Plain and simple, this has to be the worst car buying experience of my life. The irony is I am a repeat customer of global Motorcars of Houston. Back in 2011, I purchased a BMW 760LI, which was an absolutely beautiful car but definitely had a few odds and ends things that were simply not disclosed. Someone took painstaking efforts to detail the car, so there’s no possible way that these imperfections were overlooked. They were, in fact, not disclosed. I was able to see past the incidental damage because the car was overall worth what I paid for it and the company was easy to deal with.
Fast forward four years and I found a preowned Range Rover HSE supercharged with a unique interior on their website. I initially called and did not disclose the fact that I had a contact (finance manager) at the dealership so was directed to an employee by the name of Donald. I asked him all the standard questions one would ask before purchasing a car sight unseen. These questions included but were not limited to any exterior damage whatsoever, Carfax, tire tread depth, scratches on the rims, any interior scratches or discoloration, as well as an entire list of common issues that Range Rover’s have like shrinkage of the leather on the dash in high-temperature climates. He assured me repeatedly that the car was in near mint condition and absolutely beautiful in every way. He disclosed a small dent on the rear bumper and email me a photo of same. I asked him to physically start the vehicle and tell me if there were any lights on the dashboard. This is extremely important because the car will alert you if it has tire sensor issues, service work that needs to be done, or other mechanical issues that the onboard computer recognizes. He told me the car starts beautifully and that all lights are clear.
I contacted my person at the dealership and although I believe I overpaid for the car I felt I was getting an exceptional vehicle in exchange. I was responsible for shipping and when the vehicle arrived it was almost embarrassing. First of all, I was not purchasing this vehicle for myself but for my fiancé who had reservations about buying something sight unseen. I assured her that I have purchased all of my vehicles in this fashion, and I trust this dealership implicitly. So when the car came off the hauler at night when I was not able to inspect the vehicle clearly I was horrified that the bill of lading showed damage all around the vehicle that was disclosed by the dealership to the transportation company, but they lied to me about it over the phone. I own a small brokerage business and record all my telephone calls, my conversations with Donald are recorded and, therefore, verifiable in their entirety. The following list are the things that we now know to be wrong with the vehicle which were not disclosed before we purchased it:
The battery was completely dead and needed to be jumped by the driver using a jump box.
All of the dashboard lights for service and the air pressure sensors were on including the spare tire.
Front driver side fender had paint scratches which I initially asked about (could sort of see them in the photos online) were present but I was lied to by Donald.
The front windshield had been replaced and was done so improperly, so the weatherstripping sat outside the window cavity causing a loud whistling noise above 50 mph.
The front bumper had an impact that clearly damaged the license plate frame and the bumper also not disclosed.
The salesperson told me that there was very light where on the driver side entrance way that was a complete misrepresentation considering that the paint was completely worn away.
The center counsel cigarette lighter used for charging your cell phone does not work.
Some genius at this dealership put one different tire on the car screwing up the alignment.
The service indicator light was on so it needed a service immediately after the vehicle arrived.
I specifically asked them how many key fobs they had for the car and they told me that they had to go find it and would get back to me. When they did they disclosed that they only had one fob (a $400 item at Range Rover).
Number 10 is a particularly egregious issue because between the battery and the key fob I had to spend nearly $800 just to have a working vehicle, not including the work that needed to be done as required by Range Rover maintenance. When I asked them to investigate how many key fobs were available for this car it was at this time that they should have told me that the fob that they had was completely worn out and falling apart. By looking at this key fob you could not even tell what buttons are for what function. When I asked them about this (as well as all of the other issues) I was given a BS story about how maintenance is my responsibility etc. This is simply not true, when you buy a piece of real estate the sellers are required by law to disclose any known issues with the property or will be held legally liable for any repairs and damages that the buyer incurs. Don’t kid yourself, fraudulent inducement into waving an inspection due to the reassurances of the dealer is paramount to the same. The bottom line is these guys are horse traders with a few really nice cars and a lot of garbage.
The solution offered for all of the trouble that they caused me was that they would send me a key fob brand-new in the packaging. Trouble is they sent me a fob from another vehicle of similar age which is new however programmed for that car. Notwithstanding that, no Range Rover dealer will reprogram the key fob from one car to another for obvious reasons. If all of that is not enough the switchblade in the center of the key fob (should the battery die) will not match your car. Their token gesture was completely meaningless and as of the writing of this report, I have not received the worthless fob anyway.
The most heinous aspect of this entire process is not all of the lies in the embarrassment that put me through but the fact that I thought I was dealing with a person who actually respected my business and considered me a friend. We have had possession of this vehicle for more than two weeks and still do not have the title. I have set on hold for more than 20 minutes on three separate occasions waiting for a phantom person named Angelica, who is allegedly owing to send me the title. This is essentially car theft in my opinion. They have the only registration for this vehicle and are essentially refusing to send it to me. I have purchased a number of cars sight unseen and the title is always included in a sealed envelope somewhere in the vehicle. They claim that the driver could steal the title and the car that is the reason that they do not provide it. Before I left this report I did some homework on the Internet and saw horror stories from many buyers at this dealership one of which was a guy who purchased a late model Ferrari and waited 17 months for the title.
Here’s the bottom line, there are so many car dealers out there you don’t need this aggravation. If you live in Texas and go physically to the dealership and inspect the car you’re interested in I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from this company. This would eliminate all of their deceptive practices, you could physically stand there and demand the title at the time of payment.
On a personal note, it is extremely upsetting that a person I trusted (simply out of respect I am omitting his name) chose to mislead me and embarrass me the way he did. I made it very clear how concerned my fiancé was over this purchase, and they repeatedly reassured me that she would have a good experience and would be very happy with “a beautiful car.” This vehicle showed up in any other condition than beautiful. The following morning I took the vehicle to both the Range Rover dealership and national tire and battery to clear up some of the blatantly obvious issues. Like I said about the BMW, this vehicle was meticulously detailed before it being advertised so there is simply no way that all of the damage to the vehicle was overlooked.
One last issue… And this is a big one cost wise, whoever owned the vehicle first was either the dirtiest human being on the planet or had the sweatiest hands imaginable because the driver side handle which is encased in leather has been completely worn down to the bare leather. No color pigment is left so I have to have the interior re-died on her car. All of these things were either completely omitted in our countless presale communications or woefully understated. I will never purchase another car from this dealer again and I strongly recommend that you physically visit the dealership if you are considering purchasing anything from them.
Global Motor Cars Reviews
Plain and simple, this has to be the worst car buying experience of my life. The irony is I am a repeat customer of global Motorcars of Houston. Back in 2011, I purchased a BMW 760LI, which was an absolutely beautiful car but definitely had a few odds and ends things that were simply not disclosed. Someone took painstaking efforts to detail the car, so there’s no possible way that these imperfections were overlooked. They were, in fact, not disclosed. I was able to see past the incidental damage because the car was overall worth what I paid for it and the company was easy to deal with.
Fast forward four years and I found a preowned Range Rover HSE supercharged with a unique interior on their website. I initially called and did not disclose the fact that I had a contact (finance manager) at the dealership so was directed to an employee by the name of Donald. I asked him all the standard questions one would ask before purchasing a car sight unseen. These questions included but were not limited to any exterior damage whatsoever, Carfax, tire tread depth, scratches on the rims, any interior scratches or discoloration, as well as an entire list of common issues that Range Rover’s have like shrinkage of the leather on the dash in high-temperature climates. He assured me repeatedly that the car was in near mint condition and absolutely beautiful in every way. He disclosed a small dent on the rear bumper and email me a photo of same. I asked him to physically start the vehicle and tell me if there were any lights on the dashboard. This is extremely important because the car will alert you if it has tire sensor issues, service work that needs to be done, or other mechanical issues that the onboard computer recognizes. He told me the car starts beautifully and that all lights are clear.
I contacted my person at the dealership and although I believe I overpaid for the car I felt I was getting an exceptional vehicle in exchange. I was responsible for shipping and when the vehicle arrived it was almost embarrassing. First of all, I was not purchasing this vehicle for myself but for my fiancé who had reservations about buying something sight unseen. I assured her that I have purchased all of my vehicles in this fashion, and I trust this dealership implicitly. So when the car came off the hauler at night when I was not able to inspect the vehicle clearly I was horrified that the bill of lading showed damage all around the vehicle that was disclosed by the dealership to the transportation company, but they lied to me about it over the phone. I own a small brokerage business and record all my telephone calls, my conversations with Donald are recorded and, therefore, verifiable in their entirety. The following list are the things that we now know to be wrong with the vehicle which were not disclosed before we purchased it:
The battery was completely dead and needed to be jumped by the driver using a jump box.
All of the dashboard lights for service and the air pressure sensors were on including the spare tire.
Front driver side fender had paint scratches which I initially asked about (could sort of see them in the photos online) were present but I was lied to by Donald.
The front windshield had been replaced and was done so improperly, so the weatherstripping sat outside the window cavity causing a loud whistling noise above 50 mph.
The front bumper had an impact that clearly damaged the license plate frame and the bumper also not disclosed.
The salesperson told me that there was very light where on the driver side entrance way that was a complete misrepresentation considering that the paint was completely worn away.
The center counsel cigarette lighter used for charging your cell phone does not work.
Some genius at this dealership put one different tire on the car screwing up the alignment.
The service indicator light was on so it needed a service immediately after the vehicle arrived.
I specifically asked them how many key fobs they had for the car and they told me that they had to go find it and would get back to me. When they did they disclosed that they only had one fob (a $400 item at Range Rover).
Number 10 is a particularly egregious issue because between the battery and the key fob I had to spend nearly $800 just to have a working vehicle, not including the work that needed to be done as required by Range Rover maintenance. When I asked them to investigate how many key fobs were available for this car it was at this time that they should have told me that the fob that they had was completely worn out and falling apart. By looking at this key fob you could not even tell what buttons are for what function. When I asked them about this (as well as all of the other issues) I was given a BS story about how maintenance is my responsibility etc. This is simply not true, when you buy a piece of real estate the sellers are required by law to disclose any known issues with the property or will be held legally liable for any repairs and damages that the buyer incurs. Don’t kid yourself, fraudulent inducement into waving an inspection due to the reassurances of the dealer is paramount to the same. The bottom line is these guys are horse traders with a few really nice cars and a lot of garbage.
The solution offered for all of the trouble that they caused me was that they would send me a key fob brand-new in the packaging. Trouble is they sent me a fob from another vehicle of similar age which is new however programmed for that car. Notwithstanding that, no Range Rover dealer will reprogram the key fob from one car to another for obvious reasons. If all of that is not enough the switchblade in the center of the key fob (should the battery die) will not match your car. Their token gesture was completely meaningless and as of the writing of this report, I have not received the worthless fob anyway.
The most heinous aspect of this entire process is not all of the lies in the embarrassment that put me through but the fact that I thought I was dealing with a person who actually respected my business and considered me a friend. We have had possession of this vehicle for more than two weeks and still do not have the title. I have set on hold for more than 20 minutes on three separate occasions waiting for a phantom person named Angelica, who is allegedly owing to send me the title. This is essentially car theft in my opinion. They have the only registration for this vehicle and are essentially refusing to send it to me. I have purchased a number of cars sight unseen and the title is always included in a sealed envelope somewhere in the vehicle. They claim that the driver could steal the title and the car that is the reason that they do not provide it. Before I left this report I did some homework on the Internet and saw horror stories from many buyers at this dealership one of which was a guy who purchased a late model Ferrari and waited 17 months for the title.
Here’s the bottom line, there are so many car dealers out there you don’t need this aggravation. If you live in Texas and go physically to the dealership and inspect the car you’re interested in I wouldn’t hesitate to buy from this company. This would eliminate all of their deceptive practices, you could physically stand there and demand the title at the time of payment.
On a personal note, it is extremely upsetting that a person I trusted (simply out of respect I am omitting his name) chose to mislead me and embarrass me the way he did. I made it very clear how concerned my fiancé was over this purchase, and they repeatedly reassured me that she would have a good experience and would be very happy with “a beautiful car.” This vehicle showed up in any other condition than beautiful. The following morning I took the vehicle to both the Range Rover dealership and national tire and battery to clear up some of the blatantly obvious issues. Like I said about the BMW, this vehicle was meticulously detailed before it being advertised so there is simply no way that all of the damage to the vehicle was overlooked.
One last issue… And this is a big one cost wise, whoever owned the vehicle first was either the dirtiest human being on the planet or had the sweatiest hands imaginable because the driver side handle which is encased in leather has been completely worn down to the bare leather. No color pigment is left so I have to have the interior re-died on her car. All of these things were either completely omitted in our countless presale communications or woefully understated. I will never purchase another car from this dealer again and I strongly recommend that you physically visit the dealership if you are considering purchasing anything from them.