Beware of Carmax!!!! It's nothing but a Bait and Switch Scam!!!
I went online to try and see how much I could get from my 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Limited Sterling Edition, Original Owner, Dealer Serviced Only, All Service Records Available, Very Well Kept, Only 41,000 miles, No Damage, Never in an Accident, Running Like New. Manufacturer Front, Rear and Trunk All Weather Mats, Dealer Installed Trailer Hitch, Manufacturer's Extended Warranty for 8 Years of 125,000 Miles. The vehicle is a gem and only reason for selling was lack of usage. I no longer have a need for it, having another vehicle and being retired. It would have ben the perfect vehicle for someone looking to keep it and drive it and make use of the Extended Warranty.
I decided to check out Carmax, Carvana and posting it on FB Market Place and on Craigslist.
Well, after going to Carmax online and filling out all the details, they came back with an instant offer of $34,000, and asked that I bring the vehicle to their location in Bradenton, FL Which was the closest to where I live. I made an appointment and went there expecting that they would try to bring the price down a few hundred, maybe even $1000 dollars, which I thought would be the normal way of conducting these transactions.
Upon arrival I was greeted by a nice young man, with a tag with the number 2021, which was indicative of him being a fairly recent hire. He said he would have to take about 35 photos of the car and send them to a National Center, which is where the online offers are made from. He was very police and even said to me "I can tell that you baby this car". He was right, and could not find any fault with the car, after thoroughly going through everything.
I had no problem with that and waited patiently for about a half hour, until I decided to approach him and asked what was the hold up; I had already received an offer and he verified the condition of the car, so I expected this to be a fairly simple transaction. I even suggested that I could leave and wait for his call to return, since it looked like they were busy with a lot of people waiting to get their online offers confirmed, while others waited to purchase a vehicle from their lot. He told me it would only be an additional 5 minutes.
A few minutes later, and without finding a single issue wrong with the car, he came back and had me and my wife sit down on a computer and showed me the number that the "National Center" had quoted my vehicle was worth. That number was $ 28,890. Now that to me was a total insult and seemed like a scam, the classical "Bait and Switch Scam". Without saying much I just told him that I would be posting a nice review detailing how their scam works. He couldn't say anything but smiled and looked genuinely embarrassed.
I can't understand how these people waste other people's time by pulling such a stunt. They could have just been upfront and honest online and not made me waste my time for a ridiculous $5000 low ball difference without any faults with the vehicle. I understand that unfortunately with the current economic situation, many people may need to sell their vehicle for whatever they can get, but this is clearly taking advantage of people and a totL disregard for other people's time.
As luck would have it, on the same day I got in contact with G. Bond from the Crown Automotive Group in St. Petersburg. He was honest, and did not waste my time, which is the only thing I was hoping for; he explained to me what the vehicle was really worth for the purpose of reselling it and made an honest offer of $32,000. I thought about it for several days and I accepted the offer; he came to my house, inspected the car, had me sign some paperwork and handed me a check. The offer did not change and I felt that he did not waste my time. Big difference in how to operate a business, honesty still exists.
The moral of the story is: Don't be fooled by people who give you an unrealistic offer and then try to lowball you by many thousands when they meet you, feeling they can take advantage of the fact that you made the trip to them and are somewhat invested in the deal, while hoping that you need that money bad. It is businesses like Carmax that operate without scruples that give other businesses in the industry a bad name.
Shame on you Carmax, and thank you Crown Auto Group.
J. M. A. read more
