IMO, honesty is not the issue. Trust is.

As consumers we have a right to expect... and have to trust...that the dealership knows what they're business is and how to conduct it. Especially in regards to $$$$. Most final auto buying decisions are based on the bottom line.

There are many people at the dealerships today that are involved with the sales process. If they can't get it right then they need to eat it.

Observations from my experience and what I have seen / heard of others....The additional $$$ is usually less than $ 1,000.00...they never offer to restructure the loan (likely already funded)...generally if the amount was known upfront the buyer would not have spent the additional $ 15.00 - $ 20.00 per month because they had already exceeded their budget, buying more than they came in for (because it was "such a deal").

I am the National Sales Manager for a manufacturing company involved in the design and build of special equipment related to the plastics industry. The customer trusts us to provide the expertise and equipment required for their application. If we fail...we pay. If we mis-quote and the $$$ aren't right...we pay. If it works better than they anticipated...they don't send us extra $$$.

If we cannot trust the sales person, sales manager, and finance guy to know the ins and outs of their own process...who are we to trust.

Especially in regards to rebates and such, the burden of knowledge falls on the dealership...therefore, so does the burden of risk.

 

I agree with Kw5413 100%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I almost walked on the sale of my jeep over the same situation. The dealer should know what he can and cannot do. You accepted the deal with both rebates, you did not try to steal anything. I am a pretty honest guy but that being said you made a deal in good faith, you did your part and are in no obligation to give anything back to the dealer. This is just 1 reason why I think the rebate thing is a bunch of BS. Price the car for what you want to sell it for. When I bought my wifes Acura you pretty much paid within $500 of the sticker. It was one of the only times I paid close to the sticker but I did not mind because the sticker price was a fair reflection of the price when compared to other cars in its class.

 

Sorry, dealer eats that one. Im surprised you dont have disclaimers in the contracts that let you back out of mistakes like that. Ive always had to sign that form saying I bring the car back if financing falls through for example.

The only way I see the customer having to give it back is if he knew they were incompatible and was trying to dupe the dealer. But that customer is already dishonest and of course wouldnt give anything back...

 

That's being more than fair- it's their responsibility to verify rebate compatibility. To be honest, we would have just rolled it into the trade or added it to the cost of sales and called it good. But we probably would have checked first- that's what SMARTVINCENT is for.

As far as sending the customer a rebate after the sale- yep, it's happened more than once. No matter what, the dealer can't keep the money (audits are a terrible thing, and that kind of thing just invites one). Chevy has an interesting policy- there's a 72 hour window for the dealer after the sale where the dealership can re-sign/recontract if the rebate improves after the customer takes delivery. It's up to dealer discretion, and we have to call our rep to get an approval.

 

The end of the story....

I received a call from the dealer and they said my obligation is $0. I accept that it was an honest mistake and respect them for understanding my position.


Tom

 

Cool, glad to see it turned out well. When a dealer does that, they get credit in my book.

 

Good Dealer. Like polar said most good dealers would just eat it rather than tick off a new customer that just bought a $40k plus vehical. After all it was their mistake.

 

bottom line, the salesman ate the cost.

 

No, the dealership probably did- the salesman sells the truck, but usually isn't responsible for the final math. that gets dumped in F&I's lap. One way or other, i think the store did the right thing. It's one of those educational things- they'll be more careful next time.

Congrats on 500 posts, BTW.

 

The way I see it is this - the customer goes in to buy a car for the lowest price they can get, while the dealer tries to sell the vehicle for as much money as they can get. This "game" is what makes an automotive purchase the PITA that it is, the game is played daily with both sides trying to win by thousands of dollars. In this case, the dealership wasn't paying attention and "lost" the game, and because the game goes on, I'll bet they've more than made up for it by now. You can bet your sweet ____ I'd keep the money!

 

Sounds like this is a dealer that wants to keep a customer. Because Tom gets treated fairly, he may spread the story around and get others to go there also.

I found a very small used car dealer about 45 minutes from me. e've now bought 2 cars from him. In both cases, he was completely honest.

Mike B

 

Ya know, it would be easier to believe the dealer made an honest mistake, if it was possible to believe the dealer was honest.

If you go into a store and the cashier gives you an extra $20 in change, you know it--the price is on the register and receipt, you can count--it's simple. Buying a car is a complicated PITA. If the dealer doesn't know he/they goofed, how the heck would we? My thought--if you made a down payment of, say, $1000, then signed the contract which showed a $750 payment, do you think they'd give you back the $250?

There's four people in this world I'd consider for my next new car. Two of them are on FTE. The third and fourth are the small-town dealers where I bought my first four new cars. Every other dealer I've walked into, gives me the feeling I've just gone swimming in a tank full of piranhas.

 

The small town used car dealer we found replaced a oil pan on a 97 Camaro that we bought from him. That was about 400.00 that he spent just to sell a car. And no, that 400 wasn't rolled into the price of the car. He didn't know it was cracked until we drove it and smelled oil when we came back.


Mike B

 

Miller Brothers Ford in Ellicot City, MD did just that recently - held up delivery for 1 day and added a check for a $1700.00 rebate to the deal. They are out there- you just have to find them.