Centerville Land Rover's mistake cost me $10,000.\r
I'm an experienced buyer. During my first experience with Centerville Land Rover, I knew I was interested in purchasing used higher-end vehicle. With very little haggling or negotiation, Centerville sold me a 2009 Range Rover that had been represented during the sale as being in excellent shape. \r
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However, within the first 1000 hours, my Land Rover required new brake shoes. I happened to be back at Centerville around that time for an oil change and I mentioned that if they were going to sell a high-end vehicle like mine, they needed to certify it. It was then that I noticed an advertisement for Centerville and realized that they already were purporting to sell certified pre-owned vehicles. During a conversation with Bill Fagergren, the man who sold me that car, I mentioned that I was intending to replace my 2009 Range Rover with a newer model for tax advantage reasons. Bill told me, ""Well, we usually sell out of them, but I might have something for you right now.""\r
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Bill quickly lined up another brand new vehicle for me to purchase. As my intention was to finance a significant portion of the vehicle, we began to discuss my loan options. Bill offered me a 2.9% with a 5% down on the vehicle. I warned him that my credit is less than perfect, but even with that information, he made the deal. To show my gratitude and pass along the favor, I sold the 2009 Range Rover back to them at wholesale price and transferred my expensive wheel and tire package from the old car to my new one. \r
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I brought them the title on Thursday afternoon and received my check on Friday. On Monday afternoon, I received a call from Bill at Centerville asking me to return the check to them on the grounds that they couldn't get the loan they offered me.\r
I told him that, during our negotiations, he had represented this as a done deal. That was the main reason I agreed to sell by car back to them at such a low price. Bill's excuse? We didn't have our normal finance advisor on that day. Centerville refused to take responsibility for their mistake, forcing me to hire an attorney to sort through the mess they had made. \r
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My attorney discovered an obscure provision that gave Centerville 7 days to respond to me in writing saying that they were unable to get the financing placed. On the 7th day, they sent a tow truck to forcibly take back my vehicle, along with the wheel and tire package I bought for it. The entire ordeal, from the wheels to the tires to the attorney fees, amounted a total loss of around $10k. \r
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Centerville Land Rover claims to uphold ""Land Rover standard of excellence,"" but the reality is that their business conduct and service quality is a mar on the Land Rover name. Even knowing the awful reputation the Centerville Land Rover has established and continuously confirmed, we here in Utah are still locked into using this one dealership for all of our Land Rover purchases. I would urge the officials at Land Rover to consider the effects of letting Centerville continue to dilute the value of their brand in the minds of consumers like myself. Give us an option with another dealership. Put the business in more capable hands, or risk losing more customers like myself, who demand a superior car buying and selling experience. \r
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