Car sold out from under my SA. Anyone had this happen?

[Sassicaia]

Originally Posted by KANdaddy

So I have spent the better part of a few weeks working a great deal on a ZCP lease. Finally got everything squared away and was ready to drive to So Cal from the Bay Area tomorrow to take delivery. Then my SA calls me today around 5 and tells me that he had the day off yesterday and another SA sold MY car to someone else. WTF?! I thought we had a deal. I even offered to put a deposit down earlier but apparently they don't hold cars. He's offered another car in its place but I'm not really feeling the color.

So pissed rt now. Anyone else ever experienced this??

I had an experience where I negotiated a deal, gave a deposit, but when the car was delivered the dealer changed the numbers resulting in me having to pay 6-8k more. This was AFTER giving a deposit and waiting 3 months for the car to arrive.

So, yea shit like that happens.

[FriedPiston]

Originally Posted by jjrandorin

Unless someone is about to buy a house (or their credit is below 700) a 5 point hit on their credit score means nothing. There is more change than that in the normal month to month fluxuation in someones credit score that happens based on their credit card balances... even if they dont pay any interest on them because they pay them off.

I would also hesitate in leaving a bad review for the dealership as it doesnt really do the OP any good other than trying to "get back at" him, and what does that serve?

Conversely, its entirely possible that the dealer could get / find another car like the one he wants, and if OP is not a !$!#@$@! about the situation, they might be encouraged to give him an even better deal than he was getting before, as an "we are sorry about last time".

its all in how one handles something like this. If I was OP, I would contact the CA and SM at the dealership via email, express my disappointment at having a "done deal that I was coming to pick up tomorrow sold before I could pick it up", and ask them to keep looking for a similar car and hopefully "you guys can help me get a fantastic deal on it".

I 100% respect your opinion, but this is what I consider a defeatist or highly optimistic mentality. You're basically relying on others to do the right thing, as opposed to putting the time and energy to make it right for yourself.

A 5 point hit is a 5 point hit no matter how you want to view it. Let's say OP was at 700 FICO, and it made his score drop to 695, which could possibly bring his credit worthiness down to Tier II. This very well could mean A LOT depending on OP's situation... and if OP is unable to find a deal within the next 30 days with BMWFS in the picture, then he'll need to take another 5 point hit for a new credit application. That essentially makes it a 10 point turnaround, which again will take two years to recover.

Yes, I believe anything is possible, and maybe the dealer will somehow (unlikely) make it up to OP, but my approach to this isn't necessarily better, but definitely different. I much prefer to take matters into my own hands as reasonably as possible, and would rather leave a truthful negative feedback to make sure my voice is heard, as opposed to taking a high chance on the CA and dealer to be compassionate and ethical

A negative feedback doesn't have to be done hastily either. FACTS and the absolute truth are all that's needed to leave an impactful customer experience feedback. In my experience, and from what I've seen through other people's experiences, dealers/vendors tend to be much more involved and responsive when their reputation is on the line.

This is my two pennies on the matter.

[A4W]

Originally Posted by nars3000

It's not uncommon for dealers to send the Bill of Sale and finance documents via overnight delivery. Out of town buyers do this all the time... OP, knowing what you know now, I'm sure you won't let something like this slip through your fingers again.

The dealer is by no means in the wrong here. You just need to take control of the situation in your favor as much as possible. Don't rely on the CA to be able to hold things for you, especially without a deposit or pending sale verification.

That is exactly how I made my deal with a dealer 400 miles away. Found the car listed on dealer website, emailed them, got a response and negotiated over text. They ran credit, we had a deal within 2 hours. This was all on a Friday afternoon approaching close of business. As expected, they told me they could not hold the car so I knew we had to move fast or lose it. I went straight to the bank and wired the money, they de-listed the car and overnighted the paperwork. 2 weeks later I picked up an M3 I had never seen in person before.

As others have said, you have to move fast with dealers. A dozen guys all trying to move the same car out the door quickly. They're in the volume business. It's not like negotiating for a 1961 Ferrari.

It is total bullshit that the dealer ran credit check and pulled the rug out after though. I wouldn't blame OP if they never did business with the dealer again. On the other hand, the situation could be leveraged into a better deal.

[G35POPPEDMYCHERRY]

Originally Posted by MaynardZed

You live and learn
Don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched
Better luck next time
Buyer beware
If it’s too good to be true, it probably is
Early bird gets the worm


Almost every cliche you can think of can fit into this scenario

say it ain't so

i was triggered when I saw my ordered car on the website day after delivery. I was picking it up a few days later. We had some issues on pricing at the last minute (2016 MSRP increase) i emailed every suingle person; because at the moment allocations were hard to come by...and honestly at the price i negotiated; what would stop someone from coming in and paying eve 1k more..im sure the dealer would be willing to bear my negative review...who knows,.


its like the girl at the bar; you can't stare at her for 15 minutes before you walk over there, and talk yourself up all night. just gotta execute before some other dude picks her up.

[itrocks4u]

Originally Posted by KANdaddy

I had some delays going back/forth with my wife but nothing more than a half day. As of Monday the car was still available, we had an offer sheet and I had let him know my plans to come down and take delivery. He had me fill the credit app which was approved in less than 5 min and I thought all that we had left to do was meet up. Oh well....its just a car. Sure I would have loved to get it and I'm more disappointed of how I lost it, not that I lost it.

I think the primary cause of all this is the part bolded and underlined.

Use this as an opportunity to order a fully loaded individual color.