Several months ago, in my quest for a good used car, I ran across what seemed like a really viable option for purchasing a solid used vehicle, and bettering my credit score in the process. That option involved the dealership, J.D. Byrider. I can recall sitting down at my computer, tapping vehemently on the keyboard, as I composed an article outlining the company’s practices and procedures for getting into a vehicle. However, upon visiting other J.D. Byrider locations, and talking to a few unhappy customers of theirs, I have come to the final conclusion that no one should purchase a car with this company. Here’s why:
10- VARIETY:
While I am not particularly choosy when it comes to cars, I do like having a little variety involving this type of purchase. My visits to J.D. Byrider’s lots rewarded me with nothing but rows and rows of second rate “rentals”. Not to put the following brands down, but Chevy Cavaliers, Ford Escorts, and old Saturns were not exactly what I was looking for. And it seemed that these types of cars are all J.D. Byrider has.
9- THE FACILITY:
This may sound a little strange. But the J.D. Byrider facilities are a little TOO perfect. Sure, I have visited pristine car dealerships before. However, something about this company just didn’t jive. For instance, while the facility was extremely clean, I noticed that it felt more like a “store” than a dealership where I’d be conducting heavy-duty business. Most dealerships have their finest products parked on the inside of the building, so that customers may peruse as they see fit-not so at J.D. Byrider. As a matter of fact, I noticed the company even has everything BUT cars on its website. This was my first red-flag.
8- THE STAFFING:
The staffing is yet another reason why I found this facility to be so odd. For the dealership to look so clean and fresh, their staff however, did not. Certainly, the majority of them wore shirts and ties. But they didn’t really seem knowledgeable about cars themselves. They all seemed more like mini-receptionists assigned to pushing paperwork from one side of the dealership to the other. The young man assigned to me, could barely spell. And furthermore, it seemed that the staff was more interested in entertaining each other with personal anecdotes, or chatting on their cell phones-than actually assisting customers.
7- THE TOUR:
Here’s something else that raised a few red flags in my brain-the tour. Yes, I was actually given a tour of the J.D. Byrider facility, as if I were shopping for a new home, rather than a used Ford Escort. While the concept of making customers feel at home is not entirely foreign. I simply found it odd, that there was an obviously scripted tour of the company’s building. My tour guide went on to show me all sorts of little rooms for various stages of the “application” process. The tour ended up at the workshop, where the cars are supposedly “conditioned” with extreme mechanical care. The salesman went on to over-explain the multi-point inspection that all the cars apparently endure prior to being released to the dealership floor. By the time said salesman directed me toward CNAC, the company which does all of J.D. Byrider’s financing-which is right there on the premises, I was more than thoroughly suspicious. Everything sounded good…a little too good. When people go a bit overboard to convince me of how wonderful something is, I usually end up with the opposite opinion.
6- APPLICATION PROCESS:
This leads me to the other red flags sprinkled liberally throughout this dealership: the application process. I was more than a bit uncomfortable with the fact that instead of discussing what kind of vehicle I was interested in purchasing, I was shoved a ton of paperwork to begin filling out. I completely understand that J.D. Byrider’s primary focus is on “helping” people to improve their credit scores by offering second chances to customers looking to purchase vehicles. That seems perfectly admirable. However, I was not impressed with the procedures by which this apparently takes place. At one dealership in Marietta, GA, I witnessed one of the incompetent salesmen actually generating references for a customer from previous applications filed in his desk drawer. I was at once appalled, and a quite a bit nervous upon seeing this.
5- CAMERAS:
On my wonderful tour of the J.D. Byrider building, I was swiftly guided from area to area. One of the areas that didn’t catch my attention until later was the “Closing Room.” Apparently this is the room where closing deals are made. The concept didn’t seem too far fetched at the time. Most dealerships have areas where final transactions can be made with some measure of privacy. However, there was something VERY different about this little room. It contained a camera. My informative tour guide advised me that cameras were placed in all Closing Rooms for the protection of the customer during the final transaction. While the spiel seemed lovely at first, I realized that this procedure is very bizarre. It then occurred to me that the cameras are not present for the protection of the customer, but for the protection of J.D. Byrider. Later on, I would realize why the company felt the need for such “preventative measures.”
4- NO TEST DRIVE ?!?! :
Perhaps the most uncomfortable thing about this entire experience was that I was not allowed to test drive ANY vehicle until I had satisfied the company’s Budget Analysis. The Budget Analysis is simply J.D. Byrider’s fancy way of saying-“How much money will we be able to bilk you out of”? I remember asking the 2nd gentleman I was dealing with, when I would be able to peruse the lot for my ideal car. As no one had asked me anything about what I was looking for, I figured it was in my best interest to remind them that I was indeed at their place of business because I needed a VEHICLE. When the 2nd salesman advised me that he had to see how much I qualified for, a thick film of disgust began to cloud my vision. At this point, I realized that something was definitely awry at this place. How rude is it of someone to ask a potential customer what they can afford, and then dictating to that person what they will buy-based on that information? It’s basically like grocery shopping blindfolded.
3- REPOSSESSION POLICY:
After the tour, the paperwork, and the eccentric explanations as to J.D. Byrider’s policies and procedures, it was explained to me that if customers are even (1) day tardy with their monthly car payment, actions are immediately taken to repossess the vehicle, no matter the circumstance. Now, as a person who has previously made some [ahem] not so wise choices with finances, I realize that certain parameters must be drawn, if people are intent on cleaning up their credit reports. But this practice seemed more “loan-sharky” than customer friendly. Even finance companies with the strictest of policies usually grant a grace period of 1 to 3 days in the event of emergencies and/or mail delays. Something about this car “dealership” was really starting to stink.
2- LAWSUITS:
After jumping through several paperwork hoops, I was happily informed that even with my rather comfortable corporate salary, I’d only qualified for one car on the lot: a Ford Escort – the same kind of car that I was so incredibly proud to own my first year of college. Needless to say, I did NOT actually purchase a car with this company. Furthermore, after doing a little more research online, I found out about the many lawsuits pending against this company, and the ones that had J.D. Byrider had already lost. The more I read, the more I realized just how many people were displeased with the companies policies and procedures, and additionally, their cars-which brings me to the final reason not to purchase a car with this company…
1- CAR QUALITY:
Let it be known that J.D. Byrider’s cars are a bunch of [expletive]. I’m certain that not every car on every lot is a lemon. But October 2005’s Hurricane Katrina afforded J.D. Byrider the opportunity to sell many flooded vehicles. Moreover, the company’s multi-point inspection is about as thorough as taking your car to Pep Boys for a “check-up”. As a matter of fact, I’d rather go to Pep Boys than J.D. Byrider. I read tons and tons of complaints from people all over the country who purchased cars which ended up malfunctioning shortly after purchase. Some cars did not even make the trip their new owner’s homes. The company claims that there is a warranty to cover all vehicles. But some customers claimed that they had to pay an enormous “warranty fee” just to have their cars serviced. Some repairs were not even covered in the warranty at all. And to make matters worse, the organization has strict rules regarding the return of vehicles. Most customers ended up having to shoulder the cost of repairs, and a high-interest car note-resulting in a credit score lower than the one they had before entering J.D. Byrider’s doors. The real insult to some of the customers was the revelation that they were not entitled to sue the company, based on the arbitration agreement that they signed in the presence of cameras in the CLOSING ROOM! Now if that isn’t underhanded, I don’t know what is.
