Deceptive advertising on the web site! On 12/8 I visited the Massey of South Orlando car dealer and looked at a 2012 a Cadillac CTS Coupe. All 2012 models had a tag hanging from the mirror indicating MSRP less Dealer Discount and a resulting True Price.
On 12/10 I was looking at the dealer web site to decide if I wanted to purchase the car. I noticed a coupon stating Cadillac End of Year Savings equal to 0% APR or up to $4,000 additional discount. I called the dealer to ask if the coupon applied as no limitations were listed. The sales person was not aware of the coupon and had to call me back. I spoke with the sales person on 12/11 and was told the coupon only applied to the Cadillac SRX model. I went back to the website while we were talking and saw the coupon had been changed and now was clear it only applied to the SRX model. The sales person told me it was a typo that was corrected and would not be honored.
While talking with the sales person, I searched the website to look at the SRX models. Like all other models, each SRX had an MSRP, a Dealer Discount and a True Price. All 16 2012 Cadillac models each had a similar Dealer Discount, including the SRXs. (Example: A $42,000 CTS showed a $6,000 dealer discount and a $42,000 SRX showed a $6,000 dealer discount) I asked if the $4,000 coupon was then deducted from the True Price shown for the SRX and the sales person said he had to research it and call me back. When he called back he said no, the Dealer Discount and resulting True Price shown for each SRX already included the additional $4,000 discount. He also said that even though all models showed about the same discount amount, the SRX was the only model to include the additional $4,000. The web site included no terms, asterisks, or limitations related to the SRX Dealer Discount.in fact, all 2012 models had about the same discount, yet as clarified earlier the SRX included the $4,000 coupon even though it was not disclosed. When I asked how a consumer would know the Dealer Discount and resulting True Price on the SRX was different than all other models, he provided no answer. I asked for the name of the General Manager and was provided a managers name name.in fact, the name provided is the General Sales manager, not the General Manager. I spoke with him and let him know of the issue with the coupon and the lack of clarity on the website. I asked him to look at the same pages I had viewed and to understand how a consumer had no way of knowing the coupon was limited to the SRX model (prior to the update on 12/11) or that the SRX True Price included a discount that was subject to a decision on the part of the consumer to finance through the dealer or a third party even though it was not disclosed.
The web site also includes a definition of True Price which does not reference any terms or conditions to make the pricing clear to the consumer.
Both people I spoke with acknowledged the web site did not show any indication the pricing for the SRX was different than the other models.
The dealership demonstrated arrogance and did not seem concerned their website is misleading.
Several hours later the website was completely different and no longer listed any of the cars with a Dealer Discount or a True Price.
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