Post by nicoleq on Apr 6, 2017 0:02:35 GMT
Let me start off by saying I'm not even sure what I'm looking for here... a vent, advice, just need to write it out...
Backstory:
My MIL moved in with us a few months ago. I adore her and am happy she's here. She just turned 78 and is very active.
My FIL passed away about 2.5 years ago.
She's done a great job since then keeping her finances together (FIL did everything), selling her home and moved to a new state to live with her sister who was also widowed about the same time. But she wanted to be close to us.
Issue:
When FIL passed away, she bought a new Prius. She LOVES it. Last week, the GPS started acting wonky, so she made an appointment with the local Toyota dealership to have it serviced. When I came home that afternoon there is a new car in the driveway. I asked her about it thinking it was a loaner car, it was a top-of-the-line 2017 Prius. She said she was thinking about buying it but hadn't decided.
The next day she admitted in tears to dh and I that she actually bought it. She really didn't know what happened... she felt very pressured, was very confused about the contract and numbers as they told her she'd get a better car for the same money, yada yada... She had SERIOUS buyers remorse. She had tried to call the dealer but they said no one could talk to her for a couple days as the sales manager was off but she scheduled an appointment for last night.
My dh and I went with her.
Three separate people came in and tried to tell us there was nothing they could do. She signed the contracts.
And yes, she did sign the contracts... we know this.
But she went in for service on her GPS... owed less than $10k on her car and was going to be paid off in 2.5 years.
It was a 2015 with 12,000 miles on it
She walked out with a $41k loan over 7 years!
Apparently the sales person had her signed up for a 3-year lease, but what she walked away with after meeting with the finance guy was an 84-month loan, that increased her monthly payments $112 a month. She's on a fixed income!
Unfortunately, there are no Buyer's Remorse Laws/3-days to return, in Arizona. There are no laws that we can find protecting Senior Citizens from what happened to her.
The dealership broke no laws.
A real slick guy approached her while she was waiting in the service department asking her if she wanted to see the new products... she was bored, so she thought, sure and off she went with him.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Our only recourse is that she told everyone she talked with her car needed to have a sunroof. The car they gave her does not have a sunroof.
The dealership owner called us at home last night after we got home with no resolution.
He was so slick and smooth, but wasn't budging an inch on giving my MIL her car back, not that I expected him to.
He took offense to the fact she felt 'high pressure' as he said his agents would NEVER do this. She made her own decision.
My dh said that his mom is not capable of making those decisions and if the finance guy sat down and talked with her he'd clearly recognize this and they do as a finance representative have some fiduciary responsibility as he is the loan officer. The dealership owner said it's not their problem. He said "no one held a gun to her head and made her sign the paperwork".
He did call back today and say that he couldn't get her car back as it's already out on their lot.
Yup... 2 days and it appeared on their website.
They are selling it for $7k more than the credit they gave her.
They charged her top dollar, full price for her new Prius as there was no negotiations.
They added $5k in insurances and maintenance contracts and tire insurance and key insurance and WHATEVER they could add on they did.
So as it stands now, they are going to "try" to see if they can exchange the car for a sunroof as the sales guy did admit that she was adamant about it. But they aren't sure if they can do this. We'll know in a few hours.
Out of the "kindness of the dealership and wanting to make her happy", we can come in an remove some of the additional insurances that were put on the contract.
My MIL really has no clear memory of the entire transaction. I think she was excited about a new car, but felt pressured to buy, got caught up in the hype and was highly confused about all the contracts she was signing.
She's just been sick over it for days.
So sorry this became a book... I could write more, but I just needed to get this out.
If I had ANY idea that the Toyota dealership would approach my MIL while she was waiting for her car to be serviced and try to sell her a new car, I'd have gone with her!!
I'm just so angry at how she was taken advantage of.
************* Update 4/7
Thank you everyone for such great advice!
I've read through everything and have a lot of great options.
She's not been driving the car, but now she says she doesn't want to us to pursue anything.
I think she is upset that she has made us upset/stressed. I know she's super embarrassed at what had happened.
When I talk about contacting the news, she goes into full panic mode. I truly think that would be more upsetting for her to have this out in public than just making the car payment.
The owner of the dealership has been in very good contact with MIL over the last 24 hours. (I've been listening via speaker phone to all the conversations).
The car that she took off the lot is the correct VIN on the paperwork. It just doesn't have the sunroof. She didn't realize it until she got home the next day... again at age 78 and her eye for details are fading.
What happened with this... she kept telling the salesman she wanted a sunroof... they drove all over the lot looking for one. When she was sitting down with another salesperson inside the building, the 1st guy came in and says "We found the car that you wanted". She assumed he meant the car with the sunroof, so she didn't question it. The other sales guy said he assumed it was the one with the sunroof, too, so he didn't question it either.
Everything at this point is becoming a he said/she said (sales person/MIL) story to the dealer.
The original salesperson/finance person had her set up on a 3-year lease, but then a 2nd finance person who put the deal together told her it'd be a much better deal if she just bought it... he's the one who added all the additional insurances (almost $5k). The dealership owner has agreed to take all that off.
They are looking all over the state and into California for the car she wants. I'm still not sure why this is such an issue as it everything I've read says with the Prius V, the sunroof is standard.
I do feel as if the owner is working on the situation.
I feel like my MIL is so ashamed... we've been so gentle with her trying to build her up and it wasn't entirely her fault/she got played, etc, but the car is great... so I feel like she now thinks she needs it. Ugh! Can't win in either situation!
When we go in to sign new paperwork on the car she wants, we will absolutely be re-negotiating the price of the car and the crap trade-in value they gave her. I have printed documents from all over about what her car was actually worth... she should be getting an additional $3000 for her car and that would be fair.
Honestly, I think the owner will go for this as he seems to want this over with and doesn't want negative attention.
She's adamant that she is going to keep the car and doesn't want me to pursue anything on social/news media.
I'll keep everyone posted!
Thank you again SO MUCH for all your advice and your outrage for my sweet MIL. She's owned Toyotas for 30+ years. She always used the same dealership and dealt directly with the dealer owner and his son for all those years when my FIL was alive. She just trusted this was going to be the same experience.
And as a PSA, never/ever let your parents or yourself go alone to a dealership service department!
They did admit to us this is a common practice of approaching customers in the service area. They said that of course they would do this, a Toyota customer is a loyal customer and of course they are going to show them new product. They are a car dealership and their job is to sell cars.
Backstory:
My MIL moved in with us a few months ago. I adore her and am happy she's here. She just turned 78 and is very active.
My FIL passed away about 2.5 years ago.
She's done a great job since then keeping her finances together (FIL did everything), selling her home and moved to a new state to live with her sister who was also widowed about the same time. But she wanted to be close to us.
Issue:
When FIL passed away, she bought a new Prius. She LOVES it. Last week, the GPS started acting wonky, so she made an appointment with the local Toyota dealership to have it serviced. When I came home that afternoon there is a new car in the driveway. I asked her about it thinking it was a loaner car, it was a top-of-the-line 2017 Prius. She said she was thinking about buying it but hadn't decided.
The next day she admitted in tears to dh and I that she actually bought it. She really didn't know what happened... she felt very pressured, was very confused about the contract and numbers as they told her she'd get a better car for the same money, yada yada... She had SERIOUS buyers remorse. She had tried to call the dealer but they said no one could talk to her for a couple days as the sales manager was off but she scheduled an appointment for last night.
My dh and I went with her.
Three separate people came in and tried to tell us there was nothing they could do. She signed the contracts.
And yes, she did sign the contracts... we know this.
But she went in for service on her GPS... owed less than $10k on her car and was going to be paid off in 2.5 years.
It was a 2015 with 12,000 miles on it
She walked out with a $41k loan over 7 years!
Apparently the sales person had her signed up for a 3-year lease, but what she walked away with after meeting with the finance guy was an 84-month loan, that increased her monthly payments $112 a month. She's on a fixed income!
Unfortunately, there are no Buyer's Remorse Laws/3-days to return, in Arizona. There are no laws that we can find protecting Senior Citizens from what happened to her.
The dealership broke no laws.
A real slick guy approached her while she was waiting in the service department asking her if she wanted to see the new products... she was bored, so she thought, sure and off she went with him.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
Our only recourse is that she told everyone she talked with her car needed to have a sunroof. The car they gave her does not have a sunroof.
The dealership owner called us at home last night after we got home with no resolution.
He was so slick and smooth, but wasn't budging an inch on giving my MIL her car back, not that I expected him to.
He took offense to the fact she felt 'high pressure' as he said his agents would NEVER do this. She made her own decision.
My dh said that his mom is not capable of making those decisions and if the finance guy sat down and talked with her he'd clearly recognize this and they do as a finance representative have some fiduciary responsibility as he is the loan officer. The dealership owner said it's not their problem. He said "no one held a gun to her head and made her sign the paperwork".
He did call back today and say that he couldn't get her car back as it's already out on their lot.
Yup... 2 days and it appeared on their website.
They are selling it for $7k more than the credit they gave her.
They charged her top dollar, full price for her new Prius as there was no negotiations.
They added $5k in insurances and maintenance contracts and tire insurance and key insurance and WHATEVER they could add on they did.
So as it stands now, they are going to "try" to see if they can exchange the car for a sunroof as the sales guy did admit that she was adamant about it. But they aren't sure if they can do this. We'll know in a few hours.
Out of the "kindness of the dealership and wanting to make her happy", we can come in an remove some of the additional insurances that were put on the contract.
My MIL really has no clear memory of the entire transaction. I think she was excited about a new car, but felt pressured to buy, got caught up in the hype and was highly confused about all the contracts she was signing.
She's just been sick over it for days.
So sorry this became a book... I could write more, but I just needed to get this out.
If I had ANY idea that the Toyota dealership would approach my MIL while she was waiting for her car to be serviced and try to sell her a new car, I'd have gone with her!!
I'm just so angry at how she was taken advantage of.
************* Update 4/7
Thank you everyone for such great advice!
I've read through everything and have a lot of great options.
She's not been driving the car, but now she says she doesn't want to us to pursue anything.
I think she is upset that she has made us upset/stressed. I know she's super embarrassed at what had happened.
When I talk about contacting the news, she goes into full panic mode. I truly think that would be more upsetting for her to have this out in public than just making the car payment.
The owner of the dealership has been in very good contact with MIL over the last 24 hours. (I've been listening via speaker phone to all the conversations).
The car that she took off the lot is the correct VIN on the paperwork. It just doesn't have the sunroof. She didn't realize it until she got home the next day... again at age 78 and her eye for details are fading.
What happened with this... she kept telling the salesman she wanted a sunroof... they drove all over the lot looking for one. When she was sitting down with another salesperson inside the building, the 1st guy came in and says "We found the car that you wanted". She assumed he meant the car with the sunroof, so she didn't question it. The other sales guy said he assumed it was the one with the sunroof, too, so he didn't question it either.
Everything at this point is becoming a he said/she said (sales person/MIL) story to the dealer.
The original salesperson/finance person had her set up on a 3-year lease, but then a 2nd finance person who put the deal together told her it'd be a much better deal if she just bought it... he's the one who added all the additional insurances (almost $5k). The dealership owner has agreed to take all that off.
They are looking all over the state and into California for the car she wants. I'm still not sure why this is such an issue as it everything I've read says with the Prius V, the sunroof is standard.
I do feel as if the owner is working on the situation.
I feel like my MIL is so ashamed... we've been so gentle with her trying to build her up and it wasn't entirely her fault/she got played, etc, but the car is great... so I feel like she now thinks she needs it. Ugh! Can't win in either situation!
When we go in to sign new paperwork on the car she wants, we will absolutely be re-negotiating the price of the car and the crap trade-in value they gave her. I have printed documents from all over about what her car was actually worth... she should be getting an additional $3000 for her car and that would be fair.
Honestly, I think the owner will go for this as he seems to want this over with and doesn't want negative attention.
She's adamant that she is going to keep the car and doesn't want me to pursue anything on social/news media.
I'll keep everyone posted!
Thank you again SO MUCH for all your advice and your outrage for my sweet MIL. She's owned Toyotas for 30+ years. She always used the same dealership and dealt directly with the dealer owner and his son for all those years when my FIL was alive. She just trusted this was going to be the same experience.
And as a PSA, never/ever let your parents or yourself go alone to a dealership service department!
They did admit to us this is a common practice of approaching customers in the service area. They said that of course they would do this, a Toyota customer is a loyal customer and of course they are going to show them new product. They are a car dealership and their job is to sell cars.
