction. Clearly there have been several dissatisfied clients since the dealership seems unfamiliar with ************ laws which requires a warranty regardless of year, outlines minimim parts that must be covered and requires  that excluded parts be listed in the warranty. This lack of information and customer service led to my circumstance and an online dealer review by Rico ********** where the client  bought a vehicle, water pump went after 4 days, he had a warranty, asked dealer for help,dealer defends defends, says he had warranty and later says car was sold "as is"  and will not help...terrible customer service in my opinion. I am not a customer that you cannot make happy. Just want the dealer to fix or pay at least part to fix the strong burning smell caused by the rear main seal and transmission leak. Instead of working with customers to come to a solution, they just deny, defend, say not covered, car is old,was running fine, parts can go anytime etc...Since this is a warranty/contract issue which the ** DMV seems unfamiliar with, the ** Attorney General has referred me to my ************** Attorney General. I spoke to the ** ************************* on Friday 2/16 and they are happy to investigate the warranty, lack of exclusions and perhaps business practices of Smithfield Classics Cars. Since I am happy to come to a fair resolution with the Dealer via the BBB but the dealer is not, I will be filing my *** Attorney General complaint shortly.