Steve Smith | Page 10

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

It was a pleasure meeting you both, and we look forward to hearing how much you love your new e-Golf. Both Steve and I drive one, and we're both huge fans of this car. Just as important as the car itself, is the experience of acquiring it, and I'm particularly pleased to hear that you felt well taken care of throughout the process. We look forward to taking care of you, your friends and your families for years to come! Nick Colucci General Sales Manager Capistrano Volkswagen (949) 234-4238

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

It was a real pleasure meeting you both, and I'm so delighted that you got your new e-Golf from us. It's a great car (as you know, I've been driving mine for a year and a half now), and it will save you a lot of money! Thank you so much for the business and we all look forward to taking great care of you for years to come. Call me any time if there's anything you need... Nick Colucci General Sales Manager Capistrano Volkswagen (949) 234-4238

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

It was nice meeting you yesterday, Pamela, and I was especially pleased to see how excited you were about your new car. Speaking for Bennett and the whole team, we're very grateful that you chose Capo VW for your purchase. We'll be here for you long into the future, and you'll likely see many of the same smiling faces every time you come back. All the best... Nick Colucci General Sales Manager Capistrano Volkswagen (949) 234-4238

Capistrano Volkswagen responded

Mr. Lundquist, While all of us here at the dealership were dismayed to learn of the pricing error you discovered, believe it or not, I actually appreciate the feedback you’ve given. More than anything, we’re all very sorry for the frustration this error has caused you. While errors in advertised pricing are not common for us, anyone who knows what goes into managing an inventory of over 400 new and used cars will understand that mistakes happen. I explained to both you and your father that this was an honest error on the part of our marketing manager, and that it was corrected as soon as you brought it to our attention. I would like to highlight a couple of facts that should put things into perspective, and help you understand that there was no intent on our part to mislead or deceive anyone. First of all, you will recall that we had numerous cars listed on our website with similar MSRP, all of which were correctly advertised at $14,999 net of incentives and rebates. There would be no reason that one car with the same MSRP as many others in stock could be offered at $3,000 less than the others when the factory incentives and margin for discounting are the same across the board. This should be the first indication that the deeper discount on one single car with the same MSRP was a simple oversight as such a pricing disparity in like models would make no sense. Secondly, the the unit you saw advertised could not be found on our lot for a very good reason. All of our “in-stock” units are identified by a five digit, numerical stock number such as 32826. Our inventory system also begins promoting incoming units once they’re close enough for us to have a reasonable expectation of receiving them during the promotion period. These units are identified by a six digit, alphanumeric “commission number” such as the one you saw, i.e. MR9222. The reason this unit could not be found is because it was, and still is in transit from the factory. You should also know that our Marketing Manager works very hard to create our promotional programs and she was horrified about the mistake that fueled this confusion. After researching the error, she reported back to me the next day with the following technical explanation of how the error happened: “This error was due to me “hard pricing” the vehicle…too soon before the incentives were processed on that specific unit, I've attached the vehicle log so you can see where we priced the vehicle at $14,999 and the automated process repriced it at $11,999 on an incoming unit... The vehicle was listed (with the incorrect price) on our website for 1 day.” You, your father and I spent a good deal of time chatting before you left, swapping stories and finding common ground. I complimented you on your accomplishment of becoming an Eagle Scout, as I am well aware of what that means being a retired Senior Non Commissioned Officer. We parted ways having looked each other in the eye and shaking hands. I believed we had an understanding that our pricing error was just that, a simple administrative error and nothing more. The next day, you came back in and spoke with our New Car Sales Manager, who walked you through the factory incentives and showed you how the Jetta was already a negative profit deal at $14,999 and further explained that selling it to you at $11,999 would result in a $3,000 plus loss for the dealership. You further suggest that VW dealerships are lined up and ready to sell you a brand new Jetta at $12,000 but I can assure you that there are no incentives available anywhere in California that would allow a dealer to do that. Any dealer that suggests to you over the phone or online that they would sell you a 2017 Jetta anywhere close to this price most assuredly has plans to recover their losses through forced add on accessories or other “surprises” once you’ve driven to their store. Anyone reading our reviews can see that we have a very loyal, happy and satisfied customer base. Unscrupulous companies do not enjoy the high volume of repeat and referral business that we do. Blake, where you choose to do business is entirely up to you, and I would never begrudge you deciding to purchase your car elsewhere. That said, I would welcome you back to our store to pick up where we left off, provided you recognize that the sale price we’re offering is fair and honest, and that the mistake was a simple oversight. I’m sure we can work out a little something extra to compensate you for the undue stress this misunderstanding has caused you. Please call me directly or stop by the store if you’d like to discuss things further. Again, thank you for sharing your concerns. Nick Colucci, MSgt, USAF (Ret.) General Sales Manager Capistrano Volkswagen (949) 234-4238