BBB suspended the Accreditation status of Nashville Motor Cars, LLC due to the company’s failure to honor BBB’s Accreditation Standards. Nearly half a dozen consumers have complained alleging they purchased vehicles and did not receive the title preventing them from properly registering it with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Consumers also complained the vehicles they used for trade-ins were not paid off leaving the consumer responsible for paying for a vehicle they no longer possessed. One consumer stated, “On 1/27/15, I traded my BMW in for a Cadillac EXT. Part of the agreement was he would pay off my BMW for $8500.00. It is now, 2/24/15 and I have called 3 times…. No one has yet replied, called, or sent in a pay off.”
“BBB is concerned about this company’s recent marketplace performance,” said Kathleen Calligan, BBB President/CEO. “We reached out to assist Nashville Motor Cars in resolving these matters in good faith; however, consumers continue to report issues that remain unresolved.”
BBB recently learned that the Motor Vehicle Commission also took action against Nashville Motor Cars for similar problems and issued civil penalties totaling $3000.00 for the violations. BBB Accreditation Standards require prompt and good faith responses to consumer complaints as well as avoidance of any government action that demonstrates a significant failure of the company to support BBB ethical principles in marketplace transactions.
Most consumers planning to trade-in their vehicle for a new or used one have positive experiences trusting the auto dealer to pay off the loan for their trade-in; however, consumers should understand that even if a dealership promises to do so, there’s no guarantee they will. In the event the dealer fails to pay the loan, the lender will hold the consumer responsible.
To protect yourself, BBB advises consumers to ensure the purchase agreement specifically states the payoff terms, and to contact the lien holder within 30 days to ensure the payoff has been received. If it hasn’t, you will be responsible for making the payments (or suffer damage to credit reports) until the loan is paid in full. Consumers may have additional rights under the FTC’s “Holder in Due Course Rule,” which protects car buyers when dealers sell the buyers’ credit contracts to other lenders.
If you have been the subject of a negative experience with Nashville Motor Cars, BBB would like to speak with you. Please contact BBB at 615.242.4222 or info@gobbb.org.
