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Is car dealer required to honor purchase agreement and price made during phone conversation- Tennessee? thanks
I saw a new 2008 car for sale on a national internet site. I called the dealer that has the car to get price - about 120 miles from where I live. I told him the year/make/model/type/body style of the car from the internet listing and gave him the stock number. He gave me the cost reflecting all discounts. I said I wanted the car and asked what it would take to get the car placed on hold. He said he would hold for 24 hours with $1,000 deposit. I said OK I will pay the $1,000 deposit and be there within 24 hours. He said if I could be at his dealership by 10:00 the next morning he would hold it with no deposit from me. I said I would be there. When I go there, I was told that he made a mistake when he looked at his invoice and the car would be an extra $9,000. Is dealership bound to sell me the car at the price given to me during our phone conversation?
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I doubt that they have to honor a verbal contract. Like real estate, you probably have to have a written contract for the purchace price of a car.
I did exactly what you did and try tried to up the price. I stuck to my guns and said that it's their mistake and not mine. They gave me my price because I was willing to walk.
In this time of financial problems, YOU have the power. Don't let them mistreat you and jerk you around. But you also have to be willing to walk away.
They aren't obligated to sell to you at that price because of the verbal agreement, but they sure would lose a customer (and I would report them to the Better Business Bureau).
I did exactly what you did and try tried to up the price. I stuck to my guns and said that it's their mistake and not mine. They gave me my price because I was willing to walk.
In this time of financial problems, YOU have the power. Don't let them mistreat you and jerk you around. But you also have to be willing to walk away.
They aren't obligated to sell to you at that price because of the verbal agreement, but they sure would lose a customer (and I would report them to the Better Business Bureau).
Everybody makes mistakes and the law allows for them. For instance, I saw a one year old Chevy Tahoe for $2995 on a dealers website. When I called to inquire about it they had made a mistake and the price was $29995. These things happen and the law doesn't make them honor the mistake.
However some salesmen will use that to their advantage. They'll tell you a price on the phone that is crazy low to get you in to the dealership. Then they'll say they made a mistake and try to get you to buy anyway or settle for a lesser model.
There is no legal action you can take unless you can prove they did it on purpose. Even then the best you could hope for is reimbursement for your losses which would only be time and gas.
Go ahead and report them to the BBB. If this is something that dealership does often the public needs to know. If it's just that salesmen the dealership needs to know. I work for a dealership group in Colorado and as far as I know we don't tolerate that kind of tactic. Losing a customer for life isn't a good idea.
However some salesmen will use that to their advantage. They'll tell you a price on the phone that is crazy low to get you in to the dealership. Then they'll say they made a mistake and try to get you to buy anyway or settle for a lesser model.
There is no legal action you can take unless you can prove they did it on purpose. Even then the best you could hope for is reimbursement for your losses which would only be time and gas.
Go ahead and report them to the BBB. If this is something that dealership does often the public needs to know. If it's just that salesmen the dealership needs to know. I work for a dealership group in Colorado and as far as I know we don't tolerate that kind of tactic. Losing a customer for life isn't a good idea.
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