Vroom customers say months after buying cars, they still can’t legally drive them

ATLANTA — Customers of online car dealer Vroom say that months after purchasing cars, they have not received titles.

Thousands of similar complaints have been filed with the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General of Texas has filed a lawsuit against Vroom for deceptive trade practices. Vroom is based in Texas and that state regulates its titling.

Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray talked to customers, who said the whole experience has been a nightmare.

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“It’s dream car to disaster. That’s really what it is,” said Vroom customer Tamara Bridges.

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Bridges got her dream car, a 2018 7 series BMW, as a 10-year anniversary gift. They purchased it in January and are still waiting on the title.

“I went to the tag office, and they said not only did they have no information on me being the owner of the vehicle, the vehicle isn’t registered to anyone,” Bridges said.

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William Lowe had the same problem with Vroom. He stopped being able to drive his pickup in March.

“Money these days is tight, and you’re paying for something you can’t use,” Lowe said.

It was the same title delay for Shanel Joseph-Kouri’s Tesla.

“It’s incredibly disappointing and I feel we’ve been taken advantage of,” Joseph-Kouri said.

Gwinnett county attorney Cyclone Covey is representing more than 200 Vroom customers across the country trying to get their titles through arbitration.

“If you don’t have the title, you really don’t have ownership of the vehicle, which is why most states, including Georgia, require you transfer the title in 30 days,” Covey said.

Covey said Vroom customers across nearly every state in the country have reached out to him trying to get the titles for cars they paid for.

“Vroom is fighting us in these cases. They claim it’s the consumer’s fault. They file counter claims against the consumers,” Covey told Gray.

Tamara Bridges had to park her BMW in the garage June 8th and leave it there after Vroom stopped sending her temporary tags.

“You know I’ve done my part,” Bridges said. “They’ve been paid for the vehicle. I’m financing it, and we have nothing to show for it other than the car in the garage.”

Bridges reached out to our Team Clark Consumer Action Center looking for answers or help.

After waiting months, William Lowe was finally able to sell his car back to Vroom.

Vroom released a statement to Channel 2 Action News, stating:

“We regret any customer not having the positive experience Vroom strives to deliver. We are actively working with Ms. Bridges to find a solution that is most convenient to her.”

When Gray pressed for an explanation for the larger problem, a Vroom spokesperson wrote back that “It’s a way too nuanced explanation on why this is happening to fit into your segment.”

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