What happened to RADAR CC?

No worries.

 

How do you tell when a car salesman is lying?




Do I really need to provide the punchline to that joke? :madgrin:

 

Be prepared to wait 3 more months to get a V with ATP, if you do return the car. It's hard to find any V's now.

 

I'm in agreement with you about the value of legal advice in this type of situation. And, yes, I am a lawyer, too. Along with ggood, I also think this should go "through the channels" to give the dealer the first shot at making it right.

The OP (Basildane) has got to consider what would make it right. My view? He should get the Prius V w/ ATP, and in his color choice. The dealer should provide it through whatever channel possible, and at the agreed price (with free maintenance through the 30k service). Until that time, he should keep his current Prius V as a loaner/free rental. If Basildane doesn't want the AT Package now, then he should get something else of value (I'd go for the pre-paid maintenance package to 60k miles, gratis).

Looking at Basildane's restatement of the situation, he clearly was lied to, and more than once. This is completely unacceptable, and I know Toyota would come down pretty hard on a dealer who was found to have acted this way.

If the lying was all done at the sales person level, and no sales manager was involved, the sales person may already be on the street. If the lying was at the manager level (or higher), this is going to be ugly.

You've been lied to in too many ways to count. The Prius V is still available. Toyota has not stopped production (except to get the Safety Connect versions going). There is only ONE Advanced Technology Package -- to claim otherwise is such a bold lie I am dumbfounded by the utterance. Trades can be made between dealers (it may cost this guy something, but he better now be ready to pay it).

Call the dealer -- but ask for the new car sales manager. Know what you want, not just about what you want to complain. Be direct and forceful. You've told us just what happened and what people have said. There is absolutely NO need to apologize for your actions. The dealer had total control. Because the dealer already had accepted your car and destroyed it, the dealer owed you a duty of care higher than normal. He already had accepted the deal with you, and your contract had become binding at that point. He forced you to modify the contract, and it doesn't appear you received anything in return for his great benefit in getting a C4C deal behind him. I'd say he's blown it. Now that you're willing to call him to account, perhaps he'll be willing to make it right by you.

If you do not get any kind of assistance, then call Toyota customer service and take it higher. If there is nothing satisfactory there, and very quickly, then go to a lawyer who has experience in commercial contract work.

 

Basildane may have been lied to in another statement as well. The C4C program DOES require the engine on the Clunker to be destroyed, BUT any dealer who does so without receiveing the money from the government does so at their own risk. If the paperwork does not go through for one reason or another, the dealer is stuck with that now useless vehicle. I can testify there are over 100 Clunkers being stored at my dealership until the paperwork has gone through and they can be dealt with in the required manner.

Be advised, (I am paraphrasing here, please verify the following information on the proper government website) Clunkers must be disabled by way of draining the oil from the engine, adding sodium silicate (AKA liquid glass) to the engine, run the engine until it seizes, wait several hours and attempt to restart the engine. If it starts, it must be run until it is permanently seized. The sodium silicate solution, once exposed to the atmoshpere then hardens into glass, permanently blocking all the oil passages. It has also had the effect of destroying the bearing surfaces.

The paperwork required by the government is extensive and the wait time for reimbursement is long. Many dealers have massive amounts of cash tied up and waiting for the govenment to release it to them. My Boss is awaiting almost 3/4 of a million dollars at this point.

I therefore find it unlikely that Basildane's dealer had already destroyed his truck's engine at that point, since if the deal fell through for any other reason, Basildane would then have legal recourse to sue for the value of the truck ($4500 or more), rental reimbursement, legal fees, and possibly even punitive damages.

Just my opinion, and we all know how common opinions are.....

 

Getting legal advice is fine, but in the end a court would much more likely enforce whatever written contract you signed, not the salesman's verbal reprentations. Unless the contract says you paid $4500 for the AT package, you're probably out of luck.

That being said, I also have a V w/navi and would have loved to have the AT, so I know how you feel!

 

Yes, but lawyers like to fool you into thinking they can win for you, hence why we have so many BS lawsuits in this country.

 

I am a lawyer and I'm trying to give it to him straight. I have never "fooled" anyone into thinking they have a case when they don't. You are just perpetuating a stereotype. What do you do for a living so I can judge you?

 

I just wanna point out, you are mistaken. The Prius V has never been on the Toyota build your prius tool to begin with. Therefore, it was never removed (obviously).

 

It looks like it is broken in my region. No ATP comes up with the V but the solar package does.

 

Well the V is on the build sheet for my zip so it must be a area thing.
I just did a build on a V with ATP and it came to $32,520

 

Removed - King beat me to the answer!

 

Yes, but what about others who jumped to the OP's defense without knowing all the facts? Clearly they're not trying to give it to him straight, hence the unfair stereotype.

The fact that the OP didn't really care that he didn't get the AT package tells me he was just playing along with the dealer without educating himself/properly doing his research beforehand.

 

I understand that you do not agree with them, but to then say that therefore "lawyers fool their clients" is a big leap in logic and is offensive, though you probably did not mean it that way.

Just another example that we need to be careful what we sign (though I have to admit I have been guilty of not following my own advice!).

 

Basil - my only concern is that you did not pay for something that you did not get. As long as your sticker and deal show the right pricing for what you got, then you are whole except for the runaround and lying. Regardless, I do believe you should relate your story to Toyota corporate and complain enough with the management at the dealership - maybe you can win yourself a few accessories for the trouble.

I had my own horror story with C4C and trying to get the base model I wanted. It all worked out well - fortunately my dealer did act in good faith with me.

Now that it is water under the bridge.... it is a pretty great vehicle to enjoy, so, have fun with it.

 

dont blame the dealer for a salesman who was trying to close a sale by lying. it happens all the time. salesmen frequently talk faster than their minds can think and i am sure he is kicking himself for saying that blunder now...then again, you bought the car so maybe not.

either way, its not like you got garbage. still a pretty decent car

 

No, we like to debate. Ok, we like to argue. We just get a little spirited now and then!

 

i'm on drugs.. but at least i get your post...

so.. you requested a 5 with the advanced technology package.. 5 has two packages.. jbl or advanced technology.. if you requested advanced technology, he ripped you off.

so.. you would have had 3 days to return the car (national policy).that was yesterday i assume.

i advise you complain in a similar manner to the 1st several post. manager, official Toyota page. there have been issues on priuschat before with people not happy with their local dealers. regional takes a bit to solve the issue, but they do.