$63,000 Vroom BMW i8 Nightmare Ends as Missing Check Resurfaces
Buying a car completely online can be quite daunting, especially when it’s a $63,000 BMW i8. Online companies such as Vroom allow you to complete a purchase without ever needing to see the vehicle in person. That’s exactly what The Fast Lane Car attempted to do via Vroom to secure a lightly used BMW.
However, a $63,000 cashier’s check submitted by The Fast Lane Car reportedly went missing, creating a nightmare scenario. Following that incident, TFLC created a video outlining the situation, showcasing it to over 1 million subscribers on YouTube. A new update tells us that the check subsequently resurfaced.
How did this BMW i8 buying nightmare begin?
Before we dive into this newest BMW i8 update, it is worth revisiting how this situation started in the first place. According to TFLC, a 2015 BMW i8 with 7,803 miles surfaced on Vroom for sale. In an attempt to test out an online car shopping platform, TFLC agreed to purchase the car and paid for a $500 deposit. Besides testing an online car-buying experience, an electric supercar such as an i8 would be a great asset for creating online content.
According to TFLC, shortly after submitting the $63,000 check for the BMW i8, the online car shopping platform reportedly went silent. After a few days, TFLC received a message asking for payment. As you might imagine, this caused a bit of panic, especially since voiding a cashier’s check is nearly impossible.
Thankfully, TFLC sent the check via FedEx, which contained detailed tracking information. Additionally, the staff over at Vroom reportedly signed for the package, cementing that the company had received it. From this point, TFLC and Vroom went back and forth without a satisfactory ending. This was when TFLC took to YouTube with its first update video.
The check resurfaced following the first update video
Almost two weeks after the first BMW i8 nightmare video, TFLC provided some much-needed updates. For starters, it is worth mentioning that the video in question garnered over 108,000 views over a 10-day period. Following this video, TFLC reports that Vroom found the check and wanted to solve this situation.
In terms of the BMW i8 itself, Vroom reportedly gave TFLC the option to purchase the car, given that it had the check. However, as you might expect, this whole situation soured the buying experience. TFLC reportedly decided to back out of the purchase and opted to receive a full refund instead.
Aside from the missing check, TFLC stated in its new video that it spent hours on hold waiting for various customer service agents to remedy the situation. However, following the video, the response was reportedly completely different, with Vroom being extremely communicative. In the end, TFLC had this to say about the situation:
“If you’re dealing with a company that can lose a $63,000 check, you probably don’t want to buy a car from them.”
The Fast Lane Car via YouTube
Should you buy a car from Vroom?
Unfortunately, this BMW i8 scenario does not seem like a one-off situation. Since Vroom is an online car-buying platform, there are plenty of online reviews. For the sake of eliminating bias, we won’t look at reviews published and managed by Vroom itself.
Looking at sites such as Consumer Affairs, Trust Pilot, and SiteJabber reveals hundreds of negative reviews left by online car shoppers, resulting in poor 1.5 out of 5 stars ratings across those sites. Even customers on Yelp posted plenty of photo evidence showcasing the various issues they have encountered.
In contrast, the only substantial amount of positive reviews we’ve found live on Dealer Rater. However, this still only amounts to a score of 3.8 out of 5 stars. Additionally, Vroom previously managed to win Dealer Rater’s customer satisfaction awards in 2015 and 2016. However, it hasn’t won it in recent years. As a result, you’ll want to conduct plenty of online research before handing over your hard-earned cash.
