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:01/19/2024

  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.

  In November 29/2023 I went to this business, I bough a vehicle from this place (2014 Lexus RX350 with ***** Mileage, for $22,783.00 with *****% int.) I give them $2,000.00 for a down payment, they were asking for a lot of paper work more than usual, I provided all the information they were asking, they require a Insurance of the vehicle to take and I spent $277.00 for this insurance (initially payment) when I was in my home I checking the contract those terms I was surprised and honestly I didnt agree with all these situations but honestly I need a car, all December asked for more papers I send them, I ask and talked to ***** if everything is ok and she told me yes but in January 2,2024, 2 guys come to my house in a very bad and aggressive attitude and took the vehicle, I was very confuse, because I had just talked to ***** and she had advise me that nothing was wrong and I called to the office they told me a missing one paper, but I never received a call or anything letting me know this and when these 2 guys come to my house, some of my neighbors notice about these situacin I was so frustrating l, because if they call me and tell me about all of these I went to this office, but they never did.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 02/16/2024

  Greetings maam.
  
  The reason for the repossession of your vehicle was due to false pay stubs being provided as a form of income. The bank confirmed that your husband was not employed at the company you all stated he worked at and thus the deal was not valid. We spoke to him on multiple occasions letting him know of the situation, but he denied the finding and let us to believe he would turn in the most recent pay stubs. This did not happen. Your vehicle was purchased on November 29th with ****** miles, and we did not regain possession of the vehicle until January 2nd. At time of repossession the vehicle had ****** miles. **** is ***** miles more from when it left our lot. We are charged at lowest an average of $1 per mile.
  
  We spent December trying to get missing documentation from you for your deal. We spent a week just trying to get page two of the incomplete bank statement provided. We called you both multiple times to gain clarification on the questions the bank had, but when we spoke to you all, we were told you all were busy and couldnt answer. We understand this, however the banks still have deadlines,and we missed these once. Your original lender cancelled the deal, but we still looked for another bank willing to help you. This bank confirmed your husband was not employed at the company. On December 28th we spoke to your husband and let him know this detail; he was also informed that without the proof of income stated there was no deal. He stated he would be sending in the most recent pay stub on the 29th. On the 1st we reached out to him as he had not yet sent in the requested documentation. He knew the deadline to receive this, and he knew without it there no deal.
  
  Your down payment refund request is denied due to the reason the deal fell through was false information; the mileage added to the vehicle, as well as reinspection, mechanical, detailing, lender fees and repossession costs we acquired to make ready the vehicle for resale. These charges for us alone were more then $2,000. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/20/2023

  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.

  I made an in-person purchase of a vehicle at Planet Car on November 4, 2023. The car cost $12,524.75. As part of that purchase, I reviewed maintenance records and test drove the vehicle. In addition, I purchased an extended Warranty for the vehicle through **** which cost $1839.00. I was told by Planet Car, that the warranty covered everything with no caps. The total cost of the vehicle was $14,676.75. I paid a credit-card processing fee of $438.82, which made the total credit card purchase of $15,115.07 (the Disputed Amount). At the time of the purchase, the vehicle had zero check engine lights or warnings. On November 19, just two weeks after purchased, my vehicle would not start. That day, I towed the car to ********************* in *********, *****. Within a day, ***** called me and asked me for $750 dollars to do a diagnostic on the car. After the diagnostic, ***** called to inform me that the car needed a new engine, should never have been sold in the condition it was and was modified by the dealer to hide the defects. ***** also told me that someone had disabled the system warning alerts. A new engine for the car costs over $16,000 as per *****. This is more than the total cost of the car and warranty. I immediately called NPV who told me they needed a *** or Used Car Inspection to process the claim. Much to my surprise, Planet Car never performed a *** prior to selling it to me. Moreover, NPV said that before they would even consider paying any portion of a new engine, I had to pay for an entire strip down of the current engine (over $7000) out of pocket. Even after that it was unlikely they would cover most of the engine replacement without the ***. I need to return the car to Planet Car and get a refund The car was sold defective and modified to hide the defect at the time of sale. The **** which Planet Car assured me would cover anything with no limit was also a fraudulent statement. I called Planet Car today and they said its my issue.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 01/02/2024

  Greetings *************** 
  Thank you for reaching out and thank you for your purchase. 
  One of the benefits of purchasing from a smaller dealership vs a bigger franchise dealership is the attention to detail that we are able to provide alongside every step of the vehicle process with us.
  
  While the inspection review of the vehicle does not align to what your thoughts are of what a used car inspection looks like, the vehicle did undergo several stages of inspection. There is not any official format form of a ***, yet even so, the vehicle was thoroughly inspected. During the multiple stages of inspections, the vehicle goes through, we always take action on any major problems that are identified during these stages. One of our policies is we do not purchase known engine and transmission problem vehicles, and if identified during one of the reviews, the vehicle is returned and not placed for sale for our customers.
  
  Only after all levels of inspection were completed and your vehicle was deemed safe per ***** law requirements and mechanics, was the vehicle placed for sale. 
  
  You personally reviewed maintenance records and test drove the car. 
  
  We understand and care about your concerns, which is why we even went above and assisted in contacting the warranty company directly on your behalf when you informed us your claim was Denied. We spoke to them to aid in submitting any additional documentation requested, as you personally chose and purchased a top-tier warranty plan. They are a third-party vendor, so we wanted to find out what the problem was as well since we have not encountered a problem with their service before. We found out upon calling the team handling your case that your claim was in fact Not Denied and that they are not requesting any additional documentation from us. We informed you of this and provided you with the next step needed.
  
  The vehicle is a 2012 and was purchased with ******* miles. We do our very best to provide affordable, reliable cars to our customers, but these are used cars nonetheless, and many unknown items can unfortunately come up with time. Your vehicle was purchased As-Is with No Warranty from Planet Car, and with that understanding you made an extra caution layer, and you picked a 4-star warranty based on your life experience in such luxury cars. We provided time to look over records (Carfax), a test drive, and there is always the option to get an additional inspection prior to purchase as many customers opt to do. 
  
  ***** said. 
  If it was ***** who also informed you the claim was denied when you called to let us know of the denial, this is not the only false information received. We arent going to go into the false information given to you in regard to us, we can live with his opinions, our concern is you, our customer. Your claim is Not denied, per the warranty company directly. They are, however, asking for additional steps to be able to cover *********** from *********** 
  Per your statements a strip down of the repair in question is being requested. 
  This is not uncommon for warranty companies, as often they find that some mechanic shops try to over charge and add things that arent really needed, so they will send out an inspector or request footage or pictures to prove validity. A Physical review is being request Not any kind of inspection report or document. We spoke to them in order to better assist and confirmed this. 
  
  We regret the additional charges youre being charged by your shop, but the vehicle was purchased As-Is with warranty documentation from NVP, maintenance records and a test drive being evaluated by you prior to purchase. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/11/2023

  Type:Product 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.

  I had purchased a vehicle with planet car on 11/18/2023 for ***** and on 12/09/2023 the vehicle caught on fire and exploded , I reached out to be refunded or to have another vehicle provided and the representative was not willing to work with me although they advised the vehicle had no issue .

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/25/2023

  Greetings ***************. We thank you for your purchase and appreciate you reaching us with your concerns. 
  
  We sympathize with your predicament, and have attempted to reach out in efforts to further explain in detail and on a more personal level the reasons to why we are unable to fulfill your request of a refund. Your assigned representative will attempt again this coming week of the 25th to go over the details. 
  
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 12/25/2023

  To whom it may concern: 
  
  We are declining the validity of this case due to:
  
  1. The time frame of the situation. The customer purchased this vehicle on 11/18 and states this vehicle caught on fire on 12/09. This is 9 days short of a month. Previous to this date we had not received one complaint from the customer. Additionally, we can not confirm the vehicles history after leaving our lot. Poor maintenance and gasoline types are only two known factors in a vehicles performance and correlates to its life time. We do not know what conditions the customer had the vehicle in, if other outside forces or people were involved. There are too many factors that could have caused this customers situation outside of us.
  2. Extended warranty and GAP were offered to the customer and she declined these. 
  
  We have assigned her a specialized team member who has attempted to call, but no answer or return response from customer yet. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/30/2024

  Hello , I would like to request this case be reopened . As there have been multiple complaints per the companies review website stating there has been engine issues with a vehicle purchased from this company 3 weeks shortly after purchase ! This company is obviously scamming customers with however they are fixing their vehicles and arguing 3 weeks shy from a month when advised there were no issues with the vehicle because there is no reason mid drive my check engine light comes on and the car catches fire mid drive . I could Have lost my life or my child could have lost her life the car exploded shortly after we got out of the vehicle 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/30/2023

  Type:Order 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.

  I went in to inquire about a vehicle that I saw online for $21,585. I went through the finance process and got approved through a lender and signed paperwork. Upon reviewing the paperwork I noticed that the vehicle price was not as listed online but was actually listed as $26,500 on my contract. After attempting to address this issue, I was told that the only deal I got approved for is the one that I signed which has nothing to do with why the vehicle was bumped up $5,000. They refused to sell me the vehicle at the price that they had listed online and ended up selling it to someone else.

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  Greetings Sir. 
  Thank you for reaching out with your concern and sharing your experience with us. We thank you for the opportunity to grow from this and regret any confusion and misunderstandings that *** have occurred. 
  
  While contract numbers are never one and the same, each varying with vehicle, person, and situations, our words to answer your question could have been more detailed when you asked us via text your concern. I believe with a few more moments we could have reached a clearer conclusion and understanding of the situation at hand.
  
  Unfortunately, we were unable to sell you the vehicle as the approval required certain documentation from you that was not obtained in the time frame the bank requested. 
  It was not that we refused to sell you the vehicle at a listed price. 
  
  The listed price and the final price also have their explanation. There were multiple moving factors that determined the final number and outcome for your specific situation. If you would like to converse further we would love to give you a more dedicated time to go over in detail and clear any misunderstandings. Were only a phone call away and our specialist will assist you further.
  
  Thank you for your interest in one of our vehicles. Although that one is no longer available we hope to be able to better assist you in the future and get you in the car youre looking for. 
  

  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/13/2023

  To whom it may concern:
  
  Our details of this case are as follows:
  
  The customer started conversations with us to purchase the Audi A8 he wanted on September 22,2023. 
  
  We provided information on the vehicle, videos, and photos he requested. We worked hard to try and obtain him an approval, but due to his credit history we were only able get one banks approval, and the conditional approval came with high fees and stipulations of additional documentation. 
  
  On October 5th he still didnt have insurance nor down payment required. We let him know other people were interested in the car and were coming to look at it. Throughout the process he faced hurdles obtaining insurance, down payment, and social security card. The bank was adamant on the social security card being provided as his identification came back inconsistent with the information he provided. His ID information was not initially verifiable through their system, and they questioned its legitimacy.
  
  He came into the office on October 7th, and we went over numbers and details in person. We went over the deal, he agreed, and he signed the agreement. He still did not have the requested documentation or down payment upon arrival, so the car had to remain on our lot. 
  
  At this point we should have rescinded the entire deal until all requirements were met. However, we chose to extend him more time and patience as we understand everyone has obstacles to overcome. We believed when we would tell us he would have the documentation and down payment.
  
  On October 11th the bank reached out to him personally regarding documentation. 
  On October 12th at 11:30am, we advised we could not finalize the deal without the social security card and let him know the application was expiring the following day, October 13th. It was on this date, October 12, at 8:02pm after business hours, that he asked regarding the total numbers. We responded the following morning, but by business open time the deal had already fallen through, and even more questions arose from the situation. Such as, what steps could be next, what steps he wanted to take, and one last chance at communication with the bank to get the deal approved. 
  It is during this transition, from a pending approval- to a denial to an additional convo with the bank that he feels we did not answer his question.
  
  We did however go over numbers, and we held multiple conversations with him afterwards trying to work with him and this situation.
  
  On October 17th he reached out asking what number to give the bank for the check to the vehicle. Unfortunately, by this time another person purchased the vehicle. 
  
  We have reached out to him and spoken to him as a friendlier, more intimate approach to this concern. We are even trying to find him another car like the one he wanted, and he is ok with us contacting him for this.