U.S. Army declares Arizona car dealer a no-go zone
If you believe the Johnston family, owners of Wildcat Mitsubishi in Tucson and Ideal Automotive in Sierra Vista, Arizona, they have a little communication and paperwork problem. If you believe the soldiers at the Army base in Fort Huachuca, the Better Business Bureau, the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, the Arizona Transportation Department, the police department, and at least one civilian customer, the Johnstons have a much larger number of far more serious problems.The Army base has banned personnel from patronizing the dealerships, alleging its soldiers have been abused. Soldier James Tuman traded in an SUV and a motorcycle and got financing from Ideal Automotive to buy a used car. When he tried to return the car because of mechanical issues, the Johnston's wouldn't give him his money back, instead saying he could buy another car on the lot. When he threatened to complain, they said they'd declare the car repossessed, which could hurt Tuman's security clearance. Tuman ended up with no money and no car.
Other complaints against Johnstons range from financing auto loans without a license and issuing temporary tags with the wrong VIN numbers. The Johnstons say they are sorting things out... but until the Army et al sort things out with the Johnstons, you might want to give Wildcat and Ideal a wide berth.
[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
tuna 2:35PM (8/11/2008)
Regarding the dealer... typical of idiots; they assume everyone else is as stupid as they are.
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don 3:08PM (8/11/2008)
Some dealers make it a bad habit of picking on service men and women. The nice folks at Wildcat and Ideal are about to get a lesson they'll never, ever forget.
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Pips 2:45PM (8/11/2008)
no big deal here, in 'Canadat' majority of new/used car dealers are very shady and eat customers like lunch.
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Ford Wannup 2:47PM (8/11/2008)
"When he threatened to complain, they said they'd declare the car repossessed, which could hurt Tuman's security clearance."
That is lower than low. So, they could potentially screw a soldier about to be shipped off, and the family left behind has to deal with this? But, one needs to look at this not just from a soldier's standpoint, but strictly from public as consumers standpoint. There are too many sources complaining about similar issues.
I hope this news spread out like wildfire, and the public authority takes some action, and shows the dealer a taste of real "communication problem".
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TJ 3:09PM (8/11/2008)
Actually, according to SSCRA, the dealership violated numerous federal regulations. Additionally, this soldier is entitled in civil court to all monies, plus damages.
Randy 3:21PM (8/11/2008)
If that's true, I think it's grounds for all licenses for their dealerships to be terminated as well as the franchise agreements! That's not the type of thing you slap someone on the wrist for, that is hard core!
Frank 3:50PM (8/11/2008)
agreed. these guys have no idea what they've gotten themselves into, once its on autoblog chances are its over.
ThunderStruck 2:52PM (8/11/2008)
Wow, you would think one might choose their enemies a little more carefully
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Kimura 2:50PM (8/11/2008)
Go ahead, piss off the US Army, that's the smart thing to do.
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gabe ramos 3:14PM (8/11/2008)
Ideal - A conception of something in its absolute perfection. One that is regarded as a standard or model of perfection or excellence.
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iQuack 2:56PM (8/11/2008)
I learned long ago that ALL AUTO DEALERS ARE THIEVES and the nicest thing you can say about ANY auto dealer is that he's less of a thief than a competitor might be.
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obie 3:48PM (8/11/2008)
Contrary to popular belief, most dealers are not thieves. Sure you get a few bad apples in the bunch, but for the most part dealers are respectable businesses just trying make money (like every other business out there).
Brad 4:37PM (8/11/2008)
iQuack, what a stupid thing to say. All auto dealers are not thieves. No more than all lawyers are ambulance chasers or all doctors are on the take.
This particular dealer however seems to be beyond shady.
Randy 5:47PM (8/11/2008)
To say "All people within this genre _______________" is the first step in the wrong direction friend! Every person, every entity and every thing is case by case! NEVER should we classify everyone that does something as evil! Unless of course it's by definition (i.e. mass murderer).
Case and point: The Christian the Lion video on the web! Who would have thought that after a year in the wild, a lion would be joyous to see the two guys that raised him, furthermore introduce his lioness wife to them without her even growling! WOW ya know?
Are all lions man eaters?
iQuack 6:58PM (8/11/2008)
Sorry Randy, but after that lion video was made and the camera had been turned off, the lion then ate the people who raised him. I'm told that the lion thought those people were delicious.
filovirus 2:57PM (8/11/2008)
Unfortunatly this is all too common. All military bases have an off-limits list and there is always at least one car dealership on the list. When I was in the military, we always got briefings about what places were known to rip off service members, and its not just car dealers. Restaurants, stores of all kinds, etc. There is always somebody looking to rip off a gullible service member.
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Louis Duran 11:33PM (8/11/2008)
It would be really nice if this list were made available to the general civilian public. Chances are, if a business is willing to rip off military personnel, they are willing to rip off anybody. Are these lists publicly available? Might even be more useful than BBB lists.
Razor 5:23PM (8/11/2008)
@Louis
There isn't a "wide public" list but if you make friends with a service person they could probably get you a copy of the list for your area. Each list is specific for that base and the area around it. You might be able to get a copy of the list yourself by contacting the base HQ. This use to be a lot easier to do before 9/11. Good luck...
RxMadness 2:57PM (8/11/2008)
Wow, how can anyone possibly be this stupid.
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John 3:02PM (8/11/2008)
So apparently they subscribe to the "Go big or go home" theory of making enemies. Grats guys, you're pwn3d!
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