Grossinger Toyota Chicago pulled bait & switch.....

Discussion in 'Dealers & Pricing' started by citygirl, Mar 21, 2011.

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  1. citygirl

    citygirl New Member

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    Hi.
    Just venting....
    Used usaa.com to obtain pricing on a 2010 III w/nav. Dealer rep called me immediately. I verified the availability of the car and confirmed the usaa.com pricing. Set an appt. Drove 40 miles with the clear intention of buying the Prius.
    Arrived at dealership. First salesperson we see on the floor offers to help. I tell him we have an appt but was not told salesperson's name. Says he'll look it up, but he'll be happy to help me. You think??? :suspicious:
    Of course, the car I was supposed to be buying was not available. But wait! There is a black one. They'll even deliver to my house. I am not an unreasonable person, so I agree. Then the SM tells me that I know, of course, that it is $1000 over MSRP right now. I remind him that I am there based on the quote provided on usaa.com by them, Grossinger Toyota, for $24,583. He tells me OK, he'll be back. Going to take a look at my 2007 Acura MDX.
    Five minutes later, the sales person (not the sales manager) returns and asks what I would like to receive for my trade-in. I simply laughed and asked him what he thought it was worth.
    Fast forward 90 seconds, he returns to tell me the black Prius was no longer available. Sorry they couldn't help.
    Are you kidding me???? I didn't come up with the usaa.com price; Grossinger did. Not at all happy.
    Spoke to the GM about an hour ago. Said he would call me back in 20 minutes. Yep. Still waiting.
    BTW, turns out the salesperson with whom we were scheduled to meet was waiting for us the whole time.
    Some people have no honor. It is called integrity. I don't believe car sales and integrity are mutually exclusive concepts. Very disappointed. And they lost a sale to someone who has absolutely all maintenance performed at the dealership and has a very large referral base. :mad:
     
    #1 citygirl, Mar 21, 2011
  2. GSW

    GSW PRIUS POWER

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    Sorry to hear that citygirl. Someone posted AAA online quotes are no longer honored at Toyota dealerships. They apparently will not quote a Prius now. Best wishes on finding the one you want.
     
    #2 GSW, Mar 21, 2011
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  3. Comrad_Durandal

    Comrad_Durandal New Member

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    Personally, I'd get USAA involved - since this is their service. If they won't stand behind it, then you might need to make mention of it with the BBB and perhaps your state's attorney general; especially if they regularly operate this way
     
    #3 Comrad_Durandal, Mar 21, 2011
  4. citygirl

    citygirl New Member

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    I was just heading over to the usaa.com site right now! Great minds....!
    :)
     
    #4 citygirl, Mar 21, 2011
  5. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Real sorry to hear about the mishap. USAA won't do anything for you as another poster recently described. Guess the problems in Japan are inflating the value of the Prius at the moment.
     
    #5 spiderman, Mar 21, 2011
  6. citygirl

    citygirl New Member

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    I completely understand that the Prius prices are going/have gone up. My chief complaint was being quoted a price only to have the dealership no longer honor their own quote. Very frustrating. How stupid do they think the average consumer is??? OK, you won't give me the price you quoted me, but I am here now, so I will just pay you what you are asking? Stupid dealership.:mad:
     
    #6 citygirl, Mar 21, 2011
  7. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Correction, the previous poster was going through AAA, not USAA. But I suspect USAA will also have the same problem.

    The average consumer is well, not very well informed unfortunately. Took me a few purchases to figure it out. :)
     
    #7 spiderman, Mar 21, 2011
  8. hampdenwireless

    hampdenwireless Active Member

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    I had a quote out on Truecar.com for a Prius III before the tsunami. They sent me a letter saying that due to the events in Japan the quote is now invalid.

    I had a VERY good experience using Truecar.com to get our FJ in January.
     
    #8 hampdenwireless, Mar 21, 2011
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  9. bretaz

    bretaz Member

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    The waters are much murkier in your case since you have a trade. It may be better for you to sell your car privately.
     
    #9 bretaz, Mar 21, 2011
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  10. citygirl

    citygirl New Member

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    Happy to report that usaa.com is looking into this (have already been contacted by regional rep) & is contacting Grossinger directly. Said that zag (usaa.com) takes this very seriously. Made no excuses for dealer....
     
    #10 citygirl, Mar 21, 2011
  11. bretaz

    bretaz Member

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    USAA is a great company. Hopefully they can help you out. Just keep in mind that if they say they will accept that price for their car, they are really going to try to take you on your trade. If you do end up trading your car, make sure you find out exactly what it is worth before you start negotiating. Your trade will be key as to whether you are getting a good deal or not.

    Does USAA work with any other dealers in your area? You may want to start fresh with a new dealer.
     
    #11 bretaz, Mar 21, 2011
  12. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    I've had good experiences with Grossinger in the past and have one favorite Sales Rep. I know that Grossinger is owned by Mrs. Grossinger. I have to wonder if there's any way you could get her ear.
     
    #12 TonyPSchaefer, Mar 21, 2011
  13. bretaz

    bretaz Member

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    Any updates Citygirl?
     
    #13 bretaz, Mar 22, 2011
  14. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    I would not go to a car dealer with a price promise until I had a fax in hand signed off by a manager that spells out the OTD car cost and the specific VIN. In fact I would go so far as to have the dealership take a deposit to seal the deal.

    Verbal agreements are just asking for trouble with car dealers. The USAA print-out might be good enough when the Prius supply exceeds demand but not now.
     
    #14 SageBrush, Mar 22, 2011
  15. spwolf

    spwolf Senior Member

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    seems to me that some other salesman tried to take over your order :).

    Should have at least asked the name of person from their internet sales department.
     
    #15 spwolf, Mar 22, 2011
  16. citygirl

    citygirl New Member

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    Update:
    Grossinger general manager said he will honor the usaa.com price; I should just pick my color. I do have to be careful with my trade-in.....
    We'll see......
     
    #16 citygirl, Mar 22, 2011
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  17. nerfer

    nerfer A young senior member

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    Sounds good. I've heard good things about Grossinger, but every dealership has good and bad salespeople it seems. I seem to recall one of the salesmen at their North location visits PriusChat occasionally.

    BTW, Danny (PriusChat founder) bought his Prius there.
     
    #17 nerfer, Mar 22, 2011
  18. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    [​IMG]
     
    #18 spiderman, Mar 22, 2011
  19. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

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    Citygirl - just curious - you said that the original car was "unavailable". Do you happen to know if it had been sold or if the dealership had made it unavailable for some other reason?
     
    #19 stevemcelroy, Mar 22, 2011
  20. citygirl

    citygirl New Member

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    It became unavailable when I wouldn't tell them what I expected from my trade-in. I told them to value my car & we'd go from there. That's when the inventory suddenly vanished.
     
    #20 citygirl, Mar 22, 2011
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