PINELLAS PARK, Fla. (WLFA) – A Pinellas Park car dealership has shut down, leaving a trail of customers in a lurch.
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles cited NEN Auto & Boats with multiple administrative violations and suggested disgruntled customers file against the company’s bond.
One of those customers, Bill Palmer, claims he and his wife, Kathy, are out thousands of dollars.
“Not only did we get ripped off for almost 6,000 bucks, but instead of three year loan, we have a five year loan and instead of one for like 4.9 percent, it’s like 10 or 11 percent,” Palmer said.
The Palmers fell in love with a 2005 Mercedes-Benz, so they traded in their 2006 Cadillac and bought the sporty red car from NEN Auto & Boats.
They had previously purchased the Cadillac from the dealership and trusted the company.
Their happiness with the second car didn’t last long, though.
They were notified by their lender that their lien on their trade in had not been paid off and they still owned the car. To protect their credit, they continued to make payments for five months until the dealership finally paid of the car.
They say they also discovered their contract didn’t include $5,800 they put toward the car, including their $3,000 down payment and $1,880 for a warranty and money for tires and a battery.
Palmer says he didn’t notice this because he had signed partially blank contracts.
“I made a mistake,” he said. “I trusted these people.”
The state DMV investigated the dealer’s files and sent Palmer a letter confirming his accusations. The dealership was cited for multiple violations.
A spokeswoman for the DMV says the department has 15 complaints this year about the dealership. She said the DMV continues to investigate and help those customers.
“The department is currently pursuing administrative action to revoke the dealer license,” the spokeswoman said in an email to Better Call Behnken.
Meanwhile, dealership owner Renee Davis said Palmer’s claims are false and the DMV got it wrong.
She admits to making one mistake, checking the wrong box on the Palmer’s loan documents. She insists he was not harmed financially and never made a down payment or paid for a warranty.
Palmer has copies of his cashed checks that note they are for a down payment and warranty, but Davis points out that the sales contract does not list those charges.
She does admit, however, that some customers were left without tags for their new vehicles because of the dealership closure and says those customers can call her at 727-213-1577.
The DMV says anyone with a complaint should file one and can do so by clicking here.
