Stillwater Motors Bait and Switch - Fraud - Defective Car Stillwater Minnesota

I feel like I have been a victim of a bait and switch scheme by my local Chevy dealer. Plus possibly a fraud the dealer committed by not openly disclosing the actual (lease) base price of the car. And finally, the dealer not fixing the defective car under warranty.

Bait & Switch

I saw a car online on the local Chevrolet Dealer’s website. (End of July 2014.)  I called about that car. I was told on the phone by the salesperson that the car was in stock and to come down for a test drive. I arrived at the dealer a short time later and the salesperson immediately started talking about other cars. I agreed to and wanted to test drive other cars, although the main reason I came in was to check out the one I saw online (2014 Chevy Impala for $18,900). The salesman started pointing out the car on the showroom floor (2014 Chevy Impala for 24,900) with 2500 miles on it (dealer rental car).

After my test drive of a new, different Impala, I asked to see the one I saw online. We walked out to the car the salesman got in the car and then said to me that we can’t drive this car today because of the ignition switch problem. As we sat in that car he said they could fix it. I asked if it could be ready by Monday so I could test drive it and he said yes. I arrived on Monday to test drive the car and was told by another salesman that they have many cars with this issue. I commented "So this car isn't going to be fixed anytime soon".

Chevy Dealer Fraud

I did like the drive of the Impala above other cars and was desperate to get a car because my current car was having major issues. I decided to say yes to lease the Impala on the sales floor that had a bottom line price of $24,900 on the windshield. The bottom line price was lower because the car was used with approximately 2500 miles on it. I did a little research online leasing pricing I approached the salesman with the pricing discrepancy. The salesman said there are extra charges. I trusted that they were telling the truth. I signed the contract because I felt I could trust the salesman. He kept saying that he would take care of me and do whatever it takes to keep me happy with this purchase. After studying the contract in detail after the sale I found I paid approximately $28,100 for the car ( close to new car price). I went in to asked why the difference in the price on the windshield and the price on the agreement. I was told that the offers are not valid on leases. This again upset me. My thought was "why would I choose a used car for a new car price".

I again went online to compare many different leasing offers from the Chevrolet website and found the amounts that they offer online are much less than in the store. I sat down with the finance person again and he could not explain the difference to me. He did keep telling me how they are not making any money on this deal and how I'm just not understanding.

Defective 2014 Chevy Impala

After driving the car a couple of days I notice a shifting/hesitation problem with the car. I was very angry at this point. I went back to the dealer, told the salesman that this deal has been very bad from the start, the car does not operate correctly and I want them to honor their promises. The salesman took me back to the service department. The service person said that all the Impalas drive like this and it may take a 1000 miles for it to stop doing it. The car already had 2500 miles on it. I took another 2014 Impala that day for rental and it did not have the problems the car I purchased is having.

I drove the car I purchased a couple more frustrating days. I could not stand driving it anymore so I went back into the dealership again and dropped the keys on the salesman’s desk. I said I wanted out of this deal. The salesman said the person that I needed to talk to was on vacation and I needed to come back next week. I asked if this was the only person who could make the decision and the answer was yes…only that ONE person. This was Thursday.

I came on Tuesday and the salesman saw me and asked what he could do for me as I put both keys on his desk. I again said that the car does not run correctly and the deal was dishonest. I told the salesman again that I wanted out. He left the desk. Then after about 10 minutes he came back to the desk and said there is nothing he can do for me.

After some time and intense words he brought the Manager over to see me. After a brief angry conversion he said since I signed the contract there is nothing they can do for me. They took the car I had purchased back into repair and gave me a rental. The next day they again said that all Impalas have this problem and it is normal. I again said I’ve driven other Impalas and that it not normal or acceptable for any car to drive like this. They said there is nothing they can do for me and for me to put more miles on it.