Why leave a deposit on a car on the lot? Buy it if it's there. If the car is inbound, or at PORT or on the horizon, the deposit is good for a number of reasons. At my store, it is..... Most important, it holds a car that's incoming. Even if I haven't got it yet, a deposit tells me you want me to find it. I can't count the number of times someone's wanted me to get a car, and I get it on good faith and they either have found one elsewhere WHILE I am working to get their car OR they buy something different. I look at the deposit as a good faith commitment between me and my buyer. And, believe me, not everyone appreciates the graciousness. Ironically, 90% of the time that I feel the need to accomodate a really intent buyer w/o taking a deposit, it backfires. If I trade a car away to get a different one "I think" is sold, and it goes elsewhere, and the one you wanted isn't going to sell to you, I have tied up time with calls and trading, which isn't effortless. And, I might trade away a car I will need for someone else later. For the record, I have sold many Prius to folks after they have given me a deposit for a car I ain't got YET. If I have $, I will go after it, hunt it down, and get it. Dianne
Many lessons learned, but resolution under way. They "found" me the identical car on their own lot. Story is that it was under deposit, but the person decided to wait awhile, and canceled it. Interestingly enough that is what they told me when they sold me the first one. I'm going to finalize tomorrow, and they are throwing in some extras. I'm not holding my breath, but I can't imagine that there will be any more problems. Then again..... They tried the "good news" again...that the CARS rebate is before sales tax. When they did the first contract it was after tax. I called BS on them and told them that even if there wasn't a problem and we found out it was wrong later, that they would have fixed it. They had to agree with me on that one. But would they have waited for me to call about it? I didn't find out about this problem until I called them today, and it happened a couple of days ago. "Things that make you go hmmmmm." (Yes, I'm dating myself a bit) Thanks again everyone all for your input. It's been greatly appreciated.
I had a very similar experience just this week with a dealer in NJ. After finding the car I wanted on the dealer website, I confirmed with the dealer that the car was still available. It was actually in transit and not yet at the dealer...the dealer sent me the full specs including the ship it was arriving on, etc. I visited the dealer, and put a deposit down. Spent several hours at the dealer, discussed details, trade in, took a test drive, etc. Contract listed incoming car with solar roof, but no VIN number. I tracked the ship, it arrived in Newark, and left, so I called the salesperson to find out when it would be available and when I could pick it up. That's when the bad news came--last weekend. Sorry, he didn't know that it had been promised to someone else, but they could order another one for me. Sounds strange to me...if it was committed to someone, it should have been noted on their computer system somewhere. Sounds more like bait and switch. Definitely not a very straightforward way to do business. I'm at a loss as to what to do next, since the vin number was not on the contract. Calls this week to the salesperson have gone unanswered. Supposedly there is still a chance to get the car if the first person turns it down. I'm very disappointed since I was originally planning to buy a 2009 at the beginning of the year, but decided to wait since the 2010 promised to be much better. Right now, I'm pretty depressed about it all. I expected a better experience with Toyota.
If you had paid $6700 and signed a contract with a VIN on it then what they did to you, whether purposeful or on accident, was most likely against the law. You need to post the name and location of the dealership in the first post in this thread so other people can avoid that dealership like the plague. Why in the world would you choose to protect them by withholding the name of the dealership? You should be informing the entities through whom they are licensed to do business, the BBB the chamber of commerce and perhaps a lawyer.
MataOrtiz - Start shopping other dealers. Now. The cars are more plentiful in the northeast now and you should have no problem finding what you want. Come on - we want pics of your new Prius!!
Hi Maggie-- Thanks for the encouragement! I can't wait to get my new car, but the hunt has been difficult, to say the least. I check the new inventory of the 46 dealers within a 50 mile radius almost daily. There are at least 5 local dealers who know what car I want, and I have deposits at 2 of those dealers. No luck yet. Located a dealer with 2 of them today. One arrived at the dealer this morning, one tomorrow, but both are already sold. A Prius with a solar roof is as scarce as hen's teeth here in the Northeast. There may be some hope in sight. Dealer inventories seem to be getting larger, but still no solar roof cars. Any other ideas for me?
Oh yes - the "we don't need no stinkin' sunroofs in New England". Well - I couldn't wait and went down to Maryland to get mine. It's been a slight snarl to regisiter it here in MA (that's MA for you) but I got the car I wanted. So if you're willing to travel, you might find one sooner! Stephanie at Koons Toyota in Easton, MD (Stefcat hangs out here in PC) was very pleasant and helpful.
Keep holding out for what you want. I ordered my car over a month ago and I don't even have a VIN yet, cars with ATP seem to be in short supply around here. I hope to have it by the end of August. ray:
