Just wanted to post an experience I had recently at a dealership located near Northland mall (dont want to name them as I am not sure if what they did was normal).
Went in ready to buy a new SUV for the wife.
When it came to the numbers they low balled me on the trade in (expected so not the issue)
They had a MSRP that differed from the manufacturers' website.
They refused to give me a breakdown of the sales price and only provided a sheet that had a bi-weekly payment at the longest term, they even netted my trade in the payment, so I couldn't tell the actual cost of the fees they were actually charging (shady but still not the issue). As a CPA this one pissed me off and I whipped out the calculator on my phone and recalculated everything expected and determined they were overcharging me somehow. At that point they only provided me with verbal breakdown.
However, what got me is they added a mandatory package to the sales cost for $3K that included a block heater/floor mats/locking wheel nuts and a bunch of no cost to the dealership items, like free rockchip fixes, "VIP Service" and free oil changes, price match guarantee on winter or all-season tires (note stating that the price match does not apply to costco) etc. what got me is I was unable to decline the package as they said all new vehicles came with this "Alberta Value" package. My understanding this is not allowed under the AMVIC All in pricing rules.
When I recalculated everything they included it was $5K.
At this point I left the dealership saying I would need to do some more research and get back to them.
They emailed me to follow up the next day when I outlined my concerns and said I was only interested if they removed all the fake fees and packages however I didn't receive a response. Only an email from the "Sales Director" who get my name wrong and you could clearly tell it was automated asking if I was still interested in the car after dealing with his wonderful product specialist.
The next day I went to a different dealership and bought the vehicle for 2k under the MSRP (that matched the manufacturers' website) and didn't pay any of the 5K fees/packages the other dealership was trying to charge me and all that crap was included for free. They provided a proper quote with breakdowns and final prices clearly shown and didn't try to screw around and took delivery on the car the next day.
Anyone else experienced something like this or did I just get unlucky visiting a sketchy dealership? I go through cars quickly so have purchased 7 new cars in the last 10 years (for my wife and I not just me, I am not as bad as some posters on here) and have never experienced anything like this with the lack of transparency and mandatory packages after the fact.
Update: They responded to my google review saying they dont have a mandatory package....
They tried to add a mandatory $3K package on top of the cost of the vehicle which is against AMVIC all in pricing regulations and would not give me a breakdown of the final cost of the car by only giving me payments on the longest term etc. I went to another Kia dealership and bought the vehicle the day after when they didn't answer my email or my response from their so-called sales director.. I would avoid this one unless you like shady high pressure sales tactics. In response to the managers' response to my review it was in fact included as a mandatory package "titled the Alberta Value Package" which I have photo evidence as well of it being added to the deal and have included the printout they gave me as proof for this review.
Response from the owner 5 hours ago
Thank you for your review. We do not have "mandatory" packages. We only charge for equipment or options that come with the vehicle. As per Kia Canada we itemise everything in our paperwork. Including but not limited to accessories (block heater, starters, mats etc), freight, taxes and fees. We'd like to hear more about your experience if you're open to speaking to us. Every review is an opportunity for us to improve our business. Please contact our GM, at 403-247-2411. Thank you and have a great day.