is it legal for dealierships to have non-refundable deposits? some places tell me their i can get my money back up until i drive off the lot, and others are telling me the same thing. i wanna get my deposit back and just wait for an 05 since is been so long already, any ideas?

johnny

 

ya..thats why you want to pay by credit card...so you can dispute better

 

I agree about paying by credit card. The original dealership I was going to by my car from was giving me the run-around about returning my deposit. I just called the credit card company and has the money back in one day.

 

Make sure you get it in writing that it is refundable. And use your credit card. I had it in writing but Glendale Infiniti gave me the major run around when I tried to get my deposit back after I found the EXACT car I wanted somewhere else. I had to make about 10 phonecalls and I had to physically go in to the dealership to get the refund from the sales manager himself. They promised to refund my credit card, but did not after about a week. They gave me major attitude when I called back to see why I had not been refunded. A$$holes are friendly enough when you are giving them money, but their true colors show when you want a refund.


My 350GT

 

guess its gonna be kinda hard for me to get my deposit back then. they put down on paper that the deposit is non refundable, darn. i was just hoping that infiniti has some kinda rule about that, sinces one dealiership told me they cant do that.

johnny

 

Some states laws against non-refundable deposits. If you live in one of them, you may be able to get a refund regardless of your agreement.

For those guys having trouble with getting their deposit back, you could threaten a suit based on conversion. That should get their attention very quickly. Why do they have to be that way anyway?

 

turb0mister2

Can you legally sign away your rights? Does this ever legally hold up in court?

What if the car comes in and is damaged? You say you don't want it. Then you wait 3.5 more months for another car and it too comes in damaged. How long must you go through this before you just get your deposit back?

Leaving a non-refundable deposit is ALWAYS a very bad idea. Regardless of your intentions, things happen, situations change, etc... Good Luck!

301-bhp!!! ...and growing!

 

that was basically what i was implying when told them i wanted my deposit back, because they told me the car will be here in 90-100 days, and its already been 2 weeks pass 100 days. their only answer to that is 90-100 days was only an estimate.
but basically what ended up happening now is their gonna let me transfer my deposit over to an 05, which they didnt wanna let me do until some bitchin from me. AND they wanted to charge me 3K over msrp. with the 04, i had a 500 off msrp and a free 3 year detailing service. now im gonna be paying msrp, which i dont mind, but just not to this dealiership cause i felt they were kindof an *** to me.

johnny

 

If the "merchandise" is not delievered as promised or withing a primised timeframe, you should be able to get back the deposit. Call your local Department of Consumer Affairs and/or District Attorney's office and they will tell you what is legal in your state - They will also get involved if needed.


04 G35C DG AT
Prem Aero Perf RSG CC
2004 Pathfinder for the family

 

Very simple, do as I did: Have the sales person write on the order agreement in bulk letters: REFUNDABLE !, and have the mgr. of the dealership sign that paper too - better be safe than sorry. I also agree about paying with a credit card - never cash or check.

Good luck.


04 6MTC DG/G/Prm/NAV/C.Crnrs/C.Br/A.ped/Polk/PIAA/Grnd.Kit/Rebadged/JWT Pop Charger/Z-Tube/Spl.Grds

 

This kind of nonsense happened to me last October. I was actively searching for a G35 6MT coupe in twilight blue with aero, premium package, but without nav. At the time they were pretty damn impossible to find (not sure if they still are or not). Anyhoo, I took a trip to North Houston Infiniti to look around and the salesman told me that though they didn't have one in stock, they had one coming in two weeks and if I left a deposit, it'd be mine.

Sounds great, says I, and quicker than quick rip out a $1000 check and hand it to the guy. I leave happy, thinking I've finally found the exact car I want without having to do a special order.

A week goes by, and I get a call from some lady at the dealership. Nixo on my twilight blue G35. Seems the car they took my deposit on had already been "sold" to another customer. Would I want to wait three months for them to special order the one I wanted? Or perhaps take the black one off the lot? Hell no, says I - give me my money back.

I don't like getting jerked around, and wanted nothing further to do with these clowns. Of course the nice lady promised they'd send me my money.

A week goes by - no reimbursement from North Houston Infiniti, no communication whatsoever. I start to get ticked off and begin what was to be many phone calls - all of which were put perpetually on hold, forwarded numerous times to the eventual hangup, or simply not answered. None of my calls returned over a week period. Attempting to contact the general manager of the dealership - same deal - no communication, nothing.

I then contacted the Attorney General's office for the state of Texas. This was a total waste of time - they only want to deal with large groups of aggrieved parties, and apparently my $1000 wasn't enough of a problem to warrant their time. They suggested I contact an attorney to pursue my issue with NH Infiniti. Problem is, attorney fees would chew up that $1k in nothing flat.

So, it seemed like my options seemed to be either sucking it up and buying a car from these clowns (totally unacceptable) or just letting them continue to jerk me around and keep my money (equally unacceptable).

Then I had an idea and contacted Infiniti North America. Can't remember the phone number or contact info, but you should be able to find it on Infiniti's web site.

I spoke with a nice lady at Infiniti who took all the information from me and told me she'd get back to me shortly. Within 36 hours, North Houston Infiniti was on the phone asking where I would like my deposit reimbursement overnighted. The next day the Fed Ex truck arrived at my house with the check.

It seems like Infiniti N.A. might just have some pull over these rogue dealerships. I suspect that they have a say over whether individual dealerships get their full allocation of vehicles, and imagine that's what got the previously inert morons at North Houston Infiniti into action.

It's a shame, though, that Infiniti seems to have more than its share of them - I've dealt with a few over the last year and, sad to say, the majority seemed to be rather untrustworthy and not the kind of place I'd ever drop a nickel in.

I can, however, recommend Taylor Infiniti in Augusta, GA. My wife and I both bought G35's there within a four month period and our buying experience there was exceptional.

 

guess like its time for me to give the corporate office a call, thanks for the advice.

johnny

 

Taking your case to Infinity NA appears to be effective.

You might also consider taking the dealership to small-claims court. Make sure to serve the top manager as the one to appear in court. I bet 99% of them would rather return your money than waste a day in court.

 

unless you are ordering a real custom car, most dealerships will refund your money.

04 6mtC, DG - possibly most babied G on the board.