CONSUMER BEWARE: What You Get Is NOT What You Pay For‏

By Anonymous Consumer

My best advice to anyone who is considering going to this dealership to purchase a vehicle is DON’T DO IT! I recently purchased a vehicle from them and the car I was given after I gave them money was not the one I selected. When I called them out on the fact that they gave me the wrong car they said I was either a liar or I was confused! First of all the car they gave me was a completely different colour from the one I paid for! Second, it was missing a rather noticeable scratch near the gear shift that the one I selected had. Third, I purchased a GS model and I was given a GT. I’ve included a detailed description of what happened to me below, but if you decide to go ahead and purchase a vehicle with them make sure you take photos of the car you pay for and write down the VIN number and make sure it matches the one written on the bill of purchase and car proof report. Even with that when they give you the wrong car they likely still will not give you a refund or replace the car with the one you actually wanted, but you can at least use the photos and VIN number as evidence in court. Also, if you think picking up the car you purchase instead of having it delivered will prevent them from switching the car you’d be wrong. The fact is they’ll tell you the car needs to be taken to the back for e-testing, certification, plates, and so on. Once that car leaves your sight and you have already paid for it they’re free to switch the car and bring you another one. Oh and they also made me buy them a 24 pack of beer to pay for the remainder of the car’s cost on a credit card, because they knew I wanted to avoid financing.

Here’s what happened to me:

It began when I contacted Good Fellow’s Auto about a vehicle I saw advertised on their website. I spoke with a salesmen named Shane who informed me that I would be able to pay with certified cheque, cash, or credit card. He also confirmed that the particular vehicle had all of the key features I told him I was looking for. He also assured me that the prices were all very negotiable and he would ensure that I walked out with a good deal.

The following morning I went in to the dealership and met with Shane who showed me the vehicle. I immediately noticed that the vehicle did not have all of the features he assured me on the phone it had. However, I was still interested as I needed a car urgently for my new job starting on the Monday. Once we sat down to discuss prices he informed me that he was not willing to negotiate the price. He denied both telling me that the prices were negotiable and assuring me on the phone that the vehicle had all of the features I told him I was looking for.

From there I asked to speak with his manager. The manager himself then said he would make a small adjustment to the price however he would not give me time to think about it and said that if I left the dealership to look elsewhere any negotiation would be off the table. He said in order to help me with my decision he would throw in a 39month warranty in addition to the manufacturers warranty I was already getting, which you will later see was a lie!

Upon inspection I noticed a very significant scratch on the car. When I asked if they would fix the scratch the manager said they would not as it would cost them money to do so. When it came time to pay for the vehicle I presented almost ten grand in cash and the remainder I wanted to pay with an interest free credit card to avoid financing. However, to my astonishment I was informed by Shane that I could not use a credit card. I reminded him that I had already told him how I would pay the night before and he said it was fine. Yet, he insisted that if I wanted to use a credit card they would have to charge me interest. When I said I was no longer interested in purchasing the vehicle he told me he would see what he could do. Shortly after he returned and informed me that his manager said they would allow me to use my credit card if I bought them a 24pack of beer!!!

During my test drive he asked me to pull into the LCBO, so that I could buy him the beer, and once we got back to the dealership he put the beer into the trunk of his car and said it was so his manager wouldn’t see it. Although, he had previously said it was his manager who requested it!

As he put together the bill of purchase he told me I would need to pay an additional $150 if I wanted the car delivered to my house, which I did, but he said he could not give me a receipt for the delivery. I told him I would need the car delivered as early as possible Monday evening so that I would not be late for work and he agreed he would bring it by 8:30pm.

However, on Monday around 9pm I called Shane and he still had not left the dealership. He said he was with customers and would head over immediately. He did not arrive till 11pm and as a result I was 1 hour 20mins late for work. To make things worse he brought me the wrong vehicle!!!

When I called the manager to let him know they brought me the wrong vehicle I was told that I was either a liar or confused. I asked him why I would spend over $13,000 plus $150 for delivery just to turn around and lie about being given the wrong vehicle. I told him that I was not confused about the car I was given, because the fact that it was a different colour was a dead give away! In addition, the one I was given did not have the rather noticeable scratch near the transmission that the other one had.

He told me I would not get a refund, a replacement, or any sort of rectification. He said that the vehicle I was given had the same VIN number as the one on the bill of purchase. However, I told him there was no way that I as a customer would know to ask to compare the VIN on the bill of purchase to the vehicle I picked out at the dealership. As a customer I trusted them and would never have foreseen that I would be given the wrong car. He said that I should have known to check the VIN and because I didn’t he would not help me because as far as he was concerned I got what I paid for. They also informed me that I would no longer be given the manufacturer’s warranty and the 39 month warranty I was promised would cost me extra!


							

4 Responses to “CONSUMER BEWARE: What You Get Is NOT What You Pay For‏”


  1. 0

    Faith says...

    I hate to say it but the beer thing should have tipped you off to something being wrong with the dealership. You should have ran for the hills then.

  2. 0

    Michelle says...

    If you bought it on credit card, call and dispute it and when the payment is reversed, tell the POS dealership to come get their care.

  3. 0

    nick says...

    I hope that this was your first purchase of a major item because you ignored a lot of bad signals if what you say is true. I have a real problem of this letter being published under Anonymous Consumer!!!!!!!

  4. 0

    Danielle says...

    I’m not sure what province you live in, but you can contact OMVIC in Ontario, if you had this many issues with the dealership. My husband is a car salesman, and there are strict rules that they must abide by. If you spoke with OMVIC about this, they could perhaps help you with the bad service you received.

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