Lemon Squad

I was looking at an out-of-state car, and paid $149 on Lemonsquad.com for an inspection on Jul-12. Lemon Squad organized the inspection for Jul-15. In the weekend, the dealer sold the car to someone else. So, they could not complete a service for a particular that I requested. The invoice that I have clearly shows the vehicle and the dealer that I requested the service. Now they are refusing to refund me the money, and they say that I can use the funds for another vehicle. However, the issue is that I do not want to use the service anymore at all. Order number 378000

This review is in reference to job #364733, ordered from Cleveland, Ohio on a exotic car from an Internet sale from Michigan. First, the leather dashboard had suffered dry rot and was peeling off. This dry rot was NEVER mentioned in their $200 report. Had the local dealership order a new hand- stitched leather dashboard from Italy!

Also, the front bumper had paint over-spray on the grille, which went UNREPORTED! When I took this exotic car to the body shop, the technician reported that Lemon Squad also missed the front bumper's paint job was the wrong color type and didn't match the rest of the car! Seeing how I've never taken an auto body repair/paint class, I embarrassingly had not noticed until my tech pointed it out!
After a new paint job, now, the entire car is the SAME color! Another costly mistake by this company! Maybe they are called Lemon Squad because they're a "lemon" themselves!

Don't bother wasting your money & just have a local guy inspect your investment, not this company! Asked for a refund & got blown off!

We had these 'pros' look over a 2010 Buick Enclave. While taking a good number of pics, they missed the bad lower ball joints and leaky struts. When we got that "great" inspection of such a "great" (in THEIR opinion) car, we made the deal, went to the owner and took it for a test drive ourselves, where we noticed a slight pull, but went with their reports findings and made the deal. in hindsight, we should've walked, but we figured it was due to the road conditions (construction).

We paid $8k for the car and just found out we now need to spend an additional TWO THOUSAND+ dollars for the needed repairs.

When we called the Lemon Squad, instead of admitting they are not 100% in what they do and how sorry they are, we heard a fancy dance about how this could've happened in the days after we bought the car, and basically, they are NOT responsible, period. If we want to take them to small claims, we'd have to file in Hennepin county, "only" 450 miles away.

They're NOT responsible? then WHY did we go to them to inspect a car?

Instead, we'll just do reviews all over the USA, and hope to steer enough "targets" (customers like us) away from a "service" like these folks provide. Please know there are MANY people out there that provide this service, many are REALLY local (instead of subcontracting) and we're sure you'll find a better result by going with ANYONE but these people. A coin flip or oiuja board would be just as good as what we paid for, which was NOTHING. They should be ashamed of providing such a shoddy service, but I don't think shame or empathy is something they really understand. It cuts into their bottom line.

I will not speak to the quality of their reviews, as I never received one. I ordered a review based on an out-of-state dealer recommendation before purchasing one of their cars. 3 hours after ordering a lemon squad review, the dealer sold the car out from under me. I attempted to close my Lemon Squad order and get a refund ($180 plus with add-ons). Nope. Despite doing nothing, they refuse to refund even $1. Find a company with heart, this one has none.

I ordered an inspection for an out of state vehicle. What a waste of money! This company is horrible!

From the actual report :

The car arrived June 1 but was not driveable. As soon as I started it up the engine stalled, the check engine light came on, the SMT warning light came on. I immediately took the car to a nearby garage. They had it 9 days but never got the opportunity to look at it. So. I take it to the Toyota dealership. They hook up the scanner and found 3 codes P1646 Transmission control ECU malfunction P0860 Gear shift module communications circuit P0191 —>Fuel Rail Pressure Sensor Circuit Range/Performance The shift actuator was leaking and needed to be replaced -Cost: 4835.00 The inspection was completed May 24th or 25th, but Because we were buying several states away and the car had to be shipped, we didn't receive the car until June 1st. The 1st garage had the car until June 14th and never looked at it so we didn't know what was even wrong until the Toyota dealership looked at it on the 14th.

We contacted Lemon Squad about the issues and received this response from Denise : No one asked You to fix the car, Denise, we simply wanted a refund for the useless repost we were given .

I had requested several things to be checked over carefully... ie photos of inside all wheel wells... pull trunk mat out and photo trunk carefully he didn't do these... he totally missed that the a/c didn't blow cold!... missed that the drivers door panel is shot yet did film passenger side. Commented in report that car had hailstorm damage but didn't get any pics showing it and upon review of his AND customers pics could not see anywhere where reflections showed any wavering! In the trunk someone attached a piece of plywood over opening that goes down to bottom of quarter panel obviously hiding damage and he didn't catch it.

see report #351909
I feel a refund is due or at the very lease a credit to inspect another car at n/c.
thank you

Stay away. Many other reputable companies out there I have used. Ordered an inspection from Lemon Squad. They scheduled it for the next day. Canceled it a couple hours later (i. e., well before it was scheduled). Company says nothing to me about moving up the inspection so contends I cannot cancel. I complain. I get a very unprofessional message from the company out of Minnesota. Absurdly unprofessional and sarcastic. I saved it, in case anyone wants to hear it. Beware of the unilateral rules Lemon Squad hides in its FAQs. That's how they try to get around ever, ever refunding your money. Bottom line is this: once you pay, NOTHING will entitle you to a refund, according to this fly by night shop. As for the inspection report — it was horrendous. Had them look at a VW diesel TDI. 85K miles. No timing belt change by the single owner, which is due at 60K. $1100 service. Critical for these cars, if you know the car. Report indicated it was fine. Among other misses. Stay away. Lemon Squad is indeed A LEMON.

I contracted with Lemon squad about an RV inspection. They ran the report and came back saying it was a great vehicle, Because of family issues we were not able to use the motor home for 5 weeks after purchase when we complained to Lemon squad. We voiced our issues to them and here is how they replied. "I spoke with the inspector earlier and even though we did this inspection over a month ago, he did still remember the unit. I read all of your concerns to him and this is what he said about them. The seller did turn the generator on for the inspector to prove that it worked. The seller let it run for about a minute and it ran strong with no issues. There were also 130 hours on the generator so he had no reason to think that it didn't work. The seller didn't open the awning for the inspector. The inspector looked all over the interior and exterior for any abnormal bulges and didn't see anything like that. He said that the interior was cleaned up very well and he saw nothing that was a concern. For the year and mileage, it had what he expected as normal wear. He did check the fridge and it was slightly cold but being that it wasn't currently being used, we would have no idea how cold iit would get on either setting. Sellers should have it running overnight so it is fully cold for us when we arrive but never do. It takes quite a while for it to get fully cold. We do not inspect the spare tire. We do have a 14 day policy after the inspection is done that you are able to get a refund on the price you paid for the inspection, but now we are going on two months since we looked at it. You should call your seller and tell him about the issues that bother you and see if he’s help you with them. With RVs, keep in mind that things can fail suddenly and unexpectedly. It is something that is unfortunate but typical with owning an RV. Have a great day.
It is a shame to rely on a company, spend $40, 000 on a vehicle it will now cost $15, 000 to repair

I had a total of 4 nearly identical vehicles inspected by Lemon Squad. Each and every time I made the order by phone and I was explicit that the vehicle needs to be checked for any repainted areas, and body repair. Each time Lemon Squads employee assured me that this is not an issue even if their technician does not have a paint meter. "our technicians look very carefully for panel alignment, overspray, filler, etc." To date I have given this company $520 dollars to check cars. I could not check the cars myself as they were located far away. I ended up deciding to purchase one of the cars based on the "professional" inspection from Lemon Squad. In the report it stated that the car "does not appear to have had any body repair or paint work, the trunk lid has some clear coat peeling". This was my main concern on the car, along with the condition of the glass. (the car is equipped with special windows which are known for issues and are very expensive to replace) "the right side of the front glass has slight de lamination" (no photo was provided of the "minor de lamination of the right front glass") After reading the inspection notes regarding my main concerns, I assumed the paint was all original, the windshield has minor de laminating, So since they only made 88 cars of this version, I bought it, and had it shipped to me.
As the car was being unloaded from the carrier I noticed obvious overspray around the driver door and surrounding areas. I also found the driver's and passengers door window, to be de laminated and the drivers window cracked.I then spent 15 minutes inspecting the car and it was obvious that all these issues were there for a long time. Lemon squad neglected to note, clear coat peeling on both quarter panels, roof edge, I actually found that 80% of the car was repainted poorly, wipers do not work, under covers broken, missing, window regulators working slowly (failing).
I took pictures of the overspray and cracked glass, contacted Lemon Squad and informed them of the situation. I told them this is a very serious error on their part and If I had known this I would have not even considered this car. In a hurry to get me off the phone, Angel asked for me to send an email, so I did. In the email I explained the issues, asked how it was possible they were missed as they are obvious, I also explained that due to the issues with the windows and lack of original paint, I no longer want the car, and if I sell it I will incur a loss.
After multiple attempts to get an answer, re sending the pictures of the issues they missed on the car. I got a call from Reagan stating that she contacted the owner (Andy) and even though it is past 14 days they will refund my money for that inspection. I asked again how were these obvious and serious issues overlooked, she replied, " I sent you links of the other inspections you had us do and I closed your access to the account" (she did to block my access to the improperly done inspection) She also went on to say that "we did not recommend you buy this car, we gave it a grade of a D" I informed her there was no recommendation to buy the car or not, I hired you guys to INSPECT the car! Which was not done properly, my main reason for inspection was the paint, body and windows, and these had issues that were not noted while being obvious on the car. I informed her that the technician who inspected the car was either brain dead, or was bribed by the seller. I called back asking to speak with the owner (Andy) who was "unavailable" within a few minutes I received an email with a link to the "terms and conditions" along with their attorneys contact. So I called him, no reply. I obtained Lemon Squads Owners (Andy) mobile number and I called him to discuss the matter, and the severity of this situation. Andy did not allow me to speak, he simply said he "bent over backwards" for me and we are done. I asked him I need to know how this could happen to which he said. I don't know, I will look into it internally but will not contact you. You and I are done." (hangs up phone)
So, this business collects money from people to check cars, so buyers do not get cheated, or get a car that is not what they expected. In reality the company misses obvious issues, which would even be visible to someone who knew nothing about cars, then accepts no responsibility, (moral or financial) for the incompetence or perhaps corruption within the company. I was never told how this happened, I never received an apology, never discussed on what can be done! Instead, Andy in the most arrogant, rude, and unprofessional matter ended this case by hanging up the phone! This business need to be shut down as it is not providing any reliable service. I got doubly cheated with this vehicle, once by the seller and then by Lemon Squad. My advice as a 25 year professional in the automotive industry, STAY AWAY! Wish for more details, pictures ? contact me [protected]

Hired this group to do a Pre Purchase inspection on a 1 yr old 50K SUV. You get what you pay for. This company is cheap and there is a reason why. When the vehicle showed up at our door it had body damage that was never photographed or mentioned to us. Interior scratches on the dash and general damage on most parts of the body. I should have had an appraiser or sent it to a shop who could actually lift the car and look everywhere, but these items that were missed were all in plain sight. Saw the issues as I was walking up to the car. My guess is that the dealer passed them an extra fee to give the car a good bill of health, or the inspector is just some kid who is clueless. The photos they sent were blurry, the report was not complete, it was a total scam/rip off. Either way SKIP LEMON SQUAD! Spend a little more money and have a reputable shop in the area look the car over. The SUV we bought although still under factory warranty will need 3, 000-4, 000 in repairs to the body, fairings, and to replace the dented and scratched dash parts. DO YOUR HOME WORK AND HIRE A REAL PROFESSIONAL. You cannot just walk around a car, take a few fuzzy photos and say it's fine. You have to get a car 6 feet up off the ground, and look it over with thoroughly inside and out and ask for 50-75 HD photos, and if they are blurry, as them to retake them. Another recommendation is to pay with your Credit Card, NOT your Bank Card or Pay Pal... This way you can dispute the charge on your Credit Card and get a refund for them scamming you.

Against my judgement my wife hired Lemon Squad to inspect a 50k used SUV in the Atlanta area. The owner is based in MN, Lemon Squad 6043 Hudson Road, Suite 305 Woodbury, MN 55125 P: [protected] who I assume hires a local guy to come out and look this over.
His report was stellar. In all my years of inspections this is the nicest, cleanest vehicle I have ever seen. His words... Then we get about 20 photos that are Fuzzy, Blurry, and show about 1/3rd of the vehicle. I guess you get what you pay for in the $139.00 package. Well I guess his words were all it took for my wife to pull the trigger. When the SUV showed up, every area he neglected to photograph had damage.. some of it pretty nasty. I could see the area as I walked up to the transport so they were in plain sight. My wife should have asked for better photos. It's her own fault. The interior has some damage too on the console, all together were looking at about 2, 000-4, 000 in repairs, body work and interior parts to make it the "nicest vehicle ever" as he says. I tried to get her to call the company who does an inspection and value for insurance companies that would have given her 100+ HD photos and a much deeper report but it was $300.00+.
Never has the "you get what you pay for" been more true. Very dissatisfied with Lemon Squad. Find a local shop, or appraiser and spend the extra money to get a real look at the vehicle if you cannot be there in person. Lemon Squad is more of a low end, scammer. I would steer clear. They missed soooooo much I couldn't even get it all down on this form.

Early this year I hired them to inspect mack dump truck I'm thinking of purchasing. After talking with the guy he sounds like he knows his job. I pay for their service an d told him what to check for .this guy send some incompetent guy no picture of engine, suspension, frames c valve, no under pictures .the guy can't drive a dump truck, didn't check whether the bucket is working the R light dead didn't mention .the camelback suspension have a visible Crack this guy didn't check that I brought the truck 13500 dollars . what a waste been warned

I engaged Andy Dabbs Lemon Squad to do an inspection on a classic truck in NC. after reading they used highly qualified mechanics to do their inspections and had a very comprehesive list of what they checked, plenty of photo's and a place on the form to ask for any special considerations. The inspection report I got had all the boxes ticked as good, incuding seat belts, that weren't ever in the truck. Plenty of photo's, all showing no problems and the comments, Show Condition, One of the Best we have seen.
When it arrived in my country, I was shocked to find that it was far from Show condition, with the exception of the engine, front clip and tray.
My special consideration was no bondo or rust.
It had plenty of both, clearly visible, some area's from 10 feet away.
The inspector took a photo of the middle of the door, just below glass showing the paint gauge with a perfect reading. Two feet above, clearly visible cracked bondo, no photo. Below at sill and rocker panel, hairline cracks in bondo, ripples in paint, because there was a thick layer of bondo, rocker panel welded on at one end, bondo held other end an inch out of line. No photo by inspector, but visible from at least 20 feet away. Bubbles in paint on left cab corner. Underneath, a layer of bondo on floor, mostly lightly painted over, but some bare bondo patches, all easy for an inspector to see.
Crossmember cab support frames that run from cab mounts to inner rocker panel, two each side, rusted out almost completey. These were covered by new supports that were too short, probably from a later model truck, wider, but fitted the existing bolts at the rocker end and fitted neatly over the rust. They were 6 inches short of reaching the cab mounts, because of the rust, they could not be welded, as they should have been to the cab mounts, so they floated, with one small self tapping screw keeping them in alignment. Two each side, all the same, very easy to see both the fact that they weren't attached and the rust at the end. Just needed the inspector to put his head under the truck . Inside the inspection holes at back of rockers, rust, newspaper stuffed in, and gutter sealer, again, easy to see. All 4 springs were different shapes, different heights, no matching pairs, inspectors photo's were taken from a position that made them look fine, but the photo's I took and sent to Andy showed them to be very different, not good at all, and again easy to see. It took less that five minutes with the truck on a wharehouse floor to see all this, not on a jack or hoist.
I emailed Andy as soon as I knew I had problems. His first response was an email to me and the inspector, telling the inspector that I was not happy and could he be more careful, got ot get it right. When I told him the problem was more serious than that, and I would want compensation, he said he will refund my inspection fee, as he is not liable apart from that, read his disclaimer in the inspection application form. Andy Dabbs interpretation of that disclaimer is that no matter how wrong or inaccurate their report is, he will not be responsible in any way. He has said he fired the inspector. In my country, a disclaimer is only there to protect a service provider or supplier from unreasonable expectation. Non of the previous mentioned was concealed or difficult to see, even for someone with no qualifications what so ever.
It read like and had photo's that would make you think it was a report prepared for the seller, , once you see what was not reported or photographed, Coincidence, I know.
Now stuff that a disclaimer might apply to, here, in NZ, but probably not in the case of the brakes. Rear brakes and handbrake not working, on dismantling, been covered in oil for some time, rear drums oversized, seals leaking. All four wheel cylinders, brake shoes, rear drums and master cylinder had to be replaced.
Stall converter replaced, alternator replaced, radiator remove to repair old leak, indicated by old coolant and dust mix on frame, oil leak, intake manifold, front wheel bearings.
I have spent weeks trying to get compensation, Andy did wire me $1500 at about week 7. But at the same time told me it was something he did not have to do, just a kind consideration on his part, show of good faith. Told me I should take responsibilty twice in emails. What a joke Andy, like I said in previous email, , I thought I was being really responsible using Lemon Squad, so I interpret what you say as meaning, if someone uses Lemon Squad for a pre-purchase inspection and expects to get a reasonably accurate report, they are being irresponsible.. Anyone, do all states in USA, have disclaimer laws that work like Andy tells me. Certainly rules out court action I am out of pocket plenty, owned truck 8 months, been in NZ 6 months, still working on it.
Put me on your Christmas list Andy, just in case you suddenly realise you didn't provide me with your advertised level of inspection service, as you said, SORRY for LETTING me DOWN. Sorry doesn't appease my bank manager.
All you offshore US car enthusiasts, BEWARE, read the fine print, but more importantly, if what I have been told is right, US has very different laws to us.
It may cheaper to fly to US and do your own inspection. In my case, much cheaper.

I had Lemon Squad inspect a 1993 Ford Rollback Wrecker in Ft Myers, Fl for me. I live in NY, and figured I'd try them, instead of spending the money to fly down there for something that might not be worth it. They did a full report, and it was more thorough than I expected. They picked out every little thing, including cracked window gaskets. Well, it turned out that they were trying to find every little thing wrong they could to discourage me from buying the truck, because their mechanic that did the inspection went and bought the truck out from under me! That right! He found out how cheap the woman was selling it for, and convinced her to sell it to him.
So, if you are looking to buy a vehicle that is selling at a very good price, beware of this company. Their mechanics are guys looking to make extra money, and one way of doing that is by buying and selling vehicles. I am sure I am not the only one this has happened to. Its just that, first of all, I am a mechanic myself, so they couldn't discourage me from buying it with the little work that it needed, and for the price I was getting it for. Second, I further investigated after the woman that had the truck would not answer or return my phone calls.Not only did I waste the $175 that they charged me, but I feel lost about $4000, which is how much more it will cost me to find another vehicle equivalent to this one.
So, if the vehicle seems like a real good deal, go check it out yourself. Because, if you hire these guys, you may lose it.