They may want to charge him for mileage on the HHR though, which wouldn't be cool, but these guys are being anything but cool......

Sorry to hear about your mess, man, Hope you get it all sorted out ASAP.

 

Thanks GB999! it'll get sorted out, but I am trying to keep as civil as possible.

Crazy: there is an actual clause in the sales contract that specifies a rate of $1 per mile over 25 per day if the vehicle is surrendered....as well as a $30/day use fee.

At this point they are not calling this out...so I am treading as lightly as possible....but not gonna get screwed (more) in the process.

 

Spoke too soon.

Just got a call.
They told me to bring the new car back by tomorrow afternoon and tow my trade in off the lot. If I don't have it back by three they will charge me the usage and mileage "fee".

I think I am getting real close to "lawyering up"

Not asking anything more than having my old vehicle returned in a running condition...like it was when they took it.


By the way:

LOU BACHARODT CHEVROLET, COCONUT CREEK, FLORIDA

 

Any update on the situation? I'm very curious to see what they 'charged' you if anything?

 

Me too.....updates please.

 

I take it you have poor enough credit that you couldn't qualify for re-financing through a credit union? I read about this problem in an news article. I am amazed that the dealer is willing to allow it to get to this point with all the negative publicity you will feel motivated to provide in your discussion with every local media outlet if they don't clean up their act.

 

Hi all;

I thought thru my options and finally decided to return the car as per their ultimatium. I did not savor the idea of getting into a legal tussel over this since their ability to demand these fees is in the fine print.

Luckily I have AAA so the tow off the lot was not directly out of pocket.

I had my 'Burb towed to a mechanic with the intent of having it reparied and then persuing the cost via small claims court, if appropriate. The problem was the fuel pump...something that was normal wear so decided to suck it up.

The end result is that I have my old truck back, and they have the HHR with 650miles on it.
I have lost > 10 points on my credit score, and they have a used new car. Tit for tat.

Doctuh, I had a credit score of a little over 650...or "average".

I had been working diligently to recover from a lost business/bankruptcy over 8 years ago (restaurant venture); Although that public record is still on my report, I have consistently paid my bills and mortgage and have not had any derrogatory entries since. Hindsight? maybe I should have gone to the bank which holds my mortgage...but I guess I was testing the water by trying to get financed via the dealer...with the mindset that it would shore up my credit over the next few years until my B-R falls off.

I still take issue that the finance aholes at the dealer blatantly led me to believe that it was a done deal at the price and rate on the sales contract. Although 'caveat emptor' is the norm, something that negatively impacts the consumer, i.e. a dozen hard inquiries on a credit score, should not be buried in fine print, but highlighted and implicitly pointed out.

So I am taking my lumps, crawling in a corner to lick my wounds, and will take every opportunity to trash talk not only the specific dealer: LOU BACHRODT CHEVROLET, COCONUT CREEK FL, but will bash the whole institution of car dealerships.

For me the idea of buying a vehicle has soured. You won't see me on a new car dealership lot in the conceivable future...irregardless of my wounded credit score now, moreover because I would rather clean a cat litter box with my tounge than step foot on a dealers lot again.

People piss and moan about the economy and how the auto manufacturers are ailing....but then passively allow dealerships to continue in an outdated paradigm where buying an auto is a game of cat and mouse. Now whenever I see the ads on the internet and media about what great deals and incentives are available on new cars, I only shake my head in disgust. Everyday Joe is not going to get the finance rates advertised or the price listed, or all the smoke and mirrors that advertising has in our faces 24/7...the average working person will be lucky to just not get reamed in the tailpipe.

With that I am off the grid. It was nice to participate on this forum...there are a lot of good folks here.

Don
Boca Raton, FL

 

It was nice to have you here on the forum too. It's too bad things didn't work out better for you. Some dealerships are just garbage and have nothing but rotten, scumbag people working there trying to "steal" as much as they can from you when you're buying a vehicle. My dealership was pretty good to me, so I might go there again for my next car. But if I ever had an experience like yours, I would just be fuming with anger and would make sure people knew about it. You could always try bringing their rating down through online reviews and the BBB....
So, I guess now you're out of your "Mini-burb" and back into your "Big-burb", huh?

Nice having you here on the forum,
Tyler

 

Don, sorry to hear about your problems with the dealer. I agree it was a bad situation. For anyone though, you are best off arranging financing first, then going shopping. A credit union is often a good start. Often the dealer will match or beat your financing you arranged, but if not they will work with the bank/credit union you chose. That's what I did with the SS as the dealer wanted .75% higher rate then I got through the credit union. They were unwilling/unable to match it.

 

Sounds as if Broward county has some of the worst dealers anywhere. Walked out of Lauderdale Infiniti because they would not honor a "no haggle" price when going though AAA auto buying assistance. Guess what dealer is no longer on the preferred AAA listing anymore.