On Your Side: No Car Tags from Dealer?

Columbia (WLTX) - Champ Auto Sales is being accused by some customers of failing to register their vehicles. The division of motor vehicles has turned over five complaints to SLED for investigation.

Tiffinia Lewis is not looking forward to her day in court. "I got stopped driving a car without no tags,"said Lewis.

She blames the problem on Ben Martin, owner of Champ Auto Sales on Two Notch Road in Columbia. "He didn't register the car with DMV or none of that,"said Lewis.

"One time he picked up my car for not making a payment and I still didn't have my tag," said Lewis.

After filing a complaint with DMV, Lewis got a letter informing her that Martin was violating the law for failing to register the car. In fact in a written statement, DMV said,"We have received five complaints (in the past year). Each of these complaints has been turned over to SLED for investigation."

Martin and his attorney, Franchot Brown admit he was wrong. "He (Martin) was supposed to provide the tags in 45 days but he didn't do that when the customer did not pay the agreed amount they were supposed to pay,"said Brown.

"After communicating with DMV in reference to the tag situation, I feel that I have broken the law,"said Martin.

Martin claims Lewis has failed to make payments on her car and is behind by more than $600.

Meanwhile the Better Business Bureau gives Champ Auto Sales an "F" rating for failing to respond to consumer complaints. Something Martin said he's going to resolve.

"Taking it for granted like I said, being irresponsible on my part and I sincerely apologize for it,"said Martin.

As for Lewis, she wants the issue with her car taken care of. "I want my tags or I want my money back,"said Lewis.

Brown says she can get a full refund under one condition. "So long as the car comes back in the same condition it was in, my client (Martin) would be more than happy to refund her money in full,"said Brown.

In the meantime, Martin plans to work on changing some of his business practices and hopes some of his customers make some changes too.

"I'm going to abide by the law as far as making sure individuals have their tags in a timely manner. And at the same time I expect customers to respect me as a business owner,"said Martin.