Maxwell Ford Bait and Switch. Quoted low ball offer and when we accepted came up with a much higher price due to an unnoticed error previously. Austin, Texas
We had been in the market for a new car and sent a inquiry thru an auto website to local Ford Dealers in the Austin area for a 2013 Ford Edge SE. We received back 4 quotes from each of the local dealers. The Maxwell Ford quote was the best priced at $20,248.00 for a basic SE.
I had multiple email conversations with the sales person at Maxwell Ford to confirm the price quoted. I made an appointment with the sales agent for the next day to look at the car. On this day I stopped by another Ford Dealer and test drove the Edge to see if I would like it. This Dealer, Lief Johnson had the 2nd best quote.
After deciding that I did like the Edge I stopped by Maxwell Ford unannounced just to speak briefly with the sales agent since it was on the way home. i wanted to verify the price quote again and see if they actually had any of the Edge's I was interested in.
Since it was getting late and the sales agent had to leave we spent only about 15 minutes discussing the quote. She confirmed again the quote was accurate and they they (Maxwell Ford) were aggressively pricing these vehicles to move them.
We agreed to meet again the following afternoon for a test drive and then go from there. Since I had previously test drove the car and liked it I informed my wife that if she was to also test drive it and liked the Ford Edge we should accept thier offer and buy the car.
The next day I was unable to make the appointment but my wife went instead. She also verified the quote with the sales agent upon arriving at Maxwell Ford. Once again the sales agent confirmed the quote.
My wife test drove the car liked it and called me to discuss. We agreed we should buy the car but since I was not able to get there this specific day I would come on Monday. The sales agent suggested we place a $500 deposit on the car and hold it until i could arrive on Monday. My wife presented her with a credit card in which to put the deposit down and requested a full set of papers to verify the total cost.
After a length of time the sales agent returned with another person that claimed to be her manager. He explained that a error had been made in the quote process and now the car was actually over $4,000.00 higher.
After trying to explain the difference to my wife they called me. He claimed a $1500 discount had been entered twice therefore giving a $3000 discount instead of the normal $1500. I ask if the price shouldn't be $1500 additional over the quote we received making it $21,748.00. No he explained that there was also another $500 discount also included that should not have been.
So at this point he has only reclaimed a total of $2000 which added to the quote should have been $22,248.00, yet he was telling me the new price was $24,861.00 before add-on's which he wanted full MSRP for.
He kept telling me how bad Maxwell feels about this mistake and that they want to cut me a really good deal considering the mix-up. However math was apparently not this mans strong suite and nothing he said added up. When pushed for a better explanation of the difference he tells me that it is a "complicated formula' as if I couldn't possible understand it.
The bottom line was, they shot us a low ball offer to get us to come in and once we accepted their offer they flipped it on us and blamed it on a error by the sales agent. This sort of bait and switch is a common tactic unscrupulous dealers use. Simply Google dealer scams and this little tactic is in the top 10.
We complained to the state and to other agencies about this event and Maxwells most recent response was to try to blame us for the problems going so far as accusing us in trying to get something for nothing. What a bunch of fine people the folks down at Maxwell Ford are. Trying to blame the customer trying to expose their fraud.
All we wanted was the car we were quoted for the price we had been quoted and verified 3 separate times. Noting more and nothing less. The trouble is we refused to be victims of a dealer scam and they simply don't like that we are highlighting their little scam racket.
If you want a Ford in the Austin area, stay away from Maxwell Ford. Go to Lief Johnson or any of the other dealers but certainly don't do business with a company like this.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
ScotH
Lakeway,Texas,
They did the right thing in the end.
#6REBUTTAL Owner of company
Wed, May 15, 2013
It took a few days but Maxwell Ford delivered the exact terms that they had initially proposed.
ScotH
Lakeway,Texas,
Something for nothing? Really?
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, May 13, 2013
To say that someone wanted "Something for nothing" simply because they expected you to deliver on terms that YOU offered is beyond beliefe. I guess you made a mistake with me as well. Lets see how you handle this. Mention financing and you'll be violating my privacy rights. You know credit was approved. I wonder if you will say otherwise And be able to look yourselves in the mirror.
The sales department should not be deceptive. You kept me there for almost 5 hours by making an offer that you refused to honor when it came time to sign. Sales Manager Scott Robinson made the offer in writing and had me sign it, yet refused to honor it in the end.
ScotH
Lakeway,Texas,
They did the same to me as a walk in.
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, May 13, 2013
The sales department is deceptive. They kept me there for almost 5 hours by making an offer that they refused to honor when it came time to sign.
I dropped in on a Friday, early afternoon to explore the possibility of trading my 2011 Taurus for a 2012 Jeep Wrangler that they had. I immediately explained that I was short on time. I Provieded the salesman Collin Farmer with my maximum budget and asked that they appraise my trade in. They took my keys, and kept them until roughly 7pm when I demanded that they give them back to me. They continually shoved numbers in front of me that were far above my maximum budget, and I continually thanked Collin Farmer for his time and explained that I needed to be somewhere. He kept asking me to give them a shot.
Eventually, the manager, Scott Robinson agreed to my budget numbers. They congratulated me on my purchase, and had me sign under the numbers to agree that we had a deal. Several hours later, I was FINALLY invited to finance to sign the paperwork. I was completely shocked when the finance manager laid out a completely different deal than Scott Robinson had asked that I agree to in writing. Monthly payments were almost 10% higher! I stood up and asked him if they were going to honor the deal that they had agreed to or not. He asked to explain. I told him it was a simple yes or no answer. His answer was no. Apparently they had added too much to the Jeeps sales price for the bank to accept.
1. This process should have been far more expedient. I'm fine that they could make a deal that I was comfortable with, and I explained that as I tried to leave no less than five times. To keep me for almost 5 hours and cause me to miss an appointment, all for nothing, is inexcusable.
2. They did not, in my case honor the numbers that Scott Robinson proposed. They used those numbers to keep me there but then continued to change the terms. BEWARE! These people will tell you what you want to hear to keep you there but change the terms on you at the end.
Maxwell Ford
United States of AmericaSomething for Nothing
#6UPDATE Employee
Tue, December 11, 2012
The version of events is accurate up until the point where he claims it was intended and the price would be $4000 higher. The sales consultant, a brand new internet saleswoman, misquoted the rebates. She made a mistake. Period. Notice the most important part - when they wanted to leave a deposit to come back later, a manager had to be involved to run a credit card and when he discovered the price error, made the mistake known and refused to accept a deposit. The manager went straight to the customer and apologized and explained what happened. End of story accept the author of the complaint failed to mention they called and threatened to sue us and said they contacted an attorney and were going to take us to court etc. Maxwell Ford is a 2011 Presidents Award Winner which means we have one of the highest CSI, Customer Satisfaction Index, scores in the nation out of the thousands of Ford dealerships. We have an A+ BBB rating and our the #1 Ford CPO dealer in Central Texas. Our reputation is above reproach.
Flynrider
Phoenix,Arizona,
USA
How this works.
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, December 10, 2012
Salespeople will "quote" whatever they think you want to hear. Most people think it means something, but in reality it does not. The price of a vehicle is whatever you can get them to put on a sales contract. Until that contract is signed by both parties, the price is up in the air.
Here's an example. I can "quote" you a price of $20K on this vehicle you want to buy. That does not mean that I won't add ridiculous fees and charges on the contract that will make the actual price $25K. If you want to believe you really bought it for $20K, you're free to do so (and this is what happens to 80% of people who buy a new car), but all I care about is that you sign the contract with the big payday at the bottom.
This is how the industry does business, and is why a "quote" is a meaningless device to bring gullible customers in the door.