BBB Tips for Purchasing a Used Vehicle
- Check the BBB record of any dealer at bbb.org. Dealers who have failed to respond to other complaints are more likely to ignore you if you have a problem after the sale.
- Make sure you are dealing with a licensed auto dealer. Anyone who sells more than 5 vehicles in a year must be registered as a dealer with the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission. You can check a company’s license at verify.tn.gov.
- Take the car to a reputable mechanic for a thorough inspection prior to purchase.
- Work all controls, including lights, turn signals, windows, radio, parking brake, etc.
- Remember that “As is” means you are accepting the car in its current condition, except for repairs that are written on the purchase contract before you sign it.
- File a complaint with BBB at bbb.org if you have a problem with a car dealer that you can’t resolve yourself.
- Report unlicensed dealers to the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission at tn.gov/commerce.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) of the Mid-South is warning area consumers about Nationwide Collision Service and Sales, a company selling used cars at 710 N. Parkway in Memphis, Tenn. BBB has received 7 complaints about the company in the last 7 months. Nationwide Collision Service and Sales has failed to respond to all 7 of the complaints, resulting in an F rating for the company.
Complaints allege that the company is selling salvage-titled vehicles without disclosing that fact to customers. One complainant produced documents that showed the company deliberately covered up the salvage notations on the title. In some cases, Nationwide Collision Service and Sales advertised the salvage-titled cars on Craigslist as having clean titles. Complaints also state that the company is no longer responding to calls and messages.
Several complainants told BBB that they were unable to title their vehicles because of the salvage titles.
A Memphis woman who purchased a vehicle for $2,300 cash from the company in April was unable to get tags for the car. “I was unaware that the car had a salvage title,” she told BBB. “I went to get the tags and the clerk stated that I cannot get any tags with a salvage title.”
A Jackson, Tenn. man says he was told that the vehicle he was buying was in good running condition, had a good transmission and that the title was clean. None of that was true, he told BBB. “We were lied to and cheated. We would not have bought a vehicle knowing it is salvaged,” he said.
A Jonesboro, Ark. man told BBB that the business cheated him by selling him a salvaged vehicle as having a clean title. When he went to register the vehicle, he was told he could not do so without supporting documents showing the vehicle had been reconstructed. “I couldn’t register the vehicle and the title is designated as salvage,” he told BBB. “He signed a promissory note saying that he would return the money — $4,000 full in cash,” he added. To date, the company has not done so.
A BBB investigation revealed that neither Nationwide Collision Service and Sales nor its owner, LaMonte Gray, is licensed to sell cars in Tennessee.
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