Currie Motors Ford of Valpo

The following is an email to the GM which was not replied to: Hi Mr. Sfikas, I hope you are well and am emailing you as the GM of Currie Motors of Valpo regarding an interaction that I had with one of your managers this week. On Saturday afternoon, September 19, I called inquiring about a 2019 Explorer that you had listed for sale, your stock number T6628. I spoke with Moe Abdallah and he advised me that it was still available at the advertised listed price of $26,408, and there were no additional discounts given or fees charged. I explained that I was purchasing it for my business in Florida, there was no trade, would be transferring a tag from an existing vehicle and would pay cash which I could wire transfer when the banks opened on Monday. He stated your office did not do wire transfers as it was too much trouble, but would take a cashier's check. Moe mentioned that due to the pandemic the title work could take up to 120 days and he gave the deal to Brenden Danford who obtained my personal and business information and texted me the vehicle order assessment. This included a $199.91 doc fee, which is fine and understandable. There was also a $215.25 state license & title fee for a new tag, and a $336.10 lic/drive away fee typed in on the same line. Moe said the vehicle might be sold before Monday unless I gave a $3,000 credit card deposit. Since you have had the Explorer for almost two years, I decided to take a chance that it would still be there on Monday so that I could check with my local DMV about the 120 day delay. I emailed Brenden on Monday and advised I would overnight the cashier's check for the full price, plus sales tax and doc fees, but to please remove the license fees as 120 days would not work. The DMV had advised me to not use a tag agency and stated I just needed four documents: -Manufacturer's Certificate of Origin -Odometer statement -Bill of sale -Sales tax receipt, which is an Indiana form ST-? It seems simple enough, then I could register it and transfer my tag immediately in Florida. I was arranging an auto transporter and was binding insurance coverage on the Explorer so it could be transported as soon as possible, since Moe said it had to be off your lot by the end of the month. Brenden then surprised me by texting that Moe would not do the deal as I am out-of-state and "too many things can happen". I spoke with Moe and he said "The girls in the office are too busy. They have 99 deals and do not want to do out-of-state deals". In 38 years of business using Ford products and countless vehicle purchases, I have never heard anything like that, especially on a new vehicle that is two model years old with one year of manufacturer's warranty elapsed.. I am unaware of any dealerships where the "girls in the office" make sales decisions. I am not sure where this will go, and I don't do negative reviews, but I am extremely disappointed with what should have been an easy transaction. If your dealerships do not sell to out-of-state residents, then you should make this clear. Hard to believe that you don't sell out-of-state when you are located near state lines, and would make the deal one day and make an excuse not to the next. Your stores seem to pride themselves on customer service, but unfortunately, that was totally lacking. Thanks for taking the time to read this.