Two Arizona Nissan Dealers Fined $500,000 For False Advertising

Again, this isn't the dealers issue. If someone comes into the dealership and doesn't speak the language needed to properly negotiate, this isn't the dealers issue (and shouldn't be). I often get clients at my clinic who can't speak English very well. I don't speak anything else. If it happens to be Spanish, I sometimes have a tech there who can help out. If I don't it isn't on me to figure out how to communicate. They came to me and I am under no obligation to figure it out for them. Not trying to be a jerk, just don't like excuses for things which shouldn't be put on a dealership. I am not a big dealership supporter either. They are often slimy and take advantage of buyers but this doesn't make it their fault. There is always the option to stop the process and walk away. It isn't reasonable to purchase a car - all the while knowing you are being screwed - and then cry about it afterwards to try and gain sympathy.
Wow, just wow.
 
If it happens to be Spanish, I sometimes have a tech there who can help out. If I don't it isn't on me to figure out how to communicate. They came to me and I am under no obligation to figure it out for them.
Like tchman, said, WOW. I'm an xray tech, and patient care is 100% my responsibility. If a polish or Spanish patient doesn't know what's going on, it IS my responsibility to explain. According to you, It's the patient's responsibility to let me know she is pregnant? - NOT. It is MY responsibility to make sure she isn't, regardless of language barrier.
 
Like tchman, said, WOW. I'm an xray tech, and patient care is 100% my responsibility. If a polish or Spanish patient doesn't know what's going on, it IS my responsibility to explain. According to you, It's the patient's responsibility to let me know she is pregnant? - NOT. It is MY responsibility to make sure she isn't, regardless of language barrier.
If they come to me its on them to be able to communicate. How am I obligated to learn other languages to accommodate all clients? Don't understand the world today. So much lack of responsibility. Someone else's fault, yada, yada, yada .
 
If they come to me its on them to be able to communicate. How am I obligated to learn other languages to accommodate all clients? Don't understand the world today. So much lack of responsibility. Someone else's fault, yada, yada, yada .
The lack of responsibility is on YOU. It's part of YOUR job. You really sound like a person someone wants to know.
 
@ chickdr: Your exact words: "They are often slimy and take advantage of buyers but this doesn't make it their fault." Say what? Being slimy and taking advantage of buyers.....is not their fault?
Ok then. That tells me everything I need to know. Have a nice day.
 
So we know this happens, but usually I thought that it's just that you go look at a car, see the price, and also see the added $2,000 for nitrogen in the tires and such. I guess this is different in that they actually advertised a price that they never intended to sell the car for?

What's your story? Di you just find the added BS add-ons when you walked in? or was the car actually advertised for a lower price than they intended to sell it for? - other than the DOC fee

A lot of back and forth on this without knowing what the ad actually said. Consider some examples:


This dealer states the MSRP, the amount they will discount, and the critical "Buy for" statement. If I walked into the dealer or tried to work a deal by email and found out there was $2,000 in dealer side sticker items that are non-negotiable, that would be false advertising. A hard sell on various stuff to which repeated "no's" are eventually accepted is another matter.

Alternatively, consider this presentation:


If you take the first vehicle shown and click on "pricing", all it shows is the MSRP, not "buy for". That's a subtle but important difference.
 
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Again, this isn't the dealers issue. If someone comes into the dealership and doesn't speak the language needed to properly negotiate, this isn't the dealers issue (and shouldn't be). I often get clients at my clinic who can't speak English very well. I don't speak anything else. If it happens to be Spanish, I sometimes have a tech there who can help out. If I don't it isn't on me to figure out how to communicate. They came to me and I am under no obligation to figure it out for them. Not trying to be a jerk, just don't like excuses for things which shouldn't be put on a dealership. I am not a big dealership supporter either. They are often slimy and take advantage of buyers but this doesn't make it their fault. There is always the option to stop the process and walk away. It isn't reasonable to purchase a car - all the while knowing you are being screwed - and then cry about it afterwards to try and gain sympathy.
What you're saying is correct. The dealership is supposed to make a deal advantageous to them (at the cost of the customer).

However there's legal limits. Boundaries to such negotiations in the car business or any other business. What sucks is the dealerships know how to navigate on the fence....jumping back and forth between legal and illegal practices. Many of which are difficult to prove let alone get reported. That said there are good honest dealerships as well. The 2 best ones I dealt with was a Lunde's Volkswagen outside of Phoenix, AZ and Penske Auto dealerships in both San Diego and Scottsdale, AZ. Penske Auto was the most laid back non hassling dealership group I came across.
 
This bait and switch is a common practice in any business it seems. I'm glad they fined Nissan for it. Hopefully that sends a message.
I was out this morning doing some shopping, and before I left the house, my wife and I checked the flyers we got this week for sale items. There were a few items I was interested in, and lo and behold the two stores that advertised the products I wanted were mysteriously out of stock. Today was the first day of the sale price, and they had no stock? Gimme a break.
In todays day and times I would cut them some slack, working in retail most places do not know what they are getting or when they are getting it.
 
I would probably say its the new mentality of get rich quick. Its a generational and social problem in the last decade.
 
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