Vroom customer says online dealer lost his money and sold his vehicle

ATLANTA, Ga. (CBS46) - Larry Sullens admits he’s not skilled when it comes to navigating the internet, but when he saw a Vroom commercial on TV, he decided to give it a try. A few clicks later, he found what he was looking for, a 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport.

“I want the car, I need the car and for an old man, that’s good enough for me,” Sullens said.

He liked the concept of online car buying because there was no haggling, the car would be delivered for free, and if he didn’t like it, he had a seven-day window to return it.

Sullens filled out the paperwork and sent a $3,751 down payment in addition to his $249 deposit. In all, he gave Vroom $4,000. He says a Vroom salesman encouraged him to pay with a cashier’s check.

“Patrick told me to send a cashier’s check because it would be faster,” Sullens said.

He included the cashier’s check with his paperwork and sent it by FedEx. He says Vroom confirmed receipt, but two months later, Sullens is frustrated and angry.

When CBS46′s consumer investigator Harry Samler asked him where the check and the vehicle were, Sullens replied, “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Sending a cashier’s check through the mail is not recommended, because, unlike personal checks, cashier’s checks are the same as cash, they are guaranteed by the bank, and canceling them requires paperwork. The bank may also require customers to wait, in some cases, several months for the funds to be returned.

Sullens isn’t the only Vroom customer who claims Vroom lost his check. One customer posted a video online claiming Vroom lost a $63,000 cashier’s check.

The Better Business Bureau received 4,826 complaints in the last three years from Vroom customers prompting the consumer watchdog to issue an alert and an F rating.

CBS46 made repeated attempts to reach Vroom’s corporate office, but phone calls, emails, and even texts to one of Vroom’s representatives were not returned.

Frustrated with the lack of response for months, Sullens eventually spoke with a sales representative who told him the car was no longer available.

Sullens is lucky. He says he was able to convince his bank to cancel the cashier’s check for free and Vroom credited his $249 deposit. A few weeks later, he purchased a car on Carvana. He said he purchased the car on a Saturday and the car was delivered two days later.

If there’s something you would like CBS46′s Consumer Investigator Better Call Harry to look into, fill out this submission form.

Copyright 2022 WGCL. All rights reserved.