Dealer pulling a fast one???

[neutronned]

Sorry for the long post, but I think the history is important.

Two weeks ago I put money down on a 2010 IV Solar in Blizzard Pearl and got a Vehicle Inquiry Report with the VIN, vessel name and a 7/8 delivery. Everything was great except for the waiting.

On 6/30, I call the dealer to confirm 7/8 and the salesman calls me back with the information that it might by 7/6, two days early. Still great! He does the standard sell-job on all their protection products and says he'll email the costs.

On 7/2 I get the cost sheet and decide no, not for me. So I email him back to tell him no and also ask for an update on the delivery.

Yesterday, 7/3, I get an email around noon with a new Vehicle Inquiry Report and notice right away that the price and VIN is different. Essential an identical vehicle, only no rear bumper applique.

So I'm thinking, what's this all about. I call his cell and the main line and leave messages on both essentially asking what's up. I also respond to his email with the same question.

Around 5:00PM, he calls but I can't pickup right away. His voice message is garbed but says something to the effect that my car came in but something was wrong with it and rather then make me wait they swapped with another customer who was absolutely happy to take my car and don't worry, my car will be ready on Monday so please call back Monday morning.

I call back within 5 minutes but he doesn't pick up his cell or desk line.

So know I'm left wondering: 1) what was wrong with my original car 2) what is wrong with the car that they want to swap 3) where'd they get an identical car?

My original car still shows up on their inventory list (with the original VIN) but the car they want to swap doesn't.

My wife is all suspicious that somehow this is going to turn into a mess. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[Midpack]

If they can't answer your questions (before you take delivery) or there is anything whatsoever wrong with the car, you should walk away IMO. You're anxious to get your car, but you're going to live with it (presumably) for many years so you should be completely satisfied going in. Good luck.

[CAR4TWO]

I would go to the dealership and talk to them. They can give you the whole story. Regional is the one that assignes cars to various dealerships. It could have been easy to get another one. My guess is that they do not have the parts to fix whatever is wrong with it so they ordered another one from the regional office.

You just give the car a careful going over and if it looks fresh off the ship, buy it.

[DianneWhitmire]

PM me the original vin.
Dianne

Originally Posted by neutronned

Sorry for the long post, but I think the history is important.

Two weeks ago I put money down on a 2010 IV Solar in Blizzard Pearl and got a Vehicle Inquiry Report with the VIN, vessel name and a 7/8 delivery. Everything was great except for the waiting.

On 6/30, I call the dealer to confirm 7/8 and the salesman calls me back with the information that it might by 7/6, two days early. Still great! He does the standard sell-job on all their protection products and says he'll email the costs.

On 7/2 I get the cost sheet and decide no, not for me. So I email him back to tell him no and also ask for an update on the delivery.

Yesterday, 7/3, I get an email around noon with a new Vehicle Inquiry Report and notice right away that the price and VIN is different. Essential an identical vehicle, only no rear bumper applique.

So I'm thinking, what's this all about. I call his cell and the main line and leave messages on both essentially asking what's up. I also respond to his email with the same question.

Around 5:00PM, he calls but I can't pickup right away. His voice message is garbed but says something to the effect that my car came in but something was wrong with it and rather then make me wait they swapped with another customer who was absolutely happy to take my car and don't worry, my car will be ready on Monday so please call back Monday morning.

I call back within 5 minutes but he doesn't pick up his cell or desk line.

So know I'm left wondering: 1) what was wrong with my original car 2) what is wrong with the car that they want to swap 3) where'd they get an identical car?

My original car still shows up on their inventory list (with the original VIN) but the car they want to swap doesn't.

My wife is all suspicious that somehow this is going to turn into a mess. Any thoughts would be appreciated!

[cgrigel]

The dealer can block out what is coming into their inventory so no other dealer sees what is coming in. Just as an FYI I took delivery last Friday of my Silver Prius 3. I would check with the dealer when they say 'it is arriving July 8. My dealer said my car was going to arrive June 19, but he didn't say it was arriving in LA off the boat. I wanted a Sandy Beach color but my dealer couldn't get one in a short period of time, so I was looking at other dealers in another city. The other dealer found me a Sandy Beach and told me, in certain terms, my dealer was not getting a Silver Prius 3; they told me there was no Silver Prius 3 coming into the Western Region. The reason they said that was because my dealer block it out of the Western Region inventory system. Nevertheless to say my dealer did receive the Silver and now I am driving it and love it. I wrote a letter to Toyota USA and the BBB complaining about the ethics of the other dealer. By the way, I am glad I didn't get the Sandy Beach because with Bisque interior because the trim color on the Bisque are Silver (dash, roof trim and interior side trim) and the rest is Bisque. To me it looks cheap without matching colors. Hope this helps. Go to the dealer and talk face to face, don't call. It is harder to lie to someone's face.

[DianneWhitmire]

It's not "blocking" your car.
It's putting it in reserve.
I do it too.
The reason I do it is when I pre-sell a car and have a deposit, and know it's sold, I put it in reserve to both mark it, alert the rest of the store that the car is not available, and block the rest of the dealerships from seeing it ... that's not bad ethics at all.
If I did not block it, someone doing a dealer trade MIGHT accidentally trade the car away. Or, worse: sell it.
And, if it's blocked, no one knows I have it to call me to trade it away, thus also ensuring me less calls for cars that are already spoken for, and less risk it might be traded away or sold accidentally.
I'd say your dealer did what he wanted with HIS inventory. It is his, of course, till you get out your checkbook and take it away from him!

Originally Posted by cgrigel

The dealer can block out what is coming into their inventory so no other dealer sees what is coming in. Just as an FYI I took delivery last Friday of my Silver Prius 3. I would check with the dealer when they say 'it is arriving July 8. My dealer said my car was going to arrive June 19, but he didn't say it was arriving in LA off the boat. I wanted a Sandy Beach color but my dealer couldn't get one in a short period of time, so I was looking at other dealers in another city. The other dealer found me a Sandy Beach and told me, in certain terms, my dealer was not getting a Silver Prius 3; they told me there was no Silver Prius 3 coming into the Western Region. The reason they said that was because my dealer block it out of the Western Region inventory system. Nevertheless to say my dealer did receive the Silver and now I am driving it and love it. I wrote a letter to Toyota USA and the BBB complaining about the ethics of the other dealer. By the way, I am glad I didn't get the Sandy Beach because with Bisque interior because the trim color on the Bisque are Silver (dash, roof trim and interior side trim) and the rest is Bisque. To me it looks cheap without matching colors. Hope this helps. Go to the dealer and talk face to face, don't call. It is harder to lie to someone's face.

[neutronned]

Originally Posted by DianneWhitmire

PM me the original vin.
Dianne

Dianne,
Thanks for providing me the info on the VINs. I'm sure that there's a perfectly logical explanation on all this and I just need to be a little more patient! The important thing is that they have a car that matches our request!

Thanks again to responding on a holiday!!

NeutronNed

[Radon]

Dianne responding and checking on another dealerships order for someone is crazy good cust service. Kudos to you

[reginaever]

I pre-ordered mine about 4 weeks ago, after reading what cgrigel wrote, I asked my dealer if I could get a vehicle inquiry report with a VIN. She says that she can't find out until she receives the car. I asked her if she is trying to find a car from an allocation, but she says she actually put in an formal order. She said it would be about 6 - 8 weeks initially, but now she says 2 - 3 months. I'm not sure what to think. Should I start looking for another dealer?

[neutronned]

Originally Posted by Radon

Dianne responding and checking on another dealerships order for someone is crazy good cust service. Kudos to you

Checking and responding on a holiday, to boot!! That is crazy good service! Too bad that CA is a bit too far to drive from MN or Dianne would get my business.