The Verdict on Oxendale of Cottonwood, Arizona

On February 20th, 2005 my family and I woke up to our house on fire. It was a devastating experience. We lost most all of our worldly possessions; we even lost our family van parked in the drive way.

The citizens of Sedona were really great to us. Within hours we had new toys for our daughters - Rachel is two and Callie, at the time, was 4 months. It's tough to be homeless, carless - even clothesless with two children that small.

Larry Green Chevrolet offered to donate a car to us, via the help of a neighbor - a neighbor who had already helped us beyond belief. Really, people were great.

My in-laws, however, really wanted to help us and they felt strongly about replacing our vehicle - which wasn't covered by insurance for the damage caused in the fire. They had recently bought a new Chrysler and they felt most comfortable working with the local Chrysler dealer - Oxendale of Cottonwood.

When someone offers to buy you a car, you don't get fussy about it. So, my wife and I went along with their choice of Oxendale - even though we both had the feeling our salesman was . . . well, he'd fit the Hollywood stereotype (can you say "sleeze ball"?). As a marketer myself, I see through most of the cheap, text book tricks - even of the "savvy veteran" he thought himself to be.

Oh well. That's why I don't shop for cars more often.

We got a Subaru Forester - nice little SUV, great reviews. It appeared to be in good shape - very good shape, actually, with low miles.

Of course, appearances can be deceiving.

Recently the car began overheating. Fortunately (I'm being sarcastic), Oxendale sold us an extended warranty that is supposed to cover such problems.

So, we take our vehicle in to the shop and hours later receive a call . . .

"Mr. Barker. It seems this car was in a significant wreck and the cooling system - the fans and radiator are aftermarket part that aren't even made for this car. In order to replace the fan with the correct fan for your car, we're also going to need to replace the other fan. And the radiator too, because the radiator in your Forester is made for an Outback - the fans won't fit with that radiator."

"OK. So, the warranty will cover that, right?", I say.

"No. They will only cover the part that failed. You will have to cover the difference in the cost - that's $650."

OK. OK. So, yes I feel ripped off now.

And, did I mention - no I didn't - that days after bringing the car home a neighbor BUMPED - not hit - BUMPED - our rear bumper and the paint peeled off revealing a cheap Bondo job underneath? That will cost another $750 to replace.

Oxendale's response?

"You can't expect us to know all of the details of the product we're selling."

So you put nearly $21,500 in your pocket and all I get is a "What do you expect us to do about it?"!

B.S. Oxendale. B.S.

So, I did some research and found the car was twice bought through auction - Oxendale bought this car at an auction, then turned around and made us a "Hot deal".

So, I suppose I got suckered and so did my in-laws, and that's just how it is. Right?

Well, I think you'll agree there are more than a few things wrong with this picture. It's a basic matter of human decency that you don't rip people off. I think it's especially wrong to rip off a family that's just lost everything they have.

At best, it looks like a lesson learned. For you, the lesson is . . .

Be careful doing business with Oxendale. Be very, very careful my friend.

You have my full permission to reprint and share this story with all of your friends and neighbors. Let's watch each other's back. It's the right thing to do.