Lithia's Return Policy

Lithia must have hired a new public relations firm. Now called Assured Cars & Trucks, they have adopted a return policy. Too late for me, but glad to see others have this guarantee.

Have a Happy 2008!!

CS ~:-)

Time Out for a Happy Note

A big thanks to our new friends at Peterson Motor Chevrolet (and 1 of our old friends there as well). We think that our Impala may finally be on track. We are very appreciative for the things management and staff at Peterson Motor Chevrolet accomplished for us.

We're now waiting to hear back from Chevrolet as to their investigation into this mistake.

We're pretty sure that we'll never hear from Lithia again.

Until Next Time...

CS ~:-)

Suit alleges Lithia filed falsified loan documents

This story is a bit older and I'm trying to find out if this lawsuit has been settled or not. http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2004/05/24/story8.html

I particularly like paragraph 8. I have a copy of Lithia's 'Code of Business Conduct'. The opening paragraph states that the 'financial success of the Company is dependent on the fundamental principles of integrity, honesty, loyalty and fairness.' Why do I keep finding activity that seems so contradictory? Maybe this is the reason why the value of their stock continues to decline.

Had to take a couple of days off for our library's fund raising event. It was a success and my thanks to all who participated.

CS ~:-)

Try Again Lithia - You're Not Even Close

Well, the fine Mr. Robert Sacks of Lithia Motors, Inc. called yesterday and wanted us to relate our problem to him. After telling him, he promised to call back with what they would do for us. Since we are still having problems with the car (putting the same size wheels all around didn't completely solve it), we want to return the car to Lithia. Well, we knew that wasn't going to happen, but it doesn't hurt to try!! Right?? He got back to us about 5 hours later. Guess what?? He told us that we could take our car to Chevrolet of Caldwell and they would fix it for us. WHAT!!?? Take it to the person who accused us of putting the 16" wheels on the car?? A dealership whose manager knows I started this blog. Are we stupid??

BTW, sorry for my overuse of punctuation. But, dangit, I just couldn't help myself. You all have a wonderfully Lithia-free day.

Until Tomorrow...

CS ~ : -)

Lithia to pay refunds and fine in Alaska

Here is a more recent story published in the Portland Business Journal on 12/5/2006:

http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2006/12/04/daily14.html

Car dealer sued over trade with elderly man

This was a story published in December 2005. I'm trying to find the current status of this lawsuit:

Associated Press

BOISE (AP) — A lawsuit filed against a car dealership in Boise contends that an 82-year-old man with dementia who mistakenly turned into the dealership's lot was persuaded to trade his new SUV for an economy car worth less than half as much.

"The case does not pass the smell test," Boise attorney Paul Fitzer, who is representing the family, told The Idaho Statesman. "The question is whether (the transaction) offends the senses, whether it is so unconscionable as to offend the ordinary person."

The lawsuit, filed Monday by the man's daughter and legal guardian in 4th District Court, says that Lithia Ford of Boise violated an Idaho law designed to protect consumers from "unconscionable contracts" by taking advantage of Frank Baxter's "inability to understand, and other factors due to his age and dementia."

The suit also alleges that the dealership should have realized Baxter, a World War II veteran, was not capable of making an agreement to trade vehicles because he was so disoriented a Lithia Ford employee had to drive him home.

The lawsuit says that Baxter was on his way to Peterson Toyota on Sept. 9 to have the battery checked in his 2005 Toyota RAV-4, which he had bought from that dealership less than a month earlier and had driven only 16 miles

But he ended up at the Lithia Ford lot where he traded his $31,000 vehicle for a $15,000 economy car.

"They told him the deal (for a 2006 Ford Focus) was going to solve all his problems, and talked him out of taking the car elsewhere," said Fitzer.

A spokesman for Lithia said the company has tried to settle the dispute. Lithia Ford Inc. is based in Medford, Ore. It is a Fortune 1000 company with 94 dealerships in 12 Western states. It had $2.7 billion in sales last year.

"Lithia has been willing to resolve this issue from the beginning, and we are still willing to unwind this transaction; all we have asked is that Mr. Baxter or a legal representative sign the necessary paperwork," spokesman Dan Retzlaff said in a prepared statement.

Fitzer said the company has never offered to resolve the dispute. He also said that Lithia Ford has already sold the RAV-4 that Baxter traded. Fitzer said Baxter's family was not aware he had made the earlier purchase of the Toyota. He said family members were trying to have Baxter's license suspended at the time of the trade with Lithia Ford. According to the lawsuit, Baxter called his son, Forrest, after the trade to tell him his Toyota had been stolen. Forrest Baxter noticed paperwork from Lithia Ford at his father's home and called the dealership asking that the transaction be canceled. Officials at Lithia Ford refused, the lawsuit says.

Brett T. DeLange, chief of the consumer protection unit in the Idaho attorney general's office, said that Idaho has no law that allows people to return a vehicle once they have purchased it.
But he added that because of Frank Baxter's dementia, the allegations against Lithia Ford will "raise the eyebrows" of any court.

Fitzer agreed. "I can't imagine (the dealership) would want to take this to trial," Fitzer said. "The publicity is awful."

My Personal Nightmare

I bought a 2007 Impala from a Lithia dealership. This is the 4th car purchased from this dealership in 10 years. At that time I was aware that this dealership was being sold. I was assured by my salesperson (went with new owner) and the finance associate (stayed with Lithia) that we could take the car to Lithia Chevrolet of Caldwell (ID). After driving this car for about 200 miles, we noticed a funny vibration at 50 mph. We took it to Chevrolet of Caldwell to have them find and fix the problem. This is when the nightmare began. We were told that there were 2 different sized wheels on this car - 17" on driver side and 16" on passenger side. They refused to fix the problem as the tires were not under warranty. Explaining to the Sales Manager that we purchased this car from Lithia as he saw it, he accused us of switching the wheels. This we would never do. It would cost over $500 to go out, buy identical 16" stock wheels (if they could be found - which I couldn't) and tires to fit have them mounted and installed by someone with equipment to do that. Doing this could have compromised our safety which we would never do. This either happened at the factory, Lithia's dealership or somewhere in between. Lithia's corporate office told us not our fault - not our problem. Well, I'm here to tell them "OH YES IT IS!!!" I am in the process of writing letters to Lithia, their managers, board of directors, chevrolet, and GM. I've filed complaints with 3 states and the Better Business Bureau. I'm also 'rating' them on as many auto dealer rating sites I can find as well as posting on the internet. Tomorrow I'll be posting addresses and phone numbers for others to use.

Do you have a Lithia Motors, Inc. or other auto dealer Nightmare?

I currently have a nightmare situation with Lithia Motors, Inc. So, I decided to start this blog to give others a place to share their auto dealer nightmares. I know you are out there. Even if you think it's just a minor problem - not really a nightmare, please join in. My problem??? See my next post. I know that each of us is one consumer in a world of millions, but we all deserve to be treat with respect by the those from which we buy goods and services.