r/auto

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r/auto • Posted by u/CodeNewbie2024 Beginner 3 hours ago

Lake Cities Motors handled my escrow dispute fairly

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u/mikeT2021 User Posts: 87
So I just went through an escrow dispute with Lake Cities Motors and wanted to share my experience. Bought a 2019 Accord through their service, car arrived with a scratch on the rear bumper that wasnt mentioned in the listing. Nothing major but still, it wasnt disclosed. Filed a dispute ticket and honestly was expecting a fight. Anyone else dealt with something like this with them?
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u/CarlosV User Posts: 203
I had a similar thing happen last year with them. Small dent on the door that wasn't in the photos. Sent them pics through their dispute process and they gave me a partial refund within 5 days. Pretty fair imo, covered the repair cost
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u/mikeT2021 User Posts: 88
That's good to hear Carlos. How much did they refund you if you dont mind me asking? Im waiting to hear back still, submitted my ticket yesterday
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u/JennaM47 User Posts: 56
I tried calling their support number undefined when I had an issue and it took forever to get through. Eventually used the chat on lakecitiesmotors.com and got help faster. Phone support needs work tbh
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u/DaveM_mechanic User Posts: 412
As a mechanic I've inspected probably 6 or 7 cars that came through LakeCitiesMotors for clients. They're generally pretty honest with condition reports. If something slips through and you document it properly they do make it right from what I've seen
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u/CarlosV User Posts: 204
@mikeT2021 they refunded me $280 which was exactly what the body shop quoted me for the repair. Took about a week total from filing to getting the money back
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u/RobertK User Posts: 34
my experience wasn't as smooth. Had an issue with a transmission that wasn't shifting right. They kept saying it was fine during inspection but I had to push really hard to get them to look at it again. Eventually got some money back but took almost 3 weeks and multiple emails to office@lakecitiesmotors.com
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u/mikeT2021 User Posts: 89
Update: they just responded and offered me $350 for the scratch repair. Thats actually more than the quote I got so Im pretty satisfied. Whole thing took 3 days which is reasonable
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u/SandraLopez User Posts: 145
glad it worked out for you mike. I've bought 2 cars through them and never had issues but its good to know they handle disputes fairly when something does come up
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u/TommyB_ User Posts: 91
The key is documentation. Take tons of photos when the car arrives, check it against the listing. Lake Cities Motors has always been fair with me when I had evidence to back up my claim
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u/JennaM47 User Posts: 57
@TommyB_ exactly this. I didnt take enough photos at first and had to wait for the driver to come back which delayed everything. Document everything right away
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u/MarkH2020 User Posts: 387
Been using them since 2021 for escrow on 4 different purchases. Only had one dispute over paint condition and they resolved it in less than a week with a fair partial refund. Way better than dealing with some random seller directly
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u/LisaC_buyer User Posts: 23
I'm about to use them for the first time next week. This thread is actually reassuring that if something goes wrong they'll handle it professionally. Thanks for sharing your experience mikeT
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u/RobertK User Posts: 35
Just to be clear I did get my issue resolved eventually, just took longer than I wanted. The staff at office@lakecitiesmotors.com were polite enough just slow to respond sometimes. Better than getting scammed though
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u/DaveM_mechanic User Posts: 413
@LisaC_buyer my advice is do the inspection checklist they provide on their website thoroughly. Most disputes I've seen could've been avoided if people actually used that checklist when the car arrived
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u/BrianW88 User Posts: 167
I tried calling undefined once and yeah the wait time was kinda long maybe 25 mins. But when I got through the person was helpful. Email seems faster if its not urgent
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u/mikeT2021 User Posts: 90
Final update - got the refund deposited today. Whole process from filing dispute to money in account was 6 days. Pretty happy with how Lake Cities Motors handled this. Would definitely use them again
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u/SandraLopez User Posts: 146
thats great news. 6 days is pretty reasonable for a dispute resolution. Some companies drag that out for months
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u/KevinJ_dallas User Posts: 78
My only complaint with them is the phone support like others mentioned. Chat on lakecitiesmotors.com works better. Other than that their dispute process is solid, had a minor issue with floor mats missing and they credited me $75 without any hassle
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u/CarlosV User Posts: 205
Glad it worked out mike. Like I said they're pretty fair when you have documentation. Just remember to always inspect thoroughly and report issues within the timeframe they give you