Gwinnett Place Ford - Advertisement Does Not Come Into Deal Offered. Deceptive Advertising Duluth Georgia
I was looking at the Sunday, June 20th edition of the Atlanta Journal Constitution when I noticed an advertisement from this auto dealer noting "triple rebates" ($3000 becomes $9000 etc).
After reviewing this ad in detail, I called them on Tues the 23rd and spoke with a young lady asking questions about the "triple rebate" offer they were running and if it was still in effect. She advised it was and transferred me to a sales manager named Frank. Frank was very polite and we discussed a few issues I had regarding my trade-in and scheduled a time to come in and look at inventory. I made it in on Thursday the 24th and naturally started the "sales talks". I told him going in I knew I was upside down on my auto and that the triple rebates would definately help clear this up.
About me.. I am 34 yo and makes about $44k yr and have a Equifax FICO of 711 with no late payments at all and took printout with me to the dealer.
My payoff on my current auto was $19,043 and they offered only $8500 (NADA listed little over $10 as trade-in value). At this point I was upside down over $10k.. OUCH!!
I asked about rebates and was advised the rebate on the vehicle was looking at was $3000 (2004 SportTrac - $30,900). When all was said and done I was offered a 66 month lease at $498+ taxes and $2500 down. I inquired on the triple rebate but it was avoided each time. They tried their ebst to get me to take a vehicle home taht night so I would come back the next day.
I am a very serious business minded individual and will not cave in to high presure sales tactics and my mind was set on what I would and would not do. So, I took my leave that evening and went home to run some numbers and see where I felt we stood and came up with a completely different setup...
Here is what I had come up with.. (using approx numbers here)
MSRP Of New SprotTrac = $31,000 (paying full sticker mind you!)
Rebate ($3000) = $9,000 ($3000 tripled "Triple Rebate Offer"
RUNNING BALANCE = $22,000
Trade In Payoff = $19,043
RUNNING BALANCE = $41,043
Trade In Allowance = $10,050 (rec from NADA.com)
FINAL BALANCE = $30,993
I do not know what the lease payment would be on this vehicle but the numbers run like they should according to what I can see.
I emailed Frank on Friday afternoon with this info as well as asking about the Triple Rebate offer and never received a reply.. I emailed him again this past Monday and he told me he was unable to do anything else with the deal to accept it or not. He also never replied to my request for info regarding the triple rebate offer!!
I kindly emailed him back advising him they are running some deceptive advertising in regards to the triple rebate offer as it was never offered, apparently, in my deal and told him I would NOT be doing business with his company.
I handled it professionally and like it should have ben handled. If the company advertises it, then it should d**n well offer it and THEY DID NOT.. They slid around the fact so many times it was not even funny..
Kevin
Alpharetta, Georgia
U.S.A.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
P
Columbia,South Carolina,
U.S.A.
Local Columbia Dodge Dealers Advertises Similar
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, August 02, 2004
There's a local Columbia area Dodge dealer (Dodgeland) that has offered the "triple rebate" deal. Knowing that it was a gimmick, I decided to discreetly check them out once. Yeah, they were offering triple rebates alright, but what their advertisement didn't mention was that they were adding the difference to an ADMU (Additional Dealer Mark Up) sticker. Therefore, when you subtracted the bogus rebate amount, you were pretty much back at the sticker price.
To anyone out there buying a new car, remember the old saying, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."
Christopher
Chamblee,Georgia,
U.S.A.
RE: answer to problem.
#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Sun, August 01, 2004
When you look at the add, it says "Triple rebate SAVINGS" not triple the rebate. What happens is they give you a discount on the vehicle, and with the zero percent interest loans that are available right now, the totals would be a TOTAL savings of $9,000 (using your example of course)over the life of your loan. I see the add looks like it could be construed as a $3000 rebate becomes $9,000 off, but it doesnt actually say that you now have a $9,000 rebate from the sticker on the vehicle.
I guess what frustrates me the most about customers is that they dont understand that there is no Santa clause out there. The actual price of the vehicle is $X.XX and the delaer needs to make $700-$800 a car to stay in business. If they take too much off the price of the new vehicle, be prepared for them to take that amount off your trade in as well. Profit is NOT a dirty word, ripoff is, and dealers that actually "rip" you off should be beaten, but this is just creative advertising, and you need to take it at that.
Sell your car on your own, offer the dealer $300 UNDER invoice with all incentives going to you the customer, and you'll get a GREAT deal and you'll be happy as well.