Car Sales Deception

L

levelpar

Registered User
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Hi,

Its some years since I traded in a car so what happened to me could be the norm nowadays.

Saw a car herself and myself liked. We asked the very young "sales executive" about it. He requested us to sit and proceeded to fill in all details of our car plus our name, address and more. I interupted him to say that all we want to know is what allowance for our car, I could not see why he should know all about us at an inquiry stage.

Anyway, he muttered something and went ahead. After seeing the one we wanted he gave us a figure for ours, offered him my credit card for the deposit to which he replied, "our finance man looks after that". I'm thinking, "maybe he does not know how to process a credit card." I explained to him that it would take a week to pay the main outstanding amount.

Mr Finance Man sidles up to the desk and says he understands the week delay for the finance. Yes, says I, the money is on 7day deposit account. His face turned purple, almost snatched the credit card, processed it and moved us out of his office.

Apparently, this "finance man" is not a member of staff but from some Building Society or Finance Co. Now, is this not sneakey or what?
 
I wouldnt even deal with them after that! I'd go to some other garage.Is that an option for you or are your wife and you dead set on owning this particular car?
 
Hi Purplealien, Your answer suggests that their approach might not be the norm?. We have paid a deposit by credit card €200. Would we get this back if we pulled out? We were offered a good deal for my wife's punto against a punto grande so we can complain on that score but we dont like sharp practice.
 
We were offered a good deal for my wife's punto against a punto grande so we can complain on that score but we dont like sharp practice.
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If you were offered a good deal go ahead because i think your deposit is non refundable. It was their manner that annoyed me. Their attitude would have made me go elsewhere.
 
Many of the larger garages make it a rule that the business manager/ finance guy or girl, must see every customer who is purchasing a car. These people always work for the company, not a bank.

Garages can make as much money out of selling you finance as on the motor deal itself.

Taking the deposit is just the last excuse to get you two talking, which the young sales guy would have had to do.
 
Off topic to your situation, but related to car sales deception, we have been looking also for a new vehicle, and were interested in one particular model. The (again - young) sales chap was all about us, telling us there was another interested party who wanted to buy it, good deal, better move quick, etc etc, and we said we'd be back in the morning with our mechanic to check it over before signing to buy it. He then instantly knocked 1.5k off the asking price, but we said we'd still wait til we had our mechanic check it out.

Lo and behold when we arrive back out with our "guy" and our guy proceeds to check tyres and undercarraige and made mutterings about it having been involved in a crash the sales chap who had been hovering nervously went AWOL and could not be found to answer questions as to why when we had asked the history of the vehicle he hadn't disclosed this.

Also found out later that the "other party" who wanted to buy it had also been in to check it out and passed on it due to the same faults (got talking to the other party at another garage). I thought crash involvement had to be disclosed as a matter of course? Needless to say we have agreed to purchase another model from a different vendor.
 
snuffle said:
The (again - young) sales chap was all about us, telling us there was another interested party who wanted to buy it, good deal, better move quick, etc etc,
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If the other people had wanted to buy it, there would have been a sold sign on the car!
Also, garages do have to tell you whether the car has been in a crash or not because if you find out afterwards you can sue and they will end up having to pay for the car and solicitors fees etc.
 
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Those sales reps in motor dealerships have got to be the most annoying little liars ever, you really have to know your stuff going in there. Esp if you are a woman in my book, sorry to say that but the amount of times they have tried to pull the wool over my eyes but get a land when they see I've done my homework. Thank god I listened to my Dad growing up when I started buying cars.
When I was getting my car serviced recently, I was just fluting around the showroom while I was waiting and this smoothy eget did my head in over a car i was looking at, he offered me an insult of a trade in for my car. I just looked at him and walked away coz the fecker knows my car is serviced in there on time since I bought it and it's well looked after.
A deposit is not refundable...and they never tell you that!!. A friend of mine got done is a well known dealer in Tallaght!!!. Their behaviour was shocking. I think they are only going to get worse with people spending their SSIA money on new cars!!.
 
There is one rule of thumb when dealing with a garage - they are all Satan or one of Satan's helpers in disguise. Once you bear that in mind you will do okay.
 
Huge difference in attitude between here and the uk, and they moan about them over there all the time.

I've either brought in or helped to bring in 7 cars from the uk now and bar one all our dealer experiences were fantastic.

With massive growth in new car sales in Ireland since the millenium Irish dealers have gotton lazy, they could happily afford to let you walk out the door as they're be someone else coming in at the same time quite content to sign on the dotted line without even raising the possibility of a discount etc.
 
its the norm, they will do or say anything to get your money, the stories i could go into. My blood is starting to boil just thinking of what i've seen go on in garages... I'd move on and find a diff place to spend your money, its only way these people will ever learn.
 
I'll add a rare positive note, I have bought 3 cars and each have been great, the dealers were honest and looked after me well in the after service (did a few things for free). For my 3rd car (car 1, was the first, car 2 was as a result of an accident with car 1, so cash buyer!), I got a great trade in deal compared to other offers, about €2K more, including a garage in Dublin for the same brand, where I was set to buy the new car, but the little fecker never called me back. His loss, my gain.
 
Hi Westbound, Would be delighted to know where you got the great service and the bonus trade in. From my experience over many years, I found 99% of car dealers happy to rip you off for as much as they can get away with.
 
Just like to echo previous comments on cars
Decided to shop around this week for a car and the price difference
offered for my trade in was nearly 6K, two Dublin BMW dealers one northside and the other southside offered me a starting negociation price of nearly 7k bellow the book value of my car (which is in the vrt section of the revenue website and worth a look if you are trading in a car)
The prices outside of Dublin were much better and they tend to give you a straight negociation price not this bottom of the barrel bull that you get with your cup of coffee in the glass cage dealerships in Dublin.
What struck me about the Dublin dealerships was that the sales people cannot make a decision without bouncing it off the senior manager, and their prices on trade ins are a strangely similar which of course reeks of a cartel in the motor trade, this has happened before in Dublin and dealerships have been prosecuted.
Anyway having wasted the best part of two days shopping in the capital for a car and not being offered a test drive on any car I have decided to take my money and custom to a dealership outside of Dublin as they seem to value my hard earned dollar more!
Has anyone else had this experience?
Who do I write to? The ombudsman, consumer affairs, BMW europe?

Happy hunting
 
HI Bugsbunny, Know how you feel. I felt like belting a sales person today when I was offered €2500 for my lovely Rover 45 with 2 year NCT , taxed till end Feb with 53K miles against a car costing 14,000 . The usual gimmick they use is to ring up back street johnny who buys anything under 00 reg. On the other hand maybe they just ring the senior sales upstairs
 
Who do I write to? The ombudsman, consumer affairs, BMW europe?
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S.I.M.I - Society of Irish Motor Industry.
It's true what you say about people getting better value outside the pale. My husband works for BMW dealership and takes lots of offers over the phone from Dublin people lookng for better value. He emails them pictures and specs etc.
 

Hi levelpar, I have added paragraphs and pronouns to your question in an attempt to clarify and keep the tread on topic.

Is your main complaint that a sneaky attempt was made to sell you finance (involving you giving them a lot of personal details)? or perhaps its the perception that somehow the deal you negotiated was in some way a rip off?

aj
 
Is your main complaint that a sneaky attempt was made to sell you finance (involving you giving them a lot of personal details)? or perhaps its the perception that somehow the deal you negotiated was in some way a rip off
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Hi Ajapale,
I should have made it clear that in the first instance "sneaky attempt", I was referring to a purchase/ trade-in of my wife's car. In the second instance " rip off" was a follow on from BugsBunny comments and in relation to a possible purchase /trade-in for MY car
 
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