Around the end of March I began shopping for a new vehicle purchase. I found a deal at Mall of Georgia Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Buford, GA. We agreed in principle to a price and I was told to expect an interest rate of 5.9% for the financing.
A few days later, I contacted the salesperson and told them I was on the way with my wife to sign the paperwork to purchase the vehicle. When we arrived, it was 7:45 PM. I saw the truck was upfront and ready to go. We walked in and sat down with the salesperson. He confirmed the price we would be paying and said the finance person would be with us shortly to fill out the paperwork. We waited until after 10 PM to meet with the finance manager. We were told that the extended time was because the employee was new and he was still getting used to everything. However, I still felt that a two and a half hour wait was excessive. Even so, we still waited because we felt like we were getting a good deal.
After waiting, we went in to sign paperwork. When it came down to sign the paperwork, he told us we would be paying 9.9% for our interest rate. I told him that's not what we agreed to and he stated it was the best he could do based off of our credit. My wife got up and asked for her keys and started walking out. He looked at my wife and told her "you need to sit down and be respectful while I get Steven to sign off on a better rate." We left the dealership without purchasing.
The next day, I was contacted by the finance manager. He told us he had gotten us a better rate of around 7.25%. He wanted us to come back and buy the vehicle. He told me that he had told my wife to sit down and be respectful because he wanted us to listen to everything he had to say. He told me he didn't mean it the way it sounded.
I was then contacted by the original salesperson. He wanted to ensure we had been contacted about the rate. I told him we had but that due to the way we were treated and our wasted time (Two visits with an hour round trip) that we wanted to speak to the dealership manager and expected a better deal. He told me that he would have the manager call me that afternoon.
Two days later and a voicemail message from me, the dealership manager called me back. He told me they had secured a better rate but that they weren't willing to make the deal any better. Even more telling, while he agreed with me the way my wife was treated was inappropriate, he didn't offer any suggestions or indication that he would be dealing with the situation.
There are a couple of things that I find ironic about this situation. First of all, I went the same week and bought a truck from another dealership. I was given 0% financing by the same finance company that he originally was going to give me 9.9% financing. While there were some different incentives available for the other truck I bought, I was able to qualify for their best possible interest rate without any haggling or other issues. Second, by getting up and walking out, he was magically able to lower my interest rate 2.5%. Given the state of the car business, dealerships should be fighting to get you the best rates. It is obviously not the case at this dealership.
I have had positive experiences in the past with this dealership. Even this time, the salesperson Rocky was outstanding and treated me and my wife with the utmost respect and courtesy. However, I urge potential customers to bear in mind that you can just as easily have the same experience.
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