It appears that your smart dealer is trying to limit the number of cars that arrive on his lot that then turn into orphans. By requiring to enter into a purchase agreement prior to delivery with a more substantial deposit than the $99 you put down on reservation will insure the dealer that you will indeed take delivery of the car. This was all spelled out in the agreement you made when you reserved. Don't want the car? Don't pay the $5 grand and get your $99 back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dunerunner
spdickey - The key phrasing here is "upon the execution of a purchase agreement." No purchase agreement has been entered into, this is a demand for $5K to hold a car that is in production across the pond! It borders on extortion.
Quote:
Originally Posted by conchobar
You are clearly projecting something that is not in the original post. I have no problem with entering a purchase agreement. I actually find the $1000 deposit fair. I have a problem with the idea that I have 5 days from an email to act. MikeDCOP kindly upped a portion of the confirmation email which states,
"After you have been contacted by such dealer to place your order, you will have 30 days to complete the mutually agreed upon written purchase agreement with the dealer. "
How does giving me 5 days to act or forfeit my car coincide with the above statement? I would like to read your response.
where did the $5K figure come from? i think "conchobar" had mentioned only $1K deposit. i do find it interesting that smartUSA states 30 days to enter into a purchase agreement with your smart center but your smart center is asking for only 5days!
definitely contact smartUSA and forward to them your email. let us know what THEY say.........
My brother in law was told his car was in and to come pick it up. He was never asked for a deposit. They did work hard to get him to take an orphan just days befor telling him his car was in. He ordered a yellow drop top and they are no longer are available. So...... they were trying to get him to take one off the lot. Dealer was the Bloomfield dealership.
My brother in law was told his car was in and to come pick it up. He was never asked for a deposit. They did work hard to get him to take an orphan just days befor telling him his car was in. He ordered a yellow drop top and they are no longer are available. So...... they were trying to get him to take one off the lot. Dealer was the Bloomfield dealership.
This does not sound at all like the way the Bloomfield, Michigan dealership operates. Rick, the GM is one of the "Good Guys" in this business.
Maybe I'm misreading your post, but are you saying that they called him to say his ordered car was in, then tried to switch him to one off the lot?
I also understood that Yellow would not be discontinued until the 2009 model year.
Perhaps we need a direct quote from your brother in law here. A2Jack.
Why would anyone complain about having to make a $1000 down payment? When you put down the $99 reservation, you certainly knew you would be buying a car. If you don't have the deposit, you aren't ready to buy any car so tell the dealer now and make someone else happy.
This does not sound at all like the way the Bloomfield, Michigan dealership operates. Rick, the GM is one of the "Good Guys" in this business.
Maybe I'm misreading your post, but are you saying that they called him to say his ordered car was in, then tried to switch him to one off the lot?
I also understood that Yellow would not be discontinued until the 2009 model year.
Perhaps we need a direct quote from your brother in law here. A2Jack.
No. they NEVER said anything about his car coming in. They invited him in for a test drive. They then called him to tell him they had an orphan on two different occasions. He went and look them over two different times with in a week. after deciding to pass on the cars because he did not want the pin stripe and window treatments, $650.00 up grade stereo. They then called the next week( with in days) to say its here come and pick it up. witch means it was most likely on the lot at the time he was being offered the orphans.
He never got a call prior to say your car is on its way or a vin tracking info. nothing. Just one day its here and ready to be picked up. Not busting there balls here. My point was that his dealership never asked him for a deposit.
As my delivery got close, I got a phone call from my dealer, Fairfield, CT., asking whether I was going to take delivery or not. And that if I was going to buy the car I had 2 weeks to put a $1000 deposit down.
The Fairfield Smart Center is owned by Roger Penske. If his dealerships are doing it, I don't think calling SmartUSA is going to get any results.
I think it is a B.S. practice, especially since most dealerships are not just around the corner for most people. You want to buy the product they are selling, but have to take an hour or more out of your day to give them ANOTHER deposit to prove it.
Buy doing that I was signing a purchase agreement. So I didn't exactly put it down as much as another deposit, but really a down payment. It was a good thing, because I was out of state when the car came in and had to wait a week after the car was delivered to the dealer to take delivery.
Buy doing that I was signing a purchase agreement. So I didn't exactly put it down as much as another deposit, but really a down payment. It was a good thing, because I was out of state when the car came in and had to wait a week after the car was delivered to the dealer to take delivery.
I understand that the $1000 acted as a downpayment, but, I was already upset with the dealership as all the salespeople I encountered before my purchase had the attitude that they were doing me a favor and had no answers to any of my questions. So on top of that, being told in an arrogant tone that I had 2 weeks to show up with $1000 just made me fume even more.
I was out of the country when my car finally arrived and was cargo tracking it and had more info about it's arrival than the salesman. But, according to the agreement when you make the reservation it says you have 30 days to pick up your car.
It would be nice when the dealership first contacts you when they are assigned as your dealer that they advise you that their practice is to require the deposit if you plan on taking delivery of the car.
I don't know what all the commotion is about IF you had read all the "fine print" you would have seen where (right on the website) it says "...your dealer may require an additional deposit..." Please people, READ what you are getting into !!
I don't know what all the commotion is about IF you had read all the "fine print" you would have seen where (right on the website) it says "...your dealer may require an additional deposit..." Please people, READ what you are getting into !!
We've been reading and it states that...
"you will have 30 days to complete the mutually agreed upon written purchase agreement with the dealer. The Smart USA dealer may require you to deposit additional funds upon the execution of the purchase agreement. "
...and the dealership is only giving him 5 days instead of the agreed 30. He doesn't have a problem with making a down payment, it is the amount of days he has to make the payment and commit is where the problem is.
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IF you had read all the "fine print" you would have seen where (right on the website) it says "...your dealer may require an additional deposit..." Please people, READ what you are getting into !! 
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