Is My Dealer Screwing Around with my Order?

Will get more info later today, but I am posting this in case others have had a similar experience:

1. Put down a deposit for an in-transit Taco. First, they took my cc over the phone, but even after a few days never ran it because the salesman was "so busy".
2. So I visited the dealer, put down a cash deposit, signed the sales order, and took home a copy with the manager's acceptance signature.
3. The truck stayed on their website, disappeared, and now is on it again - minus the VIN - but with the same stock number, IN A DIFFERENT COLOR THAN ON MY SALES AGREEMENT!

It seems odd when you add it all up, as if the dealer is playing me to see if they can get more $$$ from someone else if I reject the color. Or is it my paranoia? I will call them later and then update this post.

 

I ordered a FJ Cruiser in 2014, put down a decent deposit and then did my own tracking because the dealer/salesman sucked. When it came in, I wasn't notified and the dealer put it up for sale on their web site. I had to call and tell them to take the damn thing off the site and that I had already put $$ down on that vehicle with that VIN.

I gave the dealer a poor rating when I did the survey and got a call from them asking if I would ''reconsider.'' Nope. Dealing with Toyota left a bad taste in my mouth, not because of the vehicles they build but because they could take lessons from Dodge and improve. Unfortunately the same owner owns pretty much every Toyota dealer around me and Toyota doesn't really have many dealers to begin with as compared to every other manufacturer.

On the plus side, when I sold it, I sold it for more then I paid for it.

 

Sounds like a crappy dealer . I would follow up with the general manager about the order and confirm it’s the right color . If not have them fix it or walk away .

 

Not quite the same but @farmtacoma had her truck sold by the dealer. You should find that thread and read it, maybe she’ll share it here. I believe they made it right at the end for her though.

 

Maybe

 

All i can say i also did my 2020 order over the phone and fax documenting everything to be sure i got all i asked for. They took my credit card, but didn't run it, saying they trusted me to bring a personal check when the vehicle arrived for the entire total. I signed the contact agreement, and faxed it back. About 10 weeks later i had the truck exactly as described.
Maybe in your case could of been an honest mixup that the dealer is trying to fix.

 

I would say its more likely incompetence than malevolence. I strongly suspect that half the time dealers dont know exactly what's allocated to them until the truck shows up on their property. The chances of the sales floor knowing the allocations are even lower, because that requires basic intraoffice communication skills and stuff.

Me personally, I treat dealerships like I treat mcdonalds- I don't trust them to customize anything, and I don't ask. That's nothing against them or their abilities to do their job, except for that they are human and asking for extra pickles is inviting more opportunity for human error. If I dont like what I see on the lot, then I find another dealer.


But back to your situation. Communication with your sales manager is key. I would recommend keeping in frequent contact and asking lots of questions. Keep it friendly, make him think that you are excited, not suspicious.

Good luck, hope you have it sorted.

 

If you have it written down that you want a specific color at a specific price and they changed it that's fraud. Call Toyota corporate and swing the lawyer hammer at them and the dealership.

 

They made it right
I love my truck

but who has time to read 80 pages

 

You're being paranoid.

The truth is probably along these lines. The delay in posting your order (cc deposit) may have allowed another buyer to lock in that truck.
Now, your dealer has a confirmed order and a signed contract (sales agreement) for your truck.

You do not need to accept anything different than your sales agreement. If the dealer can not fulfill the contract, then you can recover your deposit and find another dealer.

Does the sales agreement have delivery time frame? If not, then the contract is open ended. It could be difficult to cancel.

FWIW, I suggest to contact your CC carrier to verify if the charge was applied and when.

 

Nope, not fraud. Breach of contract.

The signed Sales Agreement is the contract.

"In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right." Wikipedia as a quicky reference.
Key words: intentional and deception.