An Oak Island woman bought a car from online dealer Vroom in November, then says she spent the next four months calling, emailing and filing complaints trying to get the tags and title to her car.
When you buy a new car, a lot of times you get a temporary tag so that you can legally drive while things like the title and permanent tags are being processed.
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Kimberly Sands says that process with Vroom took so long that she went through three temporary tags and ran into trouble when they weren’t delivered on time.
"I can’t tell you how many times I called and emailed. And it’s so frustrating," Sands told 5 On Your Side.
When her first temporary tag was close to expiring in January, Sands reached out to Vroom multiple times for another one. She didn’t get it in time and called Vroom again.
"The tags expired. So, what am I going to do if I get pulled over by a police officer, and I get a ticket," Sands told a Vroom customer service agent. "And the gentleman on the phone said, ‘Oh, just send it to us, we’ll pay it.’"
Two weeks later, Sands says she got pulled over by a police officer.
"They gave me a warning ticket," she said.
It was several more days before Vroom sent Sands a second temporary tag in February.
"So, I have that on my car. On March 4 it expired. Repeat what I just told you, for a second time, the same exact thing," she said.
Vroom never gave a clear explanation for the delays, but at one point Sands said the company told her she didn’t have the proper insurance to register the car when she actually did. Then later, Vroom said they were waiting on a third party titling company.
"I mean, my hands are tied right now. I am driving around with an expired temporary tag," Sands said about the delay.
A North Carolina dealer has 20 days to apply for permanent tags. According to Sands’ records, Vroom took 95 days. Similar issues got Vroom’s competitor Carvana, banned from selling cars in Wake County for six months by the NCDMV.
Here’s the difference: Vroom isn’t under the DMV’s jurisdiction because they don’t have a physical dealership in North Carolina, so the DMV can’t take action against Vroom.
Vroom does have a presence in the state. They announced earlier this year they were opening an Extended Mile Hub in Statesville. That gives Vroom broader reach to make deliveries, but it is not considered a dealership.
Action still could come from the North Carolina Attorney General’s office. They’re investigating 19 title and tag complaints against Vroom from the last year and have broader authority than the DMV.
"I want my permanent tags and my title, and I want to drive around not worried that a police officer is going to come up behind me and pull me over," Sands said.
5 On Your Side reached out to Vroom about Sands’ case, and about a week later she got her permanent tags. She’s still considering taking legal action against Vroom.
"I’m just completely frustrated," she said about the experience.
A Vroom spokesperson sent us a statement: "We regret any customer not having the positive experience Vroom strives to deliver. We are aware some customers, including Ms. Sands, are experiencing delays in receiving their titles and registrations. We have provided Ms. Sands a new set of temporary tags and are actively working with her and other customers to resolve their issues as quickly as possible so they can fully enjoy the vehicle they purchased from us."
5 On Your Side also reached out to several lawmakers on North Carolina’s transportation committees.
State Senator Vickie Sawyer sent us this: “North Carolinians who are in the market for a used car need to do their research into the company they’re going to do business with. No constituents have reached out to me with complaints about Vroom. I will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that North Carolinians aren’t being taken advantage of.”
State Representative Grier Martin said: "This is terrible to hear. I have not heard about anything similar from my constituents. But, it sounds like something we need to look into at the General Assembly."