The Crimes of Folsom Lake Toyota

It is hard to fathom how stupid Folsom Lake Toyota must think people are. People aren't really that stupid, are they?

I have heard of creative sales approaches. These guys are so ridiculous that unethical just barely describes it. We made an offer on a Prius. The Sales Rep told us the manager accepted our offer.

The rest of the day - 2 hours of my life that I will never get back - went something like this.

Us: we will pay $24.5 for car X with package Y

Folsom Lake Toyota Sales Rep (Mike): (Goes inside and returns):

Folsom Lake Toyota Sales Rep (Mike): Ok, the manager accepts your offer of $24.5 for car X with package Y. Let’s go inside and sign the papers. We should get you out of here quickly, 30 minutes tops.

Us: Sign forms. Drink Coffee. Watch Basketball. 45 minutes pass.

Folsom Lake Toyota Sales Rep: (Disappears to the back. Then returns.)

Folsom Lake Toyota Sales Rep: Please sign these forms for $30. These are not the final numbers. We expect you to put 30% down.

Us: These are not the real numbers. We want to see the real numbers. No need to negotiate here. We've got an agreement. By the way, no one uses a 30% down payment. That is just silly.

Folsom Lake Toyota Sales Rep: Right. Let me get the real numbers. Sorry. Be right back.

Folsom Lake Toyota: (Disappears to the back. Then returns with the Finance Rep.)

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep (Kerry): OK. Here are the real numbers. Please sign these forms for $30.

Us: Uh, we agreed to $24.5, not thirty.

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: Right. $24.5. Sorry. Be right back.

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: (Disappears to the back. Then returns.)

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: OK. So sign here.

Us: Uh? This still says $30. That's not what we agreed to. How did you calculate this figure anyway?

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: I will get the printout.

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: (Disappears to the back. Then returns with a hand printed tally sheet.)

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: OK, here is the breakdown. We start with some erroneously high price that you did not agree to pay. We calculate sales tax on the sticker price plus fees, and add the extra sales tax back to our originally too high price. We deduct a small portion of the agreed upon discount. We use TFS rate of 1 point higher than your bank rate, but you can change that within the next 30 days. Voila, you pay $30.

Us: This is not the price we negotiated. Fix this. Now!

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: I am just trying to help you here. (He actually said that.)

Us: You can help us by using the price we agreed upon, calculating taxes on that amount, and getting us out of here inside of the two hour window we have available to us.

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: (Disappears to the back. Then returns.)

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: OK, here is the new price. $30.

Us: Thank you, and good-bye.

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep: I will split the difference with you. (He actually said that, too.)

Us: Thank you, and good-bye.

Us: (Wife and son walk out the door. I pause to tell the Sale Rep thanks, and that we are leaving.)

Folsom Lake Toyota Finance Rep and Finance Manager – in unison: No! No! We fix! We fix!

Me: Why did you fail to honor our agreement?

Folsom Lake Toyota's Finance Manager (very sharply): "I'm trying to make some profit!" (I swear to God, he actually said that.)

Me: Good luck with that. (I really said that, as I spun on my heel for the door.)

Us: (Drive away in our old car -- 2 hours after we arrived.)

Us: Are people so stupid that they allow these unethical turds to pull such crap.

Is it even remotely legal to over-charge on sales tax and add the overage back into the price? Is it ethical to agree to a price, add thousands onto that price, and then just wear the customer down with the back-and-forth-with-the- manager game? Is this the fashion for all Toyota dealerships everywhere? I experienced this practice at two dodge Dodge dealerships, and two Nissan dealerships. Maybe it is ALL car dealerships. That would be so sad!

Somebody somewhere help me to believe that we have not all fallen to this level.

Update: I am told that a rebate is in fact taxable in California. This does not account for the delta in pricing this morning.

Postscript. We purchased a Prius this evening from Maita Toyota in Sacramento for less than we had offered in Folsom ($4k off sticker). Call Dave Lundgaard there (dlundgaard@maitats.dealerspace.com). Dave is the internet / fleet sales guy at Maita Toyota, and he is great.

We returned home from the dealership in Sacramento this evening to find a voice-mail message from Folsom Lake Toyota. "Mike the sales rep told me what happened to you. I'm very sorry. I think we can make it right." No thanks! (See PSS here.)