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Some really rude lady callled about my car that was posted on CL. Wanted to help me sell it where they could *guarantee* it would sell for book value. I told her that business model made no sense, and wasn't interested. She persisted trying to get my email address, I said use the one from that ad from CL, and she said she wasn't able to (presumably because of the way the add is culled with an auto-dialer) so I  just said I had to go and hung up.

This is a company that monitors the cars.com site and calls the new listing owners. Basically they want a percentage of the sale value if they sell your car through their web site. Very unprofessional people. This is not a fist time I get a call from this number.

The site's not that bad, but I wouldn't have found it if they didn't do direct marketing.  It looks like it is getting a pretty good rating on Alexa, and they are doing quite a bit of advertising

but hey I don't have time to repost my ad over and over on craigslist when I get knocked to the second page every few days so I'll take what I can get

anybody want to buy my civic? :p

Very rude, unprofessional people. Did I mention unsolicited as well. They call on your Cars.com or CL adds trying to have you list with them. Absolute jerks!

Hi Everyone

Thank you for your comments.  Unfortunately yes, we do make unsolicited calls.  I am sorry if you have experienced an agent with a bad attitude, I guess everybody has bad days every once in a while hey? :)


For those who are looking, we contact people with cars for sale that are in demand on our website.

We have a growing website that has quickly become one of the top 3,000 websites in Canada, and is quickly growing in the United States as well, where much of our company is based.

If you do not want to be contacted by us, you can ask to be on the do not call list, and we manage it efficiently - our service is for people who want help selling their vehicle, and we know it is not for everyone.  Please be kind in the posts here and respect all paths of life - many business people know that direct marketing is one of the best and only ways to grow a company when there are massive competitors in the arena.

^ I too was contacted by an agent of yours who was extremely rude. And btw if on my CL post I state that I do not want to be contacted for any services. RESPECT THAT AND DON'T CALL ME. I've already gotten called 3 times by this same number when I've told them each time I do not want to use the service.

I got a call from this number from a lady in India.  I could barely understand what she was saying.  When I asked her to repeat the name of her company she got all huffy and hung up.  This is from a CL ad I posted, so I think this violates CL policy of "don't contact me with solicitations."  There is a place in the used car market for professional selling services, but this is not it.

We just received a call from this 800 number as well, as we just listed our limo on CL.  Didn't answer, of course, so I googled it and found this blog.  So, TYRONE, if you and/or your company calls on vehicles that are in 'high demand' reply to our ad on CL and make me an offer.  Then you guys can resale for whatever amount you want.  LOL

I just signed up with vehicle stars so I will report late if they do as they claim.  I was and still am a little hesitant of forking out the money especially with all the fraud going on.  I just posted my vehicle on CL a couple of days again and so far I have been bombarded with solicitors wanting to sell my Jeep.  I'm not sure why I am trusting this company.  The guy I dealt with was somewhat professional.  He had no problems of me researching his company and showed me some web sites with their ads.  On oodles.com, they have over 300 for sale all over the US so I'm thinking that might be legit.  

Since I am paying upfront, I will keep close contact with my rep to make sure my vehicle is being advertised.  I've ask for the web site my Jeep will be advertised so I can check it is getting the coverage on the Internet.  I also will follow the refund policy to the "T" in case my Jeep does not sell.  No, I will not get full price refunded but I see it that is how they get paid for their services.  I'm sure my Jeep will on web sites that I did not even think of running, which give my Jeep a better chance of being sold.

I tried to research the company but there is not much info on the Internet. They have expanded into Canada so they must be growing.  Although I did not feel I should be paying for a service for something I can do for free, I looked at it as a buyer's point of view.  If you know that the seller has paid $500, than there is a good chance the buyer is legit and if Vehicle Stars is selective on the cars they advertise than there is even a better chance you will get a decent car.  Vehicle Stars is like a middleman to help find the best car for the buyer and help the seller sell their vehicle for the price they are asking.

Stand by.  I will keep you posted on my transaction.

Is Vehicle Stars a scam? Yes and no

Here is the deal. This does not only apply for Vehicle Stars but other companies promising the same results.

Sales Pitch: They claim to have a large customer base and your car is in high demand.  They charge you $500 dollars up front but you get that money back when you sell it.  Your car is guaranteed to sale or your money back.  They supposedly make their money by financing your car through lending companies like Lending Tree.  Your vehicle will be posted on their web site along with 200 web sites.

What do they do for you:  Their web site allows you to post as many photos as you would like.  They pull additional information from other web sites like Edmunds regarding your model.  This helps the buyer research your car without having to leave their web site.

Why is Vehicle Stars not a scam: They do post your vehicle to the web sites that they tell you, like Walmart classified and Military.com.  There are links to Lending Tree for potential buyers to apply for a loan.  You have access to your account so you modify anything from the details of your vehicle to including the price.  They copy paste all your info from Craigslist into their website but they leave the price the same also.  You have to go into your account and add the $500 to your asking price or I don’t think you will get your money back.  Maybe it might be my computer but their web site does not quite work on my computer.  Some links don’t work. On the front page, a line of available vehicles are posted over top the “log in” fields so you have to scroll to the end of the all the photos before you can enter your user id and password. There is a message board for any inquires on your vehicle but there are no tools to tell you how many people have looked at your web page.  When you go to the photos page, there is not scroll bar to see all your photos.  The buyer has to go back to the home page to click on the photos.  As a buyer, this could be too frustrating and would turn them off.

Why is Vehicle Stars a SCAM:  1) Out of the 200 web sites, they only have my vehicle posted on four sites and all four web sites are powered by the same classified site.  That classified site is free.  When I asked for the list of web sites so I can keep tabs on my sale this is what they said “We are affiliated with about 200 site , keep in mind we will only list your vehicle on the relevant classified sites to your vehicle. For example we are affiliated with major sites that advertise boats, RVs, racing cars, vintage cars, and etc yours would not be listed on the irrelevant sites. “ 2) Even though there is a link to Lending Tree on my web page, it is off to the bottom corner.  If they make their money on financing then I would expect banners to these financing companies.  I would expect somewhere in my description they would add statements about “easy financing” or “bad credit – no credit financing” but it is not there.  3) I would expect their affiliated sites to advertise their web site, i.e. Lending Tree would have an ad banner for Vehicle Stars. 4) You do not get your whole $500 dollars back (yes, they will tell you this over the phone and in writing). You get $399 back and they keep the rest.  They write it up as two packages.  The regular package cost $100 (non-refundable) and the premium package cost $399 (guaranteed to sale) 5) Change shoes and act like you are the buyer.  As a buyer, have you ever heard of Vehicle Star? NO.  As a buyer, did you know they offer financing? NO. As a buyer, do you know what type of service Vehicle Stars offers you? NO

The bottom line: Vehicle Stars and other companies that offer the same service are hedging your car will sale within the 90 days.  They look thru other web sites like Craigslist, Cars.com, and Autotrader looking for specific kinds of cars (newer models) that could be easy sales. They know you want to sale your car so they are betting $399 (of your money) that it sales.  Either way, they win. There is NO RISK on their part.   They do not take an aggressive role to help you sell your vehicle.  None of these companies have a large customer base of buyers.  To be honest, I have had more inquires about my vehicle just from the “For Sale” sign on the window.  The next time I sale a vehicle, I will stay away for the Internet completely.  The headaches from all the bogus emails and phone calls are not worth the advertisement over the Internet.

How to protect yourself:  I have received a lot of phone calls from these types of companies and when they start to talk about such service I cut them off and I ask them if they are interested in purchasing my vehicle.  If they say NO then I tell them if they are not interested in my vehicle than I’m not interested either.  My cell phone is used on my ads because I can easily block these phone numbers.  If you do purchase their plan, as I have, following the policy to a “T.”  You will have to activate your account within 7 days by registering your VIN number.   On the 90th day, you need to get a notarized letter in the mail stating you did not sale your car.  If you have a loan, the bank should be able to do this at no cost.   Mail it certified with a signature required within 10 days.  READ THEIR POLICY FOR ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.  Make copies of everything for your record, including their refund policy.  Print the refund policy when you first sign up in case they change it later.  If they give you a hard time about the refund, contact the Attorney General in the State they reside.  Vehicle Stars is located in Florida, here is the web site for the Attorney General.  

Good luck on selling your vehicle.  I know this was long but I hope you found it informative.  By the way – is anyone interested in buying a Jeep!!!

Lynn,

Has your vehicle sold since this last post? Vehicle Stars is contacting me and I can see the use. I just can't understand how it benefits buyers and sellers. If buyer wants my vehicle from vehicle stars there is no bargaining room at all. I don't see how this is a good thing regardless of your credit.

Save your money and stay from these guys.  I would suggest this with anyone that calls you.  I have received more inquiries from the "For Sale" on my Jeep than anything else.  I have got a couple from CL and ZERO from VehicleStars.  There is no way for me to see how many people have looked at my car.  I have sent numerous emails and I have call questioning where is their client base "they claimed to have" and questioned what they are doing to promote my vehicle but they are not responding.  I would drop the price on my Jeep but I can't until after my 90 days so I can get SOME of my money back.  I still get phone calls from other companies that offer me the same service.  If they are not willing to buy my Jeep up front than I'm not willing to do business with them.  I keep it short and simple.  

My advice is use the money to advertise in your local paper.  CARS.COM is cheaper and guarantees 100% if you don't sell.  Plus, CARS.COM will show you how many times your vehicle showed up in a search and how many times it was viewed.  If you want to get it on the Internet, use CL and CARS.COM.  

If VehicleStars does not respond to my questions (emails) I will disclose the web site they posted my Jeep at.  I believe it is a free web site...so check back around the middle of the month.

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The benefits: as a buyer, VehicleStars could put me at ease knowing that the seller is not a scam artist.  You have to provide VehicleStars your VIN and I'm assuming they would have ran it through CarFax.  It took a few hours before my Jeep posted to their website, so I'm assuming they checked my claim before posting it.  Plus, a scam artist is not going to fork out money in advance to a legit company.  If you are a buyer with poor credit, VehicleStars might have options for a decent loan.  At a used car lot, you can expect to pay 30% or more on interest rate and be locked into a contract that will not let you pay it off early without a penalty.  If I was the CEO, I would market VehicleStars to benefit both the buyer and seller as a legit middleman to protect both parties.  I would actively look for buyers as I do for sellers.  From what I can see from VehicleStars they are looking for sellers and hedge that the Internet will sell the vehicle with no interaction from them.

Hey Tyrone:  I have asked your company to STOP CALLING ME every time one of your rude reps calls.  
I am on the National Do Not Call Registry - have been for years and renewed continuously, so your post that you manage the "Do Not Call List Efficiently" is hogwash!

I checked the box on my Craigslist Ad, that I DO NOT want to be contacted by solicitors, and also made it a point to clearly spell out in my ad that "I DO NOT WANT TO BE CONTACTED BY COMPANIES THAT CLAIM THEY WANT TO HELP ME SELL MY VEHICLE."

Why are you still calling me?

Companies like yours need to be TAKEN DOWN by the Arizona Attorney General!

Tyron,

If you cannot follow the rules, and call us even though we specify "it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests", how are we to trust you selling our vehicle?  Apparently your company does not have their stuff together or else they would have seen both that on my ad, and my number of the do not call registry.  If you can't get that right, I can't trust you with something more serious like selling my truck.

Just curious how your experience with Vehicle Stars went?  Thanks.

60 days have past and Vehicle Star has done nothing to help sell my vehicle expect post my ad on other free web sites.  Actually, they posted it to oodle.com since oodle.com is connected to Walmart classified and military.com.  So for $500 that is all you really get.  They send me no status updates on how many times my ad had been looked at.  They to not push the financial assistance to the buyer.  Vehicle Star is a complete ripe-off.  Stay away from them.  I have seen other companies on the web that look like they do a better job at working for their customers...the buyer and the seller.  In my opinion, Vehicle Star is hedging you sell your vehicle in 90 days so they can make some easy money.  They do not communicate very well to the seller.  I have sent several unanswered emails.  I wish I could reverse the charges on my credit card but I can't.  I have 30 more days before I can try to get my money back...unless I sell my vehicle first.  I am counting down the days!!!

Unfortunately?  Interesting - that seems like something that would be completely within your control.  

You say you'll take us off your list if we would like.  Funny, my number is registered on the national do not call registry - which means it's illegal for you to call me in the first place.  In fact that program was started to eliminate unsolicited calls.

PS - you called and immediately hung up on me.  It's hard to ask you to leave me alone if you do that.  It's especially frustrating since my registration on the do not call registry already is record of me saying I don't want to get calls from you!

Consistent calling despite indicated solicitation do not call on the Craigslist ad.  Any company that knowingly breaks the rules will never have business from me.

Hey ! Came across this posting and just wanted to say that I listed my 09 honda civic with vehicle stars for 20,000 and it sold in 3 weeks for 25,000, meaning I got my refund back with my asking price.  Maybe it just depends on the agent you deal with ? I had about 4 inquiuries about my car in
the first 2 weeks and sold it to the 2nd person who came to view it. Hope this helps !!

The call is coming from Vehicle Star.  They are a marketing agency who claims they can help you sell your car.  I asked how they got my number and the girl stated that her manager gave it to her.  I informed her what she was doing was illegal and her only reply was, "okay, I am sorry".  DB!  The are supposedly located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL but claim they work locally.