by Christy (Piqua Ohio usa)
Problems with a 2003 Dodge Neon with Pay Assurance System Installed at buy here pay here dealer. I bought this car from One Stop Auto 4 months ago. It had a new battery and ran beautiful. I have a car payment every two weeks. If I don’t pay on time, a car disabling device kicks in and won’t let my car start.I’ve never been late on a payment. Just lately, after putting in a code, after I paid my car payment, my car wouldn’t start. I called the dealer and he said he’d send a tow truck. I tried to jump my car battery. The lights came on super bright in my car, but my car would still not go. The tow truck guy came and he tried to jump my car, but he failed too. I think He just wanted the tow charge. My car was taken to the dealers shop, and a half hour later, when I called about my car, I was told the mechanics had went home! I then called the next day. The mechanic had taken my battery out of my car and put it on a charger. My car then worked fine. The mechanic told me that my dome light was staying on a draining my battery. This is not true. My dome light goes off as soon as I shut the car door. Nothing is staying on in my car and draining the battery. I then said I would pick up the car. I did not authorize any work to be done on the car or for the battery to be charged. He did it on his own. The mechanic charged me $105.00 dollars! $40.00 for the tow, and $60.00 labor for charging my car battery he said was totally dead. My car battery wasn’t totally dead. I believe the disabling device wouldn’t let the starter start my car. We tried to jump the battery twice. It should have started. The first guy who tried to jump my battery said it was the starter that my car should have started when he jumped it. I believe the dealer activated the car disabling device so my car wouldn’t start and I would let them take my car to “fix it” and extort money from me by saying something was wrong with my car. Auto part stores charge your car batteries for free. This mechanic charged me $60.00! I am totally pissed-off.Christy: Thank you for voicing your opinion and for bringing this Pay Assurance System Problem to my attention. I had never heard of this kind of starter interrupt system before today! I did some research and found this documentation you might find interesting on the national alliance of buy here pay here website. Search for this when you get there Payment Device Study White Paper, opens in a new window. I plan on doing some more research on the subject because your concerns and suspicions seem to be credible reasons for concern. Again thank you for posting this. If I learn any more information about the Pay Assurance System Installed by Dealerships I will add it to the comments.Note to visitors of this page. Christy is an independent site visitor speaking her own mind about the payment assurance system. This view does not reflect the views of the Auto-Facts.org website or it’s parent company. Please report on your own experience with the Payment Assurance Device that interrupts the starter if you miss a payment. These are most often installed at buy here pay here type automobile dealerships. I would like to be fair and balanced and hear from both sides of the story. The above white paper makes good points about why something like this is necessary and useful for all involved. Dealers are welcomed to report on their experience with this system as well.
Comments for Pay Assurance System Problems
Average Rating 
Jan 05, 2017Rating
Pass time with USA Auto Sales by: Anonymous I am currently having the same issue with the pass time device in my car. Payments are made, brand new battery, alternator good, starter good, ignition switch good. Took it to a preferred service center, the mechanic stated “Oh we see this all the time I know just what it is. Let me show u what to do if it does it again”. He then proceeded to stick a paper clip into the pass time device and my car started!!! This device needs to be banned, it’s only bringing a burden to people. I know others who have this device on their car and having issues with their car starting even when payments are made.Jumps don’t work, we tried different cars and cables. Even got a brand new battery for no reason. Checked out the alternator, starter, and ignition switch. Thank God I didn’t waste money getting those replaced for the hell of it. Now I’m stuck sticking a paper clip in the device where two end wires are (risking shock and all) so I can get to work. They are supposed to be fixing the problem soon, whenever I can get them to send a reliable tow company to pick up my car and they better not charge me anything. I’m afraid of sticking that paper clip in there too often, so they just need to come get it and fix it. I don’t have anything to do with this pass time on my car malfunctioning. I pay too much money for this crap. Thanks for reading, just wanted to share my experience with others having the same problem.
Dec 18, 2011Rating
It happened again, third time. by: Anonymous I went out to start my car again and when I turned the key the disabling device starting beeping! The car wouldn’t start! I just made a payment yesterday, put in the code and drove home from work! The device wouldn’t stop beeping and is running down my battery. I called a technician at Pay Assurance/Passtime devices in Colorado, and told him what’s been happening. He said the device is malfunctioning, that it shouldn’t be making a sound if payment has been made. It has. He also told me to disconnect the battery before the device drains it and makes it dead. He said that disconnecting may re-set the device, but he wasn’t sure. Unfortunately, I don’t have the tools to disconnect my car battery. The mechanics who installed this device in the car tried to make me think something else was wrong with the car so they could charge me money for fixing my car. They said the dome light was staying on but it wasn’t. It states in our car contract that if the device fails it is to be fixed at DEALER’S EXPENSE. These guys owe me the tow charge back, $40 and the $60 they charged me to charge my car battery! They are closed on the weekends, and my car wouldn’t start on Saturday. I can’t reach them to fix my car and now I have to go without my car until I talk to them Monday morning. My payments are current. These guys are SOBs.
Dec 13, 2011Rating
Ripped Again! by: Anonymous Hi it’s me Christy again. When I went out to start my 2003 dodge neon, the starter sounded like it was trying to start my car and the pay assurance device started beeping in the steering column where it was installed. It went crazy beeping and my car would not start. I wasn’t due to make a payment for 8 days. I called the dealer and they said they would send a tow truck to jump my car. I said, “At your expense, right?” So the tow truck came and the guy was able to jump my car. He then tried to tell me it might be the alternator. I know it was the pay assurance device draining my car battery. This was the same tow truck driver from before, who wasn’t able to jump my car the last time. I’ve been trying to get a hold of Eric at quick credit auto sales in Piqua to return the first tow charge and the $60.00 to charge my battery. He always seems to be at lunch. But it states in my contract that if the device fails, they will pay costs incurred. I will let you know what happens when I get a hold of him and his mechanic, Scott.