Car buyer sued by dealer over low price

[SVT666]

Car buyer sued by dealer over low price
01/20/2010, 4:31 PM
BY MARK KLEIS


A Chrysler dealer has filed a lawsuit against a customer that purchased a Pacifica from them ? for allegedly paying too little. The dealer alleges that the price paid was due to a clerical error, and is seeking the full price in their lawsuit.

Wasler Chrysler, a dealership in Hopkins, Minnesota, has filed a lawsuit against a customer that purchased a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica at the end of her two-year lease for $11,639. The lawsuit claims that the price the woman paid was $7,000 lower than what they wanted, and they are seeking either the difference in price, or that she returns the car.

The deal took place in October 2009, and the dealership claims that it notified the buyer two weeks after the sale that it had discovered a clerical error. According to James Eli Shiffer, of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the papers the buyer signed were for a deal that priced the car $6,000 below KBB value. Wasler Chrysler is seeking not $6,000, but an additional $7,000 from the buyer in order to complete the sale, according to their lawsuit.

?She was told several times what the [correct] price was,? said Doug Sprinthall, vehicle operations director for Walser Automotive Group. ?We made a clerical error.?

The owner doesn?t see it that way, and said, ?You can?t sell someone something and then come back and say: ?Whoops, I made a mistake. You have to pay more.? ?

Since the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran the story both the dealership and the vehicle?s owner have been inundated with phone calls according to a New York Times article. The owner of the car says she has been receiving calls from strangers offering their support ? and the dealership has been getting similar calls ? also backing the vehicle?s buyer.

Sprinthall, a spokesman for the Chrysler dealership said, ?We don?t make a habit of suing customers. I think we?ll work it out, and we?ll move on.?

Sprinthall added, ?We?re attempting to negotiate this out with Tammie right now.?

The vehicle owner says an attorney from the dealership contacted her this week, but no resolution has been reached.

[SVT666]

The dealership screwed up, but the woman also knows she paid too little because her original contract has the buyout price in it.  This is tough.

[Raza]

Hey, when I get more change back than I'm owed, I don't usually give it back. 

[SVT666]

Hey, when I get more change back than I'm owed, I don't usually give it back.  

I do.  

I make mistakes too, so if I know my change is wrong I will fix it.  Also, Karma will bite you in the ass.

[giant_mtb]

Hmmm.

[the Teuton]

We sure this isn't Glenn Hyundai in Kentucky?

[Raza]

I do.  

I make mistakes too, so if I know my change is wrong I will fix it.  Also, Karma will bite you in the ass.

No such thing as karma.   

[nickdrinkwater]

We sure this isn't Glenn Hyundai in Kentucky?

What did I miss?

Also, whatever happened to that dude who bought an M3 on eBay and then the dealer refused to sell it to him?  Anyone else remember that?

[SVT666]

No such thing as karma.   

I just treat others as I would want to be treated myself, and if I made a mistake, I would sure hope someone would help me rectify it.

[Raza]

I just treat others as I would want to be treated myself, and if I made a mistake, I would sure hope someone would help me rectify it.

That would be nice. 

[the Teuton]

What did I miss?

Also, whatever happened to that dude who bought an M3 on eBay and then the dealer refused to sell it to him?  Anyone else remember that?

A lot. This thing really blew up yesterday. Hell, I even emailed Glenn Hyundai yesterday. Those bastards deserved it.

http://jalopnik.com/5453312/jalopnik-gencoupe-forum-help-enthusiast-beat-the-man-buy-a-hyundai

Also, the guy eventually got the M3 for $60,000 -- so more or less $5-7k off retail value at the very most. That was pretty well documented on the BMW forum.

[Nethead]

It's a Pacifica.  The dealership should be paying Tammie $11,639.

[The Phantom]

So the $11,639 is $6000 less than what the car was supposed to cost?!  AFTER a two year lease?  Assuming she was paying at least $500 per month for two years, that makes the car at least $40,000!

Can you say ripoff?  No Chrysler product (save for the Viper, which is also overpriced) should ever cost $40,000!

Anyway, she should've gone the honest route and said something wasn't right when it came up.

Edit..  Somehow, my math was off.  That is only $30,000.

[SVT666]

So the $11,639 is $6000 less than what the car was supposed to cost?!  AFTER a two year lease?  Assuming she was paying at least $500 per month for two years, that makes the car at least $40,000!

Can you say ripoff?  No Chrysler product (save for the Viper, which is also overpriced) should ever cost $40,000!

Why is the Viper overpriced?  It's the fastest production car in the world around any racetrack you stick it on.  BTW, what about the Ram trucks?  A lot of them are over $40K.

[giant_mtb]

(save for the Viper, which is also overpriced)

[The Phantom]

Why is the Viper overpriced?  It's the fastest production car in the world around any racetrack you stick it on.  BTW, what about the Ram trucks?  A lot of them are over $40K.

I'm saying $80,000+ is quite a bit up there to pay for a Dodge.  I know the trucks can get up there as well, but at least they have the Cummins (good engine with a crappy packaging).  Actually, I like the trucks, which is why I didn't mention them.  I also like the Viper.

People say the same thing about the ZR-1, by the way.  Why would you pay $100,000+ for a Chevy?

[rohan]

Car buyer sued by dealer over low price
01/20/2010, 4:31 PM
BY MARK KLEIS


According to James Eli Shiffer, of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the papers the buyer signed were for a deal that priced the car $6,000 below KBB value.

I believe I'ld tell the dealer to eff off.  They wrote the papers and signed them- allowed her to drive off the lot with the vehicle and waited more than 72 hours to call her- deal over.  And I sure as hell wouldn't be accepting phone calls from them that's just plain stoooopid.

[giant_mtb]

I'm saying $80,000+ is quite a bit up there to pay for a Dodge.  I know the trucks can get up there as well, but at least they have the Cummins (good engine with a crappy packaging).  Actually, I like the trucks, which is why I didn't mention them.  I also like the Viper.

People say the same thing about the ZR-1, by the way.  Why would you pay $100,000+ for a Chevy?

Why is $80,000 too much for a vehicle that can smack the ass off of cars costing 2-3 times as much as it around any track in the world?  "Cause it's a Dodge" isn't really a valid argument.

[The Phantom]

Why is $80,000 too much for a vehicle that can smack the ass off of cars costing 2-3 times as much as it around any track in the world?  "Cause it's a Dodge" isn't really a valid argument.

That's true, and I guess bringing performance per buck to the equation makes it a good value.  But still, it's a Dodge.  The Acura NSX was waaaaaaaaaaay overpriced too!

[SVT666]

That's true, and I guess bringing performance per buck to the equation makes it a good value.  But still, it's a Dodge.

Because it's a Dodge?  What about the Ford GT?  Was that overpriced too because its a Ford?

The Acura NSX was waaaaaaaaaaay overpriced too!

Because it's a Honda?

[giant_mtb]

But still, it's a Dodge. 

So, the fact that it's a Dodge completely erases the car's benefits?  I mean, it's not like it's one of the fastest cars in the world and can be had for a superbly smaller amount of money than cars that hardly equal it, but I mean...it's a Dodge, so it must be overpriced...?  Is that not the most fucked up logic, or what?

:crazy:

[The Phantom]

Because it's a Dodge?  What about the Ford GT?  Was that overpriced too because its a Ford?
Because it's a Honda?

Hell, I think anything over $80,000 is overpriced, so what the hell am I saying?  Just the fact that it's a Dodge, Ford, or Chevy, while they may have a good value, I'm sorry, but I think it's just too much.  Doesn't really matter the brand, though.

[The Phantom]

So, the fact that it's a Dodge completely erases the car's benefits?  I mean, it's not like it's one of the fastest cars in the world and can be had for a superbly smaller amount of money than cars that hardly equal it, but I mean...it's a Dodge, so it must be overpriced...?  Is that not the most fucked up logic, or what?

:crazy:

Or what...

[giant_mtb]

SIGH.  I GIVE UP, MAN.

[S204STi]

I see the point he's making, $80k being too much to pay for a car to begin with.

Back on topic... signed and notarized documents are as good as law, aren't they?  Can our resident lawyers chime in?

[J86]

You can argue anything

[giant_mtb]

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.  Both parties signed the papers.  A contract is a contract.  It's the dealership's fault for screwing it up...

Granted, if it were the opposite situation and they had charged the lady too much and she came back a couple weeks later with a lawsuit, we'd still be cheering for the car purchaser.  The dealership would say "sorry, it's a binding contract, you signed the papers" but we'd still all be pissed about it.

[saxonyron]

I've had similar experiences in the contracting world, where either I or my salesman made a mistake and we end up taking it in the shorts.  We'll stand by the price and get the job done, knowing we're losing dough on the job.  My business philosophy is to not dick people around, give them good quality and charge the right price. If we make a mistake, we suck it up.  The payback we get from our customers is that our reputation grows, they tell others, we get more customers.  Besides, the other side of the story is that sometimes we asssume a job will be tough or go slow, and then they get done 20, 30, 40% faster than we charged for.  In that case, we make a ton of dough and it feels great.  We don't return the dough (since we won the job by competetive bidding anyway...), just like we don't get any extra dough when we screw up on the low side.

The dealer obviously is in the "let's milk the customer every time" camp.  Sucks to be him.  His chasing down the money is going to cost him a hundred times that in lost good will and reputation.  What a buffoon!

[Submariner]

Why is the Viper overpriced?  It's the fastest production car in the world around any racetrack you stick it on.  BTW, what about the Ram trucks?  A lot of them are over $40K.

There are a few street legal cars that are faster, no?

Regardless, for 80k, it's a hell of a car. 

[SVT666]

I've had similar experiences in the contracting world, where either I or my salesman made a mistake and we end up taking it in the shorts.  We'll stand by the price and get the job done, knowing we're losing dough on the job.  My business philosophy is to not dick people around, give them good quality and charge the right price. If we make a mistake, we suck it up.  The payback we get from our customers is that our reputation grows, they tell others, we get more customers.  Besides, the other side of the story is that sometimes we asssume a job will be tough or go slow, and then they get done 20, 30, 40% faster than we charged for.  In that case, we make a ton of dough and it feels great.  We don't return the dough (since we won the job by competetive bidding anyway...), just like we don't get any extra dough when we screw up on the low side.

The dealer obviously is in the "let's milk the customer every time" camp.  Sucks to be him.  His chasing down the money is going to cost him a hundred times that in lost good will and reputation.  What a buffoon!

Not only that, but just his legal bills will be more then he will get in the end.