BEWARE - very unethical dealership…read more
The General Manager, Nicholas Douglas, came off as the epitome of a sleazy, gaslighting used car salesman. Here's the backstory: Over the phone, the dealership's sales lead Antonio and I negotiated a price of $8,500 for a Mitsubishi Mirage. Antonio said he'd put the deal together and call me right back. A full day passed, and I never heard from him. (Red flag #1.) I called back in and spoke to Nicholas, who reneged on the $8,500 price (red flag #2), but said I could still buy the vehicle for $9,200. I agreed and drove 90 minutes to the dealership.
When I got there, the car was missing several of its advertised features, including run flat tires, Bluetooth capability, and keyless entry. Were I to purchase all these features from a third party after the fact, they would cost up to $3,700.
For the keyless entry, Nicholas said he could bring over a specialist to add in the feature for $300. When I asked if he'd take that $300 off the price of the car, he refused, saying I "already had a good deal."
I reminded him that he had already raised the price by $700 from Antonio's quote, and that this was before I was aware the car was missing numerous features listed in their online listing.
Nicholas said he wasn't responsible for the listing's content because I viewed it on CARFAX, and not on the official Valley Auto Center site, which had the "correct information." I subsequently pulled up the listing on his web site, which, not surprisingly, falsely stated the car is equipped with run flat tires, Bluetooth capability, and keyless entry. I have attached a screenshot of this.
Nicholas then doubled down on the sleazy, saying, "I've been in the car business for eight years, and this is the first time a customer has ever had a problem with the fact a vehicle was missing some of the features we listed online." He was literally suggesting that every time he's had to tell a customer the car they came in to see didn't have all its advertised features, they took no issue with this. When I challenged Nicholas on making such a ludicrous claim, he doubled down and said, "It's true, I swear on my children's lives." (So gross.)
When I asked him to confirm that some of the car's other advertised features were accurate, he sidestepped, and said, "Look, this is a good car and you're getting a good deal. If you don't want it, don't buy it."
I didn't purchase the car, and will never be returning to this dealership.