BUYER BEWARE: DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR PAPERWORK BEFORE YOU SIGN!
I want to start this review by giving a big shoutout to my sales representative, Heather, and finance manager, Devon. They were fantastic to work with, and I have zero complaints about their professionalism and customer service during my recent vehicle purchase from Front Royal Buick GMC.
The Experience:
My journey began on January 8, 2025, when I drove an hour and a half to check out a few trucks I had seen on the dealership's website. As I was driving through the lot, Heather was standing outside in the freezing cold and stopped to greet me. She immediately grabbed some keys, and we started looking at the truck I was most interested in. After a test drive, we sat down to go over the numbers. Unfortunately, with my trade-in, we were too far apart in price to make a deal that day.
After returning home, I listed my vehicle on Facebook Marketplace and sold it within two days for $9,500 more than the trade-in offer from the dealership. With my trade-in out of the equation, I reached back out to Heather and asked for the best price on a different truck they had on the lot--same year, make, model, and trim, just with slightly different options. She sent me a photo of the deal, which included my name, address, phone number, dealership details, vehicle information, and a full breakdown of all line items: Retail Price, Savings + Rebate, Selling Price, Taxes, Doc Fee, Government Fee, and the total out-the-door price.
I called Heather shortly after receiving the deal and told her I wanted to move forward with the purchase. Since I likely wouldn't be able to return until the end of the week, I asked if I could put down a deposit to hold the vehicle. She informed me that the dealership didn't accept deposits, but I decided to go ahead and start the credit application anyway.
The Bait-and-Switch Attempt:
The next day, I found a ride and made the 1.5-hour drive back to the dealership to finalize the deal. When I arrived, Heather told me the truck was in the detailing bay. She brought it over, I took it for a final test drive, and then I was ready to sign the paperwork.
However, when I sat down at her desk, I noticed that the deal sheet had changed. The same document format was there--with my information--but the total price was now different from what we had previously agreed upon.
A new $1,995 charge had been added for "shipping and freight," along with an additional $1,000 in discounts, meaning the total was now $995 higher than the agreed-upon price. I immediately pointed this out to Heather, who went to get the sales manager.
The sales manager came over, and I showed him the original deal sent to me on my phone. His response?
"We're losing money on this deal... etc., etc."
Then he tried justifying the charge by saying:
"Well, if you look at the website, we can charge... etc., etc."
I asked him point-blank: "Am I supposed to receive an official deal sheet from you and then go cross-check fine print on the website?"
At that point, I was ready to walk out without the vehicle. As I got up, the sales manager asked me to give him a minute and walked back to his desk. After some back-and-forth, he returned and agreed to honor the original deal. I finalized the paperwork and left with the truck that evening.
Final Thoughts:
This was, without a doubt, the shadiest situation I have ever encountered at a dealership. This was a 100% bait-and-switch move, hoping I wouldn't notice the added fee and would just accept it since I had already sold my vehicle and driven 1.5 hours to get this one.
Yes, in the grand scheme of an $84,000 purchase, $995 isn't a huge amount--but this was about principle.
If they had honored the original deal from the start, this would have been an easy five-star review. Instead, I left feeling extremely disappointed that they attempted to sneak in extra charges at the last minute.
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