MORE THAN 30 customers bought cars from a dealership that never gave them a title – one man’s bank wouldn’t lose the title, so he lost $20,000.
The state transportation department said there have been “multiple complaints” against the dealership for never giving drivers their titles.
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Hunter Allen purchased a 2016 Infinity Q50 from BirdDawg Motors, an independent dealership in Idaho, in the summer of 2022.
He loved that it was stylish, a good size, and perfect for all four seasons of the state.
He had to finance $20,000 from Idaho Credit Union to get it home, but he was happy.
“Cool car, four-wheel drive,” Allen told NBC affiliate KTVB 7 last year.
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“It would be perfect for winter.”
However, things changed when he never received the title from the dealership, forcing him to park the vehicle for fear of being pulled over.
“I mean, I’ve been without a vehicle for six months and paying for one,” he recalled.
After purchasing the vehicle, BirdDawg Motors should have sent the title to the bank that provided the loan, ICCU, but this never happened.
The bank contacted Allen shortly after he purchased, looking for him.
“My bank came looking a month later,” he said.
“‘Where’s the title?'”
Allen discovered the title belonged to another bank, Farm Bureau Financial Services, which had an outstanding lien on the car.
The bank repossessed the car from another driver in late 2022.
Since Allen became the legal owner, he has been required to pay off the loan on a car he never officially owned.
“I spend all this money on the interest and the $20,000 and I don’t get the title,” Allen said.
“ICCU doesn’t have a title for me. I don’t have a car.”
Allen wasn’t the only one left without a title after spending thousands — the dealership’s insurer, Platte River Insurance Company, sued BirdDawg in 2022.
I didn’t want to pay the other 34 drivers who complained about the lack of titles.
One of the reasons I took the case was that I realized it wasn’t some mess he got himself into. It was someone else’s mess that he ended up getting himself into.
Shane Bengoechea, Allen’s attorney
Allen’s payment for the lawsuit would be just a few hundred dollars, while he owed thousands, forcing him to find a lawyer.
Shane Bengoechea took Allen’s case despite the low payout in principle.
“One of the reasons I took the case was I realized it wasn’t a mess he got himself into,” he told the outlet.
“It was someone else’s mess that he ended up getting himself into.”
Bengoechaea talked to both banks, Farm Bureau and ICCU, to get one of the two to forfeit the title and relinquish the lien.
Neither of them wanted to move.
“Farm Bureau has the title,” said the lawyer.
“They’re like, ‘Well, that’s too bad, so sad for you. We got the title for the car.'”
Attorney General’s Council
The AG’s office told the outlet that drivers like Allen should do the following if they find themselves in a similar situation:
“If a consumer were to call our office and report similar allegations highlighted, we recommend that the consumer: (a) file a complaint with our office, (b) file a complaint with ITD if the dealer is a licensee, (c) file a complaint with the BBB, (d) file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (if the consumer purchased the car over the Internet from a counterfeit dealer website), and (e) consult a private attorney about your legal rights and options (e.g. the consumer may file a claim against the dealer’s title or the Idaho Consumer Asset Recovery Fund (ICAR Fund); see Idaho Code 49-1608B)).”
Complaints can be made to ITD hereand trusted dealers across the state can be browsed here.
Source: NBC affiliate KTVB.
Bengoechea said the only other solution would be to resort to litigation, although that could cost more than the car in legal fees.
“The thing is, when he goes through the litigation, he’s going to outspend the car,” Bengoechea said.
Allen ran out of options and decided the car wasn’t worth it after his checkered past and financial difficulties.
To make matters worse, Allen’s loan officers increased his payment amount after they discovered he wasn’t paying his car insurance.
He didn’t think it was worth paying for insurance on a car that wasn’t his.
His credit suffered after he decided to stop making loan payments.
WHAT HAPPENED TO BYRDDAWG?
According to court documents, the state revoked Adam Bain’s license to operate as a dealer.
After he failed to appear in court in September 2022, a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.
The dealership’s website is now owned by a car dealer, who told the outlet that Bain’s previous customers regularly come to the store looking for him.
State Attorney General Raul Labrador wrote to the station to say his war against Bain is far from over.
“My office has opened an investigation into ByrdDawg Motors. While we do not comment on ongoing cases, protecting consumers is one of our top priorities,” Labrador wrote.
“I will not tolerate deception business practices. Companies operating in this state must act with integrity, and if they are found to be conducting business in bad faith, the perpetrator will face the full force of the law. law.”
US Sun reached out to ICCU and Shane Bengoechea for an update.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
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