Imagine making payments on a vehicle for five years, only to find out you don’t own it. A Valley woman learned her car title had a lien even though she paid off the vehicle.
Trying to get her title was a problem that was driving her to ultimate frustration until she reached out to Let ABC15 Know for help.
CJ owns a salon in downtown Phoenix, she wants to make sure customers are happy with services, but lately, CJ doesn’t feel she is receiving the same treatment.
“I’ve contacted Carvana so many times over the last four months, I’ve talked to so many people there,” said CJ.
In 2016, CJ purchased her 2014 Jeep Patriot through Carvana.
“2022, I believe I paid the car off. I have another car that I use as my daily driver. And this car, the Jeep is just kind of been sitting,” said CJ.
CJ was ready to sell her vehicle, and she found a buyer. The problem was when she tried to get the title from Arizona Motor Vehicle Division she was told they had it but couldn’t release the title because the lienholder names didn’t match.
CJ financed through a company called Bridgecrest, but there’s another company listed as the lienholder on the title.
The MVD told CJ it’s a simple fix, the name needs to reflect the correct finance company for them to release the title to her, so CJ said she reached out to Carvana.
“When the DMV (MVD) told me, this is an issue that has to be handled by Carvana, I was extremely happy because I have always received amazing customer service from Carvana,” CJ said. “I have always sung their praises.”
But CJ said she went through back and forth with both Bridgecrest and Carvana.
CJ added, “Every time I (would) talk to someone at Bridgecrest they’d have the same frustration. They’re always shocked, we’re not named on the car, that doesn’t make any sense. It’s crazy!”
She just wanted her title, so CJ reached out to Let ABC15 Know for help.
“I cannot sell the vehicle. I paid on it for five years, and technically as of today, I don’t own it,” said CJ.
Let ABC15 Know Reporter, Christel Bell, contacted Carvana about the problem. A Carvana spokesperson immediately got to work, issuing the following statement:
“Customer experience is at the heart of everything we do at Carvana. We set a high bar for ourselves, and in the event, we don’t meet it, we make it right.
We have worked closely with Ms. Neal and Bridgecrest to resolve this issue. “
CJ told Let ABC15 Know a Carvana Spokesperson contacted her and explained when a mailed copy of the lien release was sent to her, there was an electronic lien still attached to her VIN. The step to release was missed but Carvana working with Bridgecrest has since completed the process.
She said she was also told in 2016, Carvana did finance deals with the listed lienholder.
Let ABC15 Know contacted the Arizona Department of Transportation to confirm the issue has been resolved on their side. A representative from the department said CJ should have her clean title this week.
Problem Solved!
Carvana is standing by their statement, CJ informed us the company offered to compensate her for the time and work it took to resolve the matter, which she gladly accepted.
