Ford

I am sending this letter so that you can see the timeline and what has been going on between me and the Ford of Boerne dealership. I have always had faith that Ford is a trustworthy name. Unfortunately, after my experience with the Ford of Boerne dealership, my trust in the name Ford has plummeted. In my eyes the way Ford of Boerne has conducted its business dealings with me puts a black mark on Ford.
I appreciate your time and consideration on reading this statement.

My car was declared a total loss in May due to being hit by an SUV. Being a long-time member, I went onto their Cay Buying Services to help me choose a dealership and car to fit my budget.
I found a few options with the Ford of Boerne Dealership. I contacted a Sales Rep, A.J. Moreno and scheduled an appointment with him on June 8th at 1:30 pm. A.J.'s previous appointment ran over and we do understand how these things can happen. My only concern was that my husband works nights and he had not slept so that he could come with me.
I explained to A.J. that I wanted to keep my monthly payments low since I already had two car payments on our youngest daughter and on my husband's car. He showed me a few within the price range I had in mind and I wound up picking out a 2007 Hyundai Azera with 114, 000 miles on it. It was a long process and I was concerned that my poor husband was slowing sinking since he had not slept and had to work again that night. I did not buy the warranty trusting the dealership, what they stated on their website about all vehicles being checked out before being sold and also having faith that USAA would only recommend a reputable dealership. Therefore, I proceeded to lock in the deal.
As we were doing the paperwork, I requested that I wanted my windows tinted since I had never had a car with tinted windows. A.J. stated it would be done that day if possible but by the time we got through with all the paperwork, the person that does the window tinted had left for the day. I was informed that it would be done that following Monday, June 10th.
On Monday, June 10th, I received a call from A.J. informing me that the person that does the window tinting was off that day and that he would get it done on Tuesday. I said okay understanding that people do get days off. On Tuesday, June 11th, A.J. called me and said that one of the windows wouldn't go down and they would have to order the part for it. He then offered to bring me a loaner that I could use until my car was ready and he did drop it off at my house. On Wednesday, June 12th, A.J. called again and stated the part had accidentally been shipped to their Austin store. I wound up calling USAA on this matter since it was taking a long time to get my windows tinted and getting my car back. USAA assigned me a case manager with TrueCar and we did speak on this issue. Finally, on Thursday, June 13th around 8 pm that night, A.J showed up with my car and took back the loaner.

On Saturday, June 15th, we set off with our 8-year-old granddaughter, our youngest daughter and her cat to drop her and her cat in Redding California. While coming back to San Antonio, the driver's side car handle came completely off. Then we were had trouble locking the doors with the FOB since only the right-side doors would lock. When we finally arrived late June 24th, the car started making screeching noises and was having trouble moving forward from a complete stop to go.
On June 25th, I drove the car to the CVS pharmacy which is about 5 minutes away and the check engine light came on. It was also making noises and once I got home, I informed my husband. We had a mechanic friend of ours look at the car. He informed us that the transmission fluid was overfilled and very dirty. He changed the transmission fluid hoping that would turn off the check engine light.
I drove it again to the store on June 26th and the check engine light continued to stay on. I then took it to O'Reilly's Auto store where they ran a diagnostic test and it came up saying that the gears were causing the problem.
On June 27th, I contacted USAA Car Buying Services and informed them of the issues I was experiencing with the vehicle. They stated I needed to call the dealership and to inform the case manager with TrueCar. I then called and spoke to the Pre-Owned Sales manager, Javier Ozuna. I informed him that I had been having issues with the vehicle since before I even had it in my possession. He immediately barked back with, "Well, did you buy the warranty?" I informed him no, and he then proceeded to stated that there wasn't going to be much he could do. I then started to tell him about the minor problems such as the car handle falling completely off. His commented with a rude tone was, "Well, what did you expect? It's an old car!" I also informed him that we had had a mechanic changed the transmission oil because we were informed that it was old and very dirty hoping that would make the check engine light turn off. The manager then started to tell me in an unfriendly voice that that is what probably caused the problem and that was on me! I stated that the noises and check engine light came on BEFORE the transmission oil was changed. He finally relented to seeing the car if I could bring it in that day but stated he was making no promises as what they could possibly do with the car. Since I had no faith in how the car was doing, I called USAA Roadside Assist for a tow truck. Since it was over the limit on the miles they will tow, I wound up paying $74 out of my own pocket. When the tow truck driver was putting the car onto the truck, the car was making horrible noises. He even commented that he was glad I had called for a tow since it was sounding so bad.
When we got to the dealership, A.J. met me and I gave him the door handle and he gave me the keys to a loaner that I could use until they figured out what was wrong with my car. He informed me that they would look it over and he would call me on Monday. A.J. did call me the following Monday, July 1st and stated that they were swamped but they should be able to look at my car by that Thursday or Friday.
I called USAA again on July 10th, to see if I could get out of this contract because I no longer had any confidence in dealing with this dealership. USAA informed me that they had already paid the dealership and the only way I could get out of the car I had bought was to have the dealership pay back USAA and then start looking for another car.
A.J. finally called me back on July 11, stating that they were willing to work with me. He gave me two options:
1. I could pay for the cost of a new transmission which would come to $2600. I asked him why did I need to pay for the transmission. He first started to say because of the changing of the oil and I stopped him right there and told him NOT to even go down that route. He then stated they sold us the car with 114, 000 miles on it and it now had 118, 000 miles. I countered back with yes, we did put on 4, 000 miles but the transmission should NOT have broken down in a week of travel so it must have been already starting to go. He gave a little laugh and said, "Well, it can't be proven either way whose fault it was but I had to pay for the cost of the transmission out of my own pocket.
2. He then said he could put me in a 2008 Ford Fusion as long as I paid for the transmission on the Hyundai and it would bring my monthly cost to about $169. He asked me to think on his offers.
He called me again on July 12th with a 3rd option: He could put me in a 2019 Ford Fiesta with zero down. I would not have to pay the money for the transmission on the Hyundai and my monthly cost would be around $280-$290. He stated this was the best offer he could give me and for me to think on it.
Legally I probably don't have a case since I did not buy the warranty but ethically, they are not living up to what they advertise on their website. I explained to A.J. at the beginning that I needed to keep my monthly cost down because of my other two car loans. My motto has always been "God is First, My Family Second, and I am Third".
I admit that I would love a new car. But I am a MOM. I am third. Someday I will get my cross-over SUV but it is not in the cards at this point in time. I am a special education teacher and school will be starting soon. I need a reliable car to get me to work and to help with my granddaughter.
I have strongly recommended to USAA and to True Car Services that they reconsider having Ford of Boerne as a listing under their Car Buying Services. I feel that they have not been honest with me from the moment I signed the paperwork, and that they have been very unwilling to help me without getting more money from me. Ford of Boerne has only one agenda, and that is to get as much money out of everyone that steps onto their car lot.
*** I must add this last note. I kept wondering why I didn't buy the warranty. I finally found my paperwork which was in a very safe place and it refreshed my memory. We were NOT offered a warranty. The box "AS IS" was already checked off. There was no warranty on this car. I verified with my husband, and he stated the same thing. No warranty was offered or made available. Which leads me to believe that they knew this car had issues and sold it anyway, even though their website states that all their pre-owned vehicles are checked out to make sure they are in good condition. ****
I admit that I should have seen this as a reg flag but I went on faith and trust that Ford of Boerne was a reputable dealership. But they are blaming me for the transmission problem. I am extremely disappointed that they would treat a special education teacher that believes in trusting people (especially her students) in such a manner

Yours Truly,
Aurora Freeman, M.Ed.
Cell # [protected]
email= [protected]@gmail.com