deft

Sorry to post another bad dealership story but:

Had a deal lined up over the phone on a '13 vette. I drove 2 hours one way, waited patiently for the salesmen to become available.

Filled out all applicable paperwork to make the trade, oddly--the document regarding price was missing.

Between waiting and paperwork total time spent at the dealer was 1.5 hours.

The price document was the last to be brought up at which I was now informed that our deal that we agreed upon was no longer in place, and they decreased my trade in value by more than $3,000. My car was as I described and they were unable to highlight any issue.

Shot my whole Saturday and wasted a half tank of gas. Apparently my time and resources were not of concern to this dealership.

Ron Stephenson was the salesperson but blamed the change on the sales manager. This is possible, but why save the trade in documentation for last? It just felt really dirty and planned at my expense.

Really oddly, I was offered a jar of peanut butter by the salesman as I was leaving--I declined. I thought my girlfriend was going to attack him.


Exact same thing happened to me with Koons Ford two years ago. Apparently this is a dealer scheme to capitalize on people who are willing to drive for a good deal.

General Managers response and my follow up:

Lew, thank you for taking the time to write.

Unfortunately I don't believe the concept of a sight unseen trade being a little tricky applies here. My car was in excellent shape and no one disagreed with that fact. The used car appraiser at your dealership knew exactly what my car was when the initial price was drawn up, but that price changed by over $3,000 when I took the trip the next day. That kind of price revision borders closer to undisclosed accident damage than a simple sight-unseen mis-evaluation.

Also I do believe the paperwork was drawn up the way it was to further cloud the situation. I signed and completed all paperwork short of signing over the check before there was even a mention of "this is what we'll give you for your car, this is what we want for ours" Not sure if that's the way your dealership always does it, but normally that's one of the first papers I've signed when buying cars in the past.

And yes, this has happened to me two years ago at a separate dealership with a different set of cars, but that speaks more of how persons at a dealership are willing to hold their word, rather than complications of sight unseen evaluations. The next step in that circumstance was the same as it is here: take my car to a dealership that will appreciate my time and patronage and never give the offending dealership any of either again.



original thread from LS1Tech for the rest of the conversation



Just posting to save you guys some time in the future, as I was pretty mad to have mine wasted.

Anthony Stark

Take your trade-in to CARMAX. (if convenient). They will give you a written estimate whether you give them the car or not. They will even give you cash for your car if you dont buy one from them. Plus you can then take the estimate to the dealer to compare prices.

Glen1224

I don't know where you are or where Bowie is but I recommend buying from a forum dealer. I purchased my 2012 GS over the phone from Tommy Jr. at MacMulkin Chevy. Tommy Jr. was fantastic to deal with and a true upright honest person to deal with. I drove my trade up there and my deal was exactly as we discussed on the phone. There were no hidden extra charges at all ! Not even a documentation fee ! The price he quoted me on the phone was what I wrote the check out for. Tommy even gave me a temp plate for free and I paid my sales tax in Pa when I registered the car. I can not speak more highly about this young gentlemen and would go back to him for another car in an instant. It was well worth the trip to NH. and it's a beautiful part of the country to see.

Ol'55

MacMulkin was on my list when buying our '09 Z back in 2009, but went to Crispin in Gaithersburg,Md. first, and although it can take me months to buy a new car, we drove home in our Z06 within an hour of arrival. I was happily surprised that day as I enjoy the car buying process, and was somewhat in shock that the deal went through in that time. We live in New Jersey and can appreciate the fact that you (among other posters)are willing to drive hours for the right deal/car. Crispin is also a Callaway dealer, so they know their Corvettes very well. Our only reason for not going to MacMulkin before Crispin was that Crispin was the closer of the two dealerships. But with that said I hold Crispin very high on my "attaboy list".

Glen1224

(This is strickly my experience and opinion)
I do a lot of photography and it was October with the leaves changing in VT.,NH., and Maine. We combined the trip with leaf peeping for over a week. I'm partial to taking vacations in New England. I did talk to a number of other forum dealers as well as some locals here and I got the best deal from Tommy Jr. I was not as impressed with the other dealers I talked to. For some reason; I did not talk to your dealer. I don't think I knew of him at the time.

prepass

Go to Mike Furman at Chriswell. He is total corvette enthusiast.
301 212 4420

deft

Thanks for the replies everyone, I'm keeping an eye on all dealers inventories within 100 or so miles of me (central PA). I'm in no rush to trade, but will for the right deal.

I can't believe some dealers are willing to jerk around customers like they do; not only losing a sale today, but also a customer for life.

I tend to buy a new car every two years, and I definitely have worked with some nice dealerships in the past (Basil Chevrolet in NY, Frederick Ford in MD)

vetdude

Just because someone is a Corvette enthusiast doesn't mean they always have your best interest in mind....especially when it comes to salespeople.

vetdude

I've lived in Maryland for over 55 years and have never heard of Crispin Chevrolet in Gaithersburg. The only Crispin Chevrolet I could find online is located in Michigan.

I bought a new '96 CE convertible from Criswell Chevrolet in Gaithersburg back in '96 though.

Ralphyboy

Another dealer to beware of in PA, is Reedman Auto. Outright lies about the condition of cars, service people ignoring authorized requests from the sales staff to fix things to make things right, and terrible quality repair/ service work. You can't get much worse than Reedman.

USA1 427

Can't figure out how this thread remains. I complained on here about the dealership I bought mine from and got called on the carpet and had to remove it. Why? Because they're a forum sponsor. I would think people would want to hear the good and the bad about any dealership whether or not they sponsor this site.

Ol'55

My apologies. It's Criswell You are correct! http://www.criswellchevrolet.com/

prepass

Hey vetdude, I was only responding to the op based on my experience with a local sales guy in md Mike Furman. (who I believe also happens to be a supporting vendor of this site?)
He did a super job with me on my z and I have seen him at many local events. I was not talking about sales people in general or anything else, just a local comment for the op from personal experience.
Thanks

Ralphyboy

deft

Right or wrong, sponsors pay the bills. Sorry you had a bad time too.

Ikester

After reading this, Im not going to Ourisman Chevrolet of Bowie to buy a car. Going to spread the word too.

deft

Thanks for the gesture, I explained the situation to a dealer that's a friend of mine and all he had to say was "no wonder car dealers get such a bad rap"

Some of the car dealers on this forum (and others) have reached out to me willing to earn business, and it's much appreciated. I'll be joining the vette family eventually

USA1 427

I think even if they DO pay the bills, this is a PUBLIC forum and when a dealership screws with you, you should be allowed to let others know so they are aware of that dealership's shady practices. That's okay though, because we filed a formal complaint with GM, the atty. general from that state, and the BBB. Problem was resolved, but only after I nearly had a heart attack from being so darn mad!

GentleBen

Most strongly agree. I purchased a 2011 Callaway SC606 from Mike and it was both efficient and easy. Mike's a man of his word!

bigterpsfan

I am right down the street from them. I should go down there and pretend I will buy a car from them and waste their time. Childish I know but it will give them a taste of their own medicine!