Complaint Review: Rust Eck Ford - Wichita Kansas

I went to look at a used truck at the beginning of the week. The first couple of sales people were actually not bad. My first day looking I didn't really know what I wanted in a truck and a guy named Eddie greeted me and my wife as we came in the door, and after about a half hour handed me off to a guy named Danny. Danny was helpful and gave me some prices that weren't bad on a used vehicle, but again, I didn't really know what I wanted. Since I wanted to see what other dealerships had to offer, I declined to buy right there on the spot (much to their dismay). Somehow my name got recycled within the sales department and I got a call a couple of days later from another salesman named Manny who told me I had something that I really needed to see. I came in to the store and it was really high pressure situation. I talked to Manny and a sales manager named Luke. I didn't really like the trucks that Manny told me "I had to see" but I did like some of the other ones on the lot. I told them that I still wanted to look at some more dealerships in the area.

I got a call the next day from Manny to set up an appointment to come again on Saturday. I decided I wanted a 4-door F-150 and I took the time to research prices of used ones from 2009-2011. After looking at CarMax and Mel Hambelton Ford, I learned that a 2009-2010 F-150 XLT usually range from $23-25K. CarMax actually had some 4 door XLTs for around $21-22K without all the bells and whistles. I scheduled an appointment at Mel Hambelton at 9:30am on Saturday and one for Rusty Eck at 11:00am. I got held up at Mel Hambelton but while I was there, Luke at Rusty Eck called to confirm that I was still coming. Side note: Mel had a great selection, but I really wanted to see if Rusty Eck could get me the color I wanted. I got there around 12:00pm and after briefly running into Luke and Manny, I was sent off with a guy name Steve. I was already pre-approved from Bank of America for a great rate that even the credit unions in town couldn't beat so I did not need financing. Here's where things get a bit interesting. I go out in the lot with Steve and say I'm looking for a black or silver 2009 - 2010 F-150 XLT. He finds a really nice silver one and I asked if we could test drive it. He says we could and he pulls it up to a parking spot next to the building.

After sitting in the showroom for a few minutes, We get into a new Focus or something like that, and Steve takes me out into their lot behind the dealership and shows me a different silver 2010 F-150. This one wasn't as nice as the first one that I requested to test drive. He asked me if I liked the not so nice one and I said it was alright. We drive back to the showroom and Steve tells me I need to fill out a Ford credit app. I told him that I don't need credit and that I'm not filling out the form. Steve told me that I could fill out the app and if I wanted to use my own financing, I could tear up the contract. Again I respectfully declined. I wait again for 10 minutes. Manny comes back and Steve tells him that I liked the not so nice one behind the building and that we should look at numbers. I had to actually interject and tell Manny that I like the nicer one in the parking lot....that I never even got to test drive. The whole thing was really shady. Once I told them I wanted to see the numbers on the nicer silver XLT they all of a sudden I had to wait again. Manny comes back out with a sales manager named Alex and tells me that I need to help him help me and that I needed to fill out the credit app. Again I decline. Alex tells me that that's the way he does business and that he wouldn't come to my job and tell me how to do it. Again I say, you can't beat the rate I have with BOA, CarMax tried and couldn't. He tells me that just because BoA promised me a rate on the loan that I was already approved for that it's not guaranteed that they would give me that rate. I told him that that rate was guaranteed and I even called to verify that with BoA again over the phone. I even had a BoA rep's name, number, and extension on my printed out approval letter if he wanted to talk to him. He tells me how he's worked with Manny for 7 years and he has all this experience and other things that have nothing to do with getting a price for the silver XLT I wanted. I again decline the credit app. Alex left and I waited for 10 more minutes.
 
During this time, a complete stranger asks me if I was getting the XLT. He tells me that his son just bought a 2010 XLT across the street at Eddie's Toyota loaded for $21,000. He tells me how they cut good deals and that even though he was at Rusty Eck that day with another family member, he's never bought from them because their prices are ridiculous. This is where it gets both sad and shocking. I have the print outs from Mel Hambelton and CarMax that both have 2010 XLTs for no more than $25K. Alex comes back out and tells me that the retail of the 2010 XLT is $36,000. He then scratches it out and writes down $33,000 and tells me that this is the price of the 2010 XLT. I find that odd because the brand new 2013 XLT are listed on Mel Hambelton's website at $31,000. So basically, he tried to tell me that a 3 year old XLT cost more than a brand new one. He then mumbles something and writes down $28,000.

At this point, I really can't figure out why I'm even talking to this guy. He then tells me to write down a price of what I would be willing to offer for the silver XLT....that I never got to test drive. Since all of the other 2010 XLTs I saw were $23-25K I offered $22K including taxes and fees. He scoffed rolled up the paper and shoved it in the hole in the middle of the table and mumbled something about my offer being insulting and shook my hand. He didn't try to counter or offer to look at another vehicle or anything. Because I wouldn't fill out his credit app and let him gouge me for $10K over what the car was worth....I was being insulting........even though my offer was a couple of thousand under the average value and his was almost $10K over. I never got a chance to test drive the silver XLT I was interested in and never got a counter offer. The least they could've said was that they couldn't make a deal at that time but keep my number on file if anything comes in later....they didn't even do that. Their service is crap, they don't want to sell you a car, they want to sell you financing by any means necessary. Because I would not fill out their credit application, they really just wanted to get rid of me by quoting me a completely fraudulent price for a used car.  I just want people to know (Rusty Eck included)  that the way they do business is unethical