‘Beyond crazy & illegal!’ cries driver charged $150 ‘documentary’ fee at dealership – a rule was ‘made up just for them’

AN angry driver claims a used car dealership charged her a nonsense $150 fee – and when she called them on it, they called the police.

She added that she was told there was a time limit on test drives and soon discovered no one else was timed.

Getty

Getty

Tanisha Randall was trying to buy a used car for a veteran friend from Auto Express, a used car dealership in Dallas, Texas.

She ended up buying another vehicle from a different dealership close by after she’d experienced what she claimed to be discrimination and illegal activity.

First, she noticed a $150 charge on the invoice listed as a “documentary fee.”

When she’d asked employees about the charge, she said they presented paperwork containing sensitive information from other buyers to prove others had paid it.

“Having this dealership release another customer’s personal information to me in an attempt to prove that a $150 documentary fee is required to pay, is beyond crazy and illegal,” she wrote on Facebook , tagging the business.

“Their own documentation contradicts their claim of this.”

Her woes at the business didn’t stop there, however.

She suspected possible racial discrimination after she discovered she was the only customer who was told there was a time limit on test drives.

“Miss Randall, test drives are only 15 minutes long. I need the vehicle back,” read her screenshots of a text message she received from employees during her second test drive.

“If not, I will have to report it missing.”

After she returned to the dealership, she asked workers to pull another car she was interested in so she could test drive it with her mechanic.

While she waited, she asked other customers if they were held to a time limit for test drives, and they said they weren’t.

When the other car finally arrived, she said an employee was told to ride with her.

“I just found it so interesting that even after that, one of the 2 guys, pulling cars, for the other waiting customers, got in the car with me to go on my 3rd test drive with me,” she wrote.

“Racial profiling?”

Having this dealership release another customer’s personal information to me in an attempt to prove that a $150 documentary fee is required to pay, is beyond crazy and illegal.

Tanisha Randall

She wrote after the third test drive and she declined to buy the car, the police were called on her.

In the comments, she clarified they were called after employees claimed she was “disturbing the peace” by talking to other customers about the fee and the timed test drives.

She also wrote that she planned to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau when things settled.

In the meantime, she and her mechanic were able to buy a car from a dealership down the road from Auto Express.

Tips on buying a used car

When looking to buy a used car, U.S. News & World Report experts have a few tips before walking onto the sales lot.

1. Set a realistic budget. Some cars are more expensive to insure and register than others depending on engine type, body style, weight, and the amount of doors. Before being swindled by a crafty salesman, it’s important to know what you can and can’t afford.
2. Researching what car would fit best into your lifestyle can save a lot of time. Would a sedan work better for your garage or narrow street? Would a truck meet hauling or towing needs? Knowing what suits your needs can narrow down your options.
3. Look into certified pre-owned cars. Certified pre-owned cars are backed by the manufacturer and come with comprehensive warranties at affordable prices. Some manufacturers have better deals on CPO cars, so research diligently.
4. Not all financing options are created equal. Depending on where you look to finance, if that’s on the table, be very careful about who you finance with. Your best option would be to get preapproved by your bank before going in to give you an idea of what rates are affordable, and to give a dealership incentive to meet or beat those rates.
5. Consider a used car inspection. Depending on where you’re buying a vehicle from, you can opt to pay roughly $200 for a used car inspection to have key components examined by an expert.
6. Consider a vehicle history report. When things get close to signing, buying a vehicle history report based on the VIN can help clarify the previous owners, maintenance records (if it was taken to a dealership), title status, and more.

Source: U.S. News and World Report

“That place was so easy and logical to work with that I bought the entire staff lunch because the deal they gave me allows me to be exempt from taxes, on the vehicle, in the state where I’ll be registering it,” she said.

“Plus I’ll get free Veteran plates. Now I can honor and gift it to the person that I wanted to do this for, so they actually did me a huge favor. Two mechanics (one who was a fellow veteran sitting in their office) told me that I dodged a bullet in the vehicle I was considering purchasing.”

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Auto Express for comment.