Recourse? Dealership runs my credit without permission!

Toyota dealership calls me today. Tells me about their loyalty trade in program. I know all about it. That's how i got my 2017...anyway... I have a 2017, they were offering to trade me into a 2019 at the same payment... They ask for my current monthly payment and how much i still owe, and ask if I'm interested in a newer truck... I tell them my payoff and monthly payment but tell them i don't want them pulling my credit and i did not give them my social. I directly said "Do not pull my credit" I told them i didn't want any inquiries. They said they could give me a ballpark figure without pulling my credit so i said ok. They say they'll call back in a few minutes. We hang up.

5 minutes later i get an email from my credit monitoring service. They did a hard pull on my credit using my SS# off my old application from 2017. I called back pissed. Was told it was a miscommunication. How do you miscommunicate DO NOT PULL MY CREDIT??

I ask to speak with the manager. He says sorry but acts like its no big deal. Yet it's completely ILLEGAL to run credit without authorization. They had the nerve to say "it only drops your score a couple points anyway so it's not a big deal"

What can i really do about this? What would you do?

 

Did they give you the ball park figure? May be it might be a good deal? You might take the truck and it would be all worth it?

 

No they didn't give me any figures. After talking with the manager he said he'd try and get me a new truck at the same payment to make it up to me, and was supposed to call me back "shortly" ...but after an hour and a half i called back and was told he went home for the day.

 

If you want your credit score to be used to get payment options, leave it. It you do not want to be considered for a vehicle, dispute the unauthorized pull.

 

And Yelp those bitch liars.

 

First it is illegal!
Second same payment means nothing! $10k/36 is 278, $20k/72 is the same 278 yet one cost $10k more.

Tell them you want a new truck for the same price as your used 2 yr old one.
If they don’t there should be some sort of ethics business board you can go to. Can you pull there dealer license???

 

Only in Florida

 

they did same thing to me when i bought my 2016.......i told them not to pull credit because i was paying cash.....did it anyway and the fucking hit is still there....mother fuckers refuse to take it off...says it will automatically come off

 

At a minimum I'll be calling corporate if i can figure out the phone number.

I'll give the manager 1 chance to make me happy since they already pulled my credit anyways. If he tries to get over on me or says he can't do anything I'll call corporate, leave reviews everywhere i can, and take my business elsewhere from now on. I've bought 3 tacomas from there and recently bought a 2019 Camry xse for my wife there as well. I'm a good customer they should treat me better than this crap.

 

Do you think they really care that much about one customer? They were looking to make a quick buck off you by getting you into a new truck with the same payment, a nice tactic that pretty much only benefits them. Toyota and probably that dealer as well sell so much that one guy going somewhere else doesn’t hurt at all. I’m not saying what they did was right but just being realistic about what will actually happen.

 

That is true..after 2 years.
Anytime you ask for credit line increase or run credit check, its stays on record for 2 years. If you get many inquiries on your report, your score drops.
Fucked up if you ask me.

It's always good to have a report when your s.s is checked.

OP, what you CAN do is dispute that credit check .
Pull your report and dispute it. They have 30 days to report your dispute. It they don't , it's taken off.

 

The way I take care of it is I have my credit on permanent lockdown. You only have to call one credit bureau and it will lock down all three. I have to call back every 90 days to keep it on lock. So no one can pull my credit without me knowing about it. When I go buy a new vehicle it is one more hoop I have to jump through because they call me up and ask me a series of questions before the dealership can even run my credit but I would much rather have it that way. It's the safest way I know of protecting your credit. Mine hasn't dropped below 800 in years. So my suggestion is to monitor your credit with the free annual credit report and lock it down so this can never happen to you again.

It's shitty how the dealership did you but now the damage is done. Yes your score will take a small hit but within six months it will be right back to where it was. As long as you don't take anymore hits it won't take 2 years. You shouldn't have to suffer the punishment of what they did but at this point, it is what it is. My only other suggestion is never use that dealership again.

 

No i doubt they care about losing one customer, But they may care to know the dealership is BREAKING THE LAW. What they did is completely illegal. They used info from a 2year old application to pull my credit right after i literally told them i didn't want my credit pulled.

I could probably raise enough fuss and threaten to go the news, contact a lawyer, leave negative reviews everywhere etc... That they'd try to do something to correct the issue.

Hell they've increased people's warranty to 100K miles for less...

 

they wasted your time so go waste theirs. pick out the most loaded car you can find then nickel and dime them until they're sick and tired of you then right when it's about time to sign on the dotted line just walk out.

make sure you pick a day when they have fresh donuts.

 

Contact the Better Business Bureau and let them know exactly what transpired. Id also call the manager back tomorrow and let him know that you will be contacting the BBB. Just to hear him squirm. The BBB is serious especially for legitimate, large businesses.

 

Lawyer up, and you quickly find out the dealership has way more money than you do. It’s a hard pill to swallow. Contact the better business bureau.

 

Go back and request a test drive, and while you're out there shit your pants.

 

Let them make you a good deal, if they don’t, then pitch a fit.

 

Lol

 

Really? hahahahahaha