Our recent experience at Hyundai of Merced has been nothing short of a complete disaster, and I feel compelled to share this publicly in the strongest possible terms. If I could give zero stars, I would. This dealership has demonstrated gross negligence, misrepresentation, and a complete lack of professional accountability, which should be alarming to any potential customer considering doing business here.
My father-in-law visited this dealership to purchase a 2025 Hyundai. From the very beginning, he was fully transparent and honest about his financial situation, making it clear that he had a very poor credit score and had recently come out of bankruptcy. Despite this disclosure, the sales representatives assured him that it would not be an issue, that he would be easily approved, and that they could secure him financing at a specific interest rate and payment amount.
What followed was nothing less than a bait-and-switch scheme. He was called back not once, but three separate times to re-sign paperwork because the dealership could not honor the interest rate and monthly payment they had initially promised. Each time, the terms of the loan changed, leaving him in a constant state of confusion and mistrust. On the third visit, after wasting countless hours and enduring unnecessary stress, my family made the decision to return the vehicle entirely.
This is where the dealership's conduct became even more egregious. As part of the original transaction, my father-in-law traded in his old vehicle, which the dealership agreed to pay off and roll into the new loan. He also provided a $3,000 cash deposit, with the explicit assurance from staff that this deposit would be refunded should the deal fall through. However, upon returning the vehicle, the dealership flat-out refused to refund the deposit, claiming that because they had already paid off the trade-in, they were entitled to keep it.
This excuse is not only unethical, but legally questionable. The dealership paid off the trade-in without securing final loan approval for the new vehicle. In other words, they acted prematurely and negligently, and then attempted to shift the financial burden of their mistake onto the customer. This is a textbook example of misrepresentation and unfair business practice, and in my view, it borders on fraudulent inducement.
To make matters worse, when we sought accountability, the dealership's management behaved in an unprofessional and evasive manner. The acting manager outright refused to provide his name, his direct contact information, or his email address when asked. He also refused to provide any contact information for someone higher than him--whether that be the general manager, the owner of the dealership, or even Hyundai corporate. This refusal to provide basic identifying information or a proper escalation path is completely unacceptable and raises serious red flags about what this dealership may be hiding from consumers.
In summary, Hyundai of Merced has caused my family undue hardship, financial harm, and emotional distress through a pattern of false assurances, deceptive sales practices, and refusal to honor commitments in writing. Their unwillingness to provide transparency or accountability at the management level only further underscores the severity of their misconduct.
We are now strongly considering filing formal complaints with the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Hyundai Corporate, and the California Department of Consumer Affairs, as well as exploring any additional remedies under state consumer protection laws. No customer should have to endure what we experienced at this establishment. read more