Bad experience at the auto dealership today

[luvmarypoppins]

Well, some of you have read my posts about the search for a new van. We had an internet quote on the one we really wanted etc. My DH even went as far as putting down a cc deposit to hold it so it wouldnt get sold. Well low and behold when we got there today we were baited and switched. Boy am I glad I did most of the talking etc. and not dh. He would have gotten us royally ripped off. First #1, they "sold" our originally quoted van, and didnt bother to tell us over the phone, This is a far away dealership who offered us the best deal #2 - They showed us a van with less options and didnt want to adjust the price for that based on our original quote and #3 - yes, the 3rd rip off this same salesperson gave us was that he told us , oh I made a mistake, well a nice $1,000 mistake in the quote, Needless to say we walked out very disappointed and wasting a whole bunch of our time. No one around here has what we want. Only 1 more dealer so far away has something close. I have asked for 1 more quote. This has just destroyed my respect for any new car salesperson. The last time was 13 years ago and my, how things have changed for the worse!!

 

[mamajoan]

I am very sorry that you had to go thru all of this.. very, very frustrating for sure.

May I suggest that you complain to the dealership "brand"... ie.. like Toyota, Chrysler...Kia.... explain your story, time involved and a copy of the quote you rec'd from that dealer. Hopefully they will contact you immediately to resolve the situation. Also mention that you will be contacting the Better Business Bureau and your local news affiliate to inform them of this dealerships bait and switch attempt. AND if they don't come thru.. do it!

I was very pleased with the treatment I rec'd from a Chrysler Dealer after using their online service to check out cars and prices.
I told them I would tell Daimler Chrysler ( THE Big Guys at the top) to compliment them on the service I had received during this purchase. They said they would appreciate it a great deal... nice to get compliments along with complaints.

Buying a van is a big purchase for anyone.. it should not have to be so frustrating. Best wishes on your search.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I HATE buying a new vehicle. Sometimes I wonder how those salespeople can sleep at night because of the way some of them rip people off. Good thing you stood your ground. Good Luck on your van hunting!

 

[mudnuri]

First off- every dealer has a vehicle locater service.

A dealer next to you may not have the vehicle you want, however they can locate it for you. Some dealers dont like to do this, because of a number of reasons. For instance..the hold back on a van, could be $400 while the hold back on a sedan might be $300. so lets say the dealer has the van- sends it to your dealer, in trade for the sedan.....they only get the $300 when they sell the sedan- but your dealer gets the $400 when they sell the van..(get it? or is that confusin!)

2nd- theres no reason to do an internet quote. Dont have them tell you what your paying. Do some research at edmunds.com on the invoice/holdbacks/rebates/offers etc.... and email or fax what you want and what your going to pay.

We buy cars from 2 different dealers, cars from 1 and trucks from another. The only cars we havent been able to get at invoice have been the Cadi's- and the reason is most people who buy a cadi dont need to dicker with the price!...

Every other vehicle we've bought has been at or below dealer invoice after you factor in the rebates/offers. When we bought DH's Duramax P/U I paid $500 less than invoice, which was close to $3500 less than sticker price! And this is a truck that is very hard to come by (Crew Cab, Duramax Allison, Short bed)....even today you can't find them around here....

Also- never put a deposit on a car, they make thousands of them every day, even here in a small town in Vermont I've never been not able to find what I want within a week.

Brandy

 

[CarolA]

May I suggest that you complain to the dealership "brand"... ie.. like Toyota, Chrysler...Kia.... explain your story, time involved and a copy of the quote you rec'd from that dealer. Hopefully they will contact you immediately to resolve the situation

I had a bad experience with the local Saab dealer and I did the above. I got a nice letter back saying..... we have no control over our dealers! (They would not even try to sell me the car! I guess I didn't look like I could afford it?)

I actually wound up buying the car in Atlanta (400 miles away). I did all of it over the internet and feel very happy with the deal I got.

 

[LindaG4458]

We just bought a Toyota Avalon over the internet and telephone last week. I contacted the dealer, about 1 hour away, on Tuesday. He found the car I wanted within hours, and quoted the price for that particular car. I had researched prices (MSRP, invoice, etc.) online prior so knew it was reasonable. He had the car delivered to that dealership on Wednesday and delivered to my home on Thursday.

This is the second time we have purchased this way from this dealer and would do so again. Beforehand I had also researched what various dealers had on the lot so I knew he could find the car I wanted and get it for me.

Is there a dealer nearby that you trust and who would do this for you? Can anyone you know recommend a dealer?

I hate car shopping but these two purchases were painless.

Car salesmen are the lowest of the low. There is a dealership near our old home in MA who used to take the plates off people's cars so they couldn't leave without buying. They have been in serious trouble with the MA attorney general on several occasions.

Good luck. I hope you get the van you want.