Paul Blanco's Fresh Start Credit Program Reviews

My car is parked in the driveway. I'm not able to drive it because there is no registration for the car and they don't seem to care about my situation so I suggest if you're going to buy a car you go elsewhere. I have had a very bad experience with Paul Blanco. It sounded very good on the radio so I suggest you really pay attention and make sure everything is done if you go there respectfully stressed out.

The only thing we were somewhat disappointed in was the lack of inventory for what we qualified for. We had previously purchased a 2013 Nissan Altima. Unfortunately we had to replace it after a total loss accident. I knew that was the car I wanted this time, the problem was that I only had a choice of two. One had a lot of scuff marks all over the body of the car and a lot of miles, and the second one had very few miles but smelled like cigarette and had cigarette burned on the tan upholstery. Those were our choices. In the end we did make a choice but it would've been nice to have more of a selection.

The car we got was amazing! We loved it. The payments were great! The service was OVER THE TOP AMAZING! Joe ** is the gentleman we had the pleasure to have serviced us, loved how he was personal. He didn't make it seem like he was out just to sell another car. Talked about our lives and families while waiting for paperwork to finalize amongst the bank. Never felt like just another person, it was a smaller office (Riverside, Ca) location and everyone I came in contact with was so friendly. Made you feel like a family which is why I went with Paul Blanco. I had visited a dealer the day before and I didn't like how it just seemed they wanted to rack every cent I had trying to sell me a car. With Paul Blanco it was never like that! I have personally referred Paul Blanco to a friend whom as well bought a car with them! If you visit the Riverside, Ca location, I would ask personally for Joe **, funny family oriented guy. Can't go wrong with them.

Being the smart mouth person that I am I stated "That Altima right there but I know I can't have it with my two repos and low credit score and little down." He looked at me and laughed and told me to have a seat. With the hour I was holding the keys to my new Altima. Charles was an amazing sales person and everyone at that office was very friendly and helpful. Paul Blanco truly gave me a second chance. I recommend that everyone checks them out.

He ran my credit and asked question about my vehicle needs, Etc. He then proceeded to a back office which by this time 20 min have passed and I was starting to get a bit nervous. And I seen him pull up a Chevy cruze and I figured well he probably helping a co worker or something he cannot possibly be pulling it up for me. Sure enough he did, He explained to me that based on my credit situation this would fit with in approval. I was in shock still I was like this is more than expected. I went on a test drive and everything was perfect. I came back from test drive and he brought out the numbers. It was Perfect and well within my budget. Thank you Paul Blanco's. This was the best car buying experience of my life.

The used car Paul Blanco sold to my son is a former rental car with over 30,000 miles on it, and the KBB value of the car is under $16,000. By the time my son pays off that insane loan he will have paid over $34,000 for a $16,000 used car. This is criminal as far as I'm concerned because my son is young and inexperienced and naive, and Paul Blanco's blood thirsty sharks took advantage of my son. I've told my son to return the car now before he's had it more than two weeks even if it dings his already low credit score. I wish my son had listened to me to keep the leased car for a year while he pays off debts and re-builds his credit score so he could buy a car from a reputable dealership. I'm posting this review as a RED FLAG for anyone thinking about doing business with the crooks at Paul Blanco's dealerships. They are exploiting desperate people just like payday loan places do. Why the authorities haven't shut Paul Blanco down baffles me.

On the way home with the car from the dealership, my tire pressure light came on, I didn't know why. So I took it to my local tire dealer where he informed me that the tires that were on the car were the wrong tires for the car, they were actually too small! I hadn't even had the car 24 hours before I found this out. Immediately called the dealership, they told me to come to the service department the next day. I went to the service department, and the service attendant told me that the tires that were on the car would work and probably just needed air. I told her they don't need air, the tire service light is on because the tires are wrong. She says, and I quote, "We told our tire person to put tires on the car that would fit that rim, not necessarily the right tire because the tires for that car are $200 dollars tires."

I explained to her that I needed the right tires because of safety and it can damage my car in the long run. She said they would see what they could do. So they found a car that had the same tires as my car, and switched them out. After that happened, three days later, I started getting service lights telling me to service my brakes system. I didn't call them about that because the service light eventually went off, but continued to come on every other day or so. At this point I had only had the car for a one week. On January 8, the low beam headlight goes out on the car, I called the service department on January 9, hoping to get it repaired, just to be told that their service department was not open on weekends. I called the next week and made an appointment, and brought the car in on January 18, 2016 to have them service the headlights.

When I get to the service department, they told me to speak to the finance department regarding some paperwork. I went to the finance department and to my shock and utter disbelief they told me that they were not able to get financing on my car and that I was going to have to leave the car there. I asked them, why did it take two weeks to be informed of this, they never called me, although they said they did, and they never sent me a letter, although again they said that they had. I left there in my old car crying and upset as a consumer, and I couldn't believe that I had been treated like that.

I am now back to square one. Maybe this was a blessing in disguise, because I was already having issues with car from day one. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos, but my experience with Paul Blanco was a horrible one. I am writing this review to let people know that Paul Blanco is not an honest dealership by no means. Just based on my experience with them, I will not be going back there nor will I send anyone that I know there.

We left the office and looked around a little more. I had a really bad feeling so we left nicely and said we would come back on saturday. While in the car I did the math. $500/month for 60 months is $30,000. That doesn't include taxes or anything. The SUV was used and they had it listed on their website for $16,000. What? So I would have to pay $30k for a 16k car! I'm not stupid. They made it sound like it would be that much because of credit score. So they try to sell cars for prices depending on your score. A price is a price. It doesn't change because of credit.

Another thing: they wouldn't give me a copy of my credit report. It was "theirs." I called for a manager the next day. I explained everything. That I never said to run my credit. He got loud and said "you wanted a car right? Then we run it." I explained we only spoke about costs and what not. There were no cars I liked. Just around how much things cost . Not once did I ask to run my credit. 3 weeks later: I have received 2 letters from finance companies denying me for credit. I was told they never put it thru to ANY finance companies. I LEFT THE PLACE TELLING THEM I DIDN'T LIKE ANYTHING! Tomorrow I am calling them back. Also the credit agencies letting them know credit and finance request was fraud. I NEVER ASKED THEM TO DO THIS.

He tells me they can give me $2000 for my trade but they wanted $500-$1000 more within 3 weeks and payments of $450 starting 3 weeks after that. There was no way I could pay this and after telling him this he comes back telling me they lowered the vehicle from $15000 to $12000 (Kelley Blue Book Price). They would give me $2500 for my trade with $350 payments. I told him it was a great deal and a nice car but I wasn't too sure about this deal. First they tell me I only have 1 option then all of a sudden there's this almost brand new car I qualify for and they are will to give me almost $1000 more than my car is worth. I didn't like it, it didn't sit well so I declined.

The salesman became angered. He was upset I didn't want to take the deal right then and there, he didn't like that I wanted another opinion from a family member. After his comments I just wanted to leave. I asked if I could take a copy of the offer and have a day or two to think the offer over. The manager came to speak to me, informing me the offer would expire right then and there and that if I tried a different company that submits to the same bank for a loan it was Red Flag me. He again explained about my credit and down payment, while I kept telling him I knew all this info he kept repeating. This was the worse experience, they had the worst attitude and all they want to do is get rid of crappy cars.

Three weeks later, they deduct the $1000 payment from my account. Still I'm a happy camper. A month passes and a repo man knocks on my door. I assure him there has to be some mistake as my first payment isn't due for another two weeks. He instructs me to call the dealership. I called and spoke with Mike, the GM of the Oakland dealership. He tells me my paycheck stubs are fake and the deal is a no go. Shocked and rather pissed off, I tell him there must be some kind of mistake because my paycheck stubs are not fake. He at this point is yelling and talking over me. I ask what I need to give them to resolve the issue. He says there is nothing I can do it is a done deal and hangs up the phone in my face!!! No wonder the employees there act as they do. This is their general manager hanging up in my face! I've since called an attorney. I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE!

Well based on what I made, he went and picked out a 2012 Toyota Camry, 27500 mileage. Test drove it from their lot to three lights down because they refuse to put gas in it. Wow. Cheap. Anyways came back in and he said, "Good news, you are approved for that car. 20150 dollars but your trade-in value for your '03 Odyssey is 1500 plus 1500 cash upfront and 2500 in 21 days." Wait, what that means the car is nearly 30000 dollars and my monthly payment is 581 a month with 22 percent. Okay I know I make money but I don't need to be broke trying buy a car. I said if I gonna get a car, I want a Acura MDX.

Since the sales person could not convince me to buy it right there and then, the finance man came and told me that is what he can do for me only and if I wanted a DMX, it too far-fetch. It cost too much, he can't have it. He won't do it. But it's really he won't go get it at another shop. I said, "well if I am buying a 30000 dollar car already, I will like to buy what I need is a third-row sheet." Finance man said no. I thought, 'No. No one tells me no when I paying that much money.' I got up and left. Well no deal. I check Kelley Blue Book on that car and the car is actually worth 15000 at the most. Thank God I did not get the car and thank the reviews. I might not have a high credit score but it was decent score and I'm not stupid to buy this car. I need a car but not that bad.

Jason told us that they had their service shop nearby and that it could be taken over there and they would be able to get it fixed and running as well as when we first bought it. I convinced my wife that this was going to be far less of a hassle than trying to get our money back and then going to buy another car. Fingers crossed. They returned our car within 2 days and it was running just fine.

I waited 3 months to write this review just in case the fix was only temporary but I'm still very pleased with the performance of the car and for Paul Blanco's staff being able to resolve the issue promptly and efficiently. I look at these bad reviews and just think about how much better off they would have been if they just approached their situation reasonably like we did and give Paul Blanco's dealership a chance to resolve any issues. If my wife got what she wanted, then the dealership would have wasted their time and effort and we would have been stuck trying to find another car and wasting more of our time. We are happy instead, and have a good car. Thank you!

A year later I try and contact the manager of the dealer he's never available . The staff is rude and acts as if the customers are a bother. This company is the WORST. People beware and please DON'T even think about this place. It's HORRIBLE!!! Now I'm stuck with a vehicle with a bad transmission just a year after taking it from their dealer. Have $2,000. To $ to fix so now I'm stuck making payment and driving a crappy car. Hope this business shuts down and stops ripping people off .

Finally I ask, "can't you look in your computer to see what's going on?" She said "oh yeah" after I was already frustrated. Told to hang on and was hung up on. Called back and was told line disconnected. Finally she says manager have 24 to 48 hours to call back. I was not told that the night before. Have to say customer service here is absolutely horrible. Guess they don't want my business after all... Going some place else that does.

I looked around the joint. I didn't like the Buddha-head-in-the-aquarium, and the women's restroom was ice cold. All the salespersons were male and had oversized guts. I could smell the Aqua Velva in the air. I looked at the sign on the wall, which seemed to be winking at me: Paul Blanco's Good Car Company. If you have to advertise that you're "good" something is amiss anyway. At any rate, I was outta there! They tried to entice me otherwise by walking with me through their forlorn lot (even the cars looked like they didn't want to be there), but I'd already gotten the spiritual nudge to get out of there, and believe me, it wasn't Buddha talking! When I later read all of these other reviews, indeed I saw what I'd been missing. All I can say is, "thank you, Jesus!" And "Girl bye!"

Asked what I was looking for in a car I told him something reliable as I travel for work everyday. Says okay & asked how much I'm willing to put down. I told him 1500. Says okay goes talk to his manager blah blah blah. Comes out says with my score, I need to put a bigger down payment to get approved so I agreed to 2000. That being said horrible sales rep comes out & tells me to come see the car I can take home. It was a nice car 2013 Jetta. Took it for a ride & came back in love with the damn car. Gave my old car for a trade in 1000 value so that's 3000 grand down payment. Enough right?

No, come to find out weeks after I took the car agreed there was an additional deferred down payment of 1000, unable to pull from contract at this point I was forced to pay the 1000, I made 2 payments. But that put me behind on my finances, a lot. As a single mother working & paying for rent bills & day care... I went downhill. Then! First payment is due & the bank that financed me had no words for taking an additional 1000 down then a week later expect a first payment. Understanding I should be making payments on time, I at least thought this bank would give me a grace period for next pay day. No, they didn't threatened me they'll take the car.

This forcing me to continuously be in a financial bind due to Paul Blanco's punk ** sales rep. Which I called during these events & he says "I'm sorry I've done that a lot but I've been here only 3 weeks". So therefore he is making his money while blindly taking money for innocent people. Smh, I'll continue to pay for this car they sold me until I build my credit... Then buy from a different dealer if I need to. Paul blanco is not the good car company, they are the worst car company...

They all told me they would work on fixing the paperwork. So I told them I wouldn't pay the deferred down payment until they did. Six months later, nothing, they didn't fix anything. So I asked for a warranty reimbursement because I felt it was only right that they pay for their mistake. Two years later, it was never fixed and they are trying to take me to court over the deferred down payment. I tried calling everyone at Paul Blanco to discuss the situation with them. No one would respond back to me. I had to file a counter claim. Then I showed up to court just to be bullied and told that I WAS THE BAD GUY for not paying the deferred down payment by their finance guy.

Really? So where is the accountability for not correcting all my loan documents and selling me a warranty I couldn't use because you wrote down the wrong mileage? None. But because I didn't have proof that I told them two years ago about the issue, the mediator suggested I settle. So instead of the company fessing up to a huge mistake they made, giving me a reimbursement for my warranty and calling it even, they instead lied, used shady practices and bullied their way into making me still pay for the stupid deferred down payment.

They really are a bad company. I know car dealerships are usually pretty bad but this one is actually one of the worst I have ever seen. They are nasty. They should have their licensing pulled. They basically wrote fraudulent information on a contract with a lower mileage and that is a form of rolling back an odometer. And they got away with it because they know how to cheat the system and they are willing to lie, even to a judge or mediator. Horrible. Truly disgusting. Don't buy a car from here. They target people with challenged credit for a reason!

I even wrote Paul Blanco a letter himself and he ignored me. I even emailed his wife and she ignored me. They didn't say a word to me. They sent a finance guy who was rude and got in my face a lot. Not okay! They really use bully tactics and because they do this all the time, they know how to get around the law. If only I had gotten proof that I told them about the mistake two years ago. Don't trust any of them. Seriously. All I wanted was a simple reimbursement of my warranty and an apology for messing up my paperwork/never fixing it. They couldn't do it. They won't. They don't care about customer service or doing the right thing. Just stay away from them!

Answer a few questions about your down payment and what you are looking for. "Finance Manager" leaves the office to go to work on, I mean for you. "Finance Manager" returns and says your credit is not good but he has a few banks that are looking at the deal. The deal? I have not even looked at a car yet. How can there be a deal in the works? Sales consultant and "finance Manager" both leave the office. Wait another 10 minutes. Sales consultant returns and says they have a car for me to test drive to make sure that I like it before the deal gets finalized. I came here to buy a car, not a loan. This is backwards. Something is not right.

I get escorted to the lot, presumably to look at their inventory. But no looking around is needed. There is a car, 1 single car waiting with the doors open for me to test drive. Apparently I not a big boy and can not pick the car I want to drive. The car they selected for me fits my needs well enough so we test drive it. 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan with 80,000 miles. Looks nice, runs nice. Some cosmetic damage to the exterior, not a big problem. During the drive I ask if there are any other vans that I could look at and was told that this was the only one they had in my price range... I asked what the sticker price was? He said, "We will go over that after we hear form the lenders." (I already know the approx value of this van to be $13,500 give or take, because I did my homework prior to coming in that day. Bad credit doesn't mean you are stupid.)

Arrive back at the dealer, go back into the office. Here comes my BFF with good news. Told me he worked hard and got an approval for me. My man! He presents a printout and starts fast talking around the numbers, circling and drawing arrows, maybe in an attempt to distract me from the numbers. Here is the deal:

Monthly payment of $485.

Let's analyze this deal a bit. Estimated vehicle value of approx. $13,500 (which I later confirmed to be closer to $12,500 on KBB.com). Selling price of $18795 = overinflated price of $5295. Nice profit guys. Double my down payment, which I didn't have. Interest rate higher than a Visa. Which is predatory lending! Plus if add up all of the numbers and calculate them out the selling price of the van was closer to $19,600. What's an extra $800 between friends. No big deal.

I didn't laugh. Instead I stood up and said I was going to pass on the "offer." The "Finance Manager" said he would see what he could do. Came back in a few minutes and said that they can defer half of the $4000 down payment so I would only need to come up with $2000 and I could drive off today! Really?? That doesn't change the facts... at all. Told him, "No thank you," and offered my hand to shake his. He returns with this limp wrist dead fish hand shake like a 2 year old. I guess we are no longer best friends. He said, "Let me talk to the boss."

Here comes the big gun. Introduced as the "bank." He is the lender, the Finance Manger, the number one guy, El Jefe. Wait, I though the other guy was the "Finance Manger???" Hummm. Maybe they are twins? No. Number one tries to talk me into the deal. No break in price, no better terms. He just tries to talk me into this horrible disaster of an offer by telling me I need this van and my kids deserve a new a car and that I can't let them ride around in a car that is not reliable. What an insult. He tried to guilt me. I collected all of the papers and left this joke of a car dealership.

So what have we learned here kids? Paul Blanco is in the business of preying on those with situations that are less than perfect. Had I not known a little about finance and vehicle values I might have fallen for this scam. $5295 above actual value plus another $13,000 in interest alone. Be careful when shopping for car at Paul Blanco's. Do your homework and don't be a victim. Remember, broke doesn't mean stupid even if that is part of Paul Blanco's business model.

So on top of taking the car and me just putting my last 20 dollars of gas in the car I'm stuck there with no ride, them not offering to give me a ride anywhere and now today I just find out I'm going to have to pay $96 for early cancellation of the insurance of a car that I don't even have!! I totally feel they should be responsible to pay for that insurance being that it was their mistake with the financing. They should have never let me leave there not knowing if the car would be financed or not.

They are unprofessional, rude and I wish I never went there. Now it’s been 2 days and I'm still waiting for my refund for the money that I paid them for that car. So I can't even buy another car now because I'm still waiting for them to refund my money and they didn't have the pink slip to my car that I used for trade-in to top it all off! This place is messed up. Please don't go there, please shop around. Awful people!!

Paul blanco dealerships use this fresh start program to take advantage of people that have bad credit and are trying to get their credit rating back up by selling them over priced vehicles at high interest rates. Both them and the banks are very greedy. They showed me the BBK on my car and it was lower than what they sold it to me for but when I looked for myself after I bought the car, it showed that I paid more than what it was worth. So the only thing I can think of is when they showed me the BBK, they added things to it to make it seem like it was worth more than it was. That's very very scanless.

I would not go to Paul Blancos for any reason and I highly recommend that nobody goes there unless they want to be ripped off. The guys were very rude, I had asked if they could drop the price of the car 500 and they basically laughed at me. That just shows how greedy these people are, they don't care about their customers. I have been to other dealerships that have told me that they hear people all the time telling them how Paul Blanco ripped them off and sold them an overpriced vehicle when they trusted them and they took the opportunity to rip them off. Paul Blancos dealerships are full of greedy cowards that only care about taking as much money from the customer as they can and jacking the price of their cars up more than their worth. They should be shut down for good. Hopefully they will rip off the right person that has the power to do something about innocent citizens getting ripped off by people you are trying to trust.

Thirty minuets later he came back with a sale price over $14,000 and the standard warranty loaded in the deal and a Mr. Hyde attitude saying "here is what the deal is." His sales manager sent him out with a computer printed offer adding the bank fee to the the retail price and then couldn't/wouldn't tell me how much it was. I had no problem with a small bank fee that I expected nor the 60 months, in fact I would have went 66 months, cut the $1,500 warranty and wrote a check that night. Fact of the matter was by that I had two grand in my pocket from my taxes which would have brought the payment down slightly from what I offered as a down.

I counter offered at the advertised price, offered 1% more on the interest rate and he shook my hand and gave us back our I.D. without any further negotiation at all. Prior to him coming back in I saw how other people had been there and NOT gotten the free gas offer that they promote on Yelp so I decided to initiate one for me just to see what would happen. As his "somebody's grand father" demeanor left his body and got adversarial with me when I asked him about the bank fee, things then went south with him talking over me and offering unjustified reasons for what was there cost of reconditioning ("we over booked this car") and him calling me a roach for asking for the gas card. As we walked out I told him that "he would have done better by keeping his first face through out the transaction and I was going to make a comment on Yelp." His response was "we care about that."

Just 60 days ago I traded in my girlfriend's Nissan for what she wanted and got similar treatment from a Concord Honda desk manager. I found out who the sister store was, drove out my way to San Francisco and had the car brought over and done the deal at the advertised price. A bad attitude and bad customer service once again loses a deal. We are going to Santa Rosa for the weekend and buy the same vehicle with 5k more miles and a year newer at $9,889. Maybe we will just get a room and make a weekend of it.

We were there from 9:00 am till 4:00!! When they came and said what was wrong with the a/c and that was it! I told them that the floor manager had said to take it in to get what needed to be fixed, the service mgr who is so rude says, "well we were never told anything." I have to wait for the floor manager to come talk to the service manager who is ready to leave for the day, that yes he did say they would fix it. Also ask about the gas, he said they didn't smell anything. Make appointment for the following week @ 10:00a.m. Get there and the parts haven't arrived. Also remind them if they could please check to see if there is a gas leak, they say no problem. Again waited there for 6hrs!! I was so aggravated and tired. I'm 8 1/2 months waiting for a car that I've had for only a week. Still no fix on the gas leak, never get any paperwork saying what it was that they worked on/fixed. Was told they would mail it. 3wks go by, I have my baby by this time. I'm driving my gas fumed car making a u-turn when the steering wheel locks up. Call them, tell them what happen and that I want it fixed asap and loaner car. I have to figure out how to get it towed to their lot because their tow truck is not available (no surprise). I'm blocking traffic.

I again tell them it is seriously leaking gas! Please fix that as well. They say they don't see it. I told them, "You didn't see it because you never checked it!!!" If they would of lifted the passenger seat where the gas tank sits, they would of noticed the puddle of gas that's sitting there!!! where my 3 kids sit. They say they fix the steering wheel (took 2 days) but when I get it back the steering column almost falls in my lap! They didn't line everything back up so have to take it in yet again. 4 weeks later it dies, just dies thinking okay maybe the battery is out. Nope, it's the alternator again out of a car. This time I have them tow it in, they came at 9:00 pm and took it in. AGAIN I tell them about the gas and nothing losing money on gas and running the risk of blowing up. Took 4 days fix. Now since July of this year 2014 this car is sitting in the driveway because the transmission and the starter went out and I still owe on this piece of crap! Then to add injury to it all, I get a certified letter from them saying I still owe them 1 grand for the down payment and they fixing to take me to small claims court.

Here is my issue: If Paul Blanco calls this a "Fresh Start" program, why is their sole intent to take advantage of those less informed? The way everything is structured, the only fresh start is for Paul Blanco himself and his ruthless sales people. I will end with this: I agree my employee signed everything, and "Legally" everything Paul Blanco did was OK. However, I will do everything in my power to talk anyone who is even thinking about going there to change their mind.

The dealership had taken the funds unauthorized from my bank acct and now showing a negative balance.. On top of this when I initiated the deal I had a trade in and signed off on the title.... I've been trying to get the title back for the last 2 weeks with numerous contacts with finance/ Mgmt stating I could have it back within 24/48 of returning the vehicle. I've contacted Mgmt and numerous employees about this manner and all have failed to respond and follow through with what they have promised me! Due to the unauthorized withdrawal from my acct, I have to wait 7-10 days before I can get those funds back into my acct!

On Aug 9th I woke up early to drive 1-1/2 hour to Oakland facility, excited that I'm gonna get a car to get me out of this 200 dollar a week rental. Misleading as heck! When I got there the salesperson they assigned me to didn't show up, so they gave me a new salesperson, who was very nice to me but the person in the back room was not even nice to him. After trying to reason with him 3 different times he still had to come back and tell me that I need a co-signer even with 1000 down. At 64, I don't think so. So as God would have it I didn't get a car, but after reading all of the complaints here that was a true blessing!!! The sales person was so frustrated he shared with me that these people don't care about anyone. Their job is to get you in there, but that he had only been there for a week and was leaving that following Tuesday, because he couldn't stand their practices and because he wouldn't play ball the way they wanted him to. He was being black balled so to speak.

There has got to be some kind of law that prohibits this kind of practice, but until then if 1 person benefits from this post I'm happy. No one deserves to go through this kind of anguish for a car. I also responded very strongly to their thank you email that said they were sorry that they didn't have a vehicle to fit my needs and that they get 10 vehicles in per day, that I should keep checking back. Then someone called me on Monday (today) to get my feedback. By the time I answered her second question about how can they improve their services, she was glad to get off of the phone, she had no further questions. In a nutshell people, stay away from PAUL BLANCO!!!!

In April, DMV sent me notice of intent to suspend my registration on the Jeep as I had not provided proof of insurance. I called Nicole again. She reassured me they were handling it. In May, another notice, and I paid $2 on DMV site to find Jeep still in my name, yes spoke with Nicole again, and also, had not received reg. and tags for Honda I purchased. I completed a notice of transfer, copied all paperwork, and sent to DMV. June 6th, no registration, no tags. I called, no more Nicole, s/w Sadia. She advised me she showed that my tags had been delivered 4/28/14. I told her I did not receive and how did she have confirmation. She could not answer that. She sent me a form to complete for replacement tag. I received this at "the address I provided", completed and mailed. 6/23.

I had taken Jeep on my Fastrack account. Went to mailbox, 2 toll violations for Jeep in my name. I pretty much done with, LOL< quick DMV, s/w Mercedes at Paul Blanco, assured she would take care of it. I faxed her the violations quickly completed the form for toll road to show proof I have not owned vehicle since 2/20/14. Thought that was that. 7/14/14, still no tag. Called quick DMV, new person, Gracie. She stated, "We sent it to you 6/23 to the address you provided." She could not quite grasp fact that I have received the replacement paper work from them, the registration and tags for the Jeep.

A friend suggested if it is in my name, I should go get it. She is now telling me they have to wait 30 days to request replacement. OK tags expired 6/2014. I was a little angry, getting nowhere so she suggested I go to DMV< are you kidding? I should take time off work to go to overcrowded DMV to get a tag they seem to lose or maybe an employee is stealing them to sell to other people, who knows? I then told her they are incompetent. I tried to contact Mercedes, but out of office. Plan to call her tomorrow. Also, I am an Auto Club member. Hoping they can help. In general buying car was OK, but I would never, and I was going to with a couple of friends, recommend Paul Blanco because if you use an incompetent company for something as important as DMV paperwork, does not say much about you.

I have reason to believe that they reset the check engine light and hoped it wouldn't come on until it was too late. Well they timed that one right. I got the check engine light looked at... It's the catalytic converter. On this vehicle, that part is $1000, not counting labor. Thanks Paul Blanco for being jack holes!! I'm about ready to default on my loan. I know that will make things worse for me financially in the long run... But you know what... I really don't care as long as I am not sinking money into this piece of crap.

Calling and complaining does no good. I'm also thinking that maybe I should contact KCRA 3 or Call Curtis. Maybe then, these "thieves" will be forced to answer for their crimes!!

Jason at Paul Blanco didn't want to sell the truck to me because he didn't like the deal John ** put together so I got the runaround. The sad part about all of this is that I was buying a pick up truck because 18-year-old son has just had a horrible accident, was paralyzed from his waist down and I needed it for the wheel chair. All the people above were all aware of this reason. This has been the worst experience I have ever encountered!! I would never recommend buying anything from this dealer. I don't know how they can live with themselves after treating me and my family like this

Our daughter went online and filled out a pre-qualification form for Paul Blanco, was very happy to be called by a manager/salesperson from their Oakland location that she was qualified and should come in so she could find the vehicle she liked and drive it home that day!! Our daughter stayed with us for approximately a week after her accident and during that time she said that the dealership called her at minimum twice a day and for the entire week emphatically emphasizing the immediate need for her to personally get into their dealership.

Our daughter, my wife and myself went to the dealership and when we walked thru the doors we were met by a "Cheshire Grinned" salesperson who said he would be helping us named 'Raj'. Raj said that he was new to Paul Blanco but that since our daughter was pre-qualified it wouldn't be long of a process for her to be driving home in the car of her choice that day if she so chose. Raj and our daughter went over her employment whereas she has worked at the same location for over 2 years. She had all of her pay stubs with her and a letter from her employer. Raj then said that he would need for our daughter to fill out another set of forms in triplicate in order to get started whereas Raj said that this was just the "Paul Blanco" way that the process was done and assured us that Paul Blanco worked with over "105 banking institutions" so we would have a variety of banks to choose from for our daughter's financing.

During the process Raj got up and left us several times to go to a room in the back of the showroom whereas he was speaking with a smirking, slick, backed haired manager I'll assume who did not come out of his office once given that Raj was new and had left us in his office approximately five times to speak with this individual. When Raj finally was finished with being mentored by the manager he sat down and informed our daughter that she could only afford a vehicle in the 10K price range and that since her salary included tips there was no way to verify her actual income. Raj also said that the temporary license given to our daughter on Official DMV Letterhead could also not be validated and was a problem.

Raj then perked up after disillusioning us with the Paul Blanco do all, get anyone into a car, etc... that he had some great news which would help with our daughter immediately being able to get into the car of her choice that day!! We were happy with his comment and listened to his idea. Raj began by saying that our daughter's income was "sketchy" and that her license albeit in all likelihood from DMV was also a problem but we could get our daughter into any car and be great parents in the process if we were to just fill another application out with him and be "CO-SIGNERS" in order to move forward. I asked Raj at that point what was the reason of our daughter filling out a form with Paul Blanco, being informed that she was pre-qualified along with the numerous phone calls to her from their dealership all to be informed after the fact of our sitting in his office that none of this was factual!!???

Raj simply looked at me with a blank stare and didn't say a word. He only stared at me with his mouth open not saying anything for approximately 30 seconds and then robotically said again that the best situation would be if we were to co-sign for our daughter. My wife and I, not to mention our daughter, were extremely unimpressed, angry and felt victimized in the "Paul Blanco Pre-Qualification Scam" that never was addressed by anyone that day. Raj said perhaps in the future, which is when I simply put my hand up emphasizing that this whole process was a joke, and left.

I've never written a complaint about any place including the occasional food establishment but what Paul Blanco and his company's employees are doing is nothing more than a scam attempting to get individuals into high rates, co-signing and other forms of manipulation which Paul Blanco seems to emphasize by his constant advertising of the "Do all be all dealership". Yet in actuality, he is doing nothing more but preying on and assisting low income, elderly, students on fixed incomes and other individuals looking only to get into a vehicle based on his misconstrued mass advertising.

If I can "ONLY" help one person by this review by not getting involved with Paul Blanco and instead going to a reputable dealer then I accomplished my goal. It's only a matter of time before some form of legalities are filed en masse by the Attorney General's Office against this corrupt company.

I talked to the finance manager and told him I was going to go to my Credit Union instead. He said that was fantastic, I'd get the best rate that way. As I was headed to the Credit Union, I asked him the exact dollar amount that the CU would have to write a check out for. He gave me the lowered price, which I wrote down and presented to the CU. The CU rep asked if I had GAP insurance and an extended warranty. He said I could probably get a better warranty through the CU. I called the Paul Blanco finance manager and left him a message. He never returned my call. I called the next day and he wouldn't come to the phone, saying he was in a meeting. I told them I needed to get the information right away as time was of the essence.

He came on the phone and rudely said, "Bottom line is you need to come in with a check today or I'm going to pick up my car," quoting the original price. He wouldn't answer my questions about the insurance and warranty, and when I pointed out that the amount he was now giving me was not correct, he wouldn't let me speak but asked, "Do you have anything signed that says I gave you that price? NO. *I* have a signed contract!" Since he was being so rude, I asked the Credit Union rep to call him to get a faxed copy of the contract (which the CU needed to process the loan). He said the finance manager was rude to him, as well.

I asked to cancel the extended warranty ($2000 for 24,000 miles versus $1800 for 100,000 miles through the credit union). I then contacted Paul Blanco headquarters to complain, and the Blanco's personal assistant called me back. I told her what had happened, and she said she reports directly to Mrs. Blanco, they would get back to me no later than 72 hours. Three weeks later, I've received not a single call or resolution, even though I've had to call her 5 times. On top of this, I gave the salesman a credit card machine (for which I was offered a $25 gas card, which I never received) and gave the salesman over $70 in my product I manufacture, without receiving so much as a thank you. It is clear to me that the Blanco's don't care what is done in their company/family name.

I was dropped off there by a friend this morning with my son, and per Bob, got their super early. I arrived before 8 which he assured me he would be there (I know they open at 9 am), he arrived about 8:50, so my first hours was a bust. He sat down and told me he had reviewed everything and they would not be able to get me a loan, with the stock on the lot, unless I paid $2000 down ($1000 deferred and $1000 today). I explain again to him my finances and asked how can he offer this Bait and Switch. He disappeared back to the magic mirrored office. He came back with what he call the best deal; for $404 per month at 72 month he could get me in a car that had margins (only one car) that they could work with to basically hide the 2nd $1000 dollars in. Sure I was going to pay more, but in 10-12 months I could trade up or convert to a lower interest rate/payment of approximately $300 at that time.

We went for a test drive, everything but the payment was what I wanted, I told him all going to be possible. Then he flash a piece of paper that he had show me earlier, that had the year and model of the car written in pen at the bottom, and pointed to the section that his "Happy Hand" was covering earlier, showing I needed to pay $2000 down. I asked him again, how could he justify this "Bait and Switch" tactic, then he informed me that he had show me the paper earlier. I told him that he only showed me the hand written portion. He claimed because I had made a phone call, I must have made arrangements, which I never said, but by the way my daughter who was at home sick feels a little better.

So in short, the car I had has left my possession, leaving me without transportation, and a job 80 miles from home. I truly hope the word gets out. I accept a higher interest rate due to poor credit. I accept poor terms due to bad credit. I do not however accept a dealer that changes the story each time I agree to move forward. Incidentally I live in West Roseville, I hope Happy Bob and the person in the magic mirror one day soon gets to walk the distance I did home with their elementary age child. I can not accept this type of behavior and have to believe Karma will certainly pay back accordingly. Paul Blanco is the lowest of low when it comes to tactics.

The primary reason for contacting the dealership was after only driving my car for less than 24 hours, it turned off completely in the middle of an intersection which caused a car driving behind me to slam on their brakes avoiding a potential collision and yes, maybe a disaster. This incident alone was stressful enough, not including the other concerns that will be listed. Numerous conversations can only be described as highly disturbing due to conflicting information given by several representatives.

It is our belief that in your discovery, you will not only confirm the complaints listed below but more than likely discover more. This company must be exposed to alert other individuals considering to purchase from Paul Blanco Dealership. It is also important to note that we have exhausted all our efforts in contacting this company even sending urgent appeals to the ** Blanco, Owner. I am urgently requesting that you consider investigating this business in which case:

The first impression is that they are interested in serving new customers by their constant non-stop telemarketing but once you buy they won't return your calls. Communicating an approved amount by the bank only to find out that they don't have any cars in the price range forcing the potential buyer in a higher priced car. Selling you a warranty without asking if the buyer is interested. The finance person will only instruct you to sign here and sign here. No explanation of the optional 48-hour cancellation but instead deceive the buyer by telling them to just sign here, unknowingly signing the 24-hour decline cancellation option. Receiving multiple instructions and conflicting information on how to seek assistance or resolution in repairing a problem with a car.

Told that the warranty could not be canceled or would affect the payment which is incorrect. Being told that the car could not be returned due to waiving the option (This option charges $250.00 that allows the buyer to cancel with 48 hours including a $500.00 restocking fee). To any state legislator, is there a way to change this law??? Being told twice by the Finance Manager they were willing to exchange the car due to the mechanical concerns only to find out that this was incorrect since the bank had already paid for the purchased car.

The meeting listed above was interrupted by a person that identified himself as Reggie, the Boss. At first he communicated in a way that was appreciated but we soon learned that he practiced what can be best described as sleazy used car salesman gimmicks, because they will do anything to sell car for a fast buck. Reggie claimed that he was sent to Stockton to clean up and get the dealership running right and that he expected nothing less and so on and so on. Reggie stated that canceling the warranty would not be a problem but stated that the price on the contract would remain the same and there was nothing he could do about it (we found out later that the finance company would eventually send the adjusted amount once the warranty was credited). At this same meeting and also with a discussion with the finance manager, they were informed that we also needed additional time to come up with the remainder of the down payment and we were promised they would give us additional time. They were also told that messages were left about needing the extra time but those calls were not returned.

On September 24th, my bank informed me that my account was overdrawn due to the withdrawal that Paul Blanco processed. When we attempted to correct this matter due to the verbal promises made by both the Boss and finance manager, we were told that they only processed what I had already authorized them to do and when I proposed that I would take this up with my Bank, Monica from Collections told me very rudely, "Well, you can do that if you want but you are going to lose."

To conclude, I provide the majority of the living expenses for my grandparents that are both being taken care of due to medical conditions. I purchased this car to have reliable transportation to drive my grandparents to their doctors' appointments and emergency hospital visits. I personally have a medical condition that has been jeopardized by this horrible nightmare of a dealership. I have lost sleep and am experiencing side effects because of this added stress. Please, Please I beg you to investigate this company. Your review may help other unsuspecting people before they buy their car from Paul Blanco. For further proof, read Yelp, Google and other online comments about this company. Your investigation no doubt will enable others to come forward with their horror stories.

Well, we were gravely mistaken. First, it took all day to buy one little car. I mean all day, not a few hours, all day. Which may or may not have been avoidable. Second, they never even offered us gap insurance, so we ended up having to drive down separately to re-sign the loan paperwork. Now, at this point we've been there twice. Third, the brakes started to squeak and grind really bad a few days after we drove the car home. And they are legally supposed to do a brake and safety inspection, which clearly they did not do! Keep in mind that I just had a baby in the middle of flu season, so I wasn't driving at all. Maybe to a Dr.s appointment, but that's it.

So, we called them and told them the problem, and they said, "Come on down, (almost 2 hours away) and we'll fix you right up". So, being a little annoyed with a few warning bells going off, decided to drive the car down. My husband had gone back to work at this point, so I was the only one available to do this. I also had my newborn with me. They said, "Give us the keys and we'll call you in a couple of hours when it's done." I said, "Okay". I called my sister to come get us so we didn't have to hang out in the lobby the entire time. So she came down and picked us up.

Well, a couple hours go by and I've not heard a peep from anyone at Paul Blanco's service department. I called them, and they scramble around trying to figure out what's going on with my car. Of course, the guy working on my car is nowhere to be found. They say, "As soon as we find the guy, we'll have him call you". I said reluctantly, "Okay". At least another hour goes by and yet again, no call. I call them again and they said it was ready. I have my sister drive us back to the dealership only to find out that it is actually not done and is still in fact jacked up. I go in and ask what's going on with the car and they say, "Oh, sorry it took a little longer than we thought, give us another hour". I said okay because what else am I supposed to say? Hurry the ** up with my car you idiots! That wouldn't have gotten me anywhere, even though that's exactly what I was thinking.

I go back in an hour to pick it up, and they say sorry for the delay, here's a free car wash. Yeah, like I'm gonna drive 2 hours for a free car wash...thanks anyway! Lo and behold, the brakes are not fixed. I suspect they never even changed them in the first place, they just wanted to get rid of me. So, here I am, driving in crazy traffic, with my NEWBORN in the car and I still don't have a safe car!!! I am beside myself with frustration at this point. We are both exhausted and just need to get home. When we got home, I put my baby down to sleep, and told my husband what happened. He was so mad, he called them the next day and told them they had better fix this dang car, and do it right and not mess with me anymore.

So, yet again, I think this must be the third or fourth time I have to drive down to their stupid dealership. I drive down there. Using a lot of gas along the way. Which they sold the car to us on empty and refused to give us a gas card... **. When I finally get down there, I go into the service department and the guy, of course I can't remember his name, is so rude to me right off the bat that I just dropped everything and marched my ** into the dealership and demanded to speak with his superior. I wasn't letting this guy get away with treating me so rudely after everything they put us through already! Well, all we ended up with was a $50 gas card, a very late night again, and brakes that now click on occasion. Of course they don't click when anyone is trying to inspect them, though!

At this point the car runs for a few months and then, I take it through a TOUCHLESS car wash and the paint on the bumper just comes off, just like that, it comes off. Oh, but we saw the Carfax that said it was a clean title. Well I'm pretty sure DODGE doesn't chince on their paint jobs!!! The check engine light comes on and the auto start function stops working. So I hesitantly call Paul Blanco to ask what the procedure was as far as getting this fixed, as we purchased a warranty as well. They said because we lived outside the area, we can take it where we wanted. I took the car in to a local mechanic shop and he discovered that the fourth cylinder was misfiring, and that the car is actually still under factory warranty. He suggested we take it the Dodge dealership closest to us to be serviced.

We did exactly that, and now the dang thing won't start, but only on occasion. It just makes a clicking noise 3-4 times and so far eventually starts. In the meantime, we decided that we need to get a four-wheel drive family car since we live in the snow. We took the car down to CarMax yesterday, which as you can guess didn't go as we hoped. They were very nice in letting us know that we got swindled a great deal. We basically purchased a $12k car for over $20k with a 16% interest rate, which means we will pay $35K for this stupid car that has been nothing but trouble since we bought it. I cried. In the middle of CarMax, in front of my husband and the sales associate, and everyone else standing around us, I cried.

This car and Paul Blanco have been the bane of my existence for 10 long months, and I am so tired of dealing with it. I don't know what to do. How do I get us out of this huge mess we're in? Right now, I'm going to print this letter, along with the 23 other letters you have all taken the time to write and I'm going to make copies and send them all over the place. I don't know to exactly who I will send them, but someone will hear us!! What good it will do, I don't know that either, but I have to at least try. Good luck to everyone else that Paul Blanco has screwed. I truly hope you figure this out!

Then he lent me a Honda. The Honda had no back license plate, only a Paul Blanco sign. I got pulled over by the police on my way to pick up my kids today after daycare. They told me the car's tags were expired (they ran the VIN #), and that the store lent me this car and let me drive it off illegally. This last event made me EXTREMELY LATE to pick up my children, making me tack up a fee of $50 for picking up the kids really late.

I called to talk to the main person in charge of the Stockton store. I was told I would get a call back in five minutes. Now I am stuck with a piece of junk loaner car, a car payment to a car I can't even drive, and an extremely bad image and experience from this company. I am so sad and feel backed into a corner. All I was looking for was a real "fresh start", not feel like I've been scammed. I was clearly sold a car that was not even ready to be sold to ANYONE in the first place. My experience here has been the worst I could have ever imagined. I saw "the car fax" and it had some minor frame damage, but never was I disclosed that this car had electrical problems! Push start cars are all about the electric programming. I wish I could just leave the car there and get my $$$ back. This has all been a nightmare!!! Rude people, liars, and scammers!

The next day, a person from Paul Blanco's dealership called me to see if I was still going to come for the appointment over the weekend. I told the guy, can't remember his name, that we already purchased a car, but thank you for contacting me. A couple days later, I got a call from Paul Blanco's dealership asking if I was still coming down. I told that person that I already bought a car and to please not call me anymore. I also mentioned I spoke to someone else and told them I had already purchased a car.

Well 5 months later, guess what? They are still calling me!! At first I would just send them to voicemail, but I had enough. I have told several people that I don't want to buy a car from them and they still call me. These people are worse than telemarketers! They call me constantly! Even though I told them not to, they are still calling me. How can I make it more clear to them? How can I get them to stop calling me?

Second thing, they knew about the repossessed Mustang that was in 2009. It was no repo. I surrendered it to the Credit Union because my nephew, whom I got the car for, couldn't find a job, so we couldn't do two car payments. They never addressed the other issues I brought up and kept hemming and hawing. You may not consider this case closed because they illegally put my signature on the one report I never saw and faked the second also. They said my credit report has gone down and they showed me the repo'ed Mustang as they reason. They knew it from the beginning. It was there when I made the loan. They said it was due to a charge off on the Mustang. That was a lie. The balance after it was sold was $4,000 which I am in the process of paying off.

It goes without saying that I have the lowest of low opinions on Paul Blanco. Oh, I almost forgot. I cancelled the maintenance insurance on it. I was told to call today at 11:00 by the business person Manny to make sure the check was there before I drove all the way in. Well guess what? Manny is off. Instead, I get shuffled to Mario who is "trying to reach Manny" via cell phone to get a resolution. I gave them two hours. The call was first attempted at 9 am then just over half an hour ago, so wish me luck!

We told him again we did not want a SUV since we already had a Ford Explorer. So Phong stated he will go back in and see what is available. He came back out with the suggestion of the Dodge Caliber, for which there were three available. We did not like the car and asked about the cars that were listed online. The salesman again went inside and brought out the finance manager. The finance manager stated the cars we inquired about were sold the day before (sounds like a scam). Then he proceeded to inform us the cars they have are bought below Kelly Blue Book and some other **. We asked what our loan was approved for and he did not answer us. We both had a bad feeling about this, so my husband stated we will be in contact with them.

In the meantime, we were contacted by a Honda dealership and the salesman there is very knowledgeable. He is working something out for us to get approved on a car we wanted. Buyer beware of Paul Blanco. They are loans brokers first. They only give you two vehicles to choose from. You don't need to make rush decisions. If needed, give yourself time to think out their offer and leave the dealership to do just that. There are other dealerships out there that will help you in any financial situation.

Then I called on 3-1-2013 and they had me talk to a person. I don't want to mention names but anyways, he supposedly work in the finance department and he told me that they had over 45 banks that were willing to work with me. I told him not to lie to me because I was going to drive 1 hour and 30 min. away from where I live and then I had advised him that my credit was bad and that I had another car loan open. Then he said not to worry, that he was going to get me approved no matter what because he worked in financing so I believed him. So, on 3-2-2013, I drove to Sacramento and I went to the receptionist and I told her I had an appointment that they had me down for and I waited for like a good 40 minutes. And then as I was waiting, the employees had ordered Pizza while there were like a good 8 people waiting in the waiting room.

So then I went back to the receptionist and asked her how long more would it be for a salesman to assist me and she was really rude. She said, "Well, I don't know; it could be all day waiting or several hours or several minutes," in a rude voice and I told her that I had a appointment. Then after 20 min. more, a sales rep assisted me and we walked up to his desk and started talking. I showed him my pay stubs and then he pulled up my information on the computer and then he told me that he couldn't get me another car loan, because I had another car loan open and that I didn't make enough money a month.

Then I started to explain that I talked to a guy the day before I went to Sacramento and that he said he was going to qualify me no matter what and that he had 45 banks that were willing to work with me. And I also told him that the guy I spoke to was notified about my bad credit and the open car loan I had. Then he started to apologize about the guy I spoke to the day before I showed up in Sacramento. He started being rude and I told him that they made me waste 3 hours of driving and like approx. $200 in gas. Then he told me that the guy I spoke to the day before I showed up in Sacramento didn't work in finance like he had told me. I guess he works in the advertisement department and then I got up in a really mad and shocking mood from all the lies I was told. So, I've got one advice for everyone: Don't buy from Paul Blanco's.

Upon receiving this information, my husband and I went directly to Paul Blanco to express our concerns about the safety of the vehicle as well as the great decrease in value due to the damage on the vehicle. Paul Blanco offered to help us get into another vehicle after expressing our concerns, although we wanted to assure that the new vehicle would not have any structural damage. We asked why we were not told that the vehicle had structural damage and they replied that they did not know at the time. We were told that the majority of their vehicles have some type of damage but the 2012 Mazda they were offering us was one of few that had no issues. We then began to process our loan information; that is when I asked about how the trade in would work and I was told that they would not be trading the Mitsubishi in. I then proceeded to ask why not. I was then told to call Capital One Auto Loans and advise them I can no longer pay for the vehicle and tell them where they can pick it up.

My husband and I were in much disbelief. I then asked if he was suggesting that we get repossessed. He then replied, "Yes. Don't worry. You will have the new car and wait a couple years, it will fall off your credit, or you can file bankruptcy." We were in total shock and told him, "No, thank you," and walked out! I feel we were victims of fraud by Paul Blanco dealership. We were misled to think we were receiving a reliable and safe vehicle. For them to suggest a repossession in order to get us out of the vehicle with structural damage but only to put us in an even greater problem like a repossession or potentially bankruptcy is insulting and offensive. Please think twice before purchasing a vehicle from them!

After the sales person took some basic information and asked me a few questions about what I was looking for, he excused himself to talk to his manager. He came back and told me that the 2 cars I'd seen online just an hour ago were both sold but he could show me what was on their lot. I reiterated what I was interested in and he said they didn't have anything similar. I asked him to bring me back a financing offer before we hunt around for a different vehicle. I needed to know the terms of the deal I could qualify for before I continued to shop. He went back to talk to the finance manager and then he told me that the banks needed me to have a co-signer because I already had a vehicle loan (for my wife) and they didn't understand why I needed 2 vehicles. My opinion, that was completely made up. Either you can afford your payments or not.

I asked him what the banks qualified me for and he said, "They hadn't submitted anything." Strange! As I was previously told 4 banks and was just told the banks didn't think I needed 2 cars. Are you kidding me? At that point he sent his finance manager to talk with him. His finance manager said they have two (2) 2010-2011 Ford Explorers on the lot and would be happy to show me, prior to submitting an application to the bank. But when we went out to find them, they were both mysteriously gone.

After going back inside, he brought me to another sales rep to tide me over while they checked. That rep proceeded to show me a different vehicle. While waiting for the finance manager to check on the 2 Ford Explorers, the sales rep asked what price range I was looking at. I told him $26k, which was the price of the Ford I'd seen online at their Sacramento location. He said, "Oh no, the price online isn't the price. That's just the low Kelly Blue Book price." It was at this point that I told him his company misrepresented its deals and left. On a hunch, I called the Sacramento office and inquired about the two cars I had seen online - they were still available. The sales rep and finance manager had both lied to me.

In my 30 years of auto buying, I have never been lied to. The State of California should investigate them immediately before more people got taken.

I was told that the bank fee was what the difference was between the sales price of the car and the Kelly Blue Book value (they jacked up the car price over $4,000). After I took my car home, the bank threatened to take the car back because the sales person had lied and said I was currently employed. Their finance person Ernie called and told me I was a liar and had quit job (which I hadn't). This is the worst experience I have ever had in buying a car. I would recommend anyone or everyone to stay clear of these people. They are the worst kind of sharks.

Again, we waited about two weeks and nothing. I tried calling and calling and he would never answer. I finally made a call from my landline so he wouldn't see that it was my cell phone and lo and behold, he answered. Guess what? He didn't recall receiving the cancellation paperwork that I emailed. Again, I forwarded the email I had sent him. He made me go to the bank to show that we had paid the loan off. What did this have to do with a warranty cancellation? I don't know but I did as I was told. Weeks passed and passed and we hadn't gotten a single penny. I finally called Paul Blanco again and was so angry that they finally had me talk to an accountant. She was the only person that was somewhat helpful.

About two weeks passed and we finally got our check in the mail. I was happy and thought, "Okay, this was a bad experience" but instead of complaining about it, I thought I would just let friends and family know to not ever go there to buy a car. Well finally on June 18, after dealing with this since April, I went into my bank to deposit the check for $1,589.20. One month later on July 27th, this check bounced. Here I thought we were done with this drama. I contacted my bank, they said the check had been returned back to sender. I called Paul Blanco and they acted like they didn't know what I was talking about. They said they would take it up with their bank.

Paul Blanco called me back and said that I needed to contact my bank with a case number (probably a bogus number) that they provided to me and take up with them because they hadn't had any check returned to them. I finally received a copy of the check which said was a legal copy. Instead of trying to deposit the same check again, I went into my bank to speak with a manager. The manager agreed that this shouldn't be happening like this and he contacted customer solutions for that same bank. They said that the reason this check had been returned was because there was no routing number at the bottom of the check, but that they would take care of this situation and that we should have our money in our account.

I called on August 7th because it had been about five days. When I called customer solutions, they said they couldn't help me and that I needed to contact the agency that wrote the check out to us. Today is August 8th and we still have no money! So beware of Paul Blanco and Bank of the West. That's who they bank with. Also National, they run the warranty program. Beware of everyone associated with Paul Blanco. These people are a scam!

Once we got back, I was shown a financing deal I had not agreed to and told this was it and all I have to do is sign. The down payment listed was almost double what I told them I could afford and the monthly payment 20% higher than what I told them I could afford. When I asked why I couldn't purchase a cheaper car, they told me the banks wouldn't let them sell me a cheaper car and I had to accept this one. Mind you, this car was shown to me and I was never asked if it is what I wanted. I was told this is the only car I could buy which was also not true because after speaking logically to them as to why I could be financed for this $14000 car and not a different $14000 car or even one extremely cheaper, I was shown a second more expensive car.

I don't know who Paul Blanco is or if he even exists but if he does and his hope was to help people with less than desirable credit, he has seriously missed the mark with the "help" he has hired. It's a scam and from the moment they call you, they are lying to you. They haven't called the banks and have only skimmed your app. Don't do it. Go somewhere else. Save up and get a bigger down for something you want. Cash is king.

The vehicle is roughly at 107,000. The timing belt has broken and they said the warranty isn't any good because they said he was supposed to have the belt fixed at 105,000. He was never informed of this and now they want him to pay $800 or more to fix the problem. Is there anything that he can do? Please get back to me.

Anyway, I have heard rumors that the dealerships of Paul Blanco remove screws and bolts from vehicles that they sell and after a year or so, they start falling apart. I have looked through some of the Consumer Affairs but can't seem to find this. How the heck do three bolts get stripped or ripped as they said and one breaks completely in half? All I do is drive the car back and forth to work which is 12 miles altogether with the occasional trip to Elk Grove about 20 miles away. Do I have any recourse with them or am I stuck with a lemon that I will be paying for forever?

My vehicle was immediately taken to the SpeeDee/Midas Automotive Shop on May 21, 2011 and was in the shop from 8:30 a.m. - 2:36 p.m. where the mechanic diagnosed that the transmission has completely malfunctioned and recommended that the transmission be rebuilt. I have all the documents of work performed on the vehicle. I have had regular oil changes on the vehicle and maintained the adequacy and efficiency of this vehicle.

The first salesman told me 1)I needed my male friend (who happened to be with me) to co-sign because he must have money; 2) after reviewing my bank account, asked me what I spend my money on, and 3) asked me if I could drive a stick-shift, then answered himself with a "no" (I can't).

The second salesman had me test drive a car they said I qualified for. But as soon as we got back, they said I didn't qualify for it, and switched me for a Ford Taurus. After I drove it and agreed, they put $1,000 down payment through on my credit card, then came back with a different Ford Taurus and said they "accidentally" had the VIN Number wrong, and tried to switch me to this car with an additional 45,000 miles on it.

I explained that this seemed very much like "bait and switch". They laughed and said I could have the first Ford Taurus for another $750. I asked the Sales Manager for the General Manager, and he said "you don't need anyone but me, honey." I asked again for his boss, and he just stood there chewing gum and smiling at me.

I am of the believe that Paul Blanco worked hard for his reputation of helping others get decent cars even at high interest rates, but I find it difficult to believe that he encourages such dishonesty and discrimination.

When the dealership was informed by the bank that I could not get financing, Brian in the finance department began calling my work and cell phone leaving horrible nasty messages and accusing me of trying to keep his (explicit) car. He also sent several vulgar and threatening text messages. When I returned his car, he called me names including a loser, low-life, and threatened me to return his car immediately. When I told him I would be glad to arrange to return the vehicle and get a refund of my down payment, he told me that I would only get partial reimbursement of my down payment because I still owed a $500 "restocking fee" as they are not in the business of renting cars. I asked where in the contract I signed did it state this provision; he told me "it's there" and hung up on me.

Luckily, I work for attorneys, who advised me to demand a copy of the contract prior to returning the vehicle, and inform them that they have no right to charge me unless they can show me where I agreed to those terms. When I tried to call the dealership back, not one person there would assist me in any way and put me into several voice mails. Finally, an hour later, Mark ** who claimed to be a manager, said he was sorry about any misunderstandings and I would receive my deposit when I returned the vehicle. Arrangements were made with the assurance a check would be ready upon my arrival. Nevertheless, after having me sign the vehicle back over to the dealership, both Brian and Clinton (told to be management in the finance department) told me they have no way of giving me a check or cash and they do not know what Mark ** told me, and told me, oh well, there was nothing they can do until the next morning and laughed about it.

It is nearly 12 hours later, and I have yet to receive my deposit back, and am unable to reach anyone in this dealership with any authority to give me a straight answer. This is a business that advertises ad nauseum about kind and respectful business practices and wanting to help its customers. They do not advertise that if you are unable to actually purchase one of their vehicles, you are then treated like dirt, threatened, embarrassed, harassed and toyed with your own money as they see fit.