Consumer complaint received 2022-08-05
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Getting a loan or lease — Changes in terms mid-deal or after closing
Company: Exeter Finance, LLC. (OH)

On XX/XX/XXXX I arrived at the XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Ohio to look for a vehicle in hopes of purchasing my first vehicle. After going over my options and test driving a couple vehicles my sales person was running the numbers and I was having a financial issue concerning the monthly payments. I was pressured into putting a down payment of {$700.00} to attempt to lower my payments. The sales person and I as well as the financial manager were able to come up with a more comfortable monthly payment for a used XXXX XXXX XXXX. I had test driven the car for a short period earlier that day and was told that the vehicle would be detailed and be given a service check before delivery. I then went into the finance managers office to sign some paperwork. I was then disclosed of the vehicles information in regards to the contract with the bank ( Exeter Financial Corp. ) After leaving the finance managers office I was handed the keys, escorted to the vehicle and walked out. Upon entering I noticed that their were car fresheners in the cup holders and some wipe streaks on the dashboard, I turned on the vehicle and drove myself home. The next day as I was leaving for work in the morning I entered my vehicle and could smell the fresheners in the cup holders, I turned on the vehicle and began my commute to work. What I began to notice was the transmission jerking upon braking for a stop and accelerating after a stop. The car felt like it was aggressively downshifting when attempting to stop. I also noticed that when I removed the fresheners in the vehicle the car smelled like wet dog. I searched the vehicle and realized their was dog hair all on the carpets and I even found a dog treat in the visor of the vehicle. I then inspected the outside of the vehicle and realized the passenger rear door on the drivers side was missing a handle trim and the rear bumper was cracked. At this point I was infuriated with not just the dealership but with myself as well for being so distracted with the numbers of the deal and forgetting to inspect the actual product being purchased. I contacted the dealership and attempted to get a service appointment many times. My final attempt was in person where I was able to make an appointment with the finance manager for a later day in the week. The manager advised me to contact the bank to complete my welcome call. I advised her I would after the service appointment. Later that day I received a call from the bank advising me to complete the confirmation/welcome call in order to complete the process of financing. After retrieving more information from them they advised me if I didn't complete the call with them the vehicle would not be financed. The next day I decided to make an attempt to return the vehicle. When I arrived and disclosed my position I was informed that I could not return the vehicle. I then contacted the bank and advised them of my unsatisfactory level with the product that was attempting to be purchased by them. The bank stated that if the vehicle was mechanically/cosmetically faulty and I was not satisfied with the vehicle then they would not finance it. I thanked them and returned to the dealership advising them of mines and the banks position. I handed the finance manager the keys and requested my down payment back. The manager and the salesperson attempted to sell me another vehicle but I advised I just wanted my down payment back in full. The finance manager stated she would contact XXXX XXXX and request the refund be returned. It has been a week and I have been unable to reach the finance manager or the position of my refund and instead I am getting a run around. I am afraid that the dealership will attempt to illegally keep my down payment or attempt to make illegal deductions/itemizations.