I strongly recommend that any potential auto customer avoid doing business with the subject dealership. Via the internet, I found three used vehicles in the Dallas, TX, area that I considered worthy of my traveling 100 miles from my home Dallas, TX, area in order to view and test drive them. One was at the instant at the dealership several miles north of Dallas, the other was in the middle of the Dallas/FortWorth metro area, and the other was several miles south of Dallas. For each vehicle, I had researched them thoroughly and made telephone contacts wherein I arranged a mutually agreed upon bottom line, final price, unless my wife and I later found some unresolvable defect. I had carefully explained that the final price I would pay for each vehicle was based upon the total amount my credit union would lend me on each vehicle. For each vehicle, the agreed upon final price was the NADA "clean retail" value, plus sales tax, with assurance that final price would cover tax, title, and license, and that there would be no attempt to add on any additional charge or fee of any kind.
Most significantly, I very tactfully and diplomatically emphasized to each salesman that my time was limited and I did not want to make fight the Dallas traffic to and from their dealership, only to find after arriving that the salesman wanted to add some additional amount to the already agreed upon final price. With the subject dealership, I had telephone contact with an individual who was later identified as their used car sales manager, and with a salesman who, I was falsely told by the sales manager, would be the person who would handle the transaction. Most significantly, I went into great detail to assure there was not the slightest doubt between the salesman and I about the bottom line, final, price to which we mutually agreed, if my wife and I found the vehicle to be acceptable. When I had asked to talk to the sales manager, the salesman said he was not available. He said he was pretty sure however they would sell me the vehicle at my final price, but that he would have to ask the sales manager for final approval of my final price, and call me back.in our later phone conversation, he assured me he had asked the sales manager and the sales manager agreed to sell the vehicle at my final price, "with no other fees or charges of any kind to be added." He chuckled when I asked about any additional fees or charges, as if my emphasis upon that was amusing.
Upon arrival at the dealership, my wife and I found that the vehicle was what we wanted. There was no question that the salesman was the same young man with the same name and voice with whom I had talked by phone. When we went into the office to finalize the sale, I used the men's room and returned. The young salesman had disappeared, however. Shortly, the sales manager arrived and said he remembered me from our earlier telephone contacts. There was no question that he was the same person with the same name, and the same voice, with whom I had spoken by telephone. He asked, "what's the deal." I thought it a little strange that he would ask this, so soon after my phone contacts with him, and after he said he remembered our phone conversation that he characterized as "nice."
I responded to the sales manager that the deal was that I liked the vehicle and was ready to purchase it at the price to which we had earlier agreed. He asked what that was, as if I needed to refresh his memory. When I reminded him of the agreed upon amount, he said, "No, that's wrong, " at which time I interrupted him to tell him the salesman had already told me they agreed. He then said, in an arrogant and condescending tone, "No, he works for me"... At which time it was clear that I had been lied to and was wasting time, so I rose and walked out. He followed and tried to persuade me to come back and "discuss" it and to "give me a chance." It was obvious that the previous false agreement on the final price was no more than an insensitive, inconsiderate, unscrupulous, and deliberate manipulation to lure me to the dealership, regardless of any inconvenience to me, and to try to manipulate me to pay more than the amount we had agreed upon by phone.
A few minutes later, I had made my way over to where I had mistakenly parked in front of the new car sales building. As I was talking by phone to the salesman at the next scheduled dealership, I noticed that the sales manager had made his way from the used car building over into the new car building in front of me, and he was observing me. Shortly after I drove away, he called my mobile phone and apologized for the "misunderstanding." I explained that he had made a mistake and that I was not returning. I further assured him that I would make sure his conduct was appropriately made known. I ultimately had to hang up on him because I was in heavy traffic. The incredulous and dishonest conduct of these sales employees speaks volumes about the credibility and honesty of the dealership owners and management. The next dealership we visited honored our previously agreed upon final price and we bought their vehicle.
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