ComplaintsforPeninsula Subaru

• Initial Complaint

  07/17/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On or about May 25th I found a vehicle on Autotrader.com that the dealership was selling. I contacted ***********************, internet sales manager. We were offered a sale price and trade in value on the sale of said vehicle on 5/30 but we wanted a diff color. They did not have the color but had located one that would be delivered by EOM June. DJ advised me that they were willing to do the same deal on that vehicle if we were willing to wait for its delivery. We accepted their terms and agreed to the sale agreement. DJ responded back that the vehicle is marked sold to us. When the vehicle came in we scheduled an appointment to sign the paperwork and pick up the car. ** was not available so his son ***** handled the paperwork. We went to our bank, got a cashiers check for the agreed upon cash diff and went to the dealership. ***** started the paperwork and after about an hour he came back to us (directed by manager ***********************) and said that due to a change in the market they couldn't honor the sale agreement they offered and offered $1500.00 less on our trade in then what they had already committed to when the vehicle sale/order occurred. We were very upset and were going to leave disappointed that we had expected to buy a new vehicle and invested a lot of time in the process (shopping, negotiating a sale and at the lot to pick up the vehicle). I decided to confront/discuss with the sales manager (*****) and he said that it is their company policy not to give trade in values during price negotiations and only do them at point of sale. I advised him that as a customer I was not informed of their ********************** policy and that DJ did in fact give me a breakdown of the sale with a trade in value and we relied on that price in accepting the offer. We agreed to pay an additional $500 in cash to close the sale even though it was not our agreed upon sale that the dealership and I had agreed to. We feel this was a bait and switch and we were extorted for the added $500.

  Business response

  07/17/2023

  I am sorry this customer feels this way. He was given a figure on our car and a figure on his trade in at that time. We still needed to see the trade and unfortunately trade in values are always changing with the market, miles driven, wear and tear ETC.  Until the vehicle is physically traded in a precise number is impossible to give. 

  Customer response

  07/26/2023

   
  Complaint: 20334301
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  A price and trade in value was given and the car was ordered. The business has already contacted me and apologized for their communication issues and for the behavior of the sales manager. They issued a refund of the additional funds that he wrongly charged. This response is also different than the response the business gave to the Attorney General. It just demonstrates a lack of consistency throughout this company. Maybe you should talk to the owner of the company and the person that responds to the ** complaints before you respond to the BBB.  

  Sincerely,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  04/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Delivery Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  * Feb 8, 2022: put down a $250 deposit on a Subaru Solterra and was told pricing would be provided later My reservation number is RRS21-ERU92FABM * April 27, 2022: I received an email that gave this link for pricing:https://media.subaru.com/newsrelease.do?id=1900 I then placed my order with Peninsula Subaru in *********, ** * April 27, 2022: I received my oder confirmation from Peninsula Subaru and the price was more than what was listed on the website Subaru provided me. The salesperson said that they were adding a $5,000 ****-up * April 27, 2022: I called Subaru **************** and was told that each dealership is independently owned and they had no control over the pricing matter. This is fraudulently business as I put down a deposit being told that I would be given pricing later. When I got that pricing, it was then subsequently marked up. This was not what I was told in emails from Subaru.

  Business response

  04/28/2022

  We have a market adjustment on all of our vehicles. As a franchise dealer we get to decide how much we sell our vehicles for.  If the customer doesnt want to pay the price we are asking we will return the deposit and put the vehicle back up for sale.

  Customer response

  04/28/2022

   
  Complaint: 17120104
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  While a dealerships can  chagee whatever they want this was an order with subaru and as a customer i should also have the right to move my reservation to another dealer as the reservation was made with Subaru and not with Pennisula Subaru. 

   

  Sincerely,
  
  ***************************

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩