dipkat

Ok, so finally after doing my research and getting quote's (internet and personally) from dealers in NJ for a new '06 TL, auto with Navi (in-stock), I finalize a deal with one particular Acura dealership through their internet sales department, after negotiations via email and tel.

The deal; $34650 OTD includes;
- destination, taxes, title, license/registration (new 4yrs in NJ), doc fee, prep fee, all other fees (save the panda fee)
- 2.9% APR special financing for 36 months
- Acura OEM wheel locks, all season mats and trunk tray

Next, I print out my internet quote email detailing the entire deal with a break down of the numbers and walk into the dealership at 6:30 pm. I give the salesperson the printed quote and he agrees. He brings the car from the lot, I inspect it and everything is fine. Next he sends the car to the shop for detailing while we proceed with the paper work. The sales order is created with the deal negotiated upon, my credit is approved through the finance dept. and he swipes $2000 on my credit card as I wanted to pay that amount in cash.

This is when the salesperson's manager comes and tries to pull a fast one on me. Its 9:00 pm and apparently he cannot execute the deal today becasue now he thinks there is a problem with the quote. Over the next 20 minutes of argumenting he provides 3 different reasons and cites that he needs approval (tomorrow) from the GM of the dealership to close the deal, the reasons being;
1. He does not agree with the quote. Its too low from the dealership's point of view
2. The internet sales dept. made a mistake and the price is $1000 higher if in need of 2.9% APR financing
3. I could have doctored the quote and the email and he doubts the authenticity of my quote (WTF !). (Mind you the quote has everything in black and white)

All this bs**, moments before the final paperwork and delivery of the car makes me scream;

BAIT-AND-SWITCH

Et tu, Acura?

The salesperson and his manager effectively tried to snitch' a $1000 from me at the last moment. So now, today, I am waiting on a call from the sales-person/GM today on whether the GM approved the closure of the agreed upon deal.

I am 90% sure that he is going to reneg on the deal. If this is to happen today, what do you people think I should be doing? How do you think I can talk him into closing the deal ? Do you think I should complain to Acura corporate or anything of that sort? Obviously, renegotiation or compromise of any sort is out of the question as this is a matter of the integrity of the dealership vs. mine.

Any advise is really appreciated.

kennyc

walk. go to another dealer.

ptk681

Yeah go to another dealer, I would wait a week or so to get towards the end of the month so they are hungry for sales and maybe get a better deal...You never know..

DFBRL8R

^^ I agree!!!

dipkat

The whole experience makes me sick. I did not expect an Acura dealership to resort to bait-and-switch tactics. No wonder people do not see Acura as being a true luxury brand, in the same league as Lexus/Mercedes. I am not willing to accept that my experience is an anomaly as I have known of many others having bad experiences with the sales and service departments.

Is there a way to lodge any sort of complaint against this dealership ? Is this advisable or would it be waste of my time?

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

Shit, if they pulled that on me, I would've walked out last night and told them don't even bother calling me tomorrow.

Go to another dealership. That is crap. They even waited until they got the $2,000 from you.

ptk681

A dealership is just that...They all want to make money, and if they can find a dummy to hook line and sinker, then they will, A sales person is a sales person...grimey...I don't think you can trust any of them, whether it be a Acura, BMW, Mercedes etc...Thats why you the consumer have to be smart, in this case it looks as though you have done the right thing thus far...I would just go to another dealership, and after you get the deal you want...Just ride by the other dealer and let them know their poor customer service lost a sale...

IronCy

I have been dealing with an internet sales mgr via email on the purchase of an 06.
The final quote i received (with all the options I wanted) included the $1000 incentive...I was not made aware of the $1000 OR Honda financing, until I asked for a calculation of the monthly payment with the financing, then I was told the final negotiated price would increase by $1000 if I wanted the financing.....I stumbled upon this info by accident. I can understand your frustration...maybe this a standard form of Acura shady quoting.

dipkat

Yep, I guess I have 'sucker' written over my forehead.

My next best quote is $400 above theirs. I might as well give the other dealership my business. The whole experience has shuddered me to the bone. Makes me wonder, what if any is the guarantee that the next dealership will not do something similiar !? I guess all deals are incomplete until you drive home with car.

dipkat

In my case, I was aware of the either/or of $1000 / 2.9% APR. The emailed quote clearly states that the price includes the special APR. They have nothing in denial except that the quote is 'erroneous' and/or 'I may have doctored the quote email'. The latter is the lamest excuse I have ever heard in my life.

davenlei

Give a quick call to the GM of the dealership and (very professionally) explain what was agreed upon, your proof of the agreement and the switch up at the last minute when they knew the price agreed upon from the beginning. Let him know that you do not appreciate that and you felt like you were in a Ford dealership with the way you were treated. Let him know that unless he will personally approve the deal, you will never go there again, persuade your friends and co-workers to buy from other dealers and write a letter to Acura corporate letting them know about your experience at his dealership.
Usually the GM will work with you because he is looking at the welfare of the dealership as a whole (service visits, future purchases, etc.), not just a single deal.

I complained to the GM on an issue once and they bent over backwards to make me happy because he knows one killer deal is not going to hurt his bottom line.

dipkat

Mods, in case it's confirmed that the dealer is shady, is it advisable to quote the name of this particular dealership on the forum, so that other forum members (and potential buyers) are aware of the shady people at this dealership ?

VT06TL

If this is how they are going to treat you when making the sale. Can you really rely on them if there is a serious problem with the car after the sale? If you have the luxury of multiple dealers in your area (I didn't) then take advantage of it.

saw1

I can relate to your situation. Back in 2004 when I went to lease my 2004 TSX with Nav I had a dealer mis-quote me over the phone, not once, but twice in the same day. The next day the salesman (who I had never met) called me to tell me that he had given me a quote on a non- navi car.
I was really PO'd, so I told him that I wanted to meet with him, his sales manager, the GM, and the owner of the dealership to discuss this crap. In the ensuing days, the sales manager (not the salesman) tried every trick in the book to bag the deal, but I caught them every time and ended up getting the original deal as they told it to me.
If you feel like you are getting the best deal you can, then STICK IT TO THEM AND DON'T BACK DOWN.
My lease runs out this winter, and I now have a good relashionship with the salesperson. Just remember, your loyalty is to your checkbook, not the dealer.
Good luck!

magsru99

Dipkat, I feel for you. PM me and let me know which one it was. I've been through a bunch of NJ dealers before I got my car and I can probably guess which one would do that to ya.

Kennedy

iTrader: (2)

Do this...


$34.6 isn't even that smokin' of a deal, and the dealership most certainly ISN'T losing on this. I figure that puts your price before TTL around 32. Many folks here are paying 31.5 or less. I paid 31.5 +TTL all the way back in April.

Ron A

You can post the dealer's name whenever you want to. We like to hear from people about good experiences, and we like to hear even more about bad experiences.

NSXNEXT

iTrader: (2)

Sure, just please make sure you get all your facts straight before you bash them.

avs007

This is actually the sticking point. Because they took money from you, that effectively sealed the contract. They cannot back out now, and you actually have grounds for breach of contract. Doesn't matter if they didn't actually swipe your credit card, because when you gave them your credit card, you gave it to them on good faith that it would be charged. They effetively asked for money and you gave it to them. By definition that is agreement of the two parties of the contract of the contract terms.

This is no different than if they gave you the car, and they came to your house the next day and they ask for the car back because they don't agree with the price you paid.

This is what my attorney told me, when I consulted him about a similar scenario, including the credit card not being charged yet.

Not sure if it's worth your time tho.

avs007

And to add, the dealership cannot claim they weren't paying attention, because the law doesn't care about ignorance. That's why they say you should have an attorney look over any sort of agreement before you sign it.

dipkat

Thats correct. It's right about there, neither the best nor the worst. The base price including destination is $31950, which is what many forum members have been quoted in the month of Aug '06. Last month, I hear the deals were even better; you could combine the $1000 manu to dealer incentive with the 2.9% APR, this month you cannot.

dipkat

I would have waited until the end of the month, the problem is that at the end, your color combi. choices are usually limited. Also I have a personal need to have a new car by the end of this week.

dipkat

Thanks. It would be more like a caution for all the other forum members.

dipkat

I definitely will, towards the end of the day. I am still expecting to close the agreed upon deal.

dipkat

So here's the update. The salesperson called me an hour ago and apologized for the confusion. He tried to explain to me that the internet salesperson had made a mistake and that the base price of $31.9 was without the special APR and that it is $32.9 with the special APR. Then he tries to convince me that as a 'special consideration' he will redo the deal at the base price of $32.3, which is $400 above the original quote. I flatly refused to accept any renewed pricing and that I will rather give an extra $500 to another dealership than his. Having said that he immediately changed color and said that he will talk to the GM once again and see if anything can be done.

Then again, he called me 20 minutes later, apologizing for all the confusion and that the dealership will honor the original deal. The car is ready to be picked up today, pending signage of all the paperwork.

WTF ....

I will be going through with the deal with them. But again, once bitten twice shy, until I have signed off on all the paperwork and actually have posession of the car, I dont trust them an ounce.

Tonywp75

Sorry if this is an repeat...didnt want to read all the replies above.

Either wait and get a better deal, since they want to get rid of the 06 model or go to another dealership and ask them if you can match this price..most dealership can.

Good luck

LuvMyTSX

I'm interested to know which dealership this is. Hopefully it's not the one I go to, because I like them!

Hope it all works out for you.

dipkat

Also, a quote is not a legal tender, the 'Bill of Sale' / Contract is. Legally,
the dealership does not have sell you at the quoted price.

maluskills

Well congrats on getting the original deal...they were likely just trying to get another $1000 outta you, and figured the average person wouldnt fight it as hard as you did...so good for you

Also - why didnt you just log onto your email from the dealership computer to prove the authenticity of the email?

avs007 - giving a deposit is NOT a contract, and you could not charge them with a breach of contract unless there was an actual contract...I left deposits at 4 different dealerships for my TL before I bought mine...a deposit is usually just to let the dealership know you're serious, nothing is final until you've signed all the paperwork..

case31

I had an experience with a Honda dealership that is eerily similar to this one.
I wanted to buy a new Pilot, and so I looked on the internet for price quotes. A small dealership about 30 miles away gave me a quote that was almost $2k less than the next best price. I emailed the internet saleswoman to confirm, "This price is for a new 2005 Honda Pilot EX," and she said yes.
My wife and I drove up to the dealership and meet with the saleswoman. She rolls out a LX model (the base model). I said, "This isn't what I wanted." She said, "Oh, I know, I just wanted to show you that we could meet your price." I told her that's all fine and well, but I want my new Pilot EX for the price YOU agreed on in this email I have printed out. After talking with the "manager", they tried to "lower the price" by playing games with the interest rate and term. I promptly walked out and bought a Pilot from another dealer. I paid a little more (about $400 more than the "agreed upon" price at the first place), but at least I got what I was offered.

I called Honda Customer Service to complain, and they gave me the "oh, well, we will file this complaint and...blah, blah, blah." Basically they did nothing.

You should just walk and find another dealer. I feel that if you fight it and they "cave in" and give you the deal you wanted, the dealer still wins. If you reject a deal you aren't comfortable with, you are no worse off than when you walked in.

cjhurtado2

Bait and switch happens a lot in car dealerships. I think that is included in their top 10 "money taker techniques". Moral of the story. "Be careful with car sales people".

LuvMyTSX

Yup, when I bought my TSX they tried to screw around with the interest rate, which I had clearly stated I wanted the 3.9% special in my email. When I went to sign the papers, they said it was 6.9%. Luckily I had printed out the special and brought it with me. I whipped it out and showed them. They finally agreed to it, but then said they wouldn't have given me the price of the car if they'd known about the finance rate. Needless to say I didn't get a warm and fuzzy feeling from that particular dealership.

jmbnova

Now forget the experience and enjoy your car... that is the whole point anyway!!

But I would take it to a different dealer for service....

dipkat

Yep. I am an informed buyer. The average Joe would be clueless and would succumb to the pressure and intimidation tactics used by such shady salespeople.

This particular dealership has 3 franchises and a they have an offsite internet sales dept. supporting all the three. No luck over there.

dipkat

Still dont have the car. They called me and said that they will be compying to the original deal. Will need to go the the dealership after work and complete the rest of the transaction. There is still a possibility for screw-ups.

bluenoise

I'm glad they're going to honor the deal for you. I had a similar experience back in '91 when I bought an Integra.

I shopped around and did my research to find a price I was willing to pay. I wanted a bare-bones Integra with air conditioning as the only option (no radio). I went to the dealership with my dad (he was going to cosign the loan for me) and we haggled for quite a while with Marv the salesman. When we unable to reach a satisfactory deal, we walked. Of course, Marv chased after us and knocked another bit off the price, but we just kept walking. I handed Marv a piece of paper with my price, options, color, and phone number and said to call me when he's ready to make the sale.

We get home and sit down to dinner. The phone rings and it's my new buddy Marv. He tells me on the phone, "Mr. bluenoise, I've worked it out with my manager and I can give you the deal you want, but you have to come here tonight." I confirmed all the specs and he agreed. So, my dad and I drop our forks and rush out the door.

When we get to the dealership, Marv greets us in the parking lot and says, "Mr. bluenoise, I'm so sorry. You said air conditioning, I heard air conditioning, but when I spoke with my manager, I forgot to mention the air conditioning. It's going to cost more if you still want the air conditioning."

My dad lost it. He told Marv to go get his manager so he could verbally bury his foot up both their asses. When Marv said his manager wasn't available, we turned to leave. We were clearly pissed and I think the manager saw that as he came running out to stop us. He asked, "What's going on?" My dad told him Marv was a sleazy scumbag and we don't want anything to do with their dealership. Then this happened:

Marv (mumbling quietly): I guess I could give up my commission since I screwed up.
Manager (acting surprised and amazed, but very poorly): What's that Marv?! Did you say you'd be willing to give up your commission just so these fine gentlemen can get the car they came here to buy?!
Marv: I just feel so bad about this mistake and I'm willing to give up my pay for it.
Manager: Gee whiz, Marv, that's mighty fine of you. Folks, why don't we all go inside and sign some papers.
My Dad: Cut the bullshit and let's finish this thing before we change our minds.

My dad taught me all I need to know about dealing with car salespeople.

Will Y.

And read everything before signing!!!

Remember that the dealer swiped your card for $2000, so that should be credited.

Watch out for funny business or unexplained fees on the paperwork such as the $395 "documentation fee" one Honda dealer tried to charge us instead of the standard $35-$45 fee.
Good luck!

dipkat

Yep. Been there before. I am aware of their tricks.

sunnyflava99

I agree with davenlei, also contact Acura's corporate office.

When I first bought my car, the salesman told me to make sure that I give them 5 stars when Acura's customer service call. I think the corp. office takes opinions/complaints very seriously. In fact when I went in for a minor service I was hounded by calls almost everyday until I rated the service I received. Definately vent... talk to the GM and Acura Corp. Good luck

Fluid Grease

dipkat....WOW!......painfully familiar story to a lot of us! My brother has bought 4 Acuras from your hometown dealer in Princeton, they are by far the most expensive dealer out there.....but their service is awesome he says, he always has a new loaner car when his is in for the most minor service! I tried them when I bought and I beat their deal by 3G on a TL and 5G on a MDX! I wound up at Ocean Acura on Rt. 35 in Ocean, NJ and had a similar story to yours doing the Internet thing, the difference was that I had the saleswoman FAX me the deal...so when I went in there (on her day off) they gave me the same run around....then I handed them the faxed copy and they freaked out....then they put the hard sell on me for an extended warranty to get some extra money! Like someone posted earlier in this thread, this is why Acura is not seen as a premium brand. I have owned BMW, Benz, Porsche, Audi...none of them did that.....even the Cadillac dealer (Gold Coast) didn't pull that crap and that's GM! Take the deal from these guys and just have it serviced back home in Princeton....but the most important part is, ENJOY YOUR NEW RIDE! Once you get behind the wheel, all the pain subsides!.....Good Luck!