Treadz Auto car consignment being taken to small claims court
CBC News | Posted: September 5, 2014 1:22 PM | Last Updated: September 5, 2014
Romeo Orantes Gomez expecting court judgment on Sept. 12
An Alberta man is hoping small claims court will help him get the money he claims is owed to him by Treadz Auto.
As CBC first reported last week, the car consignment company is being accused to selling vehicles and not giving the money to the owners.
- Treadz Auto accreditation suspended by Better Business Bureau
- Treadz probe sparks Wildrose call for consumer protection
Romeo Orantes Gomez, who lives just outside of Airdrie, said Treadz sought him out after seeing his ad for a Camaro in Auto Trader. He says they even offered to waive their consignment fee.
He decided to sell the car because his wife is pregnant and they needed a family vehicle.
Orantes Gomez says he went back three months later to find out they had sold the car without telling him. They gave him cheques for the amount owed, Orantes Gomez said, but they bounced and that's when he went to police.
"The police in Calgary told me that they couldn't send a vehicle to get my statement because I don't live in Calgary," he said. "I have to contact the Mounties. I contact the Mounties and the Mounties told me that because the fraud was in Calgary they couldn't do anything."
Orantes Gomez said that's when he decided to take Treadz to small claims court.
He's expecting a judgment to be handed down on Sept. 12.
The telephone number for Treadz is no longer in service. The last time CBC News spoke with the company, it said its legal counsel advised them not to answer.
Sandra Crozier-Mckee with the Better Business Bureau says the Treadz situation been frustrating for many people. She advised people to use the bureau's website or others to research companies ahead of time.