Car dealerships REALLY suck.

39,322 Views | 202 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by aggiedata
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agracer
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Rendered Fat said:

My elderly parents who live in the Valley needed a new truck. Nothing fancy, just a two wheel drive crew cab. My sister's husband needs a vehicle so they were going to give him their old truck and get something new.

I spend all day Friday trying to find something available that will work. I find a dealership in Houston that's advertising $10,050 off of GMC Crew Sierra SLE's which is about perfect for what they need.

I figure it's a clear bait and switch because aside from applicable rebates, no one else is offering ANY additional dealer discounts on anything. But I call the dealership, figuring it would be the typical "yeah, that's the price but we have another $4k in dealer add ons" or something like that, but surprisingly the sales lady says yes, that's the final price and we have three available (and follows it up In writing with a text). I tell her if that's the price then we have a deal. I once again ask her if the vehicle is there and she texts me back, "yes, it's here, when can you come in tomorrow" and texts me the link to the specific truck we wanted. I again say "great, can I put down a deposit or pay for it now over the phone so it doesn't get sold"? She says "no, we can't take a deposit, but we'll hold it for 24 hours so it'll be here tomorrow when you get here." I say again "great, then we have a deal, I will be there tomorrow" she responds via text "perfect, me and my manager Andrew look forward to meeting you".

Based on all of that, I have my elderly parents get up at 5:30 Saturday morning and make the drive to Houston. Sister's husband (who lives in Houston) was going to meet them at the dealership and take their old truck so they had no way to get home if the deal falls apart.

I'm getting ready to head over there to pay for it when my mom calls me from the dealership. She says "this salesman has no idea what's going on and says that that truck has been gone for over three weeks. He says they haven't had ANY SLEs for a month now".

At this point I lose it. I get on the phone with the guy and forward him all the texts I have with the lady. He says "well, she was mistaken and we can't let you speak to her right now". I reply "how can she be 'mistaken' when she readily confirmed yesterday that the truck was there." They get VERY defensive and say "well you don't have anything in writing and there's nothing we can do."

I talk to the manager and tell him I don't want to get cross or threatening, but that if my parents didn't leave there with a crew cab Sierra for the price we agreed, I would file suit and bring a DTPA claim on Monday (of course under the DTPA, I have to give written notice first before I can sue, but whatever).

He tells me arrogantly "go ahead and file your suit" and asks my parents to leave the dealership.

There are no rental cars to be found anywhere in Houston, so my brother in law ends up having to drive them from Houston all the way back to the Valley in the old truck.

How are they able to get around a breach of contract claim when we have the deal in writing? How can they get around the DTPA and false advertising when they intentionally made a knowingly material misrepresentation that they knew was false at the time they made it, that we relied upon?

I believe any damages sustained by their breach would be "benefit of the bargain" or the difference between MSRP and the agreed upon price ($10k, potentially times three for treble damages) if we decide to pursue it, but I'm more interested in my 'pound of flesh' for treating my elderly parents through this.

I don't know what in God's name I could have done differently to ensure we got the truck, but are dealers insulated from liability from things like this under some area of law I'm not familiar with?
. After you made the deal and before you drive over, call and pretend to be someone else talking to a different salesman to confirm that truck is in stock. Also, use email not texts and talk on the phone as well.
1agswitchin4lanes
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Pretty crap experience but I imagine the person you're texting and emailing is an internet sales person that's just tossing leads to get you in the door. I would have sent someone up there in person to verify before I had family drive up.

Sad to say but I don't think You'll get very far.
coolerguy12
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Quote:

That we have to assume they're being deceitful, deceptive and lying


Yeah. It's been like that since the beginning of time. Sorry you got burned but there is nothing surprising about your story other than you trusting the dealer.
TulaneAg
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Go get your pound of flesh. If you're that upset about it then jump into the process and do something about it. Hitting them in the pocket book is the only way these guys will think twice about what they are doing.
$30,000 Millionaire
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OP - first off, that really sucks, especially for older folks, and it sucks to waste anyone's time and resources when you were trying to do the right thing.

1Ag is right, their vested interest is to get you in the door and you have to assume that they'll do anything or say anything without any regard for your time and resources to get you on the lot.

I don't know if this helps your situation, but for the last couple of cars I've bought, I have handled the transaction remotely and had the car shipped to me, or I've handled everything and had the dealer drop it off. The last place I personally want to spend any time is at a car dealer because you're largely on their time table for their stupid four box games and the endless wait for the F&I guys to make their ridiculous paint protection pitches.
You don’t trade for money, you trade for freedom.
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permabull
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I don't think anyone here supports the dealership... We just aren't surprised by the story based on our own experiences
FC12
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One of your questions was what you could have done differently...I would have requested the full price breakdown worksheet which would have included the vehicles VIN # and would have been signed by the sales rep.
The vehicle I just bought at a Sewell dealership in DFW emailed and texted me that document and after my review, I replied back with "Deal" and that was that.
lotsofhp
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I'm completely with you, this sort of behavior is inexcusable and they deserve the be held accountable. How on earth has an industry been able to be so scummy for so long that people get called out because they "should have known better" when they complain? Seems like the dealers have won the battle when the general public's mantra is "just bend over and take it" any time you buy a new car. Sheesh.
aggiepaintrain
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I hope you take them to task.
Jack Cheese
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I'm not sure you'll get far with a DTPA claim but you can and should blast them everywhere possible on social media. Show the texts. Sometimes that gets attention. (Of course if you are dead-set on litigation you may not want to do that, I don't know).

At least half of all dealerships are just really poorly run businesses, some skirt laws and ethics, and some fall into the "sheety" category off-and-on depending on who happens to be the GM at the time. They don't go out of business because state franchise laws, crafted by the dealership lobby years ago, keep them protected from OEMs just selling directly to the public.

It takes a well established dealership, often with a family name and reputation for integrity (such as Sewell) to consistently deliver a good experience. And you pay extra for that.

There are great contacts available to sell various makes of cars right here on the texags auto board, which is another way to get an honest deal. You just have to ask.

Sorry for your crappy experience. We've all been there.
Jbob04
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Also, go online and rip them a new one on every review site you can find. My wife had a bad experience at a dealership several years back and she tore them up on online reviews and they contacted her for years trying to get her to remove it.
Cassius
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I've always assumed the dealership is lying about everything. Been that way since I bought my first car.

Sorry about your situation.
Mookie
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Can we ask what dealer it was? Or a hint, like rhymes with deck and fasten?
1agswitchin4lanes
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Rendered Fat said:

1agswitchin4lanes said:

Pretty crap experience but I imagine the person you're texting and emailing is an internet sales person that's just tossing leads to get you in the door. I would have sent someone up there in person to verify before I had family drive up.

Sad to say but I don't think You'll get very far.


Really? That's where we are with car dealerships nowadays? That we have to assume they're being deceitful, deceptive and lying when they affirmatively confirm, in writing, that the vehicle is on the lot, so much so that we also have to call and speak to a second rep as one poster suggested or actually physically drive to dealership to ensure they aren't lying?

We have all of these consumer protection laws in place to prevent this exact type of behavior, but we just assume "nah, car dealers aren't held to any standard, they're free to do whatever they want."

Maybe so, but if that's the case, the consumer has literally no bargaining power and no expectation of a fair and honest process. What a terrible and unfair position to be in.


Yes sadly. Some dealerships have people in house that just reply to internet leads and their job is to literally get you in the door. Then when you go in, they'll tell you "yeah I'm gonna hand you over to Mark here, he's gonna finish your deal". Except the car you wanted is gone or never existed.

Some other dealers don't even have someone in house. It's a call center or someone working from home (or overseas even) that gets the leads, qualifies them(assembles the info) and then lobs it to the dealer or sales guy. I have spoken to these "internet sales
Managers" before. One of my
Buddys was looking for a GM one ton truck and sent me a link to Westside Chevrolet. The little thing popped up and I decided to see if they were really online. The "internet sales manager" assured me even though they're a Chevy
Dealer, they could get any GM product. I asked how they could do that, and she said they're connected etc. so I asked them if they could get the 2019Oldsmobile Delta 88 wagon with a Duramax. She then took my
Info and said someone would email me. A few
Days later, I got an email from Westside explaining that Oldsmobile is no longer made but I was
Welcome to come Check out their SUVs.

Sadly the sales managers attitude right now is driven by high demand and low inventory.

Before the internet, the newspaper used to advertise "Full size C/K pickups from 11,999! Over 200 to choose from!" You get there and there's one C/K WT with no air for 11999 and it's probably sold or School bus yellow. Welp, sorry but I'm sure we have something a little more
Expensive that you can live with.

91AggieLawyer
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Rendered Fat said:

TulaneAg said:

Go get your pound of flesh. If you're that upset about it then jump into the process and do something about it. Hitting them in the pocket book is the only way these guys will think twice about what they are doing.


I'm going to. I don't even care whether I win or lose. Doesn't matter to me. I am going to depose the dealership's owner and make it as miserable an experience for them as possible. The comments on this post are really eye-opening though as they seem to support a dealership's ability to breach agreements and lie and deceive customers with no repercussions whatsoever. It must be extremely enabling to a dealership to continue their ways, unabated when they know a large percentage of buyers are not willing to hold them accountable and almost expect and accept deceitfulness.

Be careful. Suits brought for purely harassment purposes are, by statute, "frivolous" and can subject you to sanctions under the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code (and possibly other ones). These dealerships have firms ready to go to defend these things and you won't get to the dealer himself unless he was a principal player in the actual dispute.

With that said, it appears you might have a case. However, winning one of these suits is tougher than you'd expect and, unlike insurance companies, they don't readily settle. In fact, if I were still doing litigation, I would not take a case against a car dealership. Sure, if it went to a jury trial, even the most inexperienced trial lawyer could win against virtually any dealership and the best trial lawyer in the state since juries, in general, hate car places. However, getting to the jury would take several years, a lot of money, and more time and effort than you realize. The main reason I wouldn't take this case is that after a year, year and a half, you'd be done with it.

Just do what you're doing now -- everywhere you can have a voice. Everyone on here should avoid this (and other dealers who do this) like the plague and tell everyone you know.
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Macarthur
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Seems like the only thing many businesses care about these days are online reviews.

Hit them hard on google and all social media. As someone said, post the pics of messages. That will get someone's attention.
aggiegolfer07
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Same thing happened to me a month ago, but I actually sent them a deposit. Like clockwork, they called me the night before and said car had been sold. We agreed to pay sticker (which was stupid in hindsight). So I am guessing someone came in and offered over sticker.

Trust me, they don't care. They refunded my money a few days later and moved on. There is a reason why the car business is known as the slimiest industry there is. I trust a MLM salesperson more than I do a car salesperson.
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mosdefn14
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Sucks.

The correct answer is reading my thread from Monday would have shined light on what dealerships are doing these days.
johnjames03
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If the price they quoted didn't include there extra $1,000 for Nitrogen in the tires and whatever lo Jack product they sell it wasn't their real price. I was looking at purchasing a truck from them back in August 2020.

As soon as they told me that I went with another dealership.
wargograw
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Rendered Fat said:

Macarthur said:

Seems like the only thing many businesses care about these days are online reviews.

Hit them hard on google and all social media. As someone said, post the pics of messages. That will get someone's attention.


Great advice. So like Yelp, Google and yahoo? Where else do y'all think would be a good place to leave an online review?


Facebook. I run a business in the car industry and reviews are EVERYTHING. This is your best bet.
Naveronski
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This is why people buy from 1ags' and APT's friends, or reproag, or Sewell.

Their "hookups" have great prices, but there's no hassle or wasted time.
YouBet
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Rendered Fat said:

TulaneAg said:

Go get your pound of flesh. If you're that upset about it then jump into the process and do something about it. Hitting them in the pocket book is the only way these guys will think twice about what they are doing.


I'm going to. I don't even care whether I win or lose. Doesn't matter to me. I am going to depose the dealership's owner and make it as miserable an experience for them as possible. The comments on this post are really eye-opening though as they seem to support a dealership's ability to breach agreements and lie and deceive customers with no repercussions whatsoever. It must be extremely enabling to a dealership to continue their ways, unabated when they know a large percentage of buyers are not willing to hold them accountable and almost expect and accept deceitfulness.
If you have the time and patience then do it. I love a good revenge story.

My mom had some tenants who screwed her over on rent once and she was so mad at them she put a lien on them and they were unable to buy a house until they paid her off. They left in the middle of the night with the intent to do that very thing. I think they finally paid her off like 15 years after the fact.

My mom is a b^ch when you anger her.
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sts7049
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unfortunately being unethical isn't illegal
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CenterHillAg
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I've had the exact same interactions as the OP with GMC dealers the last few weeks. I'm convinced there's not a single 2500 black AT4 to be had, even though the inventory search on GMC's website lists a bunch within 250 miles of me. After talking to at least 10 dealers I got pretty ugly with Beck and Matsen over them stringing me along for a couple days on one available, that turned out to be already sold, even though 3 different people I was passed up the sales chain to said it was available for purchase. They have one coming I put a small deposit on that perfectly fits what I'm wanting, so we'll see how that goes. If that one falls through we have plenty of texts, emails, and receipts where I should legitimately have a DTPA claim.
jrrhouston98
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My in laws went to Classic Chevrolet on 59 at Hillcroft yesterday to buy a new SUV. Nothing fancy, a Traverse, I believe. They sat down to do the deal and there was a $3,000 dealer add for essentially an extended roadside warranty. This included the windshield, scuffs/scrapes/scratches, tires, etc. My father in law said he didn't want it and to take it off. The salesman said no. In-laws got up to leave and the manager came over. They told the manager what the problem was and he said sorry, all new vehicles are sold with that package, no exceptions. They left. Called Classic Chevrolet in Sugarland and they laughed and said they do not and will not add that on. They apparently have the same vehicle on their lot and said to bring in the paperwork from the other dealer and they'd beat the price quoted before the add on.

Dealerships suck. Period. I absolutely hate buying a new vehicle. I always feel like I have to go home and shower when I leave.
PMD03
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You seem too honest and naive to be an attorney.

I was trying to think of a good "fell off the back of the turnip truck" joke, but since you're from the valley, you probably have an actual turnip truck.
PMD03
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