Any rational adult who has lived in a city should know that before buying a used car, he or she should have the car inspected. In my circumstances, As a senior with health problems that impede my walking but not my driving, I just couldn't go shopping for a car.
So, on April 30, 2011, I plunged in and signed the papers and bought the car first car I was shown at DGB Auto. I liked the car right away, but I knew I was taking a chance.
Still, as time passed, the owners of DGB Auto were so kind and reassuring and they treated me with respect. They kept reassuring me that, if there were any problems, they would take care of them. How many times Mike and Homa told me, "Don't worry." And they did make certain repairs as reported in Episodes One and Two of this adventure reported here.
This is the third report of my adventure. It is the email I sent today to Homa, the wife of Mike, the owner of DGB Auto on St. Jacques Street in Montreal.
See the first two episodes on this blog at
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Hi Homa,
It has been almost four months since I bought the car and, since then, I have only been able to travel twice all summer because of the problems with the car. I realize it is a second hand car, and I understand that Mike has not been well. I appreciate all your assurances that you will take care of the problems. But here we are at the end of summer and I am still having trouble with the car. Four months. My whole summer is gone.
I did not expect a new car and I have not asked for any repairs to be done for the sake of the car's appearance - all the scratches etc. All I have asked is that the car be SAFE.
But a car is not safe if you find yourself standing in the street in another city in the dark of night and you can't open the car door.
Mike said that on August 18 and 19, he had worked on the car for many hours and replaced the door handle in different ways and finally put it back to the way it was because I had to travel on Saturday morning.
What he didn't tell me is that the door would not open when I wanted to come home. So there I was - at night - in another city. I had packed my bags into the trunk - and I couldn't get into the car. The door would not open and it felt that if I forced it, the handle would just fall off. I had to find a man to crawl into the car from the passenger side to let me into my own car in the dark of night with rain starting.
You tell me not to worry but I have no end of trouble with this. There is no light on the gear shift. I am not sure that the headlights are working right. And there I was late at night in pitch dark on the highway dealing with these problems. These are not the inconveniences of buying a used car, but safety issues.
On August 19, Mike told me that he regards the problem of the door handle as his "personal challenge" and that he will fix it this week. These problems have kept me awake night after night all summer. It is costing me my health. Mike keeps saying he will fix the problems but he has not.
At some point, he had told me to leave the door unlocked. Leaving the driver's door unlocked compromises my insurance and my driving record. There are laws about leaving your car door unlocked.
Mike told me more than once that he takes "full responsibility" if someone steals the car. But his good wishes are not the law. If the car is stolen, my insurance company will not hold him responsible. It will hold me responsible, and my perfect record will be damaged and my insurance costs will go up. Even if Mike pays for the car, my record with my insurer will still be damaged - and if the police know about it, my driving record will be damaged. There is no end to this aggravation.
The car must be safe. That is all I am asking. And yet, now, four months after I bought it, it is still not safe. I like the car very much. It is driving very well. But it is not safe.
This cannot go on and on and on. I can't live on promises. It is time to fix the car properly now and give me some peace. Please.
Phyllis Carter
If - or when - DGB finally makes the essential repairs, I will gladly publish the details here.
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