My G35 coupe salesman has left the dealership and my car order has been moved back 2 months. Am I getting screwed or what! What should I do? Here are the details:

DEC. 14 – I agreed to purchase a Silver/Willow G35 6-speed coupe at MSRP from Zimbrick Infiniti in Madison, Wisconsin. My salesman said the car would be ordered the beginning of January and delivery would be sometime in April. My salesman suggested that he would only cash my $1,000 deposit check if I backed-out of the deal. Otherwise, it would get cashed when I take delivery. (Keep in mind that these terms for handling my deposit check in this way was my salesman’s suggestion, not my idea.)

DEC. 20 – I called my salesman to change interior color from Willow to Graphite. I asked him to write the change directly on the sales contract. I was told that my order would not be actually placed until mid-January, but I should still expect April delivery.

JAN. 29 - Received Email from my salesman saying he just got a car in and the purchaser had backed-out of the deal. He wanted to know if I knew anyone interested in it.

JAN. 30 – I replied back to his Email and asked if my car got successfully ordered and what was my order number. I received no reply back.

FEB. 18 – I get a statement from my credit union saying that my deposit check bounced on February 13.

FEB. 19,20, & 21 – I called my salesman repeatedly with no answer. Ended up leaving a message on his voice mail. I received no call back.

FEB. 24 - I called the general number at the dealership and found out that my salesman no longer works there. I left them my information was told that I would be soon contacted by someone concerning the issue.

FEB. 25 – I was called by a salesmanager from Zimbrick Infiniti. He said that after my original salesman left, they found several uncashed deposit checks in his desk and decided to cash them all. (So I’m probably not the only one with bounced checks.) He said that mine was the only complaint. I told him that all I could do was leave a message on my previous salesman’s voice mail and that others probably had as well. (They should have cancelled his voice mail and redirected his calls, or at least checked it for messages.) At that point, the salesmanager offered to cancel the entire deal and refund my deposit. (What’s with this place! Don’t they want to make a sale?) Anyway, when I asked him if my car order was successfully processed in January, he said that it hadn’t been ordered yet and that it will get ordered mid-March with an expected May delivery. (I’m not sure how they are going to order my car two months late but still deliver it only one month late, so I worry that it might really be June delivery.) When I asked him why the delay in the order, he gave me some crap line about the dock strike slowing them up. I knew he was feeding me a line, but I was tired of arguing by that time. When I told him that he should continue with my order, he started to describe the vehicle I ordered to verify his information. When he got to interior color, he said it would be Willow, not Graphite as I had requested on Dec. 20. My original salesman didn’t make the change on the contract.

Anyway, I’ve been thoroughly frustrated with the situation. My guess is that my original salesman screwed up big time and may have even been fired. Still, if that was the case, then why didn’t they verify that my order had been placed when they found and cashed my deposit check? So what’s with all the lame excuses? To complicate matters, I live more than 50 miles from the dealership, so much of the communication has been done by phone. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should proceed?

Thanks, Doug.

P.S. The line on my contract specifying "Anticipated Delivery Date" was left blank. Everything concerning delivery date was verbal only.

G35 Coupe/Silver/Graphite/6MT/Prem.Pkg./BSM - now (maybe) May delivery.

Doug.<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by medoug on 03/06/03 05:28 PM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

I don't know if there are any other infiniti dealerships in the area but I would tell them to F%$# off on the whole thing.
I live in cali and was lucky enough to find my coupe hidden in the back of cerritos infiniti. They were really great and even gave me a little off MSRP after several hours of haggling. Most dealerships I went to had the same snobby attitude since they know they gotta great seller on their hands. I was gonna order one that day from another dealership, they told me $500 deposit and if I ordered it but found it some where else they would refund the full amount. No way a dealership is gonna walk with my cash if I don't buy with them and they have a guarenteed seller. Anyway dragging on I would find a more reputeable place to deal with and remember they are not your friends or family. Don't fall for the B.S. sales posters in the showroom. They are their to sell cars and make money, nothing else so be a bit of a hard ball and know your numbers. Don't be afraid to walk, you'll eventually get your car though so don't sweat it. Then you'll be in paradise once your behind the wheel and forget about the whole thing. Peace.

Jason
Laser Red 03' Prem/Aero/6MT/SnRf

 

Doug, what a bum deal. You should first chat with the GM of the dealership. The SM sounds dishonest too. Express your complete dissatisfaction with the dealership. If the agreement with the deposit is in writing, they broke the contract. Don't be afraid to put the GM on the spot. Consider going through your timeline with him. Expect reimbursement for the bounced check charge. Ask how this happened (but I'm not sure you should care). Ask why you should continue to deal with them. Ask if your business is important to them and what they are going to do to keep it. You don't care about their staffing issues. We're talking about a great car but determine how much you're willing to accept from this dealership. This issue should give you strong feelings of how much you will hold your ground in making a final deal with them. Good luck. ...dean

Seattle area

 

You ARE getting raw deal that is all-too-common in the car world these days. I can sum up how I would handle it in two words --- compensation, baby. If the present dealer will not offer you some compensation for the hassle and delay, I would say goodbye.
On a related note, my dealer took a $1,000 deposit, but said that it only held my place in line. Even if I backed out of the deal after the car arrived, I would get the $$ back. This may vary from state to state (or even by dealer). I am in Oregon.

6MT
Premium
Black/Black

 

Well, here's an update...

I got a call from the salesmanager last night. He was about to place my order and wanted to confirm all information. I told him that I was steamed about the order delay. He said that he didn't understand why. He now had a new story. He said that in December when I made my deal, they anticipated an allotment of 6 manual transmission coupes for each future month. I was supposedly 5th in line. He said that their allotment for January and February ended up to be only 2 each month. Now in March he said that their allotment has been bumped up to 6. He said it was a problem that was out of their control. He thought that I should feel special because mine was the first March order. After further questioning, he admitted that the earliest my car would arrive would be late May and that it could actually go into June.

I do understand the allotment issue, and I know that it can become an issue when ordering a popular car. Unfortunately, there is little chance that I could ever verify if their story is true, and they know it. Anyway it shouldn’t be MY problem that they screwed up and promised me a delivery date based on their erroneous assumptions.

Well, my car was ordered last night, but I'm still not cool with the situation. I probably should have backed out of the deal, but at this point I figure it's probably the quickest way I'll be able to get the car I want. It didn't sound like I could get any kind of monetary compensation for my grief. (They couldn't care less if I took my business elsewhere.) I think I might see if I can talk to the General Manager. Maybe he'll see things differently since their reputation is on the line.

Also, the next closest Infiniti dealership is Chicago which is more than twice the distance away. They did offer to pay for my bounced check fee, but it only amounted to $3.00 since my credit union was able to do an automatic transfer from my savings account. (They actually wanted to see the notice of insufficient funds before paying. Talk about tight!)


G35 Coupe/Silver/Graphite/6MT/Prem.Pkg./BSM - now (maybe) May delivery.

Doug.

 

If you take away BSM, I don't think your configuration should be too hard to find. You could probably find one this month, I bet. You just have to be willing to travel. Expand your search to a larger radius. BSM can be added later by your local dealership.

G35c 6MT/BS/G/Prem/Aero/Nav

 

My Sedan was 2 weeks late arriving, and they (Discover Infiniti of San Diego) offered me a free oil change without me even getting steamed. An Infiniti dealer should be pleasant to deal with. You might want to contact that dealer in Chicago and see what they're willing to do for you. The down side is: what are you going to do when it comes time to have maintainence and warranty service done to your new car?

If I were in your position, and there was only one Infiniti dealership within reasonable distance, and they sucked that bad, I'd start looking at other manufacturer's vehicles. The G35 is a great car, but I don't think any car is worth the trouble I fear you're in for.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter

 

Ryoken, you're definitely right about my concern about having to drive 100+ miles just for warranty service if I purchase in Chicago.

Here's my newest update...
I just got off the phone with the salesmanager and told him I was still steamed about the situation. (I also reminded him that Car & Driver’s new April issue ranked the new Mazda RX-8 above the G35 coupe.) I emphasized that it was entirely none of my fault that my delivery has been moved back 2 months, yet I was the one having to accept all of the negative repercussions. Since they said that there was nothing that they could do to fix the order situation, I thought that I should at least receive some compensation. He agreed and asked me how much would make me satisfied with the deal. Just off the cuff, I said maybe $1,000. Then he asked, “If they took $1,000 off of the agreed price, would I give them good ratings on Infiniti's customer survey?” (Obviously, they seem to care what Infiniti thinks of their dealership.) I told them that I wouldn’t feel right saying that the entire transaction went smoothly when it really didn’t. I would agree, however, to rate them in a good light since they were willing to compensate me for my aggravation. I would also explain in the comments section of the survey that I was displeased that my order had been delayed by two months because of Infiniti’s change in allocations to the dealership. Anyway, that’s the new deal. I save $1,000 but have to wait up to 2 months longer for my car. They’ll still make plenty of money from me paying MSRP-$1,000. (Maybe I should have asked for more, since he didn’t have to stop to ask his boss if the amount was acceptable.) Well, that’s what I have agreed to. I’m curious what others think. Do you think this was a fair settlement of my situation?


G35 Coupe/Silver/Graphite/6MT/Prem.Pkg./BSM - now (maybe) May delivery.

Doug.

 

medoug,

That is pretty good!

 

Sounds like the SM knew the GM was going to hear about your story. $1000 is good. Don't worry about the "what if's". Seems that survey is a pretty big hammer over most dealerships. I know some sales guys will dump ya if you're working them too hard and fear you'll dog them on the survey later. You've a good price, took your honest approach to what you'll put on the survey and will have the 'local' dealer available for service. Although, in most instances, you'd never cross paths with the sales group again when in for service if you didn't want to. The only drawback is the extended wait but the only oddity I see is with their story on the allotments coming to them. If they had your specs, you'd think to be able to lock in one of those cars and not been run around in thinking you had to order. Bottom line, I think it's fair. Not the most pleasant for you, but fair. ...dean

P.S. To ease your mind, you might consider challenging Chicago to see if they'll beat your offer (story untold). ..d

Seattle area

 

I'd let just about anyone **** me off for 1K! I think it's worked out to your advantage. Abscence makes the heart grow fonder, so you'll be mad in love when the car finally gets in.

 

Medoug:

I just want to say I feel HORRIBLE for you. You would think ordering a car like an Infiniti would afford you better service and respect. But, like many have said, they are slick salesmen no matter what car line they are selling. I live in Northern Illinois and would imagine if you came across the boarder you would have headed to the Libertyville Fields Infiniti. When we went in to order our coupe we were told $500 starts the ball rolling. We put our deposit on our credit/debit card so obviously the dealership got their money. But, if we wrote a check, they said they would not cash it. Should we decide we do not want the car (this will not happen--my husband is DYING for the car) they will give us our money back. So far, Fields has treated us well. I hope this will continue?!? If your Infiniti dealership continues to give you s--t, come down South!

FastBlack's Wife

 

Thanks, FastBlack.

Actually, I would be going East to Chicago. I live in Freeport, IL (about 25 miles South of the Illinois/Wisconsin border or 52 miles South of Madison or about 120 miles West of Chicago ).

I'm feeling better about the deal already. Although, I had originally figured (with my original April delivery) that I would be putting about half of my breakin miles on during the 3 weekends trips that I have to do anyway during May. I guess I'll just have to add those 720 miles onto my current Ford Probe. It shouldn't hurt its selling value too bad being that it already has 96K on it.

G35 Coupe/Silver/Graphite/6MT/Prem.Pkg./BSM - now (maybe) May delivery.

Doug.

 

Doug,

I don't know if this helps but I live in Mc Farland WI (just South of Madison) and have had an Infiniti G20 for 8 years which I bought at Zimbrick and have never had a problem with them. The service department has always been real good to deal with.

Sounds like you got a bad salesperson, it can happen anywhere. The fact that he/she is no longer there speaks to the fact that an ineffective person is not kept around. Too bad it sounds like you got the run around. They should have told you if your saleperson was a problem and apologized for the delay. Giving you $1000 off a car that almost no one gets a dime off of MSRP is pretty good.

Don't let the bad experience sour you, life is too short enjoy the car. I know I will when the AWD sedan is released.

 

Try to keep your old car under 100k if you're getting rid of it soon. For some reason, there's big difference in perceived value between 99,999 and 100,001.

Good job on the $1k off on your car. Play nice and give them their good sales survey.. you can always ding them on a service survey later if they don't keep your car in shape.

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter