"I'm never shopping THERE again!" Share your story!

[Snooks]

I had seven days of the dealer's insurance included with my car, they then tried to sell you the "special deal" on the insurance at the end of the seven days.

[Shalamar]

A while back, my then-boyfriend now-husband visited a popular restaurant for dinner.  We had a movie to catch, but it wasn't going to start for another couple of hours, so we figured we had time.  We ordered sodas and our entrees.  The sodas arrived, as did the salads that came with our meals ... and that was it.  After waiting for more than 45 minutes, we flagged down our waitress.  "Your food will be here in five minutes," she promised.  Five minutes came and went ... and came and went ... and came and went.  Still no food.  We asked her again.  "Five minutes!"  By this point, even if the food had arrived, we would have had to shovel it down to make our movie on time, so we decided to leave.   We asked her for our bill, making it clear that we weren't happy.  "Sure!  I'll bring it in (you guessed it) five minutes."  After waiting for ANOTHER 15 minutes, we just walked out the door.  (Not right, I know, but we were utterly fed up.)  At that moment, the manager ran up.  I was pleased, thinking that he knew how unhappy we were and was going to apologize. 

Not a bit of it - he gave us royal hell for daring to leave "without paying for our meals."  I sputtered "WHAT meals?  We got Diet Cokes and side salads, and our meals never arrived, despite waiting almost an hour and a half!"  He proceeded to chew me out sideways, saying "This is a nice place!  Good food takes time!  This isn't a pizza restaurant, you know!" 

I retorted "Believe me, I know.  If this was a pizza restaurant, we wouldn't be leaving hungry."

(The restaurant closed a few months later, which was weird, considering how popular it had been.  I couldn't help but wonder if that terrible service had anything to do with it.)

[Barney girl]

It seems the process of buying a new car must be very different in America. I bought one a few weeks ago. I test drove it one day and signed the paperwork that day with an arrangement to complete the purchase a day or so later. This gave them time to do all the servicing and me to arrange finance and insurance. I can't imagine a transaction here where you drive off in the car without everything, including all payment and transfer of the part exchange, being finalised. It would also be illegal not to have the new car insured against liability to third parties.

[Sirius]

Oh, so not letting me take my new car until the insurance is in place wasn't just because I was a single woman?  I haven't bought a car with Mr. Sirius yet - we've been married 14 years and are both still driving the cars we had when we got married - so I don't know if we'll be subjected to this.  Still, the times I had bought cars before my last one all the salespeople had needed to hear was that I had an active car insurance policy (and see proof, which I always provided) and I was allowed to drive the cars off the lot.  With the Metro, even proof that I had an active policy with my old car wasn't enough.     

[Slartibartfast]

Our current insurance policy extends through the first two weeks with a new car - that gives us time to notify them and get the paperwork done.  I assumed that was pretty standard, but maybe not 

[Otterpop]

When DH and I bought our first new Saturn, 20 years ago, all financing was approved before we drove it off the lot.  Also, they arranged for temporary insurance from the minute we drove off to the moment we gave our first premium to the insurance company THAT night (we had to drive straight there).  Otherwise, they'd repossess the car next day.  The salesman explained that in the past, people would drive off promising to get insurance, get into an accident and just let the wreck go back to the car company.  Trying to collect from the buyer, who now had nothing, was a nightmare.

I think the process is better streamlined now, but they cover themselves for anything.

[siamesecat2965]

I've never bought a new car, but both times I bought used I had my financing in place, and the insurance was a simple phone call to transfer from one car to another. My last car I actually had insurance on for both, as i was donating old car, and didn't want to leave it sitting, not running, without insurance.  But it was simple for me to call my ins. co and simply say drop this one, and add the other one.  My experience has been as long as you have insurance, its simply a matter of transfering and paying any additional premium, depending on what you're gettting.

[VorFemme]

VorGuy had a preapproved check for our Saturn from our financing company (and they were also the car insurance company) - so we had no trouble at all with that back in 2006.

The car after that, we paid the down payment with an insurance check from the same company - he'd been in a car accident sandwich and his older car was $200 from a total loss, with enough visible damage that the company decided not to bother pulling off the bumper to see if there was "hidden damage" because that would cost close to $200 in labor....before they did any repairs to the hidden area (if it was needed).

[nuit93]

Hyundai dealership in Phoenix.

19 yr old DS is trying to buy a car.  He has a good income...but has only been at his job 2  months.  He has no credit, zero.  He has a tradein worth between 3-4k, depending on which dealership is looking at it.

Last Monday he went to the Hyundai dealership after having no luck with Toyota.  The salesguy puts together this deal for a 2013 Elantra Coupe (the sports model) at 19k, using some magical first time buyer financing, supposedly at 8.9%.  I am skeptical but whatever.  DS drives off with the car and spends $600 the next day putting insurance on it (19 yr old single male, has a total loss on his record, in a little black sports car...yeah, that's gonna cost).

As the week goes along, the sales guy calls a few times - seems he's having trouble selling the deal (ya think?).  He keeps insisting that 'the next bank' will pick it up, but suggests that it will be easier if DS falsifies his pay stub to show 8 months at his employer instead of 2.  DS declines, but that's ok, sales guy will make it work.

Today - 7 days later - sales guy calls to say he can't put the deal through, bring the car back.  Oh, and DS owes money for mileage.  DS declines to pay mileage - he didn't cancel the deal, the dealership released a vehicle without having financing arranged.  DS shows up at the dealership and guess what - they can't find his truck.  After 45 minutes of fooling around, someone discovers that the truck has already been sent to auction.  Fortunately, it's just on the transport or something, because they promise it will be available at 6 am tomorrow.  Yeah, I believe that.  And through all this, not an apology, not the slightest indication that they've done anything wrong.

We'll see what happens tomorrow morning.  DS can't take time off work; his days off are Sunday and Monday, so he doesn't have the time to be fooling around with all this.  I live 2 states away, so I can't help him.  Well, I am working on a very strongly worded letter to be sent to the dealership manager, the dealership owner, Hyundai corporate, the BBB, and every review website I can think of.

I'd have been skeptical at the 8.9% interest on a brand new vehicle...he probably could have gotten a much better deal though a bank or credit union.

[Otterpop]

VorGuy had a preapproved check for our Saturn from our financing company (and they were also the car insurance company) - so we had no trouble at all with that back in 2006.

Ahhh Saturn, loved them.  Other car dealerships (Ford) laughed us out of the shop as college students with low income.  We owned property but were still in school and looked very young.  Saturn showed us around, got us coffee, discussed all options/colors/sizes and got our business, for two cars (sedan and later coupe).  Our car was serial #4000 something off the assembly line back in 1990 (wish we still had it).

To revert back to topic, a Ford salesman actually laughed, then dismissed my DH when he asked about buying a Mustang convertible.  DH walked across the Blvd., purchased a new Saturn coupe, and waved to the guy as he left the lot.

[MommyPenguin]

A friend of mine had great fun going in to buy a car carrying a briefcase.  She negotiated  her deal on the car, and then when they tried to set up financing, she told them she wanted to pay for the car up front.  In cash.  Actual cash.  The briefcase was full of it.    She told us later she had been tempted to point out that they were "non-consecutive bills" but thought that might be pushing it.  They did not know what to do, and ended up calling in several extra car salesman to help count the money (she'd had it organized, of course, but they had to verify).

[Diane AKA Traska]

A friend of mine had great fun going in to buy a car carrying a briefcase.  She negotiated  her deal on the car, and then when they tried to set up financing, she told them she wanted to pay for the car up front.  In cash.  Actual cash.  The briefcase was full of it.    She told us later she had been tempted to point out that they were "non-consecutive bills" but thought that might be pushing it.  They did not know what to do, and ended up calling in several extra car salesman to help count the money (she'd had it organized, of course, but they had to verify).

The "briefcase reveal" is one of my great desires.  Someday I'm going to buy a *house* like that.  Set down the briefcase, turn it to face them, flip both locks simultaneously, open the briefcase.  I might just hire an actor to wear it on a handcuff, too.

[drzim]

Oh, so not letting me take my new car until the insurance is in place wasn't just because I was a single woman?  I haven't bought a car with Mr. Sirius yet - we've been married 14 years and are both still driving the cars we had when we got married - so I don't know if we'll be subjected to this.  Still, the times I had bought cars before my last one all the salespeople had needed to hear was that I had an active car insurance policy (and see proof, which I always provided) and I was allowed to drive the cars off the lot.  With the Metro, even proof that I had an active policy with my old car wasn't enough.     

If I remember from past threads, you are in California?  I believe it's a state law because both times I bought a new car I definitely had to show proof of insurance before I could drive it off the lot.   Because it was late by the time everything was signed, I had to go back to the dealership to get the car the next day.

[BB-VA]

We have a grace period for insurance in Virginia, but I am not sure how long it is because the first thing we do after picking up a vehicle is call our awesome agent with the new VIN and he takes care of the rest.

I do like our insurance guy.  I can almost believe if I sang the little jingle like they do in the TV ads, he would appear.

[kherbert05]

A while back, my then-boyfriend now-husband visited a popular restaurant for dinner.  We had a movie to catch, but it wasn't going to start for another couple of hours, so we figured we had time.  We ordered sodas and our entrees.  The sodas arrived, as did the salads that came with our meals ... and that was it.  After waiting for more than 45 minutes, we flagged down our waitress.  "Your food will be here in five minutes," she promised.  Five minutes came and went ... and came and went ... and came and went.  Still no food.  We asked her again.  "Five minutes!"  By this point, even if the food had arrived, we would have had to shovel it down to make our movie on time, so we decided to leave.   We asked her for our bill, making it clear that we weren't happy.  "Sure!  I'll bring it in (you guessed it) five minutes."  After waiting for ANOTHER 15 minutes, we just walked out the door.  (Not right, I know, but we were utterly fed up.)  At that moment, the manager ran up.  I was pleased, thinking that he knew how unhappy we were and was going to apologize. 

Not a bit of it - he gave us royal hell for daring to leave "without paying for our meals."  I sputtered "WHAT meals?  We got Diet Cokes and side salads, and our meals never arrived, despite waiting almost an hour and a half!"  He proceeded to chew me out sideways, saying "This is a nice place!  Good food takes time!  This isn't a pizza restaurant, you know!" 

I retorted "Believe me, I know.  If this was a pizza restaurant, we wouldn't be leaving hungry."

(The restaurant closed a few months later, which was weird, considering how popular it had been.  I couldn't help but wonder if that terrible service had anything to do with it.)

Years ago my Mimmi took my two oldest cousins out to eat in Galveston. It was either Gaidos or the Galvez.  They had a nice lunch. But could not get the bill. She asked multiple people (including the Manager) multiple times over 1/2 hour to 45 minutes. Finally she had enough. She told the girls to go out the the car. She walked up the the manager, shook his hand and thanked him for the free meal. He asked "what free meal?" She told him that after trying to get the bill for almost an hour and them refusing to give her the bill the only thing she could figure out is they decided to comp the meal.  He actually agreed and Mimmi walked out. I remember Dad was not particularly happy with the situation. My cousins said they were sure they were going to be arrested.


The bad service was not typical and both places are still in business.