A dealer cheated me and I need advice
Don
Hi... Before I bought my 97 GT, I had a WS6 on order but the
dealership screwed me. I think that this is a common problem with many
dealership and I was hoping that someone can offer some advice on how
to get some justice. Let me recap the story:
In Feb. of 96 I placed an order for a WS6 through Stewart Pontiac in
WPB, FL. for a sweet price (around $23,500). For six months, the
saleman was telling me that the order was going thru and at one point
(June), he told me that the car was being built and should be in soon.
By August, he tells me he's sorry, "but the order wasn't filled,
here's your deposit, would you like to order another; a '97?"
Since August, I have been trying to get the order number so that I can
confirm with GM if the car was built or sold from underneath me, but
for some reason, nobody at the dealership can find the order number,
not even the saleman who sold my car, the General Mgr, or the New Car
Sales Mgr. I go thru the routine of filing complaints with the BBB,
Consumer Affair dept. in the county and state.
I finally talk to the customer service mgr who answers the BBB
complaint, who BTW gave the BBB a lame answer to dodge the problem,
and tell him I want the order number or I'm gonna sick a laywer on his
ass considering the attempts I've made for an honest answer and he
finally caved and told me, off the record, that he believes the car
was sold to someone else. HA! I KNEW IT! He said he'll get back to me
I'm gonna report what he told me to the BBB but now I wondering...
What should I do? I already bought a car and I did get my deposit back
but I'm pissed as hell that they screwed me and I really feel what
they did was illegal and that they should be held responsible in some
way. Should I take them to court? Ask for the money they made with MY
car? (I did provide them with the deposit to order the darn thing)
Does anyone out there have any suggestions, legal advise, the name of
a good attorney in Fl?
I figure the least they can do is help pay for my Vortech :) What do
ya think? All comments welcomed. TIA.
Don.
Don
On Tue, 08 Oct 1996 19:15:58 GMT, tom_s...@psilongbeach.com (Tom
Shaver) wrote:
<snip>
>I don't think you have any legal recourse though. Just chalk it up to
>experience, and tell everyone not to go to that dealer. Maybe we'd have better
>luck if we could stand to drive a Saturn ;-).
>
>Before I bought my Mustang, I went looking at the 95 Formula's (2 years ago).
>None of the local Pontiac dealers had any LT1 cars in stock, and said I'd just
>have to buy the car sight unseen without even driving it! I could put up a
>deposit, they'd order it, let me drive it, and if I didn't like it, tough shit,
>they keep the deposit and the car! Un-f*cking-beleivable!
>I told them I wanted a 6 speed, and they basically laughed at me, told me I'd
>have to wait 6 months to get one, gave me some BS about not being able to get
>enough trannys from BW.
>Just stick with the Mustang, I love mine, I'll never go back to a TA.
Thanks for the words. I'll probably have to just drop it cause even
with the mgr telling me over the phone that the car came and was sold
(basically a confession), the agencies like the BBB and County and
Sate Dept of Consumer Affairs are telling me they can't do anything
about it.
States attorneys office, County and State dept of Consumer Affairs;
Phooey! Makes me wonder why I pay taxes.
Don.
Dennis Smith
> Phooey! Makes me wonder why I pay taxes.
>
Uh, to stay out of jail?
Kirk Rafferty
Don (don...@gnn.com) wrote:
: Hi... Before I bought my 97 GT, I had a WS6 on order but the
: dealership screwed me. I think that this is a common problem with many
: dealership and I was hoping that someone can offer some advice on how
Car Salesmen, don't ya love 'em! The thing is though, you got your
deposit back, effectively ending the deal. You didn't get the car, but
you didn't lose any money either. As much as this dealer sucks, probably
the only thing you can do is what you've already done: put a complaint in
to the Better Business Bureau. Also, tell all your friends not to go there.
Maybe if you mention who the dealer was in this group, you'll steer other
usenetters away from them too.
But if you go looking for a lawyer, they'll probably take your case and
milk it as long as your money holds out. (Lawyers sprang up from the same
genetic pool as car salesmen, btw.) But you won't win, because you didn't
(legally) lose anything except the time you spent waiting for the car to
ship.
Please tell me you didn't buy the GT from this same dealer?
--k
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kirk Rafferty (raff...@lewan.com) ##########################################
Lewan and Associates, Denver CO # A cynic is an idealist #################
http://www.lewan.com/~rafferty ###### who's tired #######################
Opinions expressed are mine only # ########## (heard on the net) ##########
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joseph E. Huesmann
In article <53ekb0$7...@news-2.csn.net>, Kirk Rafferty <rafferty@gateway> wrote:
>Don (don...@gnn.com) wrote:
>: Hi... Before I bought my 97 GT, I had a WS6 on order but the
>: dealership screwed me. I think that this is a common problem with many
>: dealership and I was hoping that someone can offer some advice on how
>8<[story snipped]
>
>Car Salesmen, don't ya love 'em! The thing is though, you got your
>deposit back, effectively ending the deal. You didn't get the car, but
>you didn't lose any money either. As much as this dealer sucks, probably
>the only thing you can do is what you've already done: put a complaint in
>to the Better Business Bureau. Also, tell all your friends not to go there.
>Maybe if you mention who the dealer was in this group, you'll steer other
>usenetters away from them too.
>
>But if you go looking for a lawyer, they'll probably take your case and
>milk it as long as your money holds out. (Lawyers sprang up from the same
>genetic pool as car salesmen, btw.) But you won't win, because you didn't
>(legally) lose anything except the time you spent waiting for the car to
>ship.
Plus the interest on the deposit. You waited for the car for 6 months?
You could have got a 6-month CD or something with that money.
Joe
Gord Hunt
Don wrote:
>
> Hi... Before I bought my 97 GT, I had a WS6 on order but the
> dealership screwed me. I think that this is a common problem with many
> dealership and I was hoping that someone can offer some advice on how
Get a friend to go to that dealer and test drive a Mustang GT . When he pulls into the parking
log get him to sideswipe a couple of cars. I did the same thing and the dealer couldn't do shit
it's there insurance not mine.
--
*******************************************
* Gord Hunt - 1982 Yamaha Seca 750 *
* - 1986 Mustang LX *
* *
* http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/ghunt/ *
*******************************************
Mike Burress
Don <don...@gnn.com> wrote in article <325a92ea...@news.gnn.com>...
> Hi... Before I bought my 97 GT, I had a WS6 on order but the
> dealership screwed me. I think that this is a common problem with many
> dealership and I was hoping that someone can offer some advice on how
> to get some justice. Let me recap the story:
>
-recap shrink-
> I figure the least they can do is help pay for my Vortech :) What do
> ya think? All comments welcomed. TIA.
>
> Don.
>
Don-
Had the same thing happen to me at a local Ford dealer when I
ordered an F-150. I thought it strange at the time that they wouldn't
take a deposit (I was ready to write the check). Several weeks
later, many calls and trips to the dealer; nothing. The general
sales manager started to avoid me. Some story about a
manufacturing problem at the plant. And so on. I finally bought
a new one off the lot at another dealer that was almost exactly
the same truck that I ordered. Since they wouldn't take my
deposit (I still don't understand that one) there wasn't much
I could do. I haven't been back and won't do business with
them again. We bought my 88 GT from them originally and
were trying to be repeat customers. Very strange.
Mike
Dennis Jensen
In article <53ekb0$7...@news-2.csn.net>,
rafferty@gateway (Kirk Rafferty) wrote:
>Don (don...@gnn.com) wrote:
>: Hi... Before I bought my 97 GT, I had a WS6 on order but the
>: dealership screwed me. I think that this is a common problem with many
>: dealership and I was hoping that someone can offer some advice on how
>
>Car Salesmen, don't ya love 'em! The thing is though, you got your
>deposit back, effectively ending the deal. You didn't get the car, but
>you didn't lose any money either. As much as this dealer sucks, probably
>the only thing you can do is what you've already done: put a complaint in
>to the Better Business Bureau. Also, tell all your friends not to go there.
>Maybe if you mention who the dealer was in this group, you'll steer other
>usenetters away from them too.
>
>But if you go looking for a lawyer, they'll probably take your case and
>milk it as long as your money holds out. (Lawyers sprang up from the same
>genetic pool as car salesmen, btw.) But you won't win, because you didn't
>(legally) lose anything except the time you spent waiting for the car to
>ship.
>
>
Didn't lose anything? What about the interest that that money would have
accrued if put elsewhere?
Dennis
Michael Schurr
Don:
I read your story and although I feel bad for you I can understand what
happened. You have to remember why dealers are in business. . .to make
money. If you ordered a desirable unit and it arrived an another buyer
happened to see it and waned to pay more, well you know the rest. The
other possibility is that another dealer either wanted a similar unit or
David J Phillips
Don,
Did you think of calling the GM headquarters about this situation? When
I have problems with any dealership, be they cars or computers or
whatever, I give the dealer an honest chance at fixing the problem. If
they give me the run-a-'round, I pick up the phone AND I write a few
letters to the local newspaper, the dealership, AND their corporate
headquarters. This usually gets results. Then if they do not fix what
is wrong, I send them a letter saying they have "lost a customer for
life, and all they had to do was to fulfill their end of the bargain".
Other than that, a lawyer would just take your money and piddle around
the issue. They usually can't do a damned thing because the order
wasn't filled and your money was returned to you (in this case).
Proving the dealership sold the vehicle "out from under you" is risky
at best, and the plain fact is this: someone else was in front of you
on this order, which they sold it to them because they were either a
repeat customer, a really pissed customer (having the same thing occur
to them as you have experienced), or last but not least, the guy they
sold it to offered them MORE money than you did. The latter is probably
what occurred. So write and call the headquarters! I never buy
something from any dealer unless can physically inspect it at the
time. This avoids all that "ordering heartache", and it keeps my lawyer
out of my wallet. I'd rather be spending my money on things like
performance upgrades than legal bills. After this experience, I'm sure
you have learned the same thing.
Dave
Vittatus
I know a guy who had a '96 Cobra Mystic ordered, and when the car finnaly
came in, they sold it under him. Not very nice of them to do. But, for
a happy ending, the ordered him another one, and sold it to him at only
$23,000, not a bad price for a brand new cobra mystic with every option.
Timothy L. Anderson
In article 1047...@news.datasync.com, tom_s...@psilongbeach.com (Tom Shaver) > Let me tell you my equivalent story, although mine had a happy ending. I special
> ordered a 86 WS6 back in 8/85, my first new car, my 3rd TA. It was due in the
> last week of September. I started calling EVERY DAY asking if it was in yet.
> Finally, around Oct. 7 I went to the dealership, and low and behold there's my
> brand new red 86 TA sitting on the delivery truck. I go in and talk to the new
> car manager (I knew him), and ask why my car wasn't offloaded yet. He checked.
> Turns out a dealer on the previous stop saw the car, and wanted it, so he called
> my dealer and told them to send it back up, and THEY WERE GOING TO DO IT! If I
> hadn't been there, my car would have been gone. I had a $1500 deposit at the
> dealer for 6 weeks, and they were going to give my car away because some other
> dealer "wanted it". I think that's just the way these damn car dealers are, they
> don't give a shit about anybody, and they'll lie to your face till the very end.
> I don't think you have any legal recourse though. Just chalk it up to
> experience, and tell everyone not to go to that dealer. Maybe we'd have better
> luck if we could stand to drive a Saturn ;-).
>
> Before I bought my Mustang, I went looking at the 95 Formula's (2 years ago).
> None of the local Pontiac dealers had any LT1 cars in stock, and said I'd just
> have to buy the car sight unseen without even driving it! I could put up a
> deposit, they'd order it, let me drive it, and if I didn't like it, tough shit,
> they keep the deposit and the car! Un-f*cking-beleivable!
> I told them I wanted a 6 speed, and they basically laughed at me, told me I'd
> have to wait 6 months to get one, gave me some BS about not being able to get
> enough trannys from BW.
> Just stick with the Mustang, I love mine, I'll never go back to a TA.
>
> >ya think? All comments welcomed. TIA.
> >
> >Don.
> >
>
> 91LX 12.0@114
Tom,
That's incredible. Let me share a story about my dealer, Fugate Motors in El Dorado
Springs, MO. When my poor little '94 GT got killed by the nice person running the
red light last spring, I looked around here in Dallas for either a leftover '95
Cobra or a '96 model. Couldn't find anybody interested in helping me find a
leftover, and they were gouging the crap out of the '96 models, so I called the
dealer in my hometown, where I bought my last 5 new cars. Of course, I ought to
mention that my family has bought from him since 1966, and when I call there I
talk to the owner of the place, not some polyester clad life form.
I ask him if there's any way he can get me a Cobra, and he tells me they're a
little hard to get, but not that bad, he'll see what he can do. Four days later
a black '96 is waiting for me on the back of a car trailer down here in Dallas!
We did the whole deal on the phone, his driver collected my '94, he gave me full
wholesale on the wrecked car and didn't gouge on the new one---and he's not
even an SVT dealer. Now granted, his service bays are 430 miles away, and
I don't think I'd really want them working on that engine anyway, but the man
sure knows how to take care of his customers! I wish that all dealerships
were like that.
What helps is that the owner is a car fanatic, not just interested in making
a fast buck. (you don't stay in business long in a small town if you rip
people off) Last time I visited he had his cherry 1970 Boss 429 out, and
told me to take it out and run it up to about 100 to see if the new
U-joints he had just put in fixed the vibration it had developed. Um, ok,
sure, no problem---a car most people have never even SEEN in person, and
he still drives his!
Anyway, just thought I'd point out that not all dealers are bad, for what
that's worth.
Tim Anderson
1996 Cobra #3711 of 7496
1972 Mach 1 429 Police engine "Tim installed option"
David A. Guhr
Dennis Smith wrote:
>
> > Phooey! Makes me wonder why I pay taxes.
> >
>
> Uh, to stay out of jail?
And remember, that is the only reason.
--
|David A. Guhr
|da...@wichita.feist.com http://www.feist.com/~davy
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|Instead of a trap door, what about a trap window?
|The guy looks out it, and if he leans too far, he falls
|out. Wait. I guess that's like a regular window.
| -Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
Mr. Fun
don...@gnn.com (Don) wrote:
>On Tue, 08 Oct 1996 19:15:58 GMT, tom_s...@psilongbeach.com (Tom
>Shaver) wrote:
>
><snip>
>>I don't think you have any legal recourse though. Just chalk it up to
>>experience, and tell everyone not to go to that dealer. Maybe we'd have better
>>luck if we could stand to drive a Saturn ;-).
>>
>>Before I bought my Mustang, I went looking at the 95 Formula's (2 years ago).
>>None of the local Pontiac dealers had any LT1 cars in stock, and said I'd just
>>have to buy the car sight unseen without even driving it! I could put up a
>>deposit, they'd order it, let me drive it, and if I didn't like it, tough shit,
>>they keep the deposit and the car! Un-f*cking-beleivable!
>>I told them I wanted a 6 speed, and they basically laughed at me, told me I'd
>>have to wait 6 months to get one, gave me some BS about not being able to get
>>enough trannys from BW.
>>Just stick with the Mustang, I love mine, I'll never go back to a TA.
>
>Thanks for the words. I'll probably have to just drop it cause even
>with the mgr telling me over the phone that the car came and was sold
>(basically a confession), the agencies like the BBB and County and
>Sate Dept of Consumer Affairs are telling me they can't do anything
>about it.
>
>States attorneys office, County and State dept of Consumer Affairs;
>Phooey! Makes me wonder why I pay taxes.
>
>Don.
Welcome to the club. You will be better off dropping it and saving
yourself the aggravation. I've been thru similar situations and
it's like beating your head against a wall. The basic attitude is
that unless you have EVERYTHING you allege on tape and verified by
five witnesses, three of whom are Amish, they will believe anything
the dealer says no matter how ridiculous.
The AG and consumer people don't give a rats behind about any of it
- to them it would just be them fighting your battle and why should
they care. And it's not going to get them a promotion or anything.
Alan Willford
In article <325B34...@compusmart.ab.ca>, gh...@compusmart.ab.ca says...
>Get a friend to go to that dealer and test drive a Mustang GT . When he pulls
into the parking
>log get him to sideswipe a couple of cars. I did the same thing and the dealer
couldn't do shit
>it's there insurance not mine.
Remind me to never let you drive my car!
--
e-mail: awi...@ix.netcom.com
home page: http://pw2.netcom.com/~awillfo/alan.html
Kirk Rafferty
Dennis Jensen (d.je...@geel.dwt.csiro.au) wrote:
: Didn't lose anything? What about the interest that that money would have
: accrued if put elsewhere?
I'm not sure you could really collect on what you would have done with the
money if it hadn't been sitting at the dealer. Don't get me wrong, I
sympathize. I'm just saying that (IMHO) there's nothing left to do but
tell your friends and associates not to go there.