Nova Scotia woman alleging fraud against car dealership says she’s on the hook for $60K - BERITAJA

More customers of a Halifax-area utilized car dealership are speaking retired and alleging fraud, arsenic RCMP corroborate the number of complaints they’re investigating against Race Auto Group successful Lower Sackville has much than doubled since yesterday.

Among the concerned customers is Lisa Marr, who says she’s connected the hook for $60,000 — paying for loans connected 2 cars that she doesn’t moreover person and a conveyance she can’t register.

“So worried about repossession, worried about registration, fundamentally worried about everything,” said Lisa Marr. “I won’t thrust my car correct now because I’m frightened to.”

Marr says she traded successful 2 of her vehicles earlier this twelvemonth to the Lower Sackville, N.S., dealership and purchased a pre-owned conveyance from them successful March.

Since then, however, she says she’s discovered she can’t registry her caller conveyance because she alleges Race Auto didn’t merchandise the paperwork.

She says the business besides told her they were sending a cheque to her lender to salary the remaining balances connected the 2 vehicles she traded in, but that cheque bounced.

“So it’s been a really large nightmare. Not knowing if my car is my car, not knowing if it’s personification else’s car, not knowing what happened to my aged cars,” she said.

“We struggle to bargain groceries, fto unsocial salary for 3 cars. My car payments are $1,400 a period for the 3 cars and I person nary thought wherever they are.”

Marr says she revenge a study pinch RCMP connected Friday.

RCMP confirmed they’re now investigating 49 reports successful narration to Race Auto Group’s 2 Lower Sackville locations connected Sackville Drive and Cobequid Road.

That fig is up from 20 reports RCMP confirmed connected Thursday.

“We are reviewing each the circumstances that are being reported, truthful from the customers arsenic good arsenic the proprietor of the business,” said spokesperson, Cpl. Mandy Edwards.

“And past erstwhile the reappraisal is completed, it’ll beryllium investigated whether there’s immoderate criminal offences that person occurred.”

Frustrated customers person joined a Facebook group to stock their stories and talk imaginable ineligible action.

On Wednesday, a ample group of customers arrived astatine the Sackville Drive location demanding answers. In a statement, RCMP corroborate they were called astatine about 11:30 a.m. aft the proprietor of the business reported “several customers and labor had attended the location demanding money and property, and had caused damage.”

Officers were called to de-escalate the situation.

Race Auto Group has not responded to BERITAJA’ aggregate requests for remark about the allegations.

Complaints pinch Service Nova Scotia

The Department of Service Nova Scotia told BERITAJA successful a connection that it has received about 18 complaints truthful acold done their online user title form regarding “the trade-in issue” pinch Race Auto Group.

As for suggestions connected what impacted customers could do, the section suggested group telephone their in installments supplier aliases lender.

“If a customer has group up pre-authorized aliases recurring payments straight pinch Race Auto Group, they whitethorn besides see contacting their financial institution to cancel aliases extremity early payments,” the section added.

“Customers pinch financing done third-party lenders should proceed to travel their indebtedness agreements and corroborate adjacent steps straight pinch their lender.”

BBB legalization suspended

On its website, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) said it had suspended Race Auto Group’s BBB legalization arsenic of Tuesday “due to a nonaccomplishment to reside marketplace disputes quickly, professionally, and successful bully faith.”

“The matter will beryllium reviewed by the BBB’s Board of Directors astatine its adjacent meeting,” the BBB wrote connected its website.

The BBB besides listed a shape of complaints, including trade-in lien payouts that were ‘not completed aliases importantly delayed,” and “consumers continuing to beryllium pursued by lenders for outstanding balances related to trade-ins.”

The BBB noted it had submitted a written petition to the business backmost successful January “encouraging them to reside the shape of complaints.”

The business responded connected March 21, the BBB said, and advised they were taking respective steps including hiring an accounts payable typical “dedicated to processing indebtedness payouts and improving timelines of lien and indebtedness payouts.”