HONOLULU FORD/LITHIA MOTORS - BUYERS BEWARE!!!

[pigsareus]

They did this with me yesterday when I went to pick up my Maverick. I placed my order Aug 6 last year for the hybid version and included the moon roof, Lariat luxury package, and Ford co-pilot 360. Total for the "preview order" was $31,660. In January, I received the VIN and a copy of the window sticker which showed total MSRP being $33,700. It showed the moon roof cost increased from $795 to $995, the Lariat luxury package increased from $3340 to $3750, and the co-pilot 360 increased from $540 to $650. Together, these items were now $720 more than my original order. After placing the order, I added a bed cover ($560) and changed the exterior color from Cactus Gray to Alto Blue Metallic. I was surprised to see an additional charge of $390 for the paint, but it was worth it. When I had asked if it was possible, no mention was made of the extra cost of that color. Anyway, I was hoping to get $3000 trade-in for my 2007 Toyota (KBB, Edmonds, and CarMax each estimated $3315 be a fair price for it). Needless to say, I was shocked to see a total price of $46,097 at the dealership. They asked if I had a copy of the original order for the truck, but I hadn't brought it. I figured they should have that on file since the sales rep had been able to pull it up in the months prior. She was out on maternity leave, so they claimed they didn't have access. That was BS because all they needed was the order number to see the file, but I was stuck because I didn't take a copy of it with me. BE SURE YOU TAKE YOURS. Also, take a copy of your window sticker. If you have the VIN, you can pull the window sticker from the Ford website. I saved a copy of that too and sent it to the sales rep at the dealership when he was assigned to me March 31. This man did NOTHING to sell me my truck, but he sure was happy to rake in the commission.

The new total cost included $3090 for "additional dealer markup" and $995 for a cilajet topcoat sealer (optional, which I turned down), a $899 processing fee, $1560 sales tax, PLUS $2436 extended warranty for as long as I'm paying on the truck (obviously an effort to keep the payments going), $2890 maintenance contract, and $1392 roadside hazard (so no need anymore for my AAA, I guess). There were also fees for a dealer's license and "online systems filing fee (I'm confused why those weren't part of the $899 processing fee, but oh well), and DMV fees for the license plates. I passed on the topcoat, extended warranty, but was willing to add the maintenance, and the other fees (tax, title/license, processing) were not presented up-front but I was sure there would be some added cost for them. So, in my mind, the price for my trade-in should have more than covered the maintenance contract. NO... they offered me $2000 for my Toyota. The dealership advertises that they pay way more than KBB, etc. for trades. I'd called earlier in the week to see if they could give me an estimate. They said I could take my car to a CarMax and get a written value for trade-in, and they would give me $250 more. The closest CarMax is 46 miles from me and I failed to do that. Big mistake! So I rejected the $2000 offer and the dealer began negotiating with me. He offered to lower the price of the cilajet, which I'd already rejected adding. If I did that, he would give me $3000. Big whoop! The price of the cilajet was $995! So that was not a good deal. Then he started in on how he had to "save" my truck because other reps had customers interested in it. He told me how "in demand" the Maverick has become, and I reminded him I've been waiting since Aug for mine to even arrive. When I ordered it, I was told it would be available for purchase in November, yet it didn't arrive until April. He knew he had me there because he knew how much I wanted it and would not walk away. That is BS. I told him I had a friend interested in buying my car and he would give me $3000 for it. So he went to his manager who agreed to the $3000 trade. While they were processing my paperwork, my friend told me he would pay $3500, so I went to see if I could cancel the trade-in. They were not happy... but the manager came back with an offer of matching the $3500, so I agreed. It didn't really matter though, because as we were going through the paperwork VERY QUICKLY, they bounced the full $7710 options back into the agreement. By this time, I'd been there nearly 4 hours and just wanted to get home. I figure I will contact Ford directly about the way this whole process went down. I honestly feel like the dealer took advantage of the fact that I'm a woman. They didn't listen to me and treated me like if I didn't take what they offered for a vehicle I'd ordered on my own (not through their dealership) they would just sell it to someone else. Personally, I don't think that is a good business practice.

So in the end you agreed to paying almost 8K more because you wanted to go home? I'd have told them that you are not agreeing to this extortion and that you have to leave to pick up your kid or something and then I'd have come back with some angry male (if you think they we're taking advantage of you because you are a female) or angry female - either or both and settled this fairly even if it meant making a scene in the dealership, escalating to the managers and/or the owner of this dump. The worst that was going to happen is that you were going to pay what they insisted on but likely you would have gotten them to stop at least some of the nonsense and weaseling and put an end to this.

Sponsored

 

[jbpoole]

They did this with me yesterday when I went to pick up my Maverick. I placed my order Aug 6 last year for the hybid version and included the moon roof, Lariat luxury package, and Ford co-pilot 360. Total for the "preview order" was $31,660. In January, I received the VIN and a copy of the window sticker which showed total MSRP being $33,700. It showed the moon roof cost increased from $795 to $995, the Lariat luxury package increased from $3340 to $3750, and the co-pilot 360 increased from $540 to $650. Together, these items were now $720 more than my original order. After placing the order, I added a bed cover ($560) and changed the exterior color from Cactus Gray to Alto Blue Metallic. I was surprised to see an additional charge of $390 for the paint, but it was worth it. When I had asked if it was possible, no mention was made of the extra cost of that color. Anyway, I was hoping to get $3000 trade-in for my 2007 Toyota (KBB, Edmonds, and CarMax each estimated $3315 be a fair price for it). Needless to say, I was shocked to see a total price of $46,097 at the dealership. They asked if I had a copy of the original order for the truck, but I hadn't brought it. I figured they should have that on file since the sales rep had been able to pull it up in the months prior. She was out on maternity leave, so they claimed they didn't have access. That was BS because all they needed was the order number to see the file, but I was stuck because I didn't take a copy of it with me. BE SURE YOU TAKE YOURS. Also, take a copy of your window sticker. If you have the VIN, you can pull the window sticker from the Ford website. I saved a copy of that too and sent it to the sales rep at the dealership when he was assigned to me March 31. This man did NOTHING to sell me my truck, but he sure was happy to rake in the commission.

The new total cost included $3090 for "additional dealer markup" and $995 for a cilajet topcoat sealer (optional, which I turned down), a $899 processing fee, $1560 sales tax, PLUS $2436 extended warranty for as long as I'm paying on the truck (obviously an effort to keep the payments going), $2890 maintenance contract, and $1392 roadside hazard (so no need anymore for my AAA, I guess). There were also fees for a dealer's license and "online systems filing fee (I'm confused why those weren't part of the $899 processing fee, but oh well), and DMV fees for the license plates. I passed on the topcoat, extended warranty, but was willing to add the maintenance, and the other fees (tax, title/license, processing) were not presented up-front but I was sure there would be some added cost for them. So, in my mind, the price for my trade-in should have more than covered the maintenance contract. NO... they offered me $2000 for my Toyota. The dealership advertises that they pay way more than KBB, etc. for trades. I'd called earlier in the week to see if they could give me an estimate. They said I could take my car to a CarMax and get a written value for trade-in, and they would give me $250 more. The closest CarMax is 46 miles from me and I failed to do that. Big mistake! So I rejected the $2000 offer and the dealer began negotiating with me. He offered to lower the price of the cilajet, which I'd already rejected adding. If I did that, he would give me $3000. Big whoop! The price of the cilajet was $995! So that was not a good deal. Then he started in on how he had to "save" my truck because other reps had customers interested in it. He told me how "in demand" the Maverick has become, and I reminded him I've been waiting since Aug for mine to even arrive. When I ordered it, I was told it would be available for purchase in November, yet it didn't arrive until April. He knew he had me there because he knew how much I wanted it and would not walk away. That is BS. I told him I had a friend interested in buying my car and he would give me $3000 for it. So he went to his manager who agreed to the $3000 trade. While they were processing my paperwork, my friend told me he would pay $3500, so I went to see if I could cancel the trade-in. They were not happy... but the manager came back with an offer of matching the $3500, so I agreed. It didn't really matter though, because as we were going through the paperwork VERY QUICKLY, they bounced the full $7710 options back into the agreement. By this time, I'd been there nearly 4 hours and just wanted to get home. I figure I will contact Ford directly about the way this whole process went down. I honestly feel like the dealer took advantage of the fact that I'm a woman. They didn't listen to me and treated me like if I didn't take what they offered for a vehicle I'd ordered on my own (not through their dealership) they would just sell it to someone else. Personally, I don't think that is a good business practice.

Call them out. Name the dealer. Blast them on social media.

This is exactly why I rather have a sister in a whorehouse than a brother who's a car salesman.

 

[BB0]

Ultimately you should not HAVE to get absolutely everything in writing to guarantee that the truck you ordered at the start will cost what you agreed upon up front with no additional surprises, however dealerships have proven time and time again to be dishonest, forcing consumers to immediately go on the defensive when ordering. I sincerely hope you did not have to pay the 8k over for your truck.

 

[jrhawaii]

Ok so just an update. So I decided to be a nice guy and give the dealership a chance. Called and left a message for the general sales manager to call me back on Tuesday and tried the general Manager yesterday. Mind you I did say I have a few questions about my Maverick order that's otw (did it so they could either decide not to call back or put their plan of action together), so I'm sure that's why it's cricket season. Last night sent a complaint to BBB, which already replied that the complaint has been forwarded to the dealer. Will be calling Ford to file a complaint shortly once I put all my notes together. Have a wonderful weekend everyone

 

[jrhawaii]

Well Ford complaint line was no help. Basically said dealers are free to charge what they want. Asked even if he says he told me about the markup and says it's on what I signed? She couldn't answer at that point only to say this will get forwarded up and you may or may not hear back from a supervisor. WTF is that? Customer relations? Even if nothing is going to be done someone should still reply back, not just leave me hanging!!! I did confirm that we have to sign saying why we are giving up the vehicle (if we do) so told her for the record if it doesn't say something about not honoring agreed to price or ripping me off that document was forged by the dealer. She then suggested I contact the GM. So I said it again "for the record" both GSM and GM have been called and no reply from either. Stayed on for the survey and sorry for those of you that don't get treated like crap, I had to give all negatives. Of course always 2 sides to everything so those that want to criticize its really unwanted but hey that's what these forums are all about right. Just keep the I'm wrong because if there was a true wrong or right no of us would be in here posting negative post...

 

[2cafn8d]

Well Ford complaint line was no help. Basically said dealers are free to charge what they want. Asked even if he says he told me about the markup and says it's on what I signed? She couldn't answer at that point only to say this will get forwarded up and you may or may not hear back from a supervisor. WTF is that? Customer relations? Even if nothing is going to be done someone should still reply back, not just leave me hanging!!! I did confirm that we have to sign saying why we are giving up the vehicle (if we do) so told her for the record if it doesn't say something about not honoring agreed to price or ripping me off that document was forged by the dealer. She then suggested I contact the GM. So I said it again "for the record" both GSM and GM have been called and no reply from either. Stayed on for the survey and sorry for those of you that don't get treated like crap, I had to give all negatives. Of course always 2 sides to everything so those that want to criticize its really unwanted but hey that's what these forums are all about right. Just keep the I'm wrong because if there was a true wrong or right no of us would be in here posting negative post...

Can your state's Attorney General do anything?

 

[Dun4791]

Can your state's Attorney General do anything?

Like what?

The dealer owns the truck, they set the price.

Your choices are walk away or pay

 

[2cafn8d]

Like what?

The dealer owns the truck, they set the price.

Your choices are walk away or pay

I live in California, our attorney general introduced a bill about GAP insurance in February. AZ recently heavily fined a couple of Nissan Dealerships for false advertising. Couldn't hurt, what's the worst they are going to say, no they can't help?

https://www.carscoops.com/2022/04/t...-500000-in-fines-for-false-price-advertising/

 

[jrhawaii]

Can your state's Attorney General do anything?

They will be my next phone call if I don't get feed back from bbb on Monday or Tuesday since Friday is a holiday.

 

[Phileaux]

They did this with me yesterday when I went to pick up my Maverick. I placed my order Aug 6 last year for the hybid version and included the moon roof, Lariat luxury package, and Ford co-pilot 360. Total for the "preview order" was $31,660. In January, I received the VIN and a copy of the window sticker which showed total MSRP being $33,700. It showed the moon roof cost increased from $795 to $995, the Lariat luxury package increased from $3340 to $3750, and the co-pilot 360 increased from $540 to $650. Together, these items were now $720 more than my original order. After placing the order, I added a bed cover ($560) and changed the exterior color from Cactus Gray to Alto Blue Metallic. I was surprised to see an additional charge of $390 for the paint, but it was worth it. When I had asked if it was possible, no mention was made of the extra cost of that color. Anyway, I was hoping to get $3000 trade-in for my 2007 Toyota (KBB, Edmonds, and CarMax each estimated $3315 be a fair price for it). Needless to say, I was shocked to see a total price of $46,097 at the dealership. They asked if I had a copy of the original order for the truck, but I hadn't brought it. I figured they should have that on file since the sales rep had been able to pull it up in the months prior. She was out on maternity leave, so they claimed they didn't have access. That was BS because all they needed was the order number to see the file, but I was stuck because I didn't take a copy of it with me. BE SURE YOU TAKE YOURS. Also, take a copy of your window sticker. If you have the VIN, you can pull the window sticker from the Ford website. I saved a copy of that too and sent it to the sales rep at the dealership when he was assigned to me March 31. This man did NOTHING to sell me my truck, but he sure was happy to rake in the commission.

The new total cost included $3090 for "additional dealer markup" and $995 for a cilajet topcoat sealer (optional, which I turned down), a $899 processing fee, $1560 sales tax, PLUS $2436 extended warranty for as long as I'm paying on the truck (obviously an effort to keep the payments going), $2890 maintenance contract, and $1392 roadside hazard (so no need anymore for my AAA, I guess). There were also fees for a dealer's license and "online systems filing fee (I'm confused why those weren't part of the $899 processing fee, but oh well), and DMV fees for the license plates. I passed on the topcoat, extended warranty, but was willing to add the maintenance, and the other fees (tax, title/license, processing) were not presented up-front but I was sure there would be some added cost for them. So, in my mind, the price for my trade-in should have more than covered the maintenance contract. NO... they offered me $2000 for my Toyota. The dealership advertises that they pay way more than KBB, etc. for trades. I'd called earlier in the week to see if they could give me an estimate. They said I could take my car to a CarMax and get a written value for trade-in, and they would give me $250 more. The closest CarMax is 46 miles from me and I failed to do that. Big mistake! So I rejected the $2000 offer and the dealer began negotiating with me. He offered to lower the price of the cilajet, which I'd already rejected adding. If I did that, he would give me $3000. Big whoop! The price of the cilajet was $995! So that was not a good deal. Then he started in on how he had to "save" my truck because other reps had customers interested in it. He told me how "in demand" the Maverick has become, and I reminded him I've been waiting since Aug for mine to even arrive. When I ordered it, I was told it would be available for purchase in November, yet it didn't arrive until April. He knew he had me there because he knew how much I wanted it and would not walk away. That is BS. I told him I had a friend interested in buying my car and he would give me $3000 for it. So he went to his manager who agreed to the $3000 trade. While they were processing my paperwork, my friend told me he would pay $3500, so I went to see if I could cancel the trade-in. They were not happy... but the manager came back with an offer of matching the $3500, so I agreed. It didn't really matter though, because as we were going through the paperwork VERY QUICKLY, they bounced the full $7710 options back into the agreement. By this time, I'd been there nearly 4 hours and just wanted to get home. I figure I will contact Ford directly about the way this whole process went down. I honestly feel like the dealer took advantage of the fact that I'm a woman. They didn't listen to me and treated me like if I didn't take what they offered for a vehicle I'd ordered on my own (not through their dealership) they would just sell it to someone else. Personally, I don't think that is a good business practice.

BS this stuff still happens to women. I have two younger sisters and raised by single Mom and that stuff boils my blood. Thanks for the heads-up. When I finally p/u mine I'll tell my wife not to expect me home anytime soon. Let's see how the waiting game goes when THEY need to go home and lock-up.

 

[Enchalada]

They will be my next phone call if I don't get feed back from bbb on Monday or Tuesday since Friday is a holiday.

Do you when does your truck arrive at the dealership? I see several on ford's inventory list saying "Just Arrived". Not sure if anyone of those are yours.

 

[jrhawaii]

Do you when does your truck arrive at the dealership? I see several on ford's inventory list saying "Just Arrived". Not sure if anyone of those are yours.

It should be one of those that just arrived

 

[Bootstrap6]

What is arctic blast? You don’t have your signed copy of the deal from the order date?

Here in MD an artic blast is when really cold air drops down from the great white north. Are there artic blasts in Hawaii?

Sponsored