Dealer sold my FR-S

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by raphymartinez

I just don't see the point of a refundable deposit.

Really? Not even a little?

[luxmn]

Except dealers don't get to decide first86 terms and conditions. Corporate does. And corporate deposit for people selected to be the first86 clearly stated it as fully refundable. My dealer kept the check but never cashed. They handed it back to me when I made the purchase and I would expect the same if I didn't buy.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by michaelahess

Ya do realize that non-refundable deposits are basically illegal. If you don't provide goods or services, it's called theft. Just say'n.

No it's not, at least not in most states assuming its clearly written on the contract.

On the other hand I would never support a dealership that does non refundable deposits and would encourage others to avoid them also.

[raphymartinez]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

No it's not, at least not in most states assuming its clearly written on the contract.

On the other hand I would never support a dealership that does non refundable deposits and would encourage others to avoid them also.

Keep in mind that certain circumstances are understandable and in those cases we promptly refund the customer their money (i.e. unable to obtain financing weather it was with us or with their own bank)

[raphymartinez]

Originally Posted by luxmn

Except dealers don't get to decide first86 terms and conditions. Corporate does. And corporate deposit for people selected to be the first86 clearly stated it as fully refundable. My dealer kept the check but never cashed. They handed it back to me when I made the purchase and I would expect the same if I didn't buy.

yup, and that's why i said this in my first post "Now, the first86 program is a whole nother story as those rules were set by Scion"

[raphymartinez]

Originally Posted by bestwheelbase

Really? Not even a little?

I'm sorry but I really don't. Except like I said in the other reply the customer is simply unable to obtain financing weather it was with us or with their own bank. That one is just an example, there are other reasons in which we make exemptions and refund the deposit with no issue. But when the customer put down their money they were 100% ready to make the purchase and not just holding up a vehicle to then go think about it.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by raphymartinez

I'm sorry but I really don't. Except like I said in the other reply the customer is simply unable to obtain financing weather it was with us or with their own bank. That one is just an example, there are other reasons in which we make exemptions and refund the deposit with no issue. But when the customer put down their money they were 100% ready to make the purchase and not just holding up a vehicle to then go think about it.

I'd just have a policy of "no holds" then. I don't think I have ever put a "hold" on a car, if it's there I buy it if I want it or I don't

Deposits should only be used on cars that aren't on the lot. If the car comes in and the buyer doesn't like the car then it should be refunded.

[neutron256]

Originally Posted by Assassin_Kensei

No I just was trying to see If I could Lease it, and what the payments would be. Since Scion didn't have a leasing plan for it it took some time. Also I never even knew the dealership had the car in its possession. I wasn't supposed to even have to make a decision until I test drove it, and I never had the chance. Also I never said I wasn't going to buy the car, they just assumed since I wanted to know what the lease pricing was.

In that case I agree. If they weren't able to do a lease then they should have just told you that, and they defenatly should have warned you before they sold it to someone else.

[Slartibartfast]

My two cents on deposits.
When we take deposits we never tell the customer that they are refundable. If they cancel the deal, we can keep it ( but we never do). The only time we have kept a deposit is when we have done work on the car. Like if we installed a trailer hitch, or something. In my ten years at the dealership, we have kept ONE deposit. It just doesn't make sense from a customer service standpoint.

The bill of sale we have them sign at time of deposit states that all sales are final. I never want a customer to take a bill so sale lightly. We are putting a car aside for them and promising not to sell it, even if someone offers us more (this happens more than you'd think). Bringing in a car from another dealership has an expense.

In the event of cancellation, refunds are instantly put back on the credit card, or if it was cash, we have to cut a cheque. If we're cutting a cheque, sometimes it takes a day if the accounting dept has gone home for the day We would never make someone wait more than a day.

How each dealership handles deposits is different, and has nothing to do with Toyota/Scion. Don't knock Scion for a crappy dealership. The crappy ones are known to Toyota/Scion, and while they can't effect individual dealer policy, these crap dealers get less "favours".

I HATE HEARING ABOUT CRAPPY DEALERS. IT REALLY PISSES ME OFF. I WORK AT A GREAT DEALERSHIP THAT IS VERY FOCUSED ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. I'M PROUD TO WORK HERE. I HATE THE TERM "STEALERSHIP". (Though, I understand how it applies to some)

Sorry for the rant.

[dsgerbc]

Policy of deposit non-refundability generally correlates with dealership douchiness, so stay away from those.

[michaelahess]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

No it's not, at least not in most states assuming its clearly written on the contract.

On the other hand I would never support a dealership that does non refundable deposits and would encourage others to avoid them also.

Didn't say it was legal or not (legally speaking) only ethically, either way it's flat out wrong. If a buyer pulls on a deal, so f'n what? You'll still sell the vehicle, and then you can add all those stupid "Dealer Adjustments" and find 97 out of 100 people that will pay it.

Keeping a deposit is like a kid handing you his ice cream to hold while he puts his backpack on then not giving it back...get the drift?

Dealers are looked upon as evil to begin with, no need to perpetuate it over something so trivial.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by michaelahess

Didn't say it was legal or not (legally speaking) only ethically, either way it's flat out wrong. If a buyer pulls on a deal, so f'n what? You'll still sell the vehicle, and then you can add all those stupid "Dealer Adjustments" and find 97 out of 100 people that will pay it.

Keeping a deposit is like a kid handing you his ice cream to hold while he puts his backpack on then not giving it back...get the drift?

Dealers are looked upon as evil to begin with, no need to perpetuate it over something so trivial.

I agree, I was just commenting on your "basically illegal" part

[Turbowned]

What a mess. I feel bad for the OP, and the guy who it took 18 days to get a deposit back. WTH is that crap? If you have a deposit on a First86 car, that's YOUR car unless you can NOT get financing. And if you need a deposit back, it takes 2 seconds to refund a credit card and not more than 1 day for the appropriate member of the accounting/finance dept. to cut a check back to the customer. Anything else is just bad business. If my dealer did that crap, I'd leave and go work someplace else strictly on principal.

[mattles]

non-refundable deposit says to me STEALERSHIP STEALERSHIP RUN AWAY QUICKLY.

*sigh*