Complaint Review: Albany Ford - Albany Georgia

I stopped by Albany Ford to look at the prices on the Windstars. At the time I was driving a 1999 Dodge Intrepid and I was planning on selling it and eventually buying a minivan. I was offered a test drive which I accepted, and I was interested in hearing the price/payments on the windstar.

The sticker price on the minivan was $30,680.00. I was offered $1000.00 of the sticker price, with payments around $775-$815, and I pay an amount of $1000.00 down. I told them that was a higher payment than I was willing to take on. I also told them that I did NOT want to trade if Albany Ford could not offer me the payoff on my car, because I did not want to still be paying on a car I no longer owned. I told them this again at least twice more.

They offered a lease. I told them I could not do a lease because I would not be able to stay within the mileage limitation. The salesman said miles only mattered if I turned the vehicle in and walked away. If I traded it in, or chose to keep it at the end of the lease, miles were not considered.

I wanted to know what it would cost to keep the vehicle at the end of the lease, because I really wanted to purchase a vehicle, not lease one. They said they could not tell me, that the finance people would have to do that. He obviously assumed the sale at this point, because he was talking of sending me to finance, having the van cleaned and ready for me, and he said "I'm going to give you an extended warranty with it." The extended warranty sounded like a perk to me. He did not mention cost, and he did not ask me if I wanted it. When I was sent to the finance person, everything was ready to sign, as if I had already agreed to the lease.

The finance guy, David, could not tell me the residual value! He had to get someone else to do it. After looking at the lease in the privacy of my own home, away from the pressure tactics of Albany Fraud employees, I discovered things were not as I thought they were. I was led to believe I was paying $29,680.00 for the van, and Albany Fraud was giving me the payoff on my car, which was estimated to be $16,000.00

The agreed upon value listed on the lease is shown as $33,615.00. When I tried to call David to ask about the difference I was told that he no longer was employed there. Another finance person told me the difference between the amount I thought I paid and the amount listed on the lease was negative equity in the car I traded! How could this be? I explained very plainly and clearly that I did not want to do business if this would be the case.

Also, I never agreed to pay an additional amount for an extended warranty. On the first contract it was listed as $1,100.00. (I had to sign three because of 'mistakes' David made.) The final contract shows it as $1,495.00. Also, the residual value jumped from $10,700.00 to $11,112.50. Of course, these changes weren't disclosed to me. I was told that my address was incorrect and they had to fix it.

I was deceived about the amount allowed for my trade in, and I was deceived about the extended warranty. The actual dollar amounts are $3539.01 and $1495.00 for a total of $5034.01.

I called the salesman, Robert Roberts, and asked him if he remembered me saying that I did not want to trade if Albany Fraud could not give me the payoff on my car, he said yes. I asked him if he knew that they in fact did not give me the payoff, but added 'negative equity' into the price of the minivan, he said no, he didn't know they had done that. He said to talk to Andy Colburn, the sales manager.

I tried to call Andy two days in row, he would not return my calls. I sent him a letter, I got no response. On June 30th, I called again and finally was able to speak to him. He jerked me around until July 7th. His solution was for me to trade this new minivan in for my 1999 Intrepid for the $15,800.00 previous payoff amount, plus tax, title, etc, plus $6,500.00 equity for the new van! How stupid does he think I am? They are the ones that ripped me off, why should I pay anything above the $15,800 it cost them to payoff my Intrepid to get it back?

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