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AIBU?

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Original poster

Car dealership gone back on offer

98 replies

Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 13:59

So we ordered a brand new car at the weekend under a PCP deal. Went through the credit check, agreed on a part exchange price for our car and on a monthly cost for us.
We agreed to go for the base colour which comes at no extra cost. When he went to get us the deal printed out his boss told him that they are no longer doing the base colour and we would have to pay for one of the metallic colours (£600 extra) we said no. We don’t want to pay extra for a colour. He went to his boss and came back with a lower offer and they would find us the base colour model in stock somewhere and transport it.

We put down a deposit and signed the paperwork.

He phoned today saying they can’t get hold of any of the base colours and we can pay £15 a month extra for a red one that they have in stock. Or we can wait till March and choose another metallic colour, which will also be the same £15 a month extra.

I’ve told them no. If they can’t do it at the price we agreed and put our deposit down at then I’m not interested. I don’t care about the colour of the car, we just need one within the next couple of weeks, which he initially said he could do

I feel they lied to us just to get us to sign up. On the phone he put me on hold to talk to his boss who reiterated they couldn’t do anything for us. I said ok. We will have to cancel the sale then , can I come in and get the deposit back. He said he would phone me back later today. That was two hours ago! Haven’t heard anything yet.

It’s so frustrating as I can’t find a car I want at a price as good as this. Yet I feel they’ve lied and are taking me for a ride. Also wasted 3 hours of our time at the weekend and put a credit check on our account for nothing now.

AIBU? I don’t think for them losing that £600 is really going to be worth losing a sale but it’s not looking likely they’re going to honour the original deal.

OP posts:
Original poster
Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 17:39

I’m not bothered about the colour we don’t want want to pay extra for a colour that’s the problem.

He just phoned to say the ‘DP’ ??? has been in meetings all day but he will get back to me tonight or first thing in the morning. He asked on the phone what colour I wanted and I said I don’t mind what colour it is I want to pay the price we agreed for the spec of car we agreed 🤷🏻‍♀️

I phoned the manufacturer direct and they confirmed the car is being discontinued in that colour.
So really they should have known this before we put our deposit down. They should have checked first and not be asking us to now give them extra money.

OP posts:
Alsohuman · 05/02/2020 17:45

And they should be discounting a soon to be discontinued colour.

TheReef · 05/02/2020 17:48

Typical reel you in behaviour.

Promise you what you want at a price you want, get you in the dealership, you sign then they can't deliver, charge you more and you don't get what you want. But they get to sell you what they wanted to to give them their bonus and you pay more per month. Standard practice

Walk away op

GiveHerHellFromUs · 05/02/2020 17:49

And they should be discounting a soon to be discontinued colour.

I'd bump the price up and sell it as 'limited edition' Grin

Trunkysaurus · 05/02/2020 17:51

Eh? How can they discount a car they can't fucking get? If they could get the car, they would sell it to the OP.

If anything they would be the last ones to discount if there's any demand for them.

recededpronunciation · 05/02/2020 17:53

We’ve had this nonsense with dealers as well. Recent favourite was being told that we’d have to have the model of car we wanted without a tow bar because the hybrid we wanted couldn’t have a tow bar fitted because of the battery. Salesman insisted this was correct. Manager said the same. Awkward silence when we showed them a photo of my brother’s identical car with manufacturer fitted tow bar. Idiots.

Trunkysaurus · 05/02/2020 17:56

Now thatis ridiculous. They could easily have sold you a tow bar and made some more money.

GiveHerHellFromUs · 05/02/2020 17:59

@Trunkysaurus they're only bothered about selling the car. A tow bar is probably more hassle than it's worth for them

MaJoady · 05/02/2020 18:03

@GiveHerHellFromUs No worries, there's no reason why anyone should know how it works. Smile I only do because I used to work with automotive paint!

Likethebattle · 05/02/2020 18:14

My DH has been a car salesman he really left yesterday as he wasn’t enjoying it. DP means dealer principal. They will dear g for the car you want and that takes time on multiple systems as the have to check other branches, vehicle holding etc and it’s not a ploy but sometimes they just can’t get the spec you request, if it discontinued they will not be making more they will just get rid of what has already been made. DH tried for 4 weeks to get a specific car some walloper demanded and then got called at lying cunt!’ It wasn’t available, simple as that do you really think they’d let all this hassle happen if they could get what you want? Over £600? They don’t make any mor commission for that, it’s £120 per bonnet (more in the bigger models)

Original poster
Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 18:17

That’s fine if they can’t get it but they shouldn’t have told me they can get one and take my money surely. They should have checked first surely?!

OP posts:
Likethebattle · 05/02/2020 19:06

It can take a few days to check to see if there is one. If the deal isn’t what you want the go down in person and ask for a refund. I promise you the sales guy isn’t getting anymore commission on your £600 paint. It’s a set amount per bonnet going out the door.

Original poster
Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 19:08

Thanks likethebattle I will see what he says on the phone tomorrow. I’ve got tonight to consider my options.

OP posts:
Brefugee · 05/02/2020 19:13

if you want a good deal on a car can you wait until the end of the quarter when they need to bump their sales figures?

Original poster
Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 19:15

Not really. Our old car is 12 years old and on the brink of death with an MOT coming up at the end of March. That’s why this deal was attractive it was an affordable price and he said not a big wait time for it.

OP posts:
MissConductUS · 05/02/2020 19:18

Lots of car dealers in the US use similar tactics. We've found a local Subaru dealer who has been particularly honest, transparent and easy to do business with. We just our fourth car from them. Having a long term relationship with loyal customers must surely be more profitable than making a one off fast profit from someone you'll never see again.

AnotherEmma · 05/02/2020 19:19

Just buy a used car in the spec and colour you want. We bought a car which was only about 6 months old with about 5k miles on the clock. Absolute bargain compared to cost of buying new. And it is as good as new.

Original poster
Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 19:24

It’s cheaper to buy new with the finance offers they have at the moment! If I could buy outright I would get nearly new!

OP posts:
Puzzledandpissedoff · 05/02/2020 19:33

That’s fine if they can’t get it but they shouldn’t have told me they can get one and take my money surely. They should have checked first surely?!

But if they'd done that you might have walked away

Far better (for them) to fudge things so you put down a deposit, then try to talk you into something else once you're hooked in. As TheReef said it's standard practice ...

Original poster
Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 19:55

If they had been upfront about availability then I would have paid the little more a month to get the car I knew was in stock since we do need one quite quickly. Now questioning it because I don’t think I can really trust them. Why can’t people just be honest it’s so frustrating.

OP posts:
Likethebattle · 05/02/2020 20:03

They aren’t aware of what’s available until they do a full search. They go all over the uk to dear g not just what’s in their forecourt so they don’t know straight away what’s available. He will have run a check at all branches in the uk and where they hold stock, believe me if that car was out there he would find it.

Original poster
Mol1628 · 05/02/2020 20:09

Well I am hoping he gets back to me tomorrow saying I can have the other car for the price we agreed. If not I don’t really know what I’ll do.

OP posts:
NotAPan · 05/02/2020 20:12

I used to work in a VW dealership.

They'd totally have pulled a stunt like this.

He's not ringing you back because either he's trying something last ditch to get you a deal you'll accept, or because you're no longer a priority because you're nor going to do a deal. Go into branch and get it sorted there and then one way or another.

Original poster
Mol1628 · 06/02/2020 08:15

Waiting for him to get back to me this morning now after speaking to the DP

I’m still really angry. We had a credit check and everything. I feel I’m not being unreasonable expecting them to honour the price we agreed upon.

OP posts:
steff13 · 06/02/2020 08:22

They aren’t aware of what’s available until they do a full search.

Which they should have done before they accepted the deposit.

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