Broken sales contract - what to do?

[Ozsko]

I think not getting the car after having planned it months in advance has unnecessary got me wound up

All good mate

I find buying a car a stressful time because I know that I am going to get ripped off no matter what I do and having worked in the wholesale end of the industry makes it worse. When I was buying the Tiguan I had a huge blue with a sales manager and I reckon I might be very unwelcome in that dealership while he or any of the present sales team are there because of it.

[VW Convert]

I find buying a car a stressful time because I know that I am going to get ripped off no matter what I do and having worked in the wholesale end of the industry makes it worse. When I was buying the Tiguan I had a huge blue with a sales manager and I reckon I might be very unwelcome in that dealership while he or any of the present sales team are there because of it.

Was the coffee no good? LOL


Cheers

George

[FastMitch]

I find buying a car a stressful time because I know that I am going to get ripped off no matter what I do and having worked in the wholesale end of the industry makes it worse. When I was buying the Tiguan I had a huge blue with a sales manager and I reckon I might be very unwelcome in that dealership while he or any of the present sales team are there because of it.

I agree, that's why I called around to reduce the ass burn feeling of a dealership 'sales tax' on an already over margin product.

Makes no sense that VW allows sales with variances of $10K+ between buyers for the same product.

The first major car company to follow the Apple model of Direct Selling with Super Stores in each state owned by the Manufacturers and abolish car dealerships will be a game changer and disruptor in the car industry.

Allow people to order online and pick-up in store and cut out the dealerships.

This will create a better relationship with the customer and the brand.

I expect it will be just a matter of time as dealerships offer no value add for a product they don't make.

[Ozsko]

Following on from the argument I had another dealer refused to give me a price on the phone, why should I have to go in to a dealer so they can try their amateur sales psychology on me and waste a few hours of my time? I told the sales manager what I thought and he had blown the sale because of it. The next dealer willingly gave me a price on the phone and got the gig so to speak. It is about time that car dealers worked out that the world has moved on and a deal can be done without face to face meetings. I went in and signed the contract and never saw the dealer again before I picked up the car. I could have avoided even going in but I felt like a drive that day.

[Rescue23]

I rang a couple of dealers who either quoted the list price or promised to call back and never did. Gave up after that and simply emailed a broker. Got what I wanted at the price I wanted with no further interaction with dealerships, other than to provide my details to the "winning" dealer. Car was then delivered to my house (south coast NSW). It means I have no "relationship" with a dealer in the event of future problems but I'm not sure that counts for much anyway.

[BenT]

Post what exactly ?

Tell your story. Make it more public. Then maybe they’ll stop doing this kind of ****.


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[Ozsko]

Makes no sense that VW allows sales with variances of $10K+ between buyers for the same product.

That is brought on by the deals that can be done at wholesale level and what the dealers finance arrangements are. He might sell a car and not have to pay for it immediately and with hard to move cars that period could be some months. We used to work out to 120 days if needed on hard to move cars.

[FastMitch]

After getting told we will look into it and another month going by with no call, I escalated to the dealer principle.

Got a call from a dr who apologized and said there was no such thing as an MY18.5 and they never received any MY18 Tiguan Rline from VW HQ for the last 6 months.

They have offered an MY19 for delivery next year for $5K more than the contract signed 6+ months ago.

[tigger73]

So sounds like they're trying to get out of it based on a technicality.

I'd be asking them to honour the price on the original contract otherwise you'll take it up with VW direct.

[VW Convert]

After getting told we will look into it and another month going by with no call, I escalated to the dealer principle.

Got a call from a dr who apologized and said there was no such thing as an MY18.5 and they never received any MY18 Tiguan Rline from VW HQ for the last 6 months.

They have offered an MY19 for delivery next year for $5K more than the contract signed 6+ months ago.

Assuming they still hold your deposit, I'd be saying to the Dealer Principal, thank you for the offer but I will accept only the vehicle that you contracted to purchase and that they contracted to supply at the agreed price. Without a doubt, I would be insisting on a face to face meeting with the DP.

There may well be wording in the contract that gives them an out but I would be pushing the issue and if that doesn't work, ask for advice from Fair Trading.

Cheers

George

[Dutch77]

What does the sales contract actually say? That will outline both the dealer's rights and yours.

I would not be surprised if there are outs, so you may not have much recourse beyond complaints to VWA - and we know how well they usually go.

[Dan_3MPS]

Are they your only option for a dealer? Why on earth would you keep speaking with them?

Take the deposit back, go somewhere else and buy an in-stock car. Call VW Australia as well, if the story is as simple as it seems I'm sure they would be very interested in hearing about it, as it's damaging to their brand.

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[FastMitch]

In regards to the standard car sales contract, in VIC they are useless. The agreement is ALL in favor to the dealer with no penalties if they don't deliver. If the buyer tries to back out, the agreements have high interest penalties until you pay.

Already started to look at another dealer

Got a quote for a new MY19 Tiguan Highline Rline (with SnV) for $56,200. I don't know if this is any good?

I get the impression from the dealer that with the drop in the property market, the demand is not as strong as it was 6 months ago for new Tiguan Highline Rline

[tigger73]

Got a quote for a new MY19 Tiguan Highline Rline (with SnV) for $56,200. I don't know if this is any good?

I get the impression from the dealer that with the drop in the property market, the demand is not as strong as it was 6 months ago for new Tiguan Highline Rline

That price sounds very good. And yes I'm sure with things cooling off in the property market that there's quite a few people pulling their belts in and don't have the same level of disposable income as 6-12 months ago.

I suspect that with the Wolfsburg coming through that the standard R-line will be less popular as buyers move to the newer model.

I'd collect your deposit and grab the other car if I were you.

[Dutch77]

In regards to the standard car sales contract, in VIC they are useless. The agreement is ALL in favor to the dealer with no penalties if they don't deliver. If the buyer tries to back out, the agreements have high interest penalties until you pay.

I figured that might be the case; there are a myriad of (legitimate and illegitimate) reasons why dealers need to be able to get out of contracts so not surprising it is set up that way.

Side note: the trick is to at least put in some conditions if there are any issues on your end that may require you to walk from the deal.

I get the impression from the dealer that with the drop in the property market, the demand is not as strong as it was 6 months ago for new Tiguan Highline Rline

I haven't checked lately but new sales across the board were trending down this year even before some of the property correction started to take hold - but agreed this would be having an impact. I'd also guess that at this time of year with more mainstream models sales tend to cool off until the end of calendar year sales given there are a few dollars between a 2018 and 2019 car.