SelecTrucks of Atlanta Runarounds, Runarounds and More Runarounds. McDonough Georgia

 First off I would like to clarify one few things. I at no point abandoned the truck. I did a voluntary surrender to Freightliner in Sparks NV. I contacted the banks, and I contacted my sales person before doing so. If Selec Trucks of Atlanta wanted the truck brought back to them, I did give the sales person the idea I would forfeit my $9000, no questions asked, and let them fix the $5000 problem. Then I would head back to Sparks Nv with my own money and pay for the fuel out of my own pocket and bring it back to them personally if they would forgive the debt. The sales person I dealt with declined and said they couldn't do that. As far as the fuel was concerned nobody said anything about "if they had anything more to do to the truck". The truck was suppose to be in tip top shape, inspected, and ready to go. This was told to me over the phone prior to visiting selec trucks. When I talked to the sales person about it on the day I purchased the truck she said she couldn't do it and didn't give me a reason why. As far as my comments about used truck dealerships selling the trucks with known problems and reselling them, it wasn't only me who said that, it was OOIDA. Anyone that wishes to do their homework before purchasing a used truck at used truck dealership can call and ask themselves.

 First of all, we have to say that we are truly regretful that Dan had so many problems with this truck, and ended up losing the truck to foreclosure. We love to see people succeed with the trucks that we sell, and hate to see someone fail. It was particularly hard to see Dan lose his truck, because he is a great guy, and was a real pleasure to deal with.

I can understand Dan's frustration and anger when he wrote this report. However, there are quite a few facts that need to be dealt with in this report. First, let me give the readers some background. The truck that Dan bought was a 2009 International ProStar with a Cummins ISX engine. It had been in the Penske fleet, and had been traded to Freightliner Corp. on a new truck. We received the truck straight from Freightliner, and put it through our normal preparation process, and offered it for sale. During the preparation process, we spent quite a bit of money on the truck to bring it up to standards.

As most truckers know by now, the 2009 model trucks had a very complicated emissions system that had been mandated by the federal government. This particular truck had a diesel particulate filter that was bad, along with some other repairs that had to be done to the emissions system in order to make it work properly and regen as designed. We replaced the filter and made the other emissions repairs at a cost of roughly $3000. This was in addition to any other repairs that we had done to the truck.

On the day that Dan picked up the truck, it experienced an alternator failure, and we had to install a new alternator. It is our policy to put 10 gallons of fuel in the truck, and we had done that prior to sale of the truck. The closest fuel stop is right around the corner from our location. When Dan asked about fuel, the salesperson told him that she would try to get him some more fuel if we did not have to do anything else to the truck. On the day of delivery, we spent roughly $850 on the alternator, and had to decline on his request for additional fuel.

In regard to the low coolant level, the technician did not drain any coolant in order to install the alternator. Since we had installed new coolant, the system had to work out some air bubbles, and needed more coolant added. This is to be expected. His complaint about the loose clamp on the DPF and the loose nuts on the air filter housing are legitimate, and we spoke to the technician about these issues.

When Dan accepted delivery of the truck, all other systems were performing as expected, and Dan signed off on the delivery receipt that he was satisfied with the condition of the truck.

Subsequent to that, Dan began to have issues with the emissions system. Unfortunately, the only thing in the emissions system that is covered under the 60 Day Buyers Assurance Warranty is the Diesel Particulate Filter itself. None of the other components of the system are covered. This is typical of most all used truck warranties.

On 10/26/2014, Dan took the truck in to a dealer in Hagerstown, MD with emissions codes. They at first diagnosed the problem as a face plugged Diesel Oxidation Catalyst. Subsequently, after checking with Cummins, they changed their mind and decided that the problem had to do with the brand new aftermarket particulate filter that we had just installed in the truck, and that it needed to be replaced. So at that point, they took out the brand new filter, and replaced it with a genuine Cummins filter. After installation and testing, they concluded that they had solved the problem, and there were no more codes present. This was not a warranty repair. The bill was for $4838.89, and Selectrucks of Atlanta paid this bill.

On 11/17/2014, Dan had to take the truck in to the dealer in Sparks, NV with the same complaint. Their diagnosis was the same as the original diagnosis in Hagerstown. They believed that the Diesel Oxidation Catalyst had become face plugged. At this point, it was clear to all of us that Cummins had led us all astray in some sort of vendetta with the aftermarket filter provider. So we began to call on Cummins to get them to pay for this repair because of their misleading advice. It was not a repair that Freightliner Corp would have been responsible for, and it was not a repair that Selectrucks of Atlanta should have paid, after already paying out more than we made on the truck after the previous repair. The salesperson put a lot of time and effort into getting Dan some help on this repair. However, after several days of trying, Cummins would not step up and pay for the repair. At that time, Dan got on a bus and came home.

We continued to struggle to get Dan some help with this situation, and were making some progress with Freightliner, when Dan decided that he could not wait any longer, and basically abandoned the truck in Sparks, NV. At that point, it was declared a repo, and the finance company stepped in and took possession of the truck.

In his ripoff report, Dan alleges that we knowingly were selling "crappy" equipment, and that the dealers were hoping that the customers would default so that they could get the truck back and sell it again. That is far from the truth. We work hard and spend a lot of money to present trucks that are as good as possible for the money that our customers are spending on them. Our finance companies are betting and hoping that the customer will successfully pay for the truck. When that doesn't happen, it is bad for everyone involved. The finance companies generally lose lots of money on these defaults. And when they sell the truck, it is offered at an online auction to registered dealers all across the country. The chance that the selling dealer will purchase the truck is no better than the chance that any other dealer will get it. In this case, Selectrucks of Atlanta did not purchase this truck after it was foreclosed.

Our Federal Government mandated that the trucks that we sell be equipped with complex emissions systems that cause the trucks to be in compliance with air quality standards. Our industry has paid a tremendous price in order for the air in our country to be clean. That price includes the cost of installing these systems on new trucks, and the cost of maintenance of these systems on used trucks. As a used truck dealer, we have paid a tremendous price in terms of the money that we spend on these trucks in order to get them compliant. We cannot recover the money that we spend by simply marking up the truck. The market does not allow us to do that. It is our responsibility to make sure that the system is working properly when we deliver the truck to the buyer. However, we cannot continue to be responsible for the emissions system after purchase. In Mr. Dan's case, we broke our own rule and spent nearly $5000 on this unit after he bought it. There are not many dealers that would have been willing to do that.

Selectrucks of Atlanta has been in business for over 18 years. I have managed this business since 2007. We enjoy an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and have one of the highest CSI scores in the Selectrucks network. We sell at retail around 400 trucks a year, and have a very high percentage of repeat customers. Our sales staff is very knowledgeable and professional. The particular salesperson that Dan purchased from is one of the top producers in the Selectrucks network, and has been employed here for twelve years. Our most junior saleman her has been employed over ten years.We have loyal customers, and enjoy a good reputation in the trucking community.We work hard to protect it. We sincerely regret the troubles that Dan had with this truck, and understand the anger and disappointment that he feels. We are able to deal with most situations with a positive outcome. However, this one did not turn out well. Just like a good doctor that loses a patient, we feel bad about it, and feel that we did the best we could with the circumstances that we had to work with.

Buying and selling used trucks is a risky proposition. For all of us in the industry, we try to lessen those risks as much as possible by proper preparation and presentation of the trucks, and then by offering good warranties that protect against calamaties. However, we cannot shield a buyer from all of problems that might come up with the purchase and operation of a used truck. If we could do this, the price of the truck would be unaffordable to the average buyer. We try hard to help our customers understand the risk that they are facing. Most are able to deal with problems that arise, and move on successfully through these problems. Unfortunately, sometimes bad things happen that cannot be overcome.

If you are a reader that is trying to decide to buy a used truck from Selectrucks of Atlanta, I would challenge you to come and visit with us and look at the trucks we sell and what we do to properly prepare these trucks. Then, go and do your own research. Talk to our customers. I think you will realize that we are not the scam artists that we were characterized to be in this report. We are diligent, hard working individuals that truly want to see positive outcomes for our customers, backed by owners that have that same philosophy. Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy rebuttal.