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Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

ftc.gov

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Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#31

Post by wbl »

kcb wrote: post #21
rootusrootus wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walk into a dealer and say "I will pay that price on the window, but on the condition you won't even try to upsell me in F&I." Aside from a minority of shady dealers, most regular car dealers will smile sweetly and tell you where to sign and who to make out the check to. Tesla just formalizes this by forbidding negotiation. Some people like that. But historically people like to negotiate on big purchases. It's a game…

>Walk into a dealer and say "I will pay that price on the window, but on the condition you won't even try to upsell me in F&I." Aside from a minority of shady dealers, most regular car dealers will smile sweetly and tell you where to sign and who to make out the check to. Every dealership I've been to will nod their head then precede to upsell you in F&I. They'll make sure you don't actually get to F&I until you've b…

Just walk away.

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#32

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

function_seven wrote: post #26
ourmandave wrote: post #20

What's sad is their Better Business Bureau rating is A+. The customer review rating however is 1.22 out of 5. https://www.bbb.org/us/il/oakbrook-terrace/profile/new-car-d...

Serious question: Was the BBB always a joke? I remember 30 years ago it was generally regarded as a trusted and neutral entity. Much like Consumer Reports still is. (Yeah, people have their quibbles with CR’s methodologies and verdicts, but I don't see anyone question their integrity) But now I wonder if we (or just I?) were all just too unsophisticated to see that BBB had been captured by the businesses they purport…

They've always been the OG Yelp protection racket.

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#33

Post by kevin_thibedeau »

kcb wrote: post #21
rootusrootus wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walk into a dealer and say "I will pay that price on the window, but on the condition you won't even try to upsell me in F&I." Aside from a minority of shady dealers, most regular car dealers will smile sweetly and tell you where to sign and who to make out the check to. Tesla just formalizes this by forbidding negotiation. Some people like that. But historically people like to negotiate on big purchases. It's a game…

>Walk into a dealer and say "I will pay that price on the window, but on the condition you won't even try to upsell me in F&I." Aside from a minority of shady dealers, most regular car dealers will smile sweetly and tell you where to sign and who to make out the check to. Every dealership I've been to will nod their head then precede to upsell you in F&I. They'll make sure you don't actually get to F&I until you've b…

Start a stopwatch when you sit down. Tell them they have 15 minutes to complete the sale or you walk. They can save time by discarding the upsells you're going to decline.

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#34

Post by tptacek »

ccleve wrote: post #16
ghastmaster wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My original comment was misinformed. I did not realize the full scope of civil law. According to 815 ILCS 505 there are only three defined instances that warrant a felony charge and this is only if there is a previous conviction(misdemeanor). I'll leave it to you to show me where in the U.S.C. there is an opportunity to charge them with a felony.

18 USC 1001, plus others. Mail fraud would be one vehicle. Also conspiracy.

Does the FTC accuse them of lying to federal authorities? That's what 18 USC 1001 is about. (It's Ken White's archetypical example of a bullshit statute, for what it's worth).

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#35

Post by tptacek »

kcb wrote: post #15
longtimelistnr wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No it’s not, and I’d actively encourage not buying a Tesla

Then continue the fever dream nightmare that is the car dealership.

I bought my last car (an Audi) at Carmax. Got within spitting distance of the price I wanted from their list price. A week later, they listed the same car in a higher trim. Carmax swapped the cars; I just paid the difference. It was like buying a TV at Best Buy. But with a better return policy.

I don't think you have to buy a Muskmobile to avoid rapacious dealers.

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#36

Post by toomuchtodo »

rkuester wrote: post #9

These guys screwed me over in exactly this way when I bought a car from them three years ago. I raised hell when the deal I was asked to sign was for ~$2k more than we negotiated, but they wouldn’t budge. I should have walked away, but it’s hard when they spring it on you at the last second after you’ve spent hours getting to that point. Before I left their lot, I pulled the license plate frames with their name off t…

You will want to contact the FTC Consumer Response Center (877-382-4357) to receive information for applying for restitution as part of this action.

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#37

Post by tptacek »

kcb wrote: post #21
rootusrootus wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Walk into a dealer and say "I will pay that price on the window, but on the condition you won't even try to upsell me in F&I." Aside from a minority of shady dealers, most regular car dealers will smile sweetly and tell you where to sign and who to make out the check to. Tesla just formalizes this by forbidding negotiation. Some people like that. But historically people like to negotiate on big purchases. It's a game…

>Walk into a dealer and say "I will pay that price on the window, but on the condition you won't even try to upsell me in F&I." Aside from a minority of shady dealers, most regular car dealers will smile sweetly and tell you where to sign and who to make out the check to. Every dealership I've been to will nod their head then precede to upsell you in F&I. They'll make sure you don't actually get to F&I until you've b…

You know you don't have to finance a car with a dealer loan, right?

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#38

Post by [deleted] »

tptacek wrote: post #35
kcb wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then continue the fever dream nightmare that is the car dealership.

I bought my last car (an Audi) at Carmax. Got within spitting distance of the price I wanted from their list price. A week later, they listed the same car in a higher trim. Carmax swapped the cars; I just paid the difference. It was like buying a TV at Best Buy. But with a better return policy. I don't think you have to buy a Muskmobile to avoid rapacious dealers.

[deleted]

Re: Auto dealer Napleton fined $10M for illegal fees and discrimination

#39

Post by JumpCrisscross »

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #33
kcb wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Walk into a dealer and say "I will pay that price on the window, but on the condition you won't even try to upsell me in F&I." Aside from a minority of shady dealers, most regular car dealers will smile sweetly and tell you where to sign and who to make out the check to. Every dealership I've been to will nod their head then precede to upsell you in F&I. They'll make sure you don't actually get to F&I until you've b…

Start a stopwatch when you sit down. Tell them they have 15 minutes to complete the sale or you walk. They can save time by discarding the upsells you're going to decline.

> Start a stopwatch when you sit down

In this car market they’d be crazy to give up a car without upselling, given manufacturers’ prohibitions on raising prices.

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