At first, husband and I left this dealership feeling - Kayla
At first, husband and I left this dealership feeling excited and happy with our new lease. The process had taken hours, we stayed there even with our infant daughter but we were reassured multiple times that everything was being taken care of including the payoff of our trade-in —
and that we wouldn’t be in any negative equity. That promise is what made us comfortable moving forward with the deal.
However, about a week later, the finance manager unexpectedly reached out and informed us that they had overpaid the payoff amount and that we now owed the difference due to dealership policy. We were blindsided. We had been told clearly during the long signing process that our current car would be paid off in full and that nothing would carry over a point that was critical in our decision to move forward with the lease at all.
The root of the problem? We had originally planned to trade in two vehicles, and the dealership worked up the numbers based on that. But before finalizing anything, we decided to only trade in one car, which we clearly communicated. Despite that, the wrong vehicle’s payoff amount was used on the final paperwork. The car we actually traded in was listed, but the payoff was for the car we didn’t give them which was a serious internal error on their part.
What’s worse is how the dealership handled it. When my husband called to discuss the situation, the general manager doubled down, placed the blame entirely on us, and said it was our fault for signing. He claimed we confused them —rather than owning the fact that their team failed to update the paperwork even after we told them about the change. There was zero accountability despite the fact that this was clearly their administrative oversight.
This isn’t just about a financial mistake, it’s about the complete lack of professionalism and customer care. We trusted their process and their word. But once the deal was done and they realized their mistake, they pushed the consequences onto us rather than fixing it or even admitting fault.
If you choose to work with this dealership, please double- and triple-check all paperwork. Don’t take verbal confirmations at face value, and don’t assume they’ll correct things after a change has been communicated. What should’ve been a smooth, exciting experience ended up being a stressful and frustrating one that we’re still dealing with.
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