My nightmare began on October 14, 2020, when I purchased a 2019 Mercedes A220 with less than 1,400 miles on the odometer from MB-Houston North, (my first mistake) with a Certified check for around $35,000 (my second big mistake), and I did so based upon their verbal and print representations of the vehicle, (my third huge mistake). It was to be delivered to my home in Shreveport upon payment. After a couple of days, no car, and numerous calls to my salesman, Gordon Barnes, he finally got back to me, spewing the stereotypical car salesman sandbag BS excuses. When it did finally arrive a full week later on the evening on October 21, I quickly discovered that the car came not only with just one key, but the sun roof would not function properly and the engine idled roughly – a condition that seemed to be worsening. Mind you, making matters worse, (something that I thought not possible), while I was cleaning out the McDonald’s trash the MB-Houston North “detail crew” had left in the passenger door panels, I reached into the glove box and discovered that the pages of the Owner’s Manual were glued together from water damage, covered in black mold and mildew. A brick. A door stop. As one might imagine, my heart plummeted...right along with the value of the car. I immediately notified Gordon Barnes and the GM Ivan Krunic voicing my concerns, along with a photo of the offending manual and a screen pic of their ad, requesting my money be returned, invoking their own advertisement verbatim stating : “If for some reason you’re not happy with the price or anything else for that matter, you have five days or 250 miles to bring it back for a full refund. Just ask”. (Curiously enough and shortly thereafter, the parent company, AutoNation, pulled that particular ad format nationally when this came to their attention.) Regardless, I easily fell within that range, citing the ads criteria. And I asked. And asked again and then again. I was met with only with complete and total silence. Calls, emails, voicemails, etc. all unreturned. As one might imagine, It was at this point I became quite alarmed and immediately enlisted experienced legal counsel with litigation experience. Shortly thereafter, suit was filed under Cause #2020-79313 in Harris County, TX. In the course of doing due diligence in the suit, the car was then towed to MB-Shreveport for an independent and exhaustive inspection and appraisal. They reported the mold, mildew, a non-functioning sun-roof that also leaks, rough idling, and it needs new rotors front and rear as the existing ones are water warped. Lest I forget, it also needed a new battery and windshield wipers. All for a car with only 1,339 miles on it. Even worse, the MB-SHV appraisal value came in at $17,000. About half what we paid for it. They advised me that the car would never be put on their lot and would be sent to auction where it would promptly be sold at salvage value and cannibalized for parts most likely. The rest is all yet further downhill. They will slow-walk everything and they’re darn good at it too. They even gaslighted me, ludicrously asserting at one point that I was the one that had damaged the car. Mind you, I wish I had. It’s fully insured and filing a claim would have been one helluva lot easier and a great deal cheaper than dealing with this pack of jackals. So there you have it. First they lie to you. Next they steal your money. Then they ghost you. And if you haven’t given up by then, you are forced to sue them. At which point they gaslight and slander you. Then it’s rinse and repeat for the next poor sap that comes along wanting to purchase one of their rolling stock of Petri dishes. That folks, is how the “Just Ask” guarantee works. This behavior is the standard corporate culture of AutoNation in Florida, the parent company of MB-HN, who own dealerships throughout the country. So be warned, as this is a cautionary tale. You can get screwed just as easily in Phoenix as you can Houston if AutoNation owns the dealership. As it stands now, all these months later, MB-Houston North/Autonation continues to sandbag my attorney and continues to peddle their salvaged inventory, and all the while their lawyers do their dances. As for my wife and myself, we’re stuck with a fully insured pile of environmentally toxic junk; safely billeted in my garage, with the same tank of gas it was shipped with seven months ago...a daily reminder of my stupidity and the pure and utter grief these people have put us through. If you have read this far I thank you. And If you are contemplating purchasing a vehicle from these people: I strongly urge you to reconsider.
johnbweston
Apr 20, 2021
