WARNING: Mike Watcher’s Used Cars & EZ Rent-A-Car – Linked Businesses, Dangerous Practices
Customers should be aware that Mike Watcher’s Used Cars (376 Main St, Lavelle, PA) and EZ Rent-A-Car (Pottsville/Schuylkill Haven) appear to be directly connected. Based on my experience, they do not operate with transparency or proper concern for customer safety.
I leased a 2018 Chevy Impala LT from EZ Rent-A-Car and immediately experienced serious mechanical issues, including malfunctioning remote start feature, slow, weak crank, a non-functioning passenger-side high beam, and emissions problems that resulted in medically confirmed carbon monoxide exposure. I used an OBD2 scanner and provided the business with a full list of diagnostic trouble codes (including emissions and air flow issues) directly connected to the symptoms I was experiencing — including nausea, shortness of breath, tingling tongue, and eventually collapse during my job as an Amazon delivery associate.
The Impala was kept at their garage for 6 days, and I was assured there were “no codes” and “no exhaust issues, also the car does not have remote start” But when I picked up the vehicle after hours, I was provided no paperwork, no intake sheet, no diagnostic reports — just the key. Upon scanning the vehicle myself, several of the same OBD2 codes were still present, along with new ones, proving nothing had been properly resolved. I requested repair documentation in person at the garage and again through the leasing office. To this day, I have received no response.
When I returned the vehicle due to the verified health risk, I was coerced into signing vague paperwork listing the wrong vehicle (Malibu instead of Impala) just to receive a refund — and then the check was canceled via stop payment five days later. No warning, no communication, no resolution. The car was actually listed the very next day still featuring the remote start in the online vehicle description.
Gina Watcher, who handled the refund and paperwork, appears to be connected to Mike Watcher and this dealership. The coordination between these two businesses makes it clear they operate in tandem. I trusted EZ Rent-A-Car and Mike Watcher’s Used Cars for years, even after multiple defective vehicles — but this final experience put my health and financial safety at risk, and the cover-up afterward has been appalling.
If you’re considering doing business with either location: get everything in writing, scan every vehicle yourself, and document every conversation. Better yet, take your business elsewhere.
They make buying a car possible! Wish you utilized carfax so I knew the transmission would be dying on my malibu.. and that the "dirt" on the passenger door was rubber cement used on the mirror that dripped down.. engine is solid..
do not use this shop. horrible cars that he sells through his sons dealer, EZ Rent to Own in schuykill. they wont pass inspection and need a ton of work. we couldn't make our car payment because of all the repairs it needed. Mike Sr. came out to repo the car and was rude and put his hands on my wife. we are currently pulling the video from the parking lot cameras to prove this to the police and are placing a complaint with the attorney generals office and have placed a complaint with penndot over their inspection practices.
Me and my girlfriend have been taking our car to this shop. We complained about sounds that our car was making, they said it was our breaks so we got them fix. After we got our brakes fixed our car kept making sounds, we proceeded to take it back to the shop and they said that there was nothing wrong with our car and that it was safe to drive back. Two days later our car broke down and we took it to another garage to get it fix and they said that our car had been having multiple issues for a long time (which mike waters told us it was safe to drive) and now we have to pay 3,600 dlls to fix it. so don’t take ur car to this place thank you
Sold my daughter a car with a major frame damage and electrical issues. Had the car 2 out of 30 days. Rest of time was supposedly getting "fixed" ZERO customer service updating us on the status. Finally was fed up and returned the car and they kept our 2,000 down payment for a car my daughter had two days!!. Do NOT RECOMMEND!!
i have a 2005 nissan altima and ever since i got it ive had problems..and now they mite have to send my car to a nissan dealership cause the garage cant figure out wats wrong with the car
Integrity is very important. Customers should be able to ask questions, have them answered and be able to trust that what they are being told is the truth. Too many business lack integrity.
Got a car from them in February. First off, had no four ways and tires that were rotting on the inside. Then, come June..it’s time for inspection. Keep in mind I only had the vehicle for 4 months or so. Well couldn’t pass inspection because the frame is all rusted to the point there’s holes in it. This vehicle they sold me belongs in the junk yard. Not to mention I’m paying more than double for this car than what it’s worth.
Horrible business to get a car from. The owner Angie is rude and ignorant. You buy a car from them and it breaks two days later and takes them two months to supposedly fix it and then it's still acting up. Btw Angie won't call you personally. She will hide behind the email. Real keyboard warrior this one. Don't Not get a car from them. Real shady business.
My experience with Mike watcher was all positive in fact when he got me the 2012 Chevy Express 2500 van... He told me trust me this is a good vehicle... Well 433,000 miles later same engine, no rebuild transmission got rebuilt at 308,000 miles...
He wasn't lying and it still runs today with a lot of zip... When I purchased it it had 76,000 mi on it...
Michael Cannon,
Danville Pennsylvania
They are amazing and I love them we will continue to take my car and dads truck there they fixed the key fob for me and I was a happy camper !!! 😀 Best all round highly recommend
There lot in pottsville ... you may seek perfection in all things in this world and never find it but as far as used car dealees go, this is the closest you will find .. inventory, people, deals for sure and prob. service never had anything wrong with it so I can only guess the service is as good as everything else. THANK YOU!!! pottsville locations people eveyone of you!!!!
Bought this truck from them 3 years ago with 94k on it. It now has 176k. Great service. Great trucks. I looked at 40 trucks before I found these guys and they hooked me up with my forever truck.
I got a vehicle from here. A few weeks after i had a problem with it. I called them and told them, they came and picked up the car that same day. The next day they called and said its fixed. Excellent customer service. I would recommend them to anyone.
Stay away from here take your money else where you where warned their business practice is a joke and I truly don't trust the repairs they do to the vehicle we have asked numerous times for a list of what they fixed and it's been over a month and it keep getting the runaround so we could take that list to our shop and have them inspect a vehicle to make sure things are properly done and not rigged again you have been forewarned this place is a damn joke plus had car there few times and said the fixed things and didn't
I'll never go there again in a million years. Essentially sold me a truck that wouldn't have passed inspection. Of course I didn't figure this out until I went and got it inspected after their little three month warranty had lapsed. This place does nothing to dispel the used car dealer stereotypes.
Was a huge fan of Mike and his staff but recently had a bad experience with one of the mechanics....thank God my boyfriend knew how to get my car up and running again cause after the mechanic said "no big deal it's just this and wiggled a few wires" my car let me sit again.
I purchased a 2004 Wrangler from this dealership and drove from NY to pick it up. I even paid for a private party for an inspection and the party informed me there potentially was an issue with the heater core of the car. The dealership ensured me that they tested it and it would not be an issue. I purchased the car and within a week i began smelling coolant. Fast forward to me spending 750$ to replace the heater core at my local shop. To the dealers credit he did give me back 250$ (he said this would have been his cost). He said he would have replaced it for me himself but i could not drive back to the dealer. What frustrated me though was that he was so adamant and confident the heater core was not an issue despite me going back and forth to multiple mechanics who told me it was. I wish that was the only problem. I have owned the care for 60 days and have personally dumped over 3000 in repairs on this vehicle. Heater core, AC system, Rear differential, multiple hoses, and finally the head gasket. Every time i called the dealer the owner was conveniently out doing errand and was not prompt to return my phone calls. For a dealer that "would do right by me" I certainly do not feel righted. I am incredibly dissatisfied with my experience here and would not recommend anyone purchase from this facility.
Sold me a wrecked jeep been back several times since for problems and they keep saying there is nothing wrong with it. Wouldnt recommend my worst enemy to buy a vehicle here
Website
