America’s Car Mart complaints stem from unsatisfied customers as well as “expert” opinions. The reality is there is a sharp increase of consumer complaints about BHPH providers in general. The good news is that relatively speaking, Car Mart is not being bashed as badly as other BHPH providers as well as the bigger car dealers. The goal of this article is to provide a complete story of Car Mart reviews /complaints.
Car Mart Complaints Not As Bad
Overall, Car Mart reviews by customers do indicate that they are performing relatively well. As a comparison, with 116 car dealerships, they registered 10 complaints on the consumeraffairs.com website. This compares with 66 complaints about DriveTime with 89 dealerships and 167 complaints with JD Byrider’s 138 dealerships. While this is by no means a scientific analysis since the number of transactions handled by each dealership will differ, it nevertheless provides a glimpse into the comparative differences in dissatisfaction consumers have with each of these large chain dealerships.
Scenario 1: Cheap Cars Requiring Expensive Repairs
A lot of consumers rave about BHPH car dealerships selling “cheap used cars” that conk out after the expiration of the warranty. The vehicle is brought to the BHPH dealer and assessed for expensive repairs. This prompts consumers to go to an independent shop. Lo and behold there is no need for major repairs. A few adjustments or minor parts replacement and the car is good to go.
Scenario 2: Low Credit Approved with Exorbitant Interest Rates
BHPH dealers advertise low credit approval and they deliver. The problem is that the interest rate on the approved loan application is way above prime loan standards. Another issue is that the terms and conditions provide for higher penalties and more stringent regulation.
America’s Car Mart Complaints Explained
Regarding Scenario 1, Car Mart explains that while independent shops can “tinker’ with components of major parts, a car dealership is liable for below regulation repairs. This is based on industry regulation and existing legislation. Simply put, they would rather quote you an expensive repair bill than risk an expensive lawsuit, damage to property, physical injury, or death, based on an accident that maybe brought about by improper, unsanctioned, below industry repairs. Think about it, there are so many complaints about expensive BHPH in house repairs. But have you thought about how many lives have been saved by proper and diligent repairs done without cutting corners?
Regarding scenario 2, Car mart explains that interest rates and conditions are there for a reason, namely to offset the risk of default. BHPH dealers can show you independent case studies that account for a large chunk of their losses coming from defaulting loan grantees. Simply put, the lower your credit scores the higher the risk of default. Hence the rationale for the higher interest rates and more stringent terms.
Another Scenario
Besides the more generic type of complaints, there are other scenarios that lead to customer complaints. For example, there was this buyer who got a 2002 Buick LeSabre just a few weeks back. After three days of driving around town, his vehicle started having some problems. His first instinct was to head straight back to Car Mart and have their master mechanic take a look at it, which he did. He was then told that the problem was just his new car’s front motor mount that needs some fixing. His own mechanic says otherwise though.
Although Car Mart settled to have it fixed for free, but it had taken about 2 weeks before they told him there was another problem, and that his car has to stay grounded for another week or so just to clear his car of some problems. While Car Mart did deliver their after-service support promise – it took some time, and during the period, a customer would have to rely on other people to give them rides.
In Closing
Due diligence is the key! This means checking the track record of the BHPH car dealership with entities like the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and inspecting diligently the automobile you are about to purchase. America’s Car Mart complaints are real. But there are inherent risks that come with buying used cars, so the same sort of scenarios could happen even if you look elsewhere. Another point is not to compare BHPH for bad credit with prime car loans, which is unfair.
