05-18-2010, 02:29 PM | #1 |
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Mississippi KIA Dealer faces Fraud Charges
News reports indicate that Tommy Parker, former owner of Parker KIA in Columbus, is facing fraud charges for not paying off trade liens and selling used cars with existing liens. For the full news report - click here
I thought the case was interesting because it illustrates how slowly the wheels of justice turn - Parker was arrested 15 months ago and the transactions in question happened 18 months ago. Parker's trial was supposed to start this week. The other reason the story caught my interest concerned the failure of a KIA store. Parker reportedly owned the store for 10 years before he began having financial problems. To the extent KIA's a hot franchise and the dealer operated the store for 10 years it seems odd he'd have financial problems. I wonder if there's more to the story? |
05-18-2010, 02:35 PM | #2 |
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There was a Kia dealer in Arlington TX in a similar situation: http://www.byownerautosales.com/Arli...2_mar_2009.htm
Last edited by XDCX; 05-18-2010 at 03:08 PM. Reason: Fixed link - it had "http://" listed twice and wouldn't work |
05-18-2010, 03:05 PM | #3 |
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Stupidity & dishonesty can screw up even good territories & brands.
The success of a KIA store, like any other franchises is determined largely by the actions of the dealer principle. Fish start to stink from the head down not the tail up. |
05-18-2010, 03:12 PM | #4 | |
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Quote:
Any idea if that dealer has ever been criminally charged? Leaving 233 customers with title problems and $250K+ in unpaid sales tax will land you in prison in many states. Additionally, I never knew Texas issued Dealer Licenses to a "location" instead of a "person" - I'd never heard of that before. |
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05-18-2010, 06:36 PM | #5 |
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