Was I wrong?

So Thursday I went and looked at a slightly used Rav-4 for my wife. I liked it so I contacted the sales lady Friday morning with my offer. We went back and forth a couple times and at the end of the day, we were $500 apart.

Seeing as how close we were, I decided to take my wife up there to test drive the car and make a deal. We test drove it and decided we wanted to move forward and try and make a deal. I let the sales lady know we wanted to move forward but I still wanted to talk about the $500 difference. While waiting for the sales manager, the sales lady came and got the key from me and I proceeded to watch her hand it to another couple for a test drive. I couldn't really understand what just happened and my blood began to boil.

I told my wife to gather her things and that we are leaving. On the way out, I stopped to give the sales lady a piece of my mind and I made quite the scene in the middle of the showroom floor. I just couldn't believe what just happened.

While backing out of my parking spot she comes running out with a piece of paper. I roll my window down and proceeded to let her have it again. She said here, this is what we can do (knew something was wrong because the price she had was lower than my offer). I said ok, I will sign at that price right now. She goes back inside so I backed back into my spot and waited for her to come back out. Well she does but with a number $800 more than what I said I would sign. This is when I have had enough and my tell them to go pound sand moment. Which I did.

Was I out of line for making a scene over that? Wasn't my proudest moment but at least I didn't get taken as a fool. Anyone else ever have the keys taken from you while you're making a deal?

 

too long go read so I will say yes

 

Sounds like you just need to avoid that dealership completely.

Rav4 is a commodity vehicle and honestly most dealers won't care if you buy or not, the next person will.

 

Good guy answer: You did the right thing by making a scene and throwing a tantrum.

Bad guy answer: The Rav4 was for sale and did not belong to you, yet. Maybe the other test drivers were going to pay more than you were? Wouldn’t you want the most money from your sale?

Conclusion: There are more Ravs out there to buy. Take this as a learning experience and don’t let it hurt your feelings.

 

Lot of Rav-4s out there. No big deal, just talk by taking your business elsewhere.

 

I should mention I was offering the price they had it listed for online. They wanted that plus tax which in SC is $500 on vehicles.

 

Once the dealer knows that your are willing to walk away you have an advantage for negotiation. But you have to be actually willing to walk away. Also, it is possible that the dealer arranged for that other potential buyer to get the key in front of you to help motivate you. So your strategy was good. However, you don't have anything to gain by letting their games get to you and cause your blood to boil. Just walk away and shop elsewhere.

 

I'm a hot head sometimes too. I usually feel bad about making a scene afterwards. But if anyone deserves it, it's definitely a car salesman. It probably wasn't necessary since walking away from a deal they put a lot of time into is angering enough for them.

 

In your OP you told the sales lady you still wanted to ‘talk about the $500 difference’. Thats a signal for them to sell to someone else if they are in line behind you, hence why you had the keys removed from you.

Their new offer was $800 higher because they were messing with you do to your tantrum earlier inside their showroom. Move on. There are probably better deals out there on Ravs. Caulk it up as experience.

 

If im in the middle of negotiations on a vehicle and they take the keys. I make a scene and walk, too. Regardless, disrespect like that, and ill be damn sure not to give you a dime. Even if the price was 2 grand lower.

 

Yeah that's true. It was a specific used car. Not a new one that's there are multiples of.

 

And when you go to sell your truck, and two different people want to buy it, you are going to sell it to the lowest bidder that throws tantrums? Or, the easy to deal with person that can negotiate properly?

 

Fair enough.

 

Selling privately is different. As a private seller its my truck and i sell on my terms to whomever i choose. As a buyer, dealerships dont necessarily stay in business for turning away paying customers. Keep in mind making a scene didnt happen until the keys were taken.

 

No counter offer was agreed to by dealer per OP. Thus, vehicle is still for sale to highest bidder. The keys transaction will not be fully understood here on this post. The sales lady could have been as nice as could be? And OP got feelings hurt? And this is confirmed after the $500 payless OP quote, thus the dealer can walk from that lesser offer knowing another person is in line that may pay higher.

Don’t get me wrong here as I don’t like dealing with the stealerships either. Tantrums get you know where in negotiations. The other side actually gets a laugh from it all.

You gotta keep your cool and know when to walk with a smile/handshake and leave the door open for the future.

 

The outcome here is that the dealership pulled a shitty trick and in the end it cost them a sale. OP might be out of this particular vehicle, but i dont find OP wrong for going off. Im pretty confident OP will find another vehicle they are looking and hopefully with an easier dealership to work with.

 

And they could have very well sold the vehicle 2 hours later for full price? Which is what you will do when you sell your truck. Peace!

 

Dealerships are a pain in the ass. Transactional businesses don't really worry as much as they should about building relationships with their customers. If I was in the middle of trying to work out a deal on a vehicle and they handed the keys to another potential buyer I would be pissed too. Best thing to do going forward is to talk with your feet and wallet. Find another place to spend your hard earned money.

 

I definitely didn't get my feelings hurt. In fact my wife says I don't have any. I was there waiting for the sales manager to come see me, I had already done my part by coming in. I felt like they were going to make me wait until the other couple was done and try to get me in a battle with them. Which I was going to have no part in.

 

I sold a dirt bike a few years back and a guy said he was going to be at my house at a certain time to see it. Meanwhile another guy called and wanted to see the bike. I told him if the first guy flaked then I'd call him back. The first guy ended up not coming on time. Hours after his scheduled time I called the second guy to come look at it. They both ended up coming at the same time. I ended up having an auction in my driveway and got more than asking price. The first guy who was super late threw a fit, and was out bid, and made a huge scene. I did laugh at the first guy for being an idiot, and I really didn't care who the bike went to as long as i got my money.

Basically what im saying is I see both sides. Making a scene usually never helps anything, but feels good at the time.

 

Do not hold your farts in either, they will migrate up to your head and give you shitty thoughts......

edit: darts for farts?

 

You had the right to be mad after showing up and they started playing that game. Don’t know if I would have made a scene myself but I definitely would have been missing when she returned.

 

I would've got up and walked out. If they won't take your money someone else will. You may even find one you like better and get it cheaper. But i still would've been pissed.

 

I don't blame you one bit for making a scene. Car dealerships are the worst.

 

Hell no... Typical crap salesman/woman bs. Good thing it wasn't @Grumpy Uncle ....

 

Ahhh...are you @hagrid brother?

 

Nah, I’d be pissed too.

Personally, I wouldn’t have made a scene, but I WOULD have asked her for a sidebar and let her have it. Many of the men that helped raise me taught me not to lose my cool, but not to mince words.

When I was looking for my tundra, went to a private seller an hour away, everything seemed great and we even shook hands on a price. Doc and I went to get the loan, when it was approved the next day, we went to call the seller, he notified us he had sold it to someone else. I was beyond pissed, but told him to hold on, I took a couple minutes to simmer and get my thoughts, got back on and let him know I didn’t appreciate how he took the cowards way and backed out of a handshake (where I come from, when you shake on a deal, you don’t back out - a man’s only as good as his word) hung up on him. Brushed off and kept looking. Not a week later, he called again apologizing and said he had an “attack of conscience” (bullshit, deal must’ve fallen through) and offering us 2k lower than our agreed price, which was about 6-8k (don’t remember the exact figures) lower than the one we were looking at (my current tundra). I was tempted more than you can imagine, but I told him he fucked up when he backed out on a handshake and told him I wouldn’t do business with him and to kindly lose my number.

Of course, I don’t blame you for losing it. I’d say, move on, find another Rav-4 and drive off in the sunset.....on the way, drive by the dealership and flip them off....y’know just for good measure LOL

 

I've been around a couple years. When making an offer and salesperson goes inside to talk to the so typical "boss"......He/She will acknowledge something other than taking keys. I call>>>>>BULL S**T!