Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/09/19) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@blautogroup.com
Mr. [redacted] came into our dealership on Sept. 5, 2014 to discuss a vehicle he saw on our website. We offered to sell Mr. [redacted]...
the vehicle for the price advertised on the website ($12,490 plus tax, title and license and any after-market products, should he have chosen). As he clearly states in his complaint, he declined our offer, and left the dealership.
After Mr. [redacted] decided not to purchase the vehicle, the dealership adjusted the vehicle's price to $13,490. The website was also immediately edited to reflect the new price. We can substantiate this, as our inventory management software time stamps price changes. The price remained at $13,490 after September 5th.
We are sorry that Mr. [redacted] decided not to take advantage of the pricing before it was adjusted. We certainly would have sold him the car at the lower price had he accepted our offer on September 5th. But, when Mr. [redacted] declined and left the dealership without a contract (or even a written offer), Elgin Toyota was certainly free to adjust the price. As the Revdex.com well knows, it is not uncommon for dealers to frequently alter vehicle pricing, depending on a variety of market factors. As Elgin Toyota's website properly reflected the price change well before Mr. [redacted] returned (5 days later), Elgin Toyota was under no obligation to sell him the car at the lower price. We certainly regret any confusion or misunderstanding.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/09/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
-I saw listing on the Elgin Toyota website for a 2011 Scion XB. The color was army rock and mileage was 24 thousand.
-I saw another listing on the Elgin Toyota website for a 2011 Scion XB. The color was silver and the mileage was 36 thousand.
-Both of the cars were listed at $12,490.
-When I arrived at the dealership on Friday the 5th we met [redacted] and he showed me both cars.
-[redacted] stated that both cars were priced at $12,490. He would also add in car mats for either one we choose.
-When we sat down to look at the paperwork for the army rock XB he said that the price is changed to $12,990 because of the interior warranty.
-That is a $500 increase that I did not expect.
-After stating that I would need time to think about the new price, I met [redacted] said that the interior warranty is something that is passed [redacted] to the customer as part of the final price. But he did state that he would remove the cost if it was a deal breaker.
-If the interior warranty was a true option, then it should not be added into the final cost unless requested.
-An example of an option: "We have an interior warranty available for purchase"
-While on the subject of pricing Carlos stated that the army rock XB had gone through two price reductions. The car started at around $14,000. Then it was reduced to somewhere around $13,000, then finally reduced to $12,490.
-This part will be important later because it disproves the theory that there was a pricing error.
-I left the dealership to go talk to the insurance company to see if we could receive an extra $500 to pay for the car.
-On Friday we saw that the listing for the army rock XB was taken down.
-The silver one was still listed at $12,490.
-On Saturday the 6th I attempted to call [redacted] to see if the car was still available but he did not get back to me.
-When calling to confirm that the car was still available there was no mention of any price change.
-When I arrived at the dealership I was approached by [redacted] He showed me the car but informed me that the price was now $13,490. He explained that it was a pricing issue and that the listing had to be taken down.
-This simply does not make sense because the silver XB that was listed originally at $12,490 is now priced at $12,990. So, if it was a pricing error it would make sense to fix the listing, then repost it. Instead, they decided to ambush me with the new additions, making the car another $500. A increase of $1000 from when the car was originally listed.
-When going over the final price of the car the warranty on the car was aggressively pushed. Even after stating that I was not interested in the warranty it continued to find it's way into the final cost of the car.
-The interior warranty was also not taken off or offered as an option. It was simply added into the final cost.
-I also met [redacted] who said that Elgin Toyota reserves the right to change the price of the car.
-I understand that but how it was explained to me was that there a pricing error, not a change in market value.
-He was also talking in a very loud tone. He took a very aggressive approach to try and sell the car. He used the phrase "are gonna work with me". I reserve the right not buy the car. Lastly he stated that he reserved the right to change the price of the car.
In my opinion this is not an issue of a listing error. From the time they listed both cars they were attempting to draw in customers. After the customers have been drawn in, they would then begin adding on charges that they claimed were options. As stated above they were hardly options. The car would only be sold if all the extra "options" were added.
Whatever pricing error that they claim is false. Carlos stated that Elgin Toyota had lowered the car to $12,490, not the listing company. They also have the ability to change the price if there was a so called error. As stated above, the silver XB is now $12,900 as opposed to $12,490 when it was originally listed. Lastly, the army rock XB listing has not returned. If it was a pricing error they could of fixed the price and re listed it.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2014/10/14) */
We regret that Mr. [redacted] is not satisfied with our response, as we strive to have satisfied customers who fully understand the pricing of a vehicle. As we previously stated, Mr. [redacted] decided not to purchase the vehicle on Sept. 5th for $12,490, and we subsequently changed the price.
We certainly regret that we cannot assist Mr. [redacted] any further.
Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2014/09/19) */
Contact Name and Title: [redacted]
Contact Phone: XXX-XXX-XXXX
Contact Email: [redacted]@blautogroup.com
Mr. [redacted] came into our dealership on Sept. 5, 2014 to discuss a vehicle he saw on our website. We offered to sell Mr. [redacted]...
the vehicle for the price advertised on the website ($12,490 plus tax, title and license and any after-market products, should he have chosen). As he clearly states in his complaint, he declined our offer, and left the dealership.
After Mr. [redacted] decided not to purchase the vehicle, the dealership adjusted the vehicle's price to $13,490. The website was also immediately edited to reflect the new price. We can substantiate this, as our inventory management software time stamps price changes. The price remained at $13,490 after September 5th.
We are sorry that Mr. [redacted] decided not to take advantage of the pricing before it was adjusted. We certainly would have sold him the car at the lower price had he accepted our offer on September 5th. But, when Mr. [redacted] declined and left the dealership without a contract (or even a written offer), Elgin Toyota was certainly free to adjust the price. As the Revdex.com well knows, it is not uncommon for dealers to frequently alter vehicle pricing, depending on a variety of market factors. As Elgin Toyota's website properly reflected the price change well before Mr. [redacted] returned (5 days later), Elgin Toyota was under no obligation to sell him the car at the lower price. We certainly regret any confusion or misunderstanding.
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2014/09/20) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
-I saw listing on the Elgin Toyota website for a 2011 Scion XB. The color was army rock and mileage was 24 thousand.
-I saw another listing on the Elgin Toyota website for a 2011 Scion XB. The color was silver and the mileage was 36 thousand.
-Both of the cars were listed at $12,490.
-When I arrived at the dealership on Friday the 5th we met [redacted] and he showed me both cars.
-[redacted] stated that both cars were priced at $12,490. He would also add in car mats for either one we choose.
-When we sat down to look at the paperwork for the army rock XB he said that the price is changed to $12,990 because of the interior warranty.
-That is a $500 increase that I did not expect.
-After stating that I would need time to think about the new price, I met [redacted] said that the interior warranty is something that is passed [redacted] to the customer as part of the final price. But he did state that he would remove the cost if it was a deal breaker.
-If the interior warranty was a true option, then it should not be added into the final cost unless requested.
-An example of an option: "We have an interior warranty available for purchase"
-While on the subject of pricing Carlos stated that the army rock XB had gone through two price reductions. The car started at around $14,000. Then it was reduced to somewhere around $13,000, then finally reduced to $12,490.
-This part will be important later because it disproves the theory that there was a pricing error.
-I left the dealership to go talk to the insurance company to see if we could receive an extra $500 to pay for the car.
-On Friday we saw that the listing for the army rock XB was taken down.
-The silver one was still listed at $12,490.
-On Saturday the 6th I attempted to call [redacted] to see if the car was still available but he did not get back to me.
-When calling to confirm that the car was still available there was no mention of any price change.
-When I arrived at the dealership I was approached by [redacted] He showed me the car but informed me that the price was now $13,490. He explained that it was a pricing issue and that the listing had to be taken down.
-This simply does not make sense because the silver XB that was listed originally at $12,490 is now priced at $12,990. So, if it was a pricing error it would make sense to fix the listing, then repost it. Instead, they decided to ambush me with the new additions, making the car another $500. A increase of $1000 from when the car was originally listed.
-When going over the final price of the car the warranty on the car was aggressively pushed. Even after stating that I was not interested in the warranty it continued to find it's way into the final cost of the car.
-The interior warranty was also not taken off or offered as an option. It was simply added into the final cost.
-I also met [redacted] who said that Elgin Toyota reserves the right to change the price of the car.
-I understand that but how it was explained to me was that there a pricing error, not a change in market value.
-He was also talking in a very loud tone. He took a very aggressive approach to try and sell the car. He used the phrase "are gonna work with me". I reserve the right not buy the car. Lastly he stated that he reserved the right to change the price of the car.
In my opinion this is not an issue of a listing error. From the time they listed both cars they were attempting to draw in customers. After the customers have been drawn in, they would then begin adding on charges that they claimed were options. As stated above they were hardly options. The car would only be sold if all the extra "options" were added.
Whatever pricing error that they claim is false. Carlos stated that Elgin Toyota had lowered the car to $12,490, not the listing company. They also have the ability to change the price if there was a so called error. As stated above, the silver XB is now $12,900 as opposed to $12,490 when it was originally listed. Lastly, the army rock XB listing has not returned. If it was a pricing error they could of fixed the price and re listed it.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 11, 2014/10/14) */
We regret that Mr. [redacted] is not satisfied with our response, as we strive to have satisfied customers who fully understand the pricing of a vehicle. As we previously stated, Mr. [redacted] decided not to purchase the vehicle on Sept. 5th for $12,490, and we subsequently changed the price.
We certainly regret that we cannot assist Mr. [redacted] any further.