Recently, (71 days ago) I purchased a 2014 Scion xB in real good shape with only 55k miles. It's a limited edition model and I genuinely enjoy the car, a lot!! It was a major upgrade from my 2004 Beetle (what a disaster of a vehicle that was!)
The main reasons I chose this car was as follows:
1) Toyota product
2) relatively low miles
3) Spacious and eligible for ride sharing
Here's where the screwy part comes in. They charged me about $15k for the car, and I chose to/fell for buying a 7-year 125,000 mile $2k warranty "covering over 3,000 parts of car" (according to Carvana phone agent. Let it be stated that no where anywhere can I find details of what exactly is covered) It has been 71 days and Carvana STILL has not sent over my registration! I've emailed, texted, called, and tried making a fuss many times, and they say they are not in possession of the title and some other third-party has the title. There is no estimation as to when it will be delivered. For many customers this may not be an issue, but for many, including myself, it is a serious issue!
I can't start ride sharing with Lyft/Uber until I get this registration in my home state! The entire Carvana experience had been an amazing one until then but now I regret the whole experience and is seriously setting me back financially.
Personally, I know I overpaid, but since I loved the vehicle I was fine with it. I know I was screwed slightly. However, when it comes to what I am now facing, this experienced has turned into a miserable one. Every time I have contacted them, it is always "we appreciate your patience while we wait for the document to arrive." GREAT. >:(
Don't you think a company with as much business as Carvana should be putting pressure on whoever/whatever is causing these delays to get them to hurry up?! It is reflecting very poorly on Carvana and can be infuriating/detrimental for many customers who don't know about this terrible registration problem they have very often. I'm certainly not the only one who has gone through this!!
So, I ask. How bad have I been screwed?
71 days is really long. When people shop for cars, they want it now, not 3 months later.
I would raise a stink, and if they didn't give me concrete answers (why is it taking so long?) and a firm date, I would demand my money back and look elsewhere.
The thing is, I have already way exceeded the return date, and every mile I have driven over 400 miles = $1 fee to return. I've already put about 2500 miles on the car. Additionally, almost immediately after receiving the car I purchased expensive seat covers, and a customized sub for the car and amp made for my car model specifically. I may be facing a lot of expenses/lost money by trying to return the car to them.
I may try to get them to lower the price potentially? So far I am managing but if this takes another 2 months I may not be able make payments on the car which is highly concerning. (as I can't use the car to make good money! I can try to do food delivery but my goodness I've done that already so much in the past I never wanted to do that again. haha)
Oh. I didn't realize you were driving it. Is that legal? I thought that the first thing an officer asks for is "license and registration". It seems to me that Carvana did not complete their end of the deal, so it wouldn't be a return, it would be cancellation. Can't you just apply for a new registration? You have the title, right?
It is legal. I'm not sure what work around they use, but I have a temporary Georgia tag even though I live in Nevada. Carvana had provided me with a second temporary tag because this process has taken so long the first one had expired. And no, I do not have the title. Neither does Carvana, and the representative I had spoken with had admitted they do not have it and are not certain who or where it is. Unbelievable, right?
wow, some company. That is unbelievably unprofessional and incompetent. So without the title, you technically don't even own the car, and you're out $15k.
Imagine that somebody is owed money for this car, or there's a lien on it. A bank could just come and take it away from you. I've heard of this happening to people. Scary stuff. I would be trying to exit out of this "deal" as quickly as possible.
Bunch of scumbags.
I know a guy that bought a Jeep from them. It was a total lemon (Wow, what a surprise), broke down twice in the first month. They told him "tough luck", basically. He researched and found an email for the CEO and contacted him directly. Got a full refund within days and was reimbursed for all related expenses. So, it may be worth your time to try this as well. Good luck.
great info right there!
What the heck. That is such a bummer. They have a free 100-day warranty thing with every vehicle. Such a shame I guess that is just a bunch of words that doesn't mean anything I suppose. The one thing I thought was legit about Carvana is that at least the cars were always functional and nearly always kept in shape. And just to be transparent, the case with my vehicle has nothing to do with functionality. Mine is running fantastic (I mean, your friend did buy a Jeep... {black}:razz: ) and it's only the registration process that is disgustingly bad.
Raise as much hell as possible, at the highest level that you can. The corporate suits HATE people nagging them, especially when the concern is valid and should have been handled already.
I hope @ScottyKilmer can mention this in one of his videos. If anyone is considering purchasing one of Carvana's vehicles, keep it mind it may take several months in order to get your registration in your state. There can be many instances where your registration/title is imperative to have on-hand right away and Carvana will very likely fail to deliver this in a timely manner. After Googling, this is a highly common occurrence unfortunately.
This happens more often than people think. Let's all take a breath and think for just a second.
When I bought my 2019 Charger R/T, i purchased it brand new at a Dodge dealer locally. They gave me temp plates and, as it was financed, told me the same thing everyone gets told: the plates will arrive in approximately two weeks.
Fast forward: it took me 90 days and two expired temporary tags to finally get my plates. Why? Because the bank that financed the car was still under Covid restrictions and very far behind. On top of that, the dealership itself was behind, as was USPS as we all know. And this was from a very reputable dealer on a brand new car.
People need to learn patience. This has truly come to the forefront since the pandemic started. Yes, we are a "right now" society which is why digital downloads are popular, streaming movies/TV, etc. But sometimes you have a case where you just have to be patient and wait for the cogs to turn and the red tape to clear. And when you are dealing with any form of government, in this case your state's DMV, it's going to take that much longer to get done.
I don't believe Carvana screwed you on anything. I believe the title is being processed slower than normal, which I get you aren't happy with. But there is no nefarious scheme at play here. As a dealer, Carvana...or anyone else for that matter...can not press the state to speed up the process. Nobody can make the state move faster on anything.
I feel for you due to your situation and I hope it does arrive soon so that you can carry on about your work. But this is not a Carvana problem as all dealerships are suffering delays with paperwork right now.
You bring up great points here. I suppose my frustration stems from my expectation to use this vehicle to make money and I am unable to do so. However, the one thing that is important to mention, is that mere weeks before purchasing from Carvana (within a month) a number of complicated things happened and I had to get two other titles from my state's DMV for other vehicles. They both arrived within 3 weeks. I remember because I had received both titles from the state before I made my Carvana purchase. I had not purchased expedited processing from DMV or anything. I could absolutely be wrong, but I am not sure how much my state's DMV is still being impacted by Covid. It could very well be possible and I know I should keep that in mind.
I do think one thing that Carvana could have done is been more transparent. It seems this has been an active issue for over a year. And just like in your situation, many people and companies are facing these types of delays. Therefore, giving the initial illusion of only taking a maximum of 45 days to receive all necessary documents relating to the vehicle, which is what everyone was telling me (even over the phone and all over their website), is wrong. Especially when this issue is so common and known by Carvana. They should have made it much more clear what the situation is.
You do bring up great points though. Part of my anxiety stems from financial concerns, and I will admit it may not have been a great idea to rely on Carvana to start making money, but hopefully I will continue to be able to make everything work out financially until then.
I hope you're right. I'm used to having everything done right there on the spot when I buy. Transfer papers signed. Mobile insurance agent comes and I get my permanent plates. When I walk out the door I'm all ready to go. Maybe we have a different system.
@zabadobang I understand your frustrations. I really do. And they should have had a better answer for you. Honestly, they should have taken the time to explain the process as I did and apologized for the inconvenience. As someone else mentioned, you can always contact your DMV and give them the VIN so they can tell you if the title has changed names. If they tell you it is in your name, or if financed the bank you used, then you know to expect it any day. I would not have found it acceptable for someone on my staff to tell a customer, "We don't know where the title is." That's just unprofessional and I don't blame you one bit for being upset about that. @mountainmanjoe Here in Texas, if you purchase a vehicle cash from a dealer, you still have to wait for the title to be mailed to you and the tags to come in. If you purchase private party, you go straight to the DMV with the title and a title app. They charge you the tax money and ask if you would like new plates. I always say yes, and they charge like $60 or so and hand them to you right there. BUT....they still mail the title. In no situation do they give you the title right away, which sucks honestly. As far as Covid impact, we still have to schedule appointments at the DMV here. It could literally be months before you can even get in the door to handle the transaction. Just a tough time all around unfortunately.
yup, that sounds like a horribly slow system. I definitely like ours better LOL
Lol well me too! It is a horribly slow system.
Can you find out from Carvana which third party company has the title? Then you call them directly to get some answers. It’s obvious these guys are not doing anything, so it’s time to go over them and contact the company that has the title.
I have contacted them and they said they cannot provide me this information, and the representative I spoke to even said they don't know who or where it is. It's just "on the way."
You are not alone getting screwed by Carvana https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAhauwYcSC8
i would try the DMV to see if they would run a trace on the VIN and tell you who has title
This sounds interesting. Is this something I can do online? I can’t seem to find it exactly. The temporary tag they’ve sent me is for Georgia but I live in Nevada. This is why I can’t do my ride sharing. I need to at least have a temporary tag in MY state.
You’re first big mistake was shopping for used cars at Carvana. I’ve heard so many complaints like yours involving this company. You should have avoided them but now you that got the car you should contact the CEO directly like previous replies mention or call them out on twitter. They shouldn’t be taking 71 days or more in handing over the registration although I also agree with a previous reply than COVID is making any process involving the government much slower.
