Complaint Review: Pinellas Auto Brokers - saint petersburg Florida

Im new to Florida. A single mother with a 15 month old baby. Shes not even two yet. I moved here and on the 29th of April and started looking for a car to buy in order to get a job and put my child in daycare. I was having no luck on craigslist with my 2,000 dollar budget. I decided to go to a used car lot. I thought for sure they would be more legit then anyone on the internet. Plus I needed a safe car for my child. I ended up going to Pinellas Auto Brokers on Friday May 2nd. How excited was I when the man on the phone said he would surely find me something reliable and safe for my baby and me. When I got to his lot, the internet site was down, so I couldn't get any information on any other cars. He told me he has the perfect car for me, a SAFE car. It was a 2002 Daewoo. He told me the parts were easy to get and the tires were great, he said t wasn't a 10,000 dollar car but it would last me for what I needed. When I told him my concerns about buying an As Is car he told me he was a Pastor and he would never sell me anything that would be dangerous. My daughter was with me, just her, myself and a carseat. I signed the paperwork and gave him my 1,800 dollars. I was thrilled to get started on a new life in Florida. I got the car home. The very next day May 3rd I put my daughter in the car and went to the bank and to apply for some 'apply in person' jobs. WHILE I WAS DRIVING the car died. In the middle of traffic. I was terrified. I started the car back up within a few trys and went to a gas station since the nozzle was on E. I paid for the gas and proceeded to try and fill up my new (to me) car. It wouldn't let me put gas in it. The pump kept turning off. From then when I go my head together I went  right to a goodyear. I left my car there and paided for a diagnostic to be ran. They called me and told me I needed a new battery. I told them to go ahead that. When they were done a few hours later they called me to come in and speak with them. I thought the car dying in the middle of traffic was scary. What was horrific was what the mechanic and 2 up front desk men told me. First they told me NOT to put my baby back in the car. Two tires had air bubbles in them and were about to bust. They said the gas gage was broken and they didn't know why I couldn't pump gas. They said my ball joints are torn and loose and it could go soon. When it goes my steering would lock up causing me not to be able to turn the wheel while im driving as well. They said a bunch of other stuff was wrong too and they couldn't even get the parts to fix them, They don't make parts for this car anymore. Now as you can imagine im crying at this point, horrified that I had my daughter in this death trap. But what really blew my last candle out was someone has removed the cars check engine light. Something tells me it wasn't the previous owner. It would cost more then I paid for the car to fix it. They recommend I return the car and get my money back. By that point it was late Saturday evening. I put my daughter in my girlfriends car and drove mine home. I had really gotten scammed and I still owe this man and car lot 450$ for my titles and tags. Theres no way im paying that. Im so furious that he can go to sleep at night knowing he could have gotten a baby killed just to make a few dollars. Monday morning I returned to the car lot and asked for my money back and he can have the car with the new battery (like it made a difference) He reminded me I signed an as is warranty. I honestly handed him the keys and told him congrats that he beat a hard working single mother out of 1800. ALL of my money. Im sick and I just know there has to be something I can do and if not I still want him and his lot investigated so someone else doesn't get injured physically or emotionally from him

 

I filed a complaint with the consumer somplaint agency.