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My Salesperson Misled Me
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I have found a dealer with a good price on the car I want (08 Nissan Altima) but they don't have the color. The salesman said he would give me the same price if they transferred the preferred color from a different dealership, but they require a deposit. My question is this: Are deposits typically refundable/non-refundable? My concern is that I will put down a deposit, and "something will happen" that results in the color not arriving or the previously agreed upon price increasing. Is there anyway to ensure this does not happen?
Much appreciated for any help.
Here is my situation, any advice would be appreciated.
Some Background...
In February I used Edmunds.com to request quotes from dealers on a 2008 Chrysler Aspen. I got several quotes back made the decision to go take one of the dealers up on their offer, made an appt to test drive the car and sign the paperwork. I signed the sales agreement and put a deposit down. They ordered the car for me as I explained I was not looking to have it immediately because my lease on my current SUV wasn't up until May 3rd.
Fast forward to yesterday...
I get a call in the early afternoon from the Dealer to inform me that my truck has arrived and that I needed to fax over my current chrysler lease paperwork. To which I said "I don't currently have a Chrysler lease, it is a GMC Envoy" the person on the phone says, well we have a problem I will call you right back. Five mins later the phone rings and it is the Sales Manager that gave me the original quote, he is telling me that he built a 1k rebate into the deal based on an owner loyalty deal Chrysler has. I never told him I had a current Chrysler lease, I never asked for the numbers that made up the final agreement and he never went over them with me. I was interested in a quote, he gave me one and I signed the deal. When I told him I never stated that I owned a Chrysler and was never asked when signing the deal I didn't feel responsible for the 1k he told me we had a problem and would call me back today. Well today came and went and they never called. I am not too eager to get the car as I have a few more weeks on my Envoy but would like to have this issue resolved. In your experience what would your dealers do? The way I see it they had ample opportunity to ask for whatever paperwork they needed if they were under the impression that I had a current Chrysler lease, such as the 2 wks of discussions leading up to the deal, the appt that I made to come and sign the deal, sometime with the last two months before going to Chrysler Financial to run my credit, etc... I think if it is a mistake on their part they should take the 1k as a loss and keep a customer happy.
Any advice on what I should do and/ or expect? Is this common practice?
Sorry for the long post.
thanks.
DG :mad:
How much are they asking for? To me a deposit confirms my seriousness in purchasing their vehicle.
Mack
If your contract does mention owner loyalty rebate, then offer to split the difference.
Before you do anything though I would drive to the dealership, verify the vehicle is there (may have been sold) then speak with the GM. A honorable dealership would honor the price .
Considering the fact that most Chrysler dealers would need about a pound of plastic explosive to move an Aspen, they should be glad to have a buyer at almost any price...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I am about to purchase 09 Camry LE (negotiated via internet) which is supposed to have power moonroof and VSC installed, however the list of equipment that was shown on dealers site for the stock number of vehicle in question did not show those items included.
The sales rep says they have been installed and the window sticker shows that equipment as optional. I have to travel some distance and am trying to ensure that I don't bear the wasted expense of this travel by having to back out of deal if there is some sort of scam and they tell me that there has beensome sort of misunderstanding and the equipement in question is not installed.
I think you answered my question as I did obtain copy of Monroney sticker but did not know how to interpret the option list. I thought they were showing what the price of the options would be if you ordered them and not necessarily that they were installed.
I am presuming now that if the options are listed on Monroney sticker than they are indeed installed on vehicle.
That is correct.
A Monroney always shows what equipment is factory installed on a particular car.
If the dealership installs a piece of equipment, that is shown on an addendum sticker.
I got burned on one of those. They simply put a certified sticker on a used van. The van's OK and has the warranty that goes with the certification but none of the other stuff was done. I got nowhere trying to fight it.
Funny thing is the salesman and dealership kept trying to hit me with all the "customer for life" business while they guaranteed I will never spend another nickel there.
Like you said slap on that sticker and someone will buy. It's a good thing there's no CSI on used vehicles. One thing for sure Toyota will have no part of it. They will tell you to take your issue to the dealer who you bought it from.
I've actually done very well with American Honda customer service in the past but they handed this one off like a hot potato.
Too bad you didn't catch it before the sale, you could've made it a condition of the sale.
They can't. Now you know what to expect from this dealer.
I'd do my best to find another dealer for my service.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Mack
I would do as Mack says and tell the dealer that if they don't remedy this, you will contact an attorney.
Mack
Man, when all the car salespeople are telling you to get an attorney, get one.
This sounds like a case when it won't pay to be a nice guy. I would tell the dealer he has 10 days to replace the vehicle or forward you a check for 20% of the total cost as "diminished value".
It doesn't matter where the damage happened. That's the problem of the dealer who sold it to you. Get yours and let the dealer sue the other dealer if he wants.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Best of luck, and please let us know how it turned out.
The salesman wanted to show my friend some other report from TransUnion or something like that. I had told him if the salesman didn't show him THE carfax for that VIN number to pass. He got a different white car in trade from a different dealer; but he stayed with the same salesman. I'm still wondering what was on the carfax on a brand new wagon...
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Now about those items - they could be completely meaningless, like" vehcle offered for sale", "safety recall performed", etc.
1. When the car was brought into the country
2. Probably some sort of inspection at the port of entry
3. Another inspection at the dealership for pre-delivery items
4. Offered for sale as a new vehicle listed
Additionally if the car was already dealer traded from another dealer, especially if it was an out of state dealer, that that will come up as well as a change in ownership when the CO is reassigned. When that dealer puts it out on the lot it might show up on the carfax.
Sometimes when a vehicle is shipped from port it shows up on the carfax as well and sometimes it shows up again when the car is dropped off at the dealer.
Potentially you could have eight or nine reports on the carfax of a car that has never been titled.
You should also consider that you have owned this car for 'years', and you have never noticed repaired damage. And no one servicing the auto has told you about the damage. So, what is probably happening is the dealer you attempted to trade the car, is using the pre-existing accident repair as a reason to reduce the amount they are offering for trade. The used car people that appraised your car can quite easily find any damage from accidents, even minor damage. It's really not that tough, and this is their business.
And Volkwagons are well known as being one of the least reliable cars now being sold. The problems you have had with the car may not be related at all to any accident damage.
Overall, you are out of luck trying to get the selling dealer to refund any money, etc.
Our answer is always..." Probably".
We say this because we really don't have any way of knowing.
"An accident" isn't always a bad thing unless it was something major. Cars are always geting backed into, rear ended etc and this really isn't that big of a deal. a quality body shop can restore a car to like new condition with no ill effects.
Car Faxes aren't always accurate. The "accident" they listed could be the result of a rear view mirror being torn off by a kid on a bicycle.
And sometimes, bad accidents don't even show up.
Volkswagens are troublesome cars and I doubt if this accident had anything to do with the troubles.
That's funny.. because every car that I've ever traded in.. the UCM inspects it to see if it's been in an accident..
They've never missed one, yet..
You.. as a salesperson.. might not "know" if it's been in an accident.. but, your UCM most certainly does..
regards,
kyfdx
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I suppose as a buyer I would like to be informed of previous accidents. Not sure there is a reliable source of those types of records outside major incidents. Even extensive sheet metal repair might not make me decide no if I really wanted and liked the car. Major frame damage or totaled/salvaged history is another animal.
Sure and it could have happened from the tooth ferry making his/her rounds on a moonless night but more than likely it is the result of a "real accident”.
"An accident" isn't always a bad thing unless it was something major.
I agree that not all “accidents” are a reason to not buy a used car.
In 1988 I bought a used 85’ Grand Prix that had the right fender replaced. When I looked at the car I could barely see a mismatch of paint between it and the right door. I also noticed a little bit of over spray in the wheel well. I was able to buy the car for my price and more importantly, when I mentioned the re-work to the salesman he didn’t try to deny it (which would have chased me away). All he said when I mentioned it to him was, “as you can see it is a first class repair job” and I agreed with him.
FWIW, I’m sure you meant door mirrors and not “rear view mirror”. Where I come from the rear view mirror is mounted on the windshield inside the car. No kid can knock that off with his bicycle, tricycle or bike cause they ain’t allowed to ride those things in a car around here. :shades:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Then we will ask the customer what happened.
An accident that shows on a Car Fax isn't a a good thing but a lot of people aren't bothered by this when they see the repair job was properly done.
We will then make that car an "X" car. before the stock number there will be an "X".
We disclose this to the new buyer and require them to sign the Car Fax form and we keep that on record.
On cars with a clean Car Fax we never say..."see, it's never been in an accident"
We never get any heat because we disclose everything!
One of these days I will look up the carfax report on my car.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
it was pretty interesting reading.
Only if the car has a Salvage title.
Fact is, most used cars have soem sort of paint work dodne to them.
It's really hard to find a 100% unmolested trade in.
I don't know what your cars real situation is.
It could be that the dealer you are working with is trying to get you down on the trade in value.
Some repair jobs are done really well, but the meter never lies!
So that's why every car I look at has dents. :P
Seriously, is there really such a thing as a paint meter? Or is that a buzz word for the UCM's eyeballs?
If it really exists, I'd like to get me one of those.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Yes, we use one where I work. It measures the thickness of the paint. Anything too thick is a giveaway.
Also, magnets are another way to check if a car has been repaired. Body filler is not magnetic.
He's into Kayaks and hiking big time and the S-2000 he has is worthless if the roads are slick and it sure won't carry a kayak.
He ran across an immaculte, one owner 1993 Eddie Bauer Explorer. The Explorer was so nice it looked like it had 40,000 instead of the 140,000 it had.
The owner was an older guy who was as honest as he could be.
Right off the bat, he disclosed the fact that when the Explorer was almost new it had been in a major accident to the tune of 14,000 at the time. His son lost in on the ice and flipped it on it's side! At the time, he begged his ins. co total it but they wouldn't. It took a Ford Body Shop over a month to fix it.
He said he just knew " it would never be the same" and planned to just trade it in on a new one.
But, it never suffered any ill effects. Fourteen years later, it tracks straight, has no rattles and looks like it's ten years newer than it is.
We paid 2100.00 for it and it's doing just great!
Cars CAN be properly repaired!
$2100.00! You paid too much!
Mack