I wasn't actively shopping for a car, and the last time I had contacted this dealership was over 60 days earlier. A salesperson reached out to me off-system, from a personal phone, saying they "had a car for me." Naturally, I asked what car and what the price was. That's a normal response to sales outreach -- curiosity, not consent.
While that informal conversation was happening, I received a real-time alert that my credit had been pulled. I never authorized a credit check, never said I was ready to move forward, and never submitted a new application. When I questioned it, instead of an explanation or apology, I was asked to send more personal documents despite clearly stating I wasn't ready.
What made this worse was the lack of professionalism afterward -- defensiveness, shifting explanations, and no accountability. The entire situation stemmed from informal, off-system sales tactics being treated as implied consent, which they are not.
This experience was confusing, inappropriate, and avoidable. I'm sharing it so others know to be very clear -- and very cautious -- when dealing with this dealership. read more