Jza1736

All of a sudden dealer called with 2nd Q to be built in April. Y did I have to ask for my deposit back to get this info. I hope he's not just stringing me along. I don't get that feeling, but you never know

PACETTR

Good luck either way man

Jza1736

Thanks, I think I need it

Rather B.Blown

BossLS

Wow, what a negative attitude you have about customers. We are trying to sell to them. It is not their job to beg us to sell to them. Customers have the rights and it just means we have to work harder for their business. The dealer should shake his hand and wish him well. Just what we must do.

SneakyE

So if a dealer can refuse to sell any car for any reason any time, can a customer refuse any car for any reason any time, including ordered cars? You can't have it one way and not the other.

Rjaniz

Then it's not a commitment. It's a STRONG hope the buyer will follow through and buy your particular merchandise. It is, as you and I already accept: an agreement. Nothing more.

To a point, yes, but this is mostly false in the situation you're presenting. MSRP is, for lack of a better term, "protecting" you until you use it as "your price." If you advertise a car at Price XXXXX.XX, meaning you put an ad on you website saying "We have this car for XXXXX.XX now through 4/13/11! C'mon down and buy it!", whether it is the MRSP of $30,000 or $5,000, and a customer shows up to your place to buy it for that price that was quoted in the paper... you HAVE to sell it at that. What you tack on with extras (or what you don't give them on their trade in) is another story, but the car itself must leave the showroom at that price.

And no, you cannot refuse sale simply because you don't feel like selling it suddenly or you believe another customer 5 minutes from now will be willing to pay more or didn't read the website ad. You advertised at that price, you must sell at that price if said customer has cash in hand and there is no logical reason to refuse sale (such as him coming in intoxicated, clearly mentally insane, or whatever). If you don't sell, it's False Advertising. You've lured this customer in with the promise of this price and you're changing things around on him/her. It's the very reason why the law exists, to protect the buyer from a situation like that.

You cannot use the words "Manufacturer Suggested" as a defense because it no longer applies either. Once you cite it as "The price of the car", you've taken the price and changed from "Suggested" to "Actual."

Am I making sense, here?

Whether I'm ok with it or not is irrelevant, but in accordance with the law, I do believe it is considered False Advertising, but not detrimental to the buyer(which is the big player in deciding False Advertising), so no one would prosecute.

As stated earlier, it's a Buyer's Market. So if anything goes poorly, it's the seller who takes it on the chin. In my opinion, that's how it should be. If the market didn't reward good customer service and competitive pricing, then it'd be pointless. And getting mad at customers who exercise their right to jump ship is wrong IMO.

mach1fever

So what did the other dealer offer you. I am sure that if you told him about the adm that he is going to come back with one as well or at least half to try to get you to bite.

Roger

PACETTR

I notice you conveniently dodged my question as to whether it was OK for a dealer to back out on an order and/or add an ADM after it arrives.

And as to the "advertised price"; I would have to see exactly how it was presented, but if the ad says MSRP - $42995, that doesn't imply the DEALER'S price, rather the MANUFACTURER'S SUGGESTED retail price.

And I promise you, I don't have to sell anything on my lot to anyone. I can say someone else already commited to buy, it's dealer traded, or any other reason.


FWIW I'm generally trying to help here, but as a "dealer" I find it extremely two-faced that most here will bash a dealer at the drop of a hat for "not keeping their word" yet defend the same action on the part of a fellow forum member.

SneakyE

The salesman never called back so I just called. He said they sold the car already but if something falls through he would call me. When I asked about what they were asking for the car he mentioned it was over MSRP but wouldn't give me a firm price.

It's nice that he was ready to sell me the car yesterday and promised to call me this morning with a price only to sell it in the meantime.

I guess it's like PACETTR said, dealers "can refuse to sell any car for any reason any time."

PACETTR

FWIW I think that's

ShaneGT

they will, if you wanted MSRP and a Joe walks in with 5 grand over msrp, what would you do if you were the sales man? more money in sales guys pocket , commission man... at the end of the day its all about profit..

SneakyE

Thanks PACETTR, I agree.

Rjaniz

I didn't dodge it at all. I said they can't, at least to the second part. I have no idea on the first part. I won't presume to. I would imagine it holds the same as the seller selling the car out from under them. From a legal standpoint, I'm unsure because the car was never truly "there" so there's no bait and switch. From selling under them, I also don't know I guess it would depend on the price sold, and the situation gets fuzzy if there's a deposit involved. If I was a betting man, I would say the law would step in to protect the buyer, in either situation.

Just want to clarify on the ADM, if they didn't advertise the price before it got to the dealership and slapped an ADM on as soon as it got there, that's completely allowed. It's all about "what are you luring your customers in with?" If you're using the MSRP to draw them in and not honoring that price: badness. If you are using something else that has no mention of money and not honoring the MSRP, you're fine (a total jerk, but fine).

Correct. I haven't contradicted this. I have stated if you advertise it as your price, it's your price, and no longer the Manufacturers. Again, you're right, it depends on the way it's presented, but if it's not obvious or reasonably understood it's not the dealer's price, things change quickly.

And I promise you, if anyone would have the energy to investigate that claim and find it to be false after you've made it, you'd be in a lot of trouble. You can't do it.

I actually am a little worried that you are under the impression you could get away with that.

Honestly, I actually do get that you're trying to help in these forums for the most part. It's why I haven't resorted to name calling . But I also don't like that your first post in this thread is calling the OP "just another lying customer". That was completely uncalled for.

EDIT: It's not two-faced because as a dealer, you are a servant of the people. As BossLS said above, it's not our job to beg to you to sell to us. The people have all the power in this and that's how it should be. We keep you in business. When dealerships start giving me money, then things will change.

MJockey

I bet his tune changes when he talks to his GM.

edit: guess I should have read page two before posting.

PACETTR

LOL @ "servant of the people"

A dealership is a retail store. Period. IMO customer service is GREATLY important, but that doesn't make it OK for customers to lie any more than it is OK for a dealer to do it.

SneakyE

I agree. The only reason I even thought about switching is because I've had to fight with my salesman over price after we had a verbal agreement for MSRP. I hadn't heard from him for a week after I gave him my credit card info for the down payment. I never saw the down payment go through my bank and when I asked about it he mentioned being out of town at a funeral for the last week and he would now need $2k over MSRP. Luckily I had a better sob story than his and he finally agreed on MSRP. I'm still afraid that he will ask for ADM after the car arrives. If he does I'll probably pay it but let him know that I've bought three cars from that dealership and if I pay more than MSRP it will be the last.

I hope for the best but I'm prepared for the worst. That may not make it ethically right to back out of an agreement even though legally I could. Thankfully it's a moot point now. After hearing both sides of this I don't think I could have gone through with walking away from the order.

Rjaniz

Dude, stop half quoting. It makes it harder to reply.

Then you would able to back up the claim, but I don't know if it applies if you basically just trade it off to one of your other dealerships. If it doesn't count that it's going to another sister-site and you get caught, like I said, you'd be in trouble.

Well if Dealers didn't have such horrible reputation for being rip-off artists, you wouldn't get that.

Yes. A retail store that serves the people. Don't serve the people, find yourself out of business quickly. You are a servant of the people. Doesn't mean they can walk all over you or you have to do everything they tell you, but ultimately, they make the deciding factor in whether or not you get their business.

You are there to cater to them, not the other way around.


Is it? I'm not trying continue this (really), but the post I responded to was the third or fourth snarky comment you made in the past two days regarding customers and dealers... and I'm not the only one who's noticed. I guess I'm just suggesting to be a little more understanding... These guys here are looking to drop (or already have dropped) over $40K for a Boss302. That's no small chunk of change.

It's natural to want to get the most fair deal, the fastest possible, and be sure no harm has come to the car before they own it. All the while being a nervous, indecisive, wreck.

Calling them names is not needed. Jokingly or not.

No one lied. He found a better deal and decided to follow it. Wait for weeks with no word or get one immediately? If customer service was more important to the original dealer, he would've kept him better informed. And as already pointed out: dealers can trade between dealers, so a dealer "stuck" with a car (Boss302 or otherwise) is hardly in a bind.

Where as the customer is just stuck waiting and/or in debt.

Rather B.Blown

And that is exactly why people hold many car dealers in such low regard. Too many dealers have adopted this attitude, and it is very prevalent in the industry. I've bought 5 new cars in the last 3 years or so, and I really shop around when I'm ready to purchase. I don't write someone a check that big on a whim. That has put me in contact and negotiations with more dealers and salespeople than I care to remember (many I'd like to forget).

The vast majority of them have either treated me like I was a tire kicking annoyance or they have blown so much smoke up my *** that I feared I'd leave with **** cancer.

Then there are the select few that pay no attention to the fact that I came in wearing shorts, sandals and a worn out John Force t-shirt and driving a 10 year old vehicle with 150,000 miles on it (probably why so many treat me like a tire kicker ). These select few have treated me like a serious buyer and have tried to work out a deal I can live with. We may not have always been able to come to an agreement, but I left with no hard feelings, and wouldn't hesitate to try again on another vehicle at some point.

The main issue I have encountered with the D-bags and smoke blowers is that they seem to be working in a bubble. Its like they honestly think that they are the ONLY people who have the car I'm looking for, or, they think I'm too stupid to realize that there are 5 more dealers in a 20 mile radius that have the exact car that they have and at least a few of them are eager to make a sale and earn my business instead of acting like they are doing me a huge favor by allowing me the privilege of buying from them.

Big Vito

Don't hold your breath on an April build, did he give a VIN?

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