Some car dealerships don’t have the best reputation.
Browsing through the internet, it would seem that poor reputation is often earned. Drivers have told stories about dealerships using deceptive tactics to make sales, posting prices that are lower than their actual sales prices, altering paperwork to trick customers into spending more money, and even selling people cars that simply don’t work.
Stories like these may be among the reasons that a study from earlier in the year by KPA found that 76% of Americans “don’t trust car dealerships to be honest about pricing.”
Now, another dealership story has gone viral after a woman claimed that she witnessed a dealership holding onto a car for 6 months—and it gets worse.
What happened to this woman’s Ford?
In her video, TikTok user Katie (@katiethecarladyllc), who is an “independent dealer in Northeast Ohio,” explains how she assisted someone who was having issues with their dealership.
According to Katie, she was contacted by a woman whose car has been being serviced at a Ford dealership since May of this year. Katie is sharing this story in late November, meaning that the car has been in service for around 6 months.
“Guess what? It’s covered under warranty,” Katie says of the needed repairs. But it’s been sitting there, and they’re not fixing it right. Every time they say, ‘Oh, we fixed it.’ No, it’s not fixed.”
The dealership did provide the driver with a loaner vehicle, Katie says. Katie says it is now trying to push the woman to give up on the car and buy a new one. The woman’s vehicle is still covered under warranty.
“They try to say, ‘You know what? We can’t get it fixed. Maybe you should just buy a new car,’” Katie recalls. According to Katie, the dealership offered the woman $6,000 for the car, which she still owes $16,000 on, and presented her with an attractive interest rate, which they allegedly claimed would cause them to “eat the negative equity.”
Katie wasn’t convinced, so she helped the woman resolve the issue.
“You’re not going to give them one more dollar of your money. And you’re gonna call Ford and get a claim number. … It is under warranty [from the] manufacturer. Therefore, the manufacturer has to back it,” Katie recalls telling the woman.
A lesson
This, Katie says, is a lesson for consumers. If one has an issue with their car, and it’s under manufacturer warranty, and they feel they are being lied to or mistreated by their local dealership, they can work with the manufacturer directly to solve their problems.
“You need to pay attention. And you need to know you can call the manufacturer and say, ‘Hey, this dealer is not treating me right there. Something needs to happen,’” Katie concludes.
@katiethecarladyllc This is crazy! Who does this????#carladyclub #womenincars #carsforsale #service #automobile #ford #automobile #autoindustry #katiethecarlady #carlady #dealership #advice #consumeradvocate ♬ original sound – Katie The Carlady
Commenters share their thoughts
In the comments section, users spoke of the importance of double- and triple-checking any claims made by a dealership.
“Looking for a 2nd opinion is some times mandatory, even if it is dealing with doctors,” wrote a user. “Always trust your gut if it doesn’t seem right.”
“I was told I needed to roll over 6000 into a newer used car,” added another. “I never called the dealer back.”
“These behaviors are in so many industries now,” declared a third. “Never thought we would need MORE lawyers in America to help protect consumers.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Ford and Katie via email.
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