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Dealer Fat Finger // Active Duty Military Lost Money

quingoffquingoff Member Posts: 2
edited October 2014 in Nissan
Last September in 2013 I leased a 2014 Leaf, I am active duty military and had the chance to make money on the car, because I was supposed to get the Federal tax credit and $2500 dollar check from California for leasing an all-electric for over 3 years (The state I'm stationed had not incentives). I'm not stationed in CA but since I am military I could register in my home state... Anyway leased the car, no intention of buying it, I wanted a low monthly payment, which ment I had to put a larger deposit down, I just got back from a deployment and had a chunk of change I put $7,000 as a deposit to make the payment $211. Done deal.

This year I had to quickly deploy and the time being gone I would be losing money on the Leaf. I used the Soldiers and Sailors act to turn the lease in... I wasn't worried the car was in pristine shape and zero damages, so I figured on seeing that $7,000 or somewhere close to that. Turns out when I was sitting with the dealer and they were going line by line physically pointing out what the figures ment. When they pointed at my $7,000 they explained here is your $7,000 deposit, the pool of money that is subtracted from damages etc at turn it.

Well the dude put the $7,000 on the wrong line and fat fingered the contract, so when I called Nissan Corp. to get an estimation on receiving my money back they told me I was getting nothing. I was pissed, the dealership made a mistake and I am paying for it.

BUT now to what I am trying to get do after that back story... I sent a letter to the president, general manager and other folks at the dealership... saying hey you guys screwed me... I am willing to give you more business to change my tune and gave the following options... I am looking at the 2014 Rogue... to make up for the screw up I asked them to give me the $7,000, which I never expected... Apply the $7,000 toward the cost of a 2014 SV model but the option that I thought would make the most business sense and help me regain some of that $7,000 was

Sell me a 2014 SL with SL premium package for the invoice price of a SV package difference being abut $5300 between the two invoice prices.

If I don't hear back from them which I'm not holding my breath on I want to go into the dealership when I get home from my deployment and get a deal...

BUt I know they won't go for something that won't make them any profit... so I have been researching invoice costs and holdbacks and factory to dealer incentives

It's tough. Does my solution to get some of my money back in that last option still possible make the dealership money and help me too?

The MSRP for the SV is 26,700 and the invoice is 25,131 (Difference $1569)

The MSRP for the SL w/ Premium package is 32,480 and invoice 30,431 (Difference $2049)

So difference between invoices is $5300, close to my $7,000 and I'll take that all day, but is there a better strategy I could go for I mean if they sell me the SL for the base invoice of the SV they are losing money right?

But then I heard about holdbacks and the factory to dealer incentives where THE dealership might not even feel that difference... I am lost lol and being deployed and busy doesn't help me wrap my head around a strategy I can go for, can anyone help me?

Eric
USAF
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Answers

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Contract typo? Got a JAG you can talk to?
  • quingoffquingoff Member Posts: 2

    I talked to a Navy JAG, he looked it over and said that it's a tough to prove I wanted to not put $7000 toward the car which is crazy it was a lease, wasn't planning on buying it... He helped me draft a letter to the dealership, he thought the idea I mentioned above was good but didn't know too much on the logistics of car buying and how I could potentially get some of my lost money put toward a new car from the 7,000 the dealership helped to lose because of there error, which is why I posted just trying to get opinions on a way to say to the dealer,

    Hey you lost me $7,000 I wouldn't mind giving you business again with a new car but how can you accommodate that?

    And I posted to try and see if anyone had an idea where A. I can get at least some of my money put toward a new car and B. Have it where the dealership might beaccommodating to that     

  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited October 2014
    Well, this article deals with a bit different kind of situation, but may give you some ideas about how to work with the dealer, and talks about "bad" deals from the dealer's perspecive:

    Can You Return the Car You Just Bought?

    It may be too early in your negotiations to mention that you know about writing consumer car reviews here and on Yelp or Dealerrater, Facebook, Twitter, etc. But the dealer surely knows that social media comments can ding them, so hopefully they'll work with you to sort the mess out.
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