Awful Dealer Experience in Hollywood

[fistpoint]

Who is the manufacturer of the leather? Or is it a local custom job?

[moniz]

Originally Posted by ZmZMWagon

I thought these were in "high demand" why are your 2 Frs still on the lot?

Exactly! Dumb dealer. Seems everybody else is getting them out the door as soon as they're in. Greedy dealer trying to squeeze out more profit for themselves may actually be costing themselves sales.

[phm14]

Originally Posted by nyanpire

So, I called my dealer (Scion of Hollywood) and they said my car (whiteout/AT) is in.

However, they notified me that they were adding leather and tint for an extra $2500, making the price to be $28,840. The guy had the nerves to say they "NEED to make a profit." I told them that I did not want leather, and they retracted their statement saying that it wasn't installed yet and they would call me back.

I got a call back and NOW they said they added tint and Lo Jack (wasn't mentioned to me before) without telling me. The price is now $27,840. An extra $1590 for tint and Lo Jack?!

I'm furious because I put $1000 down on the car back at the beginning of the month. I just want my whiteout/AT

The problem here is that this buyer had the expectation that his deal was for a stock car at MSRP, but the seller changed the deal, betting they could squeeze more money out of him, or someone else if he walked. I've been in one type of service business or another (including a licensed car dealer), as an owner, for over 20 years. The most important thing I've learned in that time is the value of placing yourself in the customers' shoes and seeing things from his perspective. In this case, I'd guess the customer felt deceived and extorted-not a great way to build customer loyalty and referrals. Some will give in to their emotions and buy despite these poor practices. The smart buyers know that feeling good about the deal is a long term benefit that will last as long as he remembers the car, and the extra time needed to make that deal happen will make the buy all the sweeter. Long term satisfaction always beats immediate gratification, no matter which side of the fence your on.

[DRACHENV6]

hell to the NO!

tint: 200-300 depending on the material and quality
lojack: useless because it does not work in every state.
leather: does not really add anything of luxury value IMO but check this company out in a few months http://katzkin.com/interiors

[fistpoint]

Originally Posted by DRACHENV6

hell to the NO!

tint: 200-300 depending on the material and quality
lojack: useless because it does not work in every state.
leather: does not really add anything of luxury value IMO but check this company out in a few months http://katzkin.com/interiors

Katzkin is what is used by my local Scion dealers for their Scion's and dealer cost is somewhere around $700-$800 I believe. You can have it done yourself for around $1000 + tax from the shop they use locally, or haggle the dealers down to around $1200-$1300 for it.

[wu_dot_com]

man those leathers seats looks awfull. i rather throw my 2k in the trashcan than to have it on the car....

the BRZ is still a way better deal espcially with such an ugly job.

[Turbowned]

The leather looks way better than I honestly expected it to... I was thinking it'd come out like this:

Regardless, it's still a horrific waste of money and shouldn't be paid for. Go elsewhere!!

[luscious]

I got one of the ones with leather. I'm pretty indifferent to leather, and would have rather not have paid for it...but my wife liked it. It is pretty nicely done.

In my deal for an FR-S, I had two parties to bargain with: The dealer and my wife. My wife was the more difficult of the two

[trackmagic]

Originally Posted by MrFRsLa

Not a single person placed a deposit with me. I advised them not to.

A point I will make is: Remember dealers still own these car. They are not "your" cars. Another point is : Will anyone be financing and FR-s or BRZ? Maybe thru B of A or USAA, Well then again "not your" car. The bank will legally hold the title of your FR-s tell its paid off.

Sorry to put it this way I know it makes me sound like a jerk. I much rather people have the truth then be given the run around by a dealer.

Yeah, I don't buy that logic. If it is the lot's car and they insist on putting leather against the customer's wishers then it will remain the lot's car. Good luck turning a profit!

[Hanakuso]

Originally Posted by trackmagic

Yeah, I don't buy that logic. If it is the lot's car and they insist on putting leather against the customer's wishers then it will remain the lot's car. Good luck turning a profit!

They will probably end up selling it but at the cost of have many more disgruntled potential customers.

It's like going out to a nice restaurant and being forced to buy something you don't want to eat when down the street you can have what you want at no extra cost.

[Norcalscionchamp]

At the dealer where I work...we order all our FR-S bone stock except for floormats and then let the customer make the decisions about what they do and do not want....it is not customization if the dealer is calling all the shots...Scion is all about letting the customer make choices...its supposed to be a menu option style sales experience....also any deposit that is made with us is completely refundable...if you see the car and hate it....someone else can have it...and since we didn't load it up they can make it their own if they buy it...Every FR-S is basically the same but where you choose to do business can really make or break the process...choose a reputable dealer who wont play games or price gouge...its not the Scion way!!!

[chipz91]

You should talk to the Sales Manager. If they don't help you, get your money back and get it some where else.

[trackmagic]

Originally Posted by Norcalscionchamp

At the dealer where I work...we order all our FR-S bone stock except for floormats and then let the customer make the decisions about what they do and do not want....it is not customization if the dealer is calling all the shots...Scion is all about letting the customer make choices...its supposed to be a menu option style sales experience....also any deposit that is made with us is completely refundable...if you see the car and hate it....someone else can have it...and since we didn't load it up they can make it their own if they buy it...Every FR-S is basically the same but where you choose to do business can really make or break the process...choose a reputable dealer who wont play games or price gouge...its not the Scion way!!!

Why do other dealers feel the need to do this and piss off their customers? Is the profit margin from Scion so thin that this is required?

[AshWilliams]

I don't understand the dealer telling you they "need to make a profit" when they sell over MSRP, or charge you 2 grand for something that costs 600 dollars.

Buying a car for MSRP is already giving the dealer a profit. The only thing that happens when jackass dealers add 3 grand of ADM to their cars and throw in useless features at exorbitant prices is that people don't buy the car.

I'm still trying to find one in the SE, and have to say that your experience reminds me of every SE Toyota dealer. They don't know anything about the car, get aggressive when you call them out on their price gouging, they add crap like 200 dollar nitrogen in the tires, 500 dollar pinstripes, 700 wax, 1400-2000 dollar premium leather (for that kind of money you can put really good aftermarket leather into a Suburban and have money left over)...

Overpaying for a car doesn't sting at first, but when you drive past the dealership six months later and see 5 or 6 sitting dirty in the back lot for MRSP or lower, it'll sting. As it will when the crap leather cracks.