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Bad dealership experience?

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by orangenerd, Apr 4, 2012.

  1. orangenerd

    orangenerd Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2012
    58
    1
    0
    Location:
    Lawton
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    Here's my buying experience.

    The day the Prius C is released I call and ask if my local dealership had literature. They told me sure...and to go in, so I did. Showed up, they had nothing, BUT the salesman tried his damndest to try to sell me a 2011 Prius hatchback. Funny thing was he didn't know jack about the Prius, even tried telling me they didn't come with entune... So just for the heck of it I allow him to take me on a test drive...voila ENTUNE in a Prius (I show him how to use it)... during the drive, he tells me how much better it was, and asking why I was even interested in such a small car (Prius C). After I say no repeatedly, we go into the lounge area and he goes back to get stuff on the C. Gee whiz, he come back with nothing. Irritated, I start to leave. He's like wait, and then the "Sales manager" comes in. She tells me that they have a white Prius 4 coming in. Great I say, but I explain I want a habenero 3. They give me this spiel about how rare this car is, and how they are the only dealership getting this ONE car in, and that the next cars won't be in until June at the earliest. She proceeds to pressure me into putting a deposit down on the white one, saying I might not get to see it because it is VERY in demand. I leave. Three days later the car comes in and I go into look at it, with a DIFFERENT salesperson. HE was unknowledgable too, but at least he admitted it. The test drive in the 4 confirmed I wanted the 3. After a firm "I'm not gonna buy that one just because its here," he says they would look for the car I want. They "FIND" one and I get suckered into putting a deposit down on a car that matches (plus a few options I didn't care for) that was a "dealer trade" and would arrive in a few days...two weeks later with no contact, I call and get told no one never told me that i was gonna get it in a few days and the car I wanted was still on a boat coming over. The manager blamed the salesman for giving false information (both persons told me the same thing) and kicked him off the sale, bringing me back to my first idiot salesman. Finally get my car in the third week, but since they rushed it, It didn't come with the tint that was a purchased option. Salesman and I knew it wasn't tinted, but the finance guy tried telling me it WAS tinted from the factory (not really factory, but US distributor) so I have to bring it back for them to tint...Moral of the story...as demand goes up, customer service goes down.

    P.S. My friend, who bought one a few days after me got his in a few days, a week before me...probably because he got a black one (more common?)
     
    #1 orangenerd, Apr 4, 2012
  2. Tycho_Brahe

    Tycho_Brahe New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 22, 2012
    23
    4
    0
    Location:
    Nashville
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    I don't blame you at all for sticking to your guns and getting the car and color you really wanted. But in hindsight that makes me thankful I took what I could get. The day I first visited the dealership in Nashville I was just looking for a Prius in general and had seen the C on the internet prior to that but didn't realize they were a new thing. I think that day was the first day they had the new Cs at that lot. I left after lunch and they had 3 ( black, blue and silver ). I went back early the next morning to take another look and two of them were already gone. The silver was left and although it wasn't my first choice I went for it, thinking maybe they really are going to be hard to find for a while. I considered ordering one in a different color but they said that dealership would only get around 5 or 6 a month ( it's a huge dealership ). They were already charging a premium because of the 'demand'.

    Do you think the demand is really extraordinary or is it a lack of production ?
     
    #2 Tycho_Brahe, Apr 4, 2012
  3. cubchan

    cubchan Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    42
    6
    0
    Location:
    Indianapolis, IN
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Buying my C was my first "new" car buying experience. I was pretty amazed at how little so many salespeople know. I knew that I wanted a C before they came out but nobody even knew about it let alone when it was going to come in... but they were more than happy to show me the Scion IQ they just got in! One person even insisted that it must be the plug in version. When the C's hit the lot the guy knew nothing about it, nothing about entune. Luckily for me the car sold itself.. cause the salesperson wasn't doing it.

    I did visit a different dealer to compare the 3 and 4. I also wanted to see the color habanero before deciding. Same story there except add to it that I wasn't allowed to test drive and the cars weren't going to be for sale for another week! I thought it was stupid and the salesman had some bad information. A few days later that car was listed in an ebay auction from that same dealer! I thought it was pretty ridiculous they would sell a car online before letting someone who is seriously interested buy it.

    ...and yes I think the demand huge. Every dealer I've been to since has people checking out the C (I have a friend who is now shopping for one). Lowest priced, most fuel efficient non plug in hybrid available... toyota better get to work.
     
    #3 cubchan, Apr 5, 2012
  4. orangenerd

    orangenerd Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2012
    58
    1
    0
    Location:
    Lawton
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    OK, so they DO care about their customers...(willing to throw money at them to make them happy). The owner gave me about 1k worth of free stuff for my car.
     
    #4 orangenerd, Apr 5, 2012
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