A TikToker recently alleged that Carvana—a website that lets customers buy and sell used cars—sold him a defective vehicle.
According to a series of videos uploaded to TikTok by Joshua Bechtel (@joshuabechtel2), the dealership told him that he could purchase a 2011 Volkswagen Jetta for $276 per month. Carvana, he alleged, failed to mention that there were several open recalls on the vehicle; Bechtel claims he only figured this out after speaking with his insurance provider.
“This is what my insurance company showed me and told me,” Bechtel, of Pennsylvania, said. “Nine open recalls that weren’t fixed and four issues with the insurance company.”
In one of his videos, Bechtel said the car also had defective airbags and that the “impact of the steering wheel” caused him to suffer permanent kidney damage. “I have to go to a urologist every week now because of that,” he said in another video. As a result, one of his videos showed him on the phone with Carvana in an attempt to convey his frustrations with its service.
His most-watched TikTok recounting the incident has over 59,000 views.
Pennsylvania still allows the sale of recalled vehicles; but, according to a 2018 law, dealerships are required to inform buyers about open recalls before they purchase a vehicle. The law mandates that dealers provide “formal disclosure” to customers, even though that text may be buried within the fine print of a purchase.
As a result, many viewers encouraged Bechtel to contact a lawyer.
“Call a lawyer, not Carvana,” one viewer said.
“You’ll have to sue them to get compensated,” another TikToker wrote.
“Bro LAWSUIT,” another comment reads.
Bechtel let viewers know that he’s supposedly receiving “a big payout” because of what happened. Still, he recommended that people looking to buy a car steer away from Carvana in the meantime.
The Daily Dot reached out to Bechtel for comment via TikTok comment and Carvana by email.
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