Lee Auto Group’s business practices questioned

FORT MYERS, Fla. – A Call for Action investigation uncovered questionable business tactics at a local car dealership involving accusations of false advertising, deceitful dealings and crummy cars.

Since our first story aired in May, we have heard from three more customers of Lee Auto Group, who say they awful experiences with the dealership.

Ray Howard and his girlfriend Angela are struggling to understand how the right deal went so wrong.

In July, they went to Lee Auto Group off of Alico Road to buy a car.

Both Ray and Angela say they went there because they saw a car they liked advertised online for $5,000.

After trading in their minivan and putting down cash, they expected to have a $3,200 loan financed through the dealership. Instead, they ended up with a loan for $7,622.

“Well he [the salesman] had actually explained it to me after I called him on it saying the bank raised the price on me,” Howard said. “He said that I would have to contact the bank, and I did the next day. But the bank couldn’t help me because they had no paperwork on it so we had to wait.”

Howard was the one who provided the bank with the loan paperwork nearly two weeks after signing all the documents at Lee Auto Group.

“The bank investigated, came back and told us that the car dealer decided that [the deal] was fraudulent and they didn’t want to be part of it,” Howard said.

Howard also said the car broke down on the ride home.

“It just started smoking and smoking,” Howard said. “Fluid was everywhere.”

Pamela Mariano contacted WINK News Call for Action and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles after the car she bought from Lee Auto Group did not even make it home.

“I paid for it with a check,” Mariano said. “I paid $3,525 and drove like were were going home, which is in North Fort Myers, 13 miles. We only made it nine miles and the thing broke down.”

Mariano told us she had the car towed back to Lee Auto Group, left the keys inside and immediately cancelled payment on her check.

“It can’t even go ten miles,” Mariano said. “It’s a piece of junk. I mean seriously, it was not even a nice experience, it was scary.”

Nikki Baxter told us the car she bought from Lee Auto Group was not safe to drive.

“They had stated that it’s in great condition, it’s a sound, mechanically sound car and they want me to have a good car and safe car,” said Baxter. “Well, it’s not.”

Baxter said she noticed the car was shaking, so she took it to her trusted mechanic.

“He was like I honestly have no idea how you made it to the other coast because this wheel– he could move it. And I mean if that would have came off, I would have been dead.”

Baxter showed us rusted parts of the car she kept after her mechanic replaced them.

Then there was Liz Schaffer. WINK News Call for Action first reported on her situation after her financing through Lee Auto Group fell through and the dealer would not give her the $3,500 deposit back.

WINK News Call for Action reporter Lindsey Sablan went to Lee Auto Group and asked the owner, Kyle Lee, if he had anything to say about the complaints of his cars and business tactics. Lee would not comment specifically about any of the cases we asked him about.

When asked if he had anything to say about his business, he responded “We sell a lot of cars and a lot of people are happy. It’s unfortunate you hear about the bad ones.”

As for Ray Howard, after weeks of waiting, he was finally able to drive off the lot with exactly what he came in with: his original car, his cash, and a little advice for the next person shopping for a car.

“Call WINK News. They were right on it and they took care of it.”