A DRIVER has lost thousands of dollars after buying a BMW from a dealership that they can’t drive – resulting in the car being left to gather dust on their driveway.
Erika Hester, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is down $8,000 after buying a vehicle she can’t legally drive – and it’s not even her fault.
Speaking to ABC6, Hester revealed how she purchased a 2016 BMW last year – after finding it for sale online at Auto Emporium in Jersey City, New Jersey.
She said: “I was looking on the internet and I found the kind of car that I wanted for the price that I could afford.”
But Hester says that, while Auto Emporium sold her the car, they failed to produce its title.
She said: “Couldn’t get it registered.
“Couldn’t drive it. It just sat in the driveway for months, for three months.”
Not only has this resulted in a financial loss, it has also greatly impacted her daily life.
She’s since filed a lawsuit.
Hester added: “I work at night, so I had to take Uber every night to get to work.
“So going grocery shopping, going, you know, making air and stuff like that, I was using Uber to get around. And Uber adds up.”
Hester isn’t alone either, as Hugh Webb, of Brooklyn, has suffered a similar setback.
Webb said: “We were looking to get our down payment back,” an amount of $2,000, he added.
Like Hester, Webb and his girlfriend bought a BMW from Auto Emporium earlier this year, but alleges the dealership didn’t produce a title.
This resulted in his car being towed by the NYPD for unregistered plates, leaving Webb furious.
But after calling Auto Emporium, he was stunned by their reaction. .
“So he told us to pay for it and get it towed back to Jersey City,” said Webb.
“We were like, ‘No, that’s going to cost us money. We don’t have that money.'”
Webb then threatened to sue, but added: “They were so nonchalant, like whatever, take us to court.
“You probably ain’t going to see your money for a year or two.
“So I was like, ‘Wow it’s like they’ve been through this before you know?'”
Auto Emporium has also been accused of selling other cars without titles.
When those cars were repossessed by banks or ordered to be returned, the company allegedly failed to refund buyers’ down payments.
ABC6 later went to Jersey City to get answers, but an employee said the owner, Sourabh Gupta, was not in.
In a phone call, Gupta told reporters to contact his attorney – but wouldn’t provide a number nor explain why he allegedly wasn’t returning down payments or titles.
Hester said: “They never explained, they never explained.”
Webb added: “His excuse was the person that the wholesaler that he bought the cars from disappeared.
“He told us he bought three cars worth almost $90,000 or $60,000.”
Webb later received a $5,000 judgment from a judge when Gupta didn’t show up for court, while Hester is still waiting for her day before a judge.
She added: “I just didn’t think it was fair.
“And I think that if they’ve done that to me, that they’ve done it to other people, and I think that Auto Emporium should be ashamed.”
A quick Google search of Auto Emporium suggests the business is ‘Permanently Closed’.
What to do if a dealership closes
If you recently bought a car or motorcycle from a dealership that suddently closed, you may feel anxious about how that affects you.
When you finance a new car or motorcycle or need warranty repairs done at an authorized dealership, a sudden closure can make some people think they’re out of options or worry their car will be repossessed.
If you’re in a situation that sounds like that, here are a few things you can do after receiving an official notice:
Notify the bank hosting your loan of the closure to make them aware. If the financing is done through the dealership itself, it’s important to contact the dealership or your salesperson to ask how to keep up your payments. Many dealerships will send the lien (the title and registration that will only be released to the buyer after the debt is paid) to a financial institution to keep. If the dealership cannot be contacted through traditional means, most states allow drivers to apply for the title and registration through the DMV. If you leased a car from a dealership that went out of business, instructions should be sent as to which dealership to bring your vehicle to when the lease expires. If not, contact the dealership. A factory warranty through the manufacturer will be honored at any other authorized dealership. However, an extended warranty through the dealership may not be honored at other repair shops, so it’s important to seek that information from the dealership as soon as possible.Source: Consumer Law Group
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