What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New Jersey
So I'm in a bit of a quandry as to what to do. I leased a new car at the end of last month, and part of the deal was that the dealer would install heated leather seats. I started having some problems with the installation process so I documented day-by-day what happened. Some family suggested I go to court over it. At this point I would really like nothing more than to recover my money and have the lease terminated. But at the very least I feel I deserve something out of this. For reference, "Juan" is the salesman (last names omitted for obvious reasons).
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Wall-O-Text Incoming:
Timeline
Tuesday 10/20/09 - Leased car, had a verbal agreement with the sales manager (who signed the paperwork) that I would receive a “loaner car” when I dropped the car off for the installation. I am given a form that promises the dealership will do the installation within 20 days.
Thursday 10/29/09 - I called Juan telling him I wanted to get the seat installation going. He asked me what color and I told him, “I just want whatever color it is right now, but in leather.” Juan told me to bring it in Monday 11/02/09 between 9am and 10am, and the car will be done by Wednesday 11/04/09.
Monday 11/02/09 - I drive the car to the dealership at 9:30am. When I give the service-department employee what seats I want, he goes to ask Juan about it. Juan comes back and tells me the matching seats (charcoal leather with red stitching) will cost me $200 extra. After arguing with him and the general manager, they agree that the dealership will cover all costs of the seats. They would not, however, provide me with a loaner car since the extra money for the correct seats would cost them too much. The general manager suggested I could drive the car in Wednesday morning and wait at the dealership while they installed the seats. We eventually worked out a deal that someone from the dealership will come to my house on Tuesday 11/03/09 to pick the car up, then drop it back off at my house on Wednesday 11/04/09, which was the original date I was told the car would be finished. I also informed the service department that there was white plastic film along the front of the hood that needed to be removed, and bubbles in the driver-side pin striping that needed to be fixed.
Tuesday 11/03/09 - Juan picks the car up from my house. Approximately 130 miles on the vehicle.
Wednesday 11/04/09 - No contact from anyone at the dealership.
Thursday 11/05/09 - I called Juan asking him where my car was. He informed me that it would be done Friday afternoon and that someone from the dealership would drive it back to my house. I immediately contacted Nissan Customer Affairs and filed a complaint against the dealership and Juan.
Friday 11/06/09 - No contact from anyone at the dealership.
Saturday 11/07/09 - Juan called me and informed me that they installed the wrong seats in my car (just plain black with no red stitching). He said that the seats would be re-done and the car would be ready by Tuesday 11/10/09 or Wednesday 11/11/09 at the latest. He also told me that I would have to drive to the dealership and pick the car up myself, and that there was no way he would provide me with a loaner-car after I filed a complaint against him and “threw him under the bus”. I also asked him to fax me a copy of the promissory form that was signed by both myself and the sales manager; he never did.
Sunday - 11/08/09 - No contact from anyone at the dealership.
Monday 11/09/09 - Twenty days after I signed the vehicle lease. The dealership failed to install the seats in time, as was signed off on by both myself and the sales manager. I called the dealership and left a message for Juan, asking him to fax me a copy of the promissory form.
Tuesday 11/10/09 - I was contacted by Jaime, the director of the Northeast region of Nissan customer affairs. She informed me that she is reviewing my case and that she had called the dealership twice, but no one would return her calls. She told me she would call me back as soon as she spoke with someone at the dealership. I was not contacted by Juan or the dealership at all regarding my car.
Wednesday 11/11/09 - I called Jaime and left a message asking her what the status of my case was. I was not contacted by Juan or the dealership regarding my car.
Thursday 11/12/09 - I called Jaime again and left another message. She would later call my home phone number and spoke with my mother, explaining that the dealership still would not return her calls, and that there was nothing she could do since the dealership is privately owned. At 9:23pm Juan left me a voicemail on my cell phone telling me that my car was finally done and if I contacted him by the time he left work, he would deliver the car to my house, if not, then I would have to pick it up from the dealership the next day, Friday 11/13/09. While I was driving home from work, Juan arrived at my house with my car, although I had not contacted him since the dealership was closed. My brother answered the door and Juan wanted to give him the keys. My brother refused the responsibility since I had not authorized him to accept the car on my behalf, nor had I spoke with Juan about dropping the car off. Juan stated that he would not wait for me to get home and that he was not bringing the car back to the dealership. He dropped the keys on my front porch, unattended, and walked away. When I got home, I inspected the car, and found that the seats had finally been installed, but the white plastic film had not been removed, and the bubbles in the paint had not been fixed. There were also over 100 miles on the vehicle since the last time I had seen it (239 total. There were less than 130 on it when he picked it up.)
- Total days from when I was supposed to drop the car off, to when I received the car back: 11days
- Total days from when the dealership had the car to do the installation, until the installation was complete and I received the car back (while having no loaner car in the meantime): 10days
- Total days after lease signing that it took the dealer to install the seats (paperwork was signed stating that it would be done within 20 days): 23 daysWhat is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?
So I'm in a bit of a quandry as to what to do. I leased a new car at the end of last month, and part of the deal was that the dealer would install heated leather seats. I started having some problems with the installation process so I documented day-by-day what happened. Some family suggested I go to court over it. At this point I would really like nothing more than to recover my money and have the lease terminated. But at the very least I feel I deserve something out of this. For reference, "Juan" is the salesman (last names omitted for obvious reasons).
---------------------------------------------------------
Wall-O-Text Incoming:
Timeline
Tuesday 10/20/09 - Leased car, had a verbal agreement with the sales manager (who signed the paperwork) that I would receive a “loaner car” when I dropped the car off for the installation. I am given a form that promises the dealership will do the installation within 20 days.
Thursday 10/29/09 - I called Juan telling him I wanted to get the seat installation going. He asked me what color and I told him, “I just want whatever color it is right now, but in leather.” Juan told me to bring it in Monday 11/02/09 between 9am and 10am, and the car will be done by Wednesday 11/04/09.
Monday 11/02/09 - I drive the car to the dealership at 9:30am. When I give the service-department employee what seats I want, he goes to ask Juan about it. Juan comes back and tells me the matching seats (charcoal leather with red stitching) will cost me $200 extra. After arguing with him and the general manager, they agree that the dealership will cover all costs of the seats. They would not, however, provide me with a loaner car since the extra money for the correct seats would cost them too much. The general manager suggested I could drive the car in Wednesday morning and wait at the dealership while they installed the seats. We eventually worked out a deal that someone from the dealership will come to my house on Tuesday 11/03/09 to pick the car up, then drop it back off at my house on Wednesday 11/04/09, which was the original date I was told the car would be finished. I also informed the service department that there was white plastic film along the front of the hood that needed to be removed, and bubbles in the driver-side pin striping that needed to be fixed.
Tuesday 11/03/09 - Juan picks the car up from my house. Approximately 130 miles on the vehicle.
Wednesday 11/04/09 - No contact from anyone at the dealership.
Thursday 11/05/09 - I called Juan asking him where my car was. He informed me that it would be done Friday afternoon and that someone from the dealership would drive it back to my house. I immediately contacted Nissan Customer Affairs and filed a complaint against the dealership and Juan.
Friday 11/06/09 - No contact from anyone at the dealership.
Saturday 11/07/09 - Juan called me and informed me that they installed the wrong seats in my car (just plain black with no red stitching). He said that the seats would be re-done and the car would be ready by Tuesday 11/10/09 or Wednesday 11/11/09 at the latest. He also told me that I would have to drive to the dealership and pick the car up myself, and that there was no way he would provide me with a loaner-car after I filed a complaint against him and “threw him under the bus”. I also asked him to fax me a copy of the promissory form that was signed by both myself and the sales manager; he never did.
Sunday - 11/08/09 - No contact from anyone at the dealership.
Monday 11/09/09 - Twenty days after I signed the vehicle lease. The dealership failed to install the seats in time, as was signed off on by both myself and the sales manager. I called the dealership and left a message for Juan, asking him to fax me a copy of the promissory form.
Tuesday 11/10/09 - I was contacted by Jaime, the director of the Northeast region of Nissan customer affairs. She informed me that she is reviewing my case and that she had called the dealership twice, but no one would return her calls. She told me she would call me back as soon as she spoke with someone at the dealership. I was not contacted by Juan or the dealership at all regarding my car.
Wednesday 11/11/09 - I called Jaime and left a message asking her what the status of my case was. I was not contacted by Juan or the dealership regarding my car.
Thursday 11/12/09 - I called Jaime again and left another message. She would later call my home phone number and spoke with my mother, explaining that the dealership still would not return her calls, and that there was nothing she could do since the dealership is privately owned. At 9:23pm Juan left me a voicemail on my cell phone telling me that my car was finally done and if I contacted him by the time he left work, he would deliver the car to my house, if not, then I would have to pick it up from the dealership the next day, Friday 11/13/09. While I was driving home from work, Juan arrived at my house with my car, although I had not contacted him since the dealership was closed. My brother answered the door and Juan wanted to give him the keys. My brother refused the responsibility since I had not authorized him to accept the car on my behalf, nor had I spoke with Juan about dropping the car off. Juan stated that he would not wait for me to get home and that he was not bringing the car back to the dealership. He dropped the keys on my front porch, unattended, and walked away. When I got home, I inspected the car, and found that the seats had finally been installed, but the white plastic film had not been removed, and the bubbles in the paint had not been fixed. There were also over 100 miles on the vehicle since the last time I had seen it (239 total. There were less than 130 on it when he picked it up.)
- Total days from when I was supposed to drop the car off, to when I received the car back: 11days
- Total days from when the dealership had the car to do the installation, until the installation was complete and I received the car back (while having no loaner car in the meantime): 10days
- Total days after lease signing that it took the dealer to install the seats (paperwork was signed stating that it would be done within 20 days): 23 daysWhat is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?