by "SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
Published 06/01/2017 at 08:05
by "SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
Published 06/01/2017 at 08:05
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STARS: 5
I’ve gotten a few calls lately regarding salespeople telling buyers that cars had features they didn’t. The buyers think it may have been an honest mistake but the seller still won’t make it good. Yes, that happens too.
We know that salespeople sometimes lie. But what if they make an honest mistake? I’ve heard from several people recently who specifically asked about particular features of cars there were looking at - and after being told the cars had them, they bought the cars to find out they didn’t. Two different people recently told me about this happening with Navigation systems.
Does it make a difference if the salesman was honestly mistaken? What if it wasn’t a lie? Does that give you a remedy?
No, at least no different than if they had lied to you. And chances are - in both settings - the purchase agreement would doom you anyway.
So I talk about this and the steps you can take in this week’s podcast. Here is the audio:
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And the video:
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And the top shot was a Scout I saw on the side of the road in northern Michigan, while I was driving out and about.
Follow me on Twitter: @stevelehto
Hear my podcast on iTunes: Lehto’s Law
Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 25 years, almost exclusively in consumer protection and Michigan lemon law. He wrote The Lemon Law Bible and Preston Tucker and His Battle to Build the Car of Tomorrow.
This website may supply general information about the law but it is for informational purposes only. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is we’re not billing you by the hour for reading this. The bad news is that you shouldn’t act upon any of the information without consulting a qualified professional attorney who will, probably, bill you by the hour.
"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
06/01/2017 at 08:25, STARS: 1
With 35+ yrs in dealership parts departments I’ve seen that too many times. Sometimes the salesman is just an idiot , the other times it the salesman who will tell you anything to make the sale. Sometimes parts & service can bail them out and get the features added to a car sometimes not. Its a nightmare when the customer is yelling at me for a sales mistake and its something cost prohibitive to upgrade.
"jimz" (jimz)
06/01/2017 at 09:59, STARS: 2
the sad part is so many of these situations could be solved by the buyer simply reading the window sticker .
except for the blind guy, of course.
"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
06/01/2017 at 10:05, STARS: 0
Some of the lesser options are part of trim packages or option groups and so on. But yes: Research.
"jimz" (jimz)
06/01/2017 at 10:18, STARS: 1
you’re right. I thought (at least on ours) the sticker listed the content of options packages, but it doesn’t break out everything.
"jimz" (jimz)
06/01/2017 at 10:20, STARS: 1
the other times it the salesman who will tell you anything to make the sale.
"camarov6rs" (mren2011)
06/01/2017 at 10:31, STARS: 1
To think some people are still naive enough to take a product at face value and not research or confirm before purchase is crazy. Everyone complains about how the dealership experience is the worst ever but then don’t take responsibility when they goof up themselves.
I would have an entirely different view if the window sticker specifically states nav, 4wd, etc and it is in fact not there.