Dealership did not honor the Car Guru listing that I had printed and brought with me (after a 90 minute drive) to the dealership, The listing included the VIN, the color, the number of miles, an accurate description of the color, model, year, features, etc.... The car was there at the dealer, and I loved it. But then the dealership pulled a bait and switch on me. They said that CarGuru was an awful website, and that the price that was listed was incorrect. It was supposed to be $1,500 higher. Is that fraud? Is there anything I can do?
5 Answers
It's false advertising, and crooked car dealership do this everywhere, not just on Car Gurus. Google "car dealer false advertising" and look at how people fight back against it. (Can You Sue Dealerships for False Advertising? https://blog.consumeractionlawgroup.com/can-you-sue-the-dealership-for-false-advertising/ - note this link is to a law firm). You can also go to your states attorney general web site and file a complaint, or talk to any consumer agency or a lawyer and file a suit, although you'll need proof of the price discrepancy.
FTC curbs auto dealers’ deceptive advertising: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2015/06/ftc-curbs-auto-dealers-deceptive-advertising
Walk away. Never but from that dealer and tell everyone you know about it. It is not worth the trouble trying to fight the dealer on something like this. Last year, I did the same thing, had a printout of a price on a Grand Cherokee. In fine print there were restrictions and said that 'all available incentives' were applied to the price. Somehow, I did not qualify for all of them.
I agree with the car dealer. This is an awful website. No doubt about it. I would move on to another vehicle if I were you.