ComplaintsforTLC Motors Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  02/27/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased a vehicle from TLC motors in Spartanburg SC on January 18th 2024 with a promise of repair on a "small" issue since then I have contracted the dealership numerous times with no call back. Now the vehicle has a cracked block(bad engine) the blend door actuator is not working and the catalytic converter is clogged(the original issue) called today on February 26th after multiple calls asking to speak with the manager about the issue and asking if my vehicle would be fixed since it is under warranty. I was told by the girl on the phone that she can no longer speak with us. The car has not been driven 300 miles yet and the engine is bad and they will not fix it. Because the business will not speak with me I am asking for help to have the issue resolved as I cannot pay 600$ a month for a non running vehicle and do not want my credit ruined because the dealer refuses to fix the issue.

  

  Business response

  02/27/2024

  I spoke with our service department personnel.  My understanding is that when the customer purchased this vehicle that they were brought to the service shop and spoke to the technician that was working on their vehicle.  It was explained to them that if they took delivery of the vehicle that day that it would need to come back on that Friday to complete the repairs.  Customers agreed and took delivery of the vehicle.  After taking delivery of the vehicle, customer called in and canceled their Friday appointment with the service shop.  Customer stated that the vehicle was their only method of transportation and that they would not be able to leave it with us.  Customer never rescheduled their appointment, never brought their car back to the service department and the staff at the service shop has never received a phone call or any contact from the customer after.  Looking back we should have never allowed the customer to take the delivery of the vehicle before the repairs were 100% completed.  Unfortunately, any further damage to the engine could have easily been avoided if the customer would have brought the vehicle back on Friday as agreed upon. 

   

  For these reasons we feel that the customers negligence is mostly responsible for the damage caused to the engine but we also accept responsibility in making the error of judgement in assuming that the customer would bring the car back on the agreed upon date.  If customer can have the vehicle towed to our shop we are happy to inspect the vehicle and share in 50% of the cost of an engine replacement as a Goodwill gesture.  Please call ************ to schedule an appointment with our shop.  Thank you! 

• Initial Complaint

  10/04/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  AUGUST 8 2023 $30000 FOR VEHICLE WHICH I PAID 600 BY CARD A VEHICLE THEY HAVE MY VEHICLE THAT THEY SOLD TO ME. I ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 2 WEEKS SINCE I BOUGHT IT AND IT IS BACK WITH THEM FOR 2 WEEKS AND I HAVE NOT MADE THE FIRST PAYMENT NO THEY HAVE NOT TRIED TO SOLVE THE ISSUE THEY HAVE NOT STARTED WORKING ON MY VEHICLE I HAVE BEEN SCAMMED IN A NEW WAY

  

  Business response

  10/05/2023

  To whom it may concern,

  The vehicle owned by this customer is a 2013 Ford with 128,871. Vehicle needs the throttle body replaced.  Customer purchased an extended service contract with ****** ********** and he has refused to use it.  We have the part ordered and we are waiting on it but there is nothing we can do if customer is unwilling to authorize the service contract.  Not sure what customer is asking for exactly, they purchased a 10 year old vehicle with over 100,000 miles.. things happen sometimes, that is part of buying an older used car with miles, we have no crystal ball that lets us know when something happens but fortunately they did purchase an extended service contract and this issue should be covered within that contract, all the customer would have to pay is for the deductible.  The credit inquiry was valid and authorized, customer purchased a vehicle, there is nothing we can do to remove that from their credit because it was a valid inquiry.  They are welcome to dispute it with their credit bureau and we will have to send over all their purchase documents with their signatures on these documents to validate it. Thank you.  

  Customer response

  10/08/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  
  THE COMPANY DO NOT HAVE TO LIE CAUSE THEY HAVE NOT SAID ONE TIME TO PAY A DEDUCTIBLE. I HAVE CALLED NUMEROUS OF TIMES. I KNOW EVERY RECORD CALL FOR QUALITY PURPOSES. I CALLED THEN I GET HUNG UP ON. THEN I CALLED BACK NO ONE ANSWERED. I SPOKE WITH THE MANAGER JASON, DEREK, AND OTHERS TO HELP ME SOLVING THE PROBLEM BEFORE IT GOT THIS FAR. 

  Regards,
  
  ****** ********

  Customer response

  10/08/2023

  ALL THAT INFORMATION IS INSIDE THE CAR AND WITH CREDIT ACCEPTANCE

• Initial Complaint

  09/14/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On going problem with car purchased a year ago. Struts were loud and rattling, told them the problem made an appointment somehow it was never fixed. They stated they tasted down my spare tire in trunk. Now I’m having engine issues with the vehicle I purchased an extended warranty in case these such things would happen. I’m expected to be covered , but yet the warranty people have gave me a run around as well stating “ I could possible be in charge of 1200 to pay if the cause isn’t covered” I’m not understanding what’s the point of purchasing coverage to possible still have to be held reliable for a major issue of the car . 0/10 do not recommend tlc motors !!!

  

  Business response

  10/05/2023

  Customer complaint is not with TLC Motors but with ***** ********** the company that administers her service contract.  We would be happy to see if there is anyway we can help contact ***** ********** but the last time we serviced her vehicle was in October of 2022(See Repair Order attached).  Looks like she hit a curb, had some collision damage and also had a loose tire tool in her trunk.  Not sure if customer has taken vehicle to another shop for the mechanical issue she is mentioning but to our knowledge it is not at our shop and we haven't seen her vehicle since 2022 and do not have any knowledge of any mechanical issue.  Thank you. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/14/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On September 24, 2022, I went with my son to buy a car from TLC Motors, Inc. I had bought my car in 2019 from them and believed it was a honest establishment. We found a car and as they were getting the paperwork together we stepped outside. At that time we realized the front bumper was cracked we brought it to their attention. We were assured they would take care of it wrote it down as due paper and we proceeded with the paperwork. Of course now they are disputing it and saying that the paper doesn't say they would replace the bumper exactly just that they would asses it. But the kicker was the verbal attack we received when we tried to get the car back from the assessment. On November 10, 2022, Mr. ***** and Ms. ******-***** arrived at TLC Motors, Inc. to retrieve the car. After waiting for 10 minutes, a man told us that Mike or the GM would be with us shortly. A representative of TLC Motors Inc. identifying himself only as the General Manager asked Mr. ***** and Ms. ******-***** to go in an office. Ms. ******-***** tried to explain they were there only to get the vehicle. The "General Manager" began to try and argue about the bumper. Ms. ******-***** spoke up and told the “General Manager” they were not here to “go back and forth, we just want the keys and the car”. Once this man presenting himself as the General Manager heard this, he became very irate which was indicated by his voice volume, his words and actions. This “General Manager” started to demand Mr. ***** and Ms. ******-***** to leave the property. Mr. ***** and Ms. ******-***** were willing to comply and again asked for the keys and the car. The “General Manager” started to become physical by chest bumping, cussing Mr. ***** and Ms. ******-***** all the way out the door, down the stairs, while they were asking for the keys. I had to call 911 to get the keys to the car to leave the property. Thank goodness for technology and Spartanburg County Police Department. This shows the character of the busines

  

  Business response

  01/20/2023

  To Whom it may concern,
  

   On September 24th, 2022 Mr. ***** ***** and his mother Ms. ***** ***** came to TLC Motors to purchase a vehicle for Mr. *****. 99% of the sales process was per usual and smooth. Mr. ***** and his mother agreed that the 2016 Kia Optima was the right car and the numbers were in line with Mr. *****’s budget. It’s at this point in our sales process that we allow the sales person to get a few formalities signed before the customer goes into the finance office to sign the bank's contract and DMV paperwork. These formalities are a payment authorization form, a privacy notice, and a “We-Owe”. The We-Owe is a form that allows the customer to disclose any concerns whether cosmetically or mechanically that they would like for us to address before or after they purchase the vehicle. If there is nothing that needs to be addressed this form is filled out with “nothing owed, nothing promised” and then signed by the customer. Mr. ***** with his mother present signed this We-Owe form stating there was nothing owed or nothing promised.      
  

  After the formalities were signed with the salesperson my finance manager Mike B**** was ready for Mr. ***** to come in and finalize his loan documents. At this point Ms. ***** decided her presence was no longer required and left the dealership. Everything went according to plan in the finance office until the very end. AFTER Mr. ***** had signed all the documents he told Mike that he noticed some cosmetic damage on the front bumper and asked if we would be willing to take a look at it. Mr. B**** pointed out that the we-owe stated that Mr. ***** had agreed there was nothing promised or nothing due. Mr. B**** pointed out that because of this we would not go back and participate in repairs after the deal had already been made and paperwork had been signed. Mr. ***** understood. However Mr. B**** did agree to update the we-owe to state that we would have someone look at the front bumper in person and advise Mr. ***** on his best and cheapest options to have it repaired himself. Mr. ***** was happy with that compromise. 
  

  You will notice on the uploaded we-owe document attached to this submission it says “Nothing owed, Nothing Promised” and then below that it states “Look at front bumper + advise on repairs”. That's because it was revised after everything had already been signed. 
  

  We never heard from Mr. ***** or his mother ever again until November 7th, 2022. Mr. ***** showed up at TLC Motors unannounced on that date and told his salesperson that he had someone coming to fix his bumper. Now this was strange but not unusual. We use different vendors that do repairs on site all the time. And because we had given Mr. ***** the information of a repair specialist we assumed he had set something up himself. It turns out that was not he case and Mr. ***** was simply dropping his car off for no reason at all having not spoken to anyone from the dealership or a body repair shop. Once we realized this we left numerous messages for Mr. ***** to come pick up his vehicle as we did not want to be responsible for anything that could happen while it was left unattended. He agreed to pick it up. It wasn't until the 10th that Mr ***** and his mother came to TLC Motors where they became combative and argumentative with everyone they encountered. The GM asked to speak with them in a more private setting so as not to disturb the other employees and customers present that day. In this office Ms. ***** was presented this very we-owe in hopes to reassure her that her son was not lied to and that we had upheld everything agreed to on our end. It was even acknowledged that even if we had agreed to the bumper repair that these We-Owes state very clearly they are only valid for 30 days. She chose not to read this document and instead became vulgar and inconsolable. Once she started to threaten my GM with legal action while becoming hostile he asked her to leave the property and do as she saw necessary. Even Mr. ***** himself was embarrassed and asked his mom just to leave. It did take a minute to find Mr. *****s keys because the salesperson he gave them to was off on this day. As far as the “chest bumping” goes, and cops being called upon this absolutely did NOT happen. Because that is a complete fabrication this submission will not dignify it with a response. Ms. ***** is clearly confused with another business she has threatened in the past.
  

  Mr. ***** was not promised any additional repairs therefore TLC Motors will not be participating in or contributing to the costs of any repairs regarding Mr. *****’s 2016 Kia Optima.
  
  
  

  Customer response

  01/23/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  
  I believe the responder was misled on multiple facts of this case. 

  1. The We Owe was originally signed before the cracked/split bumper was discovered. While waiting to go in with the finance Mike B****, Mr. ***** and I went outside for a cigarette. At that time is when we saw the bumper. We immediately brought it the sales associate and manager on duty attention. I explained that we would not purchase the car if this not taken care of, as it is a safety concern. After the promises by the manager on duty assuring they "had a great body guy" would look at it and "take care of it", solely based on that statement and past dealings, we believed them. 

  2. I was with Mr. ***** through the entire process and was the one that brought attention to Mike B**** about the "promise" to take care of the bumper. That was when the note of the assessment was added to the We Owe form. I stayed with Mr. ***** until we left with the car and met our family at the Beacon for lunch and to show off the car. 

  3. When a assessment was discussed  regarding the bumper, we were told someone would reach out to Mr. ***** to schedule. After waiting for that call, I encouraged Mr. ***** to call the card we were given regarding their "great body guy"  to set up a appointment. No one from TLC or the body shop whose number we were given ever informed Mr. ***** the address of the body shop was different from the original address where the car was bought. The car was accepted by the sales associate and nothing else was said. Phone records will show no representative contacted Mr. ***** until Wednesday afternoon. Once the representative contacted no one could tell I or Mr. ***** where the car was. The hostile incident happened Thursday when I and Mr. ***** showed up to pick up the car and no one knew where the car was. We only wanted to pick the car up and get away from the hostile and intimidating methods TLC representatives were using to bully I and Mr. *****. 

  I believe TLC Motors intentionally and knowingly made promises to make a sale with no intention on delivering said promises.  The recordings and communication show the hostile and lack of accountability by TLC Motors and why I believe they will never show any accountability or resolution in this case. 

  
  Regards,
  
  ***** ******-*****

• Initial Complaint

  09/06/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased a car on June 28, 2022. Day 1 it was leaking oil. Took it back the the repair shop associated with TLC. They said they fixed the issue. Again car began leaking oil. Took the car for the second time. They returned it fixed. Two months after purchasing the car it is completely broke down on the side of the road. I had it towed back to the repair shop associated with TLC. Where it sat from Thursday afternoon til Wednesday when I had it removed. I call on Tuesday to get an update. Asked to have the shop manager call me. The very first thing he said to me was “what have you been told”. He clearly was frustrated having to return my call. He continued the conversation with speaking over me and suggesting I wanted him to tell his other customers they have to wait because of me. Which was never said by me. Simply wanted to know what the hold up was. This was a $30k car just sitting in a gravel parking lot for days and for the third time since I purchased it. As the shop manager continued with his attitude I had one as well. After that he refused to work on the vehicle. I had it removed and sent to another shop. They identified the problem as rear axle broke. They fixed it within 24 hours. Repair states the damaged occurred because of loose and missing bolts. This “premium used car” as joe m******* stated was not so premium. Meanwhile the owner is even more unprofessional with a social media post saying I threw a “tantrum” and blaming my son for “dogging” the car. Even goes as far as to say he has personally witnessed this. I’ll agree I threw a tantrum. I’m sure I’m not the first or last to do this. This premium used car had been In their shop 3 times and sat there for days without even being looked at. This car has only been repaired by his shop since purchased. None of these repairs were covered under warranty costing me $2000.98.

  

  Business response

  09/08/2022

  Yes, customer had oil leak issues and yes we repaired the leak on the vehicle.  Over a month later customer comes in with complaint that there is a transmission issue, that is no problem we are happy to put her on our schedule and look at the vehicle(She did purchase an extended service contract).  They do live on the same road that our dealership is on and multiple employees from the dealership have witnessed her son abusing the vehicle driving it at high rates of speed.  Come to find out it wasn't a transmission issue but bolts coming loose from the drive axles from the amount of abuse her son put the car thru.  We would have been happy to service the vehicle and repair it for her but we had several customers that were ahead of Miss **** waiting for their vehicles to be repaired and she insisted that she wanted to be pushed to the front of the line.  After politely explaining to her that we could not "skip" over other waiting customers Miss **** decided to curse at my manager, yell "**** ***" to him and hand up in his face.  She called me after that crying about the situation, I explained to her that she could not verbally abuse my employees and that I would not tolerate it.  My employees did not want to touch her vehicle due to the amount of disrespect she showed them and I don't blame them.  At the end of the phone call I told her I would talk with my employees and try to accommodate her anyways.  She had her vehicle towed from our shop to another shop and then posted a hateful post on ******** about my dealership saying that we didn't have any rating with the B.B.B.(We do it is actually an A+ rating) she also posted some personal slander.  The only issue here really at hand is Miss **** lack of patience and that she thinks she can verbally abuse people.  I'm not sure if that was the way that she was brought up or has been abused herself in the past but we will not tolerate that type of trash at the dealership. In this situation we did absolutely nothing wrong and no business is perfect and if we did do something wrong I would be more than happy to make it right and try to accommodate anybody but we simply will not tolerate the disrespect.  I wish Miss **** the best of luck, with all do respect we do not want her business, we will not sell her another vehicle nor will we service any of her vehicles going forward.  

  Customer response

  09/12/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ******* ****

• Initial Complaint

  08/22/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Purchased a 2017 GMC TERRAIN from them July 25 2022 three weeks later the vehicle completely shut off on me as was getting on the highway! The A/c and heat went completely out! Everytime I make a deep turn the vehicle shuts completely off. They were suppose to be sending me my closures for my caps on my tires and the piece for my backlight, kept getting the run around.

  

  Business response

  09/08/2022

  We would be more than happy to take a look at Miss ***** vehicle at our shop and trouble shoot the issue.  When can she bring it in?  Thank you.  

  Customer response

  09/09/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *****

  Good Morning,

  I am rejecting this response. I dont trust them to fix it with their mechanic, being that they used this same mechanic to clear this vehicle to be placed on the lot to be sold. I have told them I am willing to use my personal mechanic and the dealerships mechanic to fix the problems. I have yet to receive the covers for my tires. I have text them and they have chose to stop responding and answering the phone. However, they chose to respond here.

• Initial Complaint

  05/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I purchased a 2016 Hyundai santa fe on February 4th 2022 and it shut off 1 and half weeks later. I called up there several times and was told the GM will call back. So I waited weeks and then I also started to send emails. Below you will see the conversation between me and Chad. Also, the lied to me that the car I traded ( 2018 Honda accord sport) that was verified by bank and worth $24,000 that I can only get $18,000 even just given oil change, all routine maintenance done up to date and recently replaced fuel injectors $1800. Went back on website to see they are selling for $26,000. They told me they couldn't sell if for much being the mileage but obviously lied. Chad told me GM will call and that call was recorded. The GM never did and I never even received a follow up call to see how the car was doing or else they would have known it stop a week later. I was stuck paying $2000 in repairs because I obviously needed transportation and was waiting on them. Also, the tires were very bad and 6 years old. There is no way they did a 70 point inspection. I've already reached out to my lawyer and just seeing if they want to step in and do something before I move forward with my case. If not I will proceed with legal actions.

  

  Business response

  06/07/2022

  Can customer submit copy of "Paid" invoice for $2,000 service bill?  If we are notified of a problem with a car we will try to repair it at our shop but we cannot honor what a customer does on their own with another independent shop without asking us prior to the work being done.  

• Initial Complaint

  04/19/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  I purchase a vehicle from this company last July and there were some issues with it they said they would take care of but then I was never able to get a hold of them. Then I found out a couple weeks later, I have more issues with the car that was already pre-existing. So I tried getting a hold of them ever since and still would never get a call back. I've been struggling with these issues and putting out more and more money for issues that were already there, that they refused to inspect the car properly before putting it out on the lot. I even got the extended warranty but it doesnt cover any of the issues I am having. I was even going to trade the car in because I'm putting way to much money out but cant even do that because I'm paying 90% above market level for this car and the dealerships just turn me away. Its at the point I'm looking for a lawyer but I can't even afford that because of all the money I'm sinking way to much money in it. Alot of my issues with the car are safety issues too.

  

  Business response

  06/07/2022

  Customer hit curb and popped tire and also bent wheel.  Tried to file a service contract claim for the tire and wheel.  Service contracts do not repair physical damage caused by the owner, that is what Collision Insurance is for.  We would be happy to appraise the vehicle and trade the car in on something else if she would like or we would be happy to give her a discount on any repairs the customer wants completed.  Does the customer have an estimate from a repair shop they can share with us for the issues she is talking about?  

  

  Business response

  06/10/2022

  If there are more repairs related to the busted wheel and tire that caused further damage within the vehicle the service contract will not cover any of those issues due to physical damage and not mechanical failure.  Please reply to this message with your estimate for current issues you are describing and the paid invoices of the repairs you said you have already made since purchasing the vehicle.  If there are mechanical failure issues that were not caused by physical damage we would like to see the vehicle and investigate it.  Our shop is *** ******* **** located at **** * ****** **** *******, SC 29376 phone number 864-********.  Without an inspection and estimate from a reputable repair shop we have no way of knowing what is wrong with your vehicle or what the cause is.  

  Customer response

  06/10/2022

  Better Business Bureau,
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID *********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me. I will email all the invoices for the vehicle that I had done and that still need to be done.
  
  Regards,
  
  ****** ******

• Initial Complaint

  04/04/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Transaction date: 2/14/2022 Amount paid: trade in $16,000.00 cash $15,749.00 total $31,749.00 TLC committed to repair scratched surface on back right fender wheel well, sales person (Christian C*******) stated we can repair it so that “you will be the only one that would know the scratches were ever there.” TLC took the vehicle (2017 Ford F-150) for repair. Once the truck was returned the scratches were still noticeable. I spoke to Christian C******* and expressed that the repairs are unsatisfactory, and the response from TLC Motors is “that is what we said we would do”. I have spoken to Christian and his sales manager and expressed my dissatisfaction with the repair. I also visited the TLC property and spoke to the sales manager and showed him the scratches after the repair was complete and expressed my concern. Both stated they would contact me and a resolution would be worked out concerning the repair. I have attempted to contact them by phone, leaving several messages and have not received a response in over a month. Stock number: ****** 

  

  Business response

  04/16/2022

  To Mr. ******, we aim to please all of our customers and will do everything we can to make them happy.  However, in this situation we clearly explained that the scratch would not be perfect but that it would be touched up and repaired to the best of our abilities without completing a total repaint of the panel.  We stood up to our part of the bargain and repaired it to the absolute best that it could be repaired without being repainted.  We also discounted the truck for Mr. ******.  With all due respect to Mr. ******, we feel that we have done no wrong here.  This is a used truck that is 5 years old with normal wear and tear not a brand new truck.  If Mr. ****** would like to pay to have the panel repainted we would be happy to have that done for him at a discounted rate but that is the only thing we can offer to Mr. ****** at this point.  If that is what you would like to do please feel free to contact me at ***@tlcmotors.com and we can get that scheduled for you.  Warm Regards, -Joe M*******

  Customer response

  04/19/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. 
  
  TLC never mentioned painting or repainting, they did state that the scratch would be repaired and it would not be noticed by  anyone but me. That is not the case. The scratch is very noticeable. I have asked other professionals in the auto industry and their opinions are consistent, the repair is not acceptable.
  
  
  Regards,
  
  ******** ******

   

  

  Business response

  04/22/2022

  Sounds like there may be some differences of opinion or a misunderstanding on what the level or method of repair for this scratch was.  Like Mr. ****** said, there was never any talk about repainting the entire panel, we never promised that.  We explained that it would not be perfect.  If a full repaint is the method and type of repair he wants then we will be more than glad to offer a discount for that but that method of repair was never promised or discussed.

*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. ↩