dealer put £300 on advertised price

791alexis

I put a deposit down on a car on Friday, and the car cost £4788. when i went home and looked on the website, it was advertised at £4488, and also in the local paper. I have mentioned this to the dealer as i have to pick it up tomorrow. he said that the car was £4988 and went in the sale to £4488, but when the VAT went up, they put it up to the price it is now. does anyone know how i can approach this situation when i pick the car up tomorrow?

neilmcl

Demand your deposit back and walk away, see what the dealer says then. I'm sure he'll back down over £200.

jase1

Cheeky answer -- the VAT increase only brings the price up by £100 or so.

You agreed to the price, so there isn't a great deal you can do about it really. It depends on how much of a deposit you left; if it's quite a bit he has you over a barrel, as the only weapon you have in your arsenal is to threaten to walk away, at which point he keeps the deposit.

One thing is for certain, he won't give you a penny back unless it'll hit him in the pocket not to. More than £200 deposit (and I'd be surprised if he took less than 10% as a deposit in all honesty) and he'll tell you to sling your hook.

FATBALLZ

jase1 wrote: »

Cheeky answer -- the VAT increase only brings the price up by £100 or so.

It's not a cheeky answer, it's an out and out lie.

moonbeam2007

791alexis wrote: »

I put a deposit down on a car on Friday, and the car cost £4788. when i went home and looked on the website, it was advertised at £4488, and also in the local paper. I have mentioned this to the dealer as i have to pick it up tomorrow. he said that the car was £4988 and went in the sale to £4488, but when the VAT went up, they put it up to the price it is now. does anyone know how i can approach this situation when i pick the car up tomorrow?

I would go back and say you want your money back, either he drops the price to what the ad states or your not interested.

He'll want a sale there and then so it's worth a try. Make sure you go with someone else too. Good luck

mcweasel05

I once saw a car advertised on the internet and went down to the dealers to have a look. Noticed the price in the window was £200 more than on the internet so asked them about it. Was told it was simply lower on internet to generate interest, but higher price for 'walk-ons' so they earned more.

Needless to say, we 'walked-off'

Only other thing to suggest is see when they took the car. They shouldn't be able to say they added another £200 due to VAT increase if they got it after the increase. Should they?

epz_2

Is it even a new car, I thought you only paid VAT once so if its second hand that wrong, regardless I would get my cash back as they will try to con you if any problems come up.

That being said there is nothing wrong with advertising different prices, those are just asking prices. The price you pay will always be dependant on how hard you negotiate, the trade-in, the finance, the hassle you might cause them and potential for future business. If someone doesn't check and see they are paying over the odds then more profit for the garage and tough luck on them.

Cars arent consumables like the weekly shop and will not become a fixed price item any time soon.

oz0707

So you agreed and put a depo down at 4788?
Sorry to be devils advocate but...what's the problem?

paddedjohn

You agreed to buy at £4788 so thats the price you pay, if you went home and looked on the website and saw the car advertised for £6788, would you expect to pay the extra? No you would'nt..