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:09/28/2024

  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.

  Last October my fianc and I traded in our ***** for a ******* at CAL Auto Credit. We explained that we wanted to trade for a car with 4 wheel drive because of the harsh ******* here. After hours of going through different cars, prices, rates, etc., we were told the only car we could qualify for was a 2016 ******* ******* they had. It had all the bells and whistles, and was not by any means a cheap car. We were assured the car was in perfect condition and would be a reliable vehicle. This was false. Within the first month of having the vehicle we had to have multiple electrical issues serviced including the battery, terminals, and wiring. After I believe the fourth time we had to visit due to the car shutting down in traffic while we were on the road, we were turned away by the *** mechanics and a local mechanic said it was a parasitic draw that would be more time and money to fix than the car itself was worth. *** mechanics were only able to tell us this happens sometimes, try another new battery, and we should be safe. Put another new battery in, the problems persisted. We contacted *** attempting to resolve the issue by seeing if they could handle the repairs, trade us back for our *****, or put us in a reliable car and rework the deal. They told us we signed a contract and it wasn't their problem. Everyone we've spoken to agrees this was predatory and aggressive, especially considering we were open to multiple possibilities as far as a solution goes. Due to the cost of the monthly payments, insurance, and the fact we now had a car that was functionally useless, we had to make the hard decision of going through a voluntary repo. We have not been able to figure out a solution on our own, and are now being told we owe upward of ****** dollars for a car that was unsafe, unreliable, that we had for all of roughly two months. We'd appreciate any help and guidance with this issue y'all can provide, thank you very much, and we look forward to hearing from you.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/08/2024

  Please find the response from the Sales Manager at CAL Auto Credit:

  This is ******* *********. She must have changed they's name to *****.  I remember this customer very well even though it was over a year ago.  They purchased the ******* on 10/02/2023 and there were not issues with the vehicle or reliability.  They left the lights on and had to jump the car. When they were here trying to get a different vehicle they both admitted that it had nothing to do with the reliability of the car that circumstances in their lives changed and they couldn't afford the payment they agreed to. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/20/2024

   
  Complaint: 22354043
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  It is objectively not true that my fiance and I just "left the lights on" nor did we "admit" any fault due to life circumstances. Mechanics at the *** location told us they didn't know why it kept shutting down and we were later by a mechanic in ****** (who we sought out after CALs people were no help) it was highly probable the car had what was called a parasitic draw, which would be more trouble to properly diagnose and fix than the car was worth. We were told the car was reliable which was not true, and we're paying for he mistake of trusting this business. If the problem was simply leaving lights on or anything similarly trivial we'd have swapped the battery, it wouldve been fixed, and we'd still have the car. Fact of the matter is it was an unreliable vehicle. The response from CAL **** is false, in other words a flat out lie. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:09/25/2024

  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.

  We bought a vehicle 8-13-24 Issues arose the first week with vehicle Issues arose the second week with the vehicle both pertain to oil consumption 9-13-24 The vehicle was not drivable and taken to a service shop for **** vehicles over 9000 dollars in estimated repairs *********** shop says there were glaring issues with the car should have never seen a dealership lot they have pictures and documentation of all the things found. The dealership was contacted said warranty will cover everything. The warranty company was contacted they said they would not cover everything. We were told the vehicle goes through a through inspection before being sold it even says it on the website. We are without a vehicle and on the hook for being sold a bad car.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/08/2024

  The sales manager for CAL Auto Credit requested that the customer bring in their vehicle to our service department so that we could complete our own diagnoses.  The customer refused to do so.  *********** manager in ************** also spoke to the customer to see if they would bring their vehicle in.  The customer refused again.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/21/2024

   
  Complaint: 22305925
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  The store manager and his team are the best liars I know. I see in their response it says I refused to work with them. If they wouldnt lie so much maybe they wouldnt be on the lower end of the spectrum of dealerships.i did bring the vehicle by I did take the steps I needed to they are stonewalling and sidestepping the issue they are the worst company to do business with ever. I spoke with ****** the sales manager for the store we were at, he informed he wouldnt be paying for anything or helping in any way I already paid for the vehicle to be diagnosed. I told this to ***** the service manager as well. As a matter of fact they received all the pertinent documentation that I had to help them aid me in the resolution process and the sales manager ****** was nasty towards me and lies through his grinning teeth. ***** although more cordial did not make efforts to reach back out to me after he got the paperwork he needed from me. So no I will not accept their plea or answer. I will be moving forward with a lawsuit. Please understand your efforts BBB are greatly appreciated although I am still on the hook for paying for a car that doesnt not run is under contract and I have to pay insurance and the rest of my bills. This issue has caused so much heart ache not only for myself but for my partner as well shes fallen in a deep state of depression. I think its only right I fight this battle in court not just for justice and accountability but for the welfare of my family now. It saddens me deeply to know this corporation is not only going to continue to try and ******* me but how many others they may have gotten and will continue to get swindled till an alarm or awareness has spread across the community about this companies wrong doings.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** ******