My nightmare story

[paesan]

Well this is my story. I ordered my 3500 about 2 months ago. Monday it showed up and it was and is a beautiful truck. i was ready to take delivery. I showed up on monday afternoon. While I was checking out the truck the salesman brought my trade in truck for an appraisal. I was drooling over what should have been in a few hours my new ride. When I got back the salesman said that my 2000 Ram 3500 auto was worth 10000. I said "that's funny" The truck has a scratched fender but nothing can devalue it so much. He said that once aboue 13000 miles ago I brought the truck in for service and it was low on oil. I said yes, I put 2 quarter of Rotella in it 3 days before I brought it for service and it drank those two quarters and that's why i brought it in. They said that it has a noise which I have been hearing for about a year and they think it is a connecting rod broker or something in it is not working. I told him that the truck drives and drove fine since i owned it, I pulled my 7000 lbs trailer at 85 mph with ease and never once overheated or even moved the idle. He and everyone else was intended in screwing me because we had agreed on 37K price Sticker 43. 500 and 3. 9 financing . Long story short I felt awfull, my truck is fine and it drives like a dream. They knew I needed the truck by october because my truck could not handle the new 14000 lbs trailer I am getting. I was very disappointed and betrayed. Tuesday i bought a F350 fully loaded and tonight I will pick it up.

This is my horror story and I hope it never happens to anybody. I feel like I betrayed you guys but do not be alarmed even though i bought the V8 I still believe Dodge makes excellent trucks, but I could NOT buy the truck for a principle of not getting screwed.



Hope you guys are behind me

 

[Snow man]

Paesan,dont worry about what we think,you did what was best for you. Ill tell you this though-never,ever trade in a perfectly good truck,CTD's go quick here,and for top dollar,trading it in,is an expensive convience,if you ask me. If you got money to burn,go ahead,id rather get an extra 4K for my truck on the street,4K buys a lot of bombs .

 

[Bob Wagner]

weird story:{

 

[98rammer]

i'm sorry to hear that happen..... *$&$^$^ stealers people who treat their customers like that shouldn't be in business. i hope you'll be happy with your ford as they are great trucks. each has its problems. good luck!

 

[RADdodge]

Well the dealer got what they deserved, one less customer. Spread the word like that and they will have even less new customers. Bunch of jerks.

 

[KPhillips]

unlike alot of people, I actually like the Fords, I have been a ford person since I can remember,



my story was actually the exact opposite of yours, a Ford stealership tried to screw me on my trade in on my 2001 Jeep, and I found a good deal on my Dodge, so I bought it, I'm happy I did, and I'm sure you will be happy with your Ford,



I don't care what anyone says, Its not necessarily the truck you buy, its the way you take care of it and the way you drive it.....



Enjoy your new truck and don't leave the board cuz you got a Ford, keep in touch and let us know how the ford works for you, plus you should let us know who and where this stealership is so someone else doen't get bitten in the arse...



kerryp

bastrop, tx

 

[Casey Balvert]

Paesan,



Bummer. Sucks big time. And I don't blame you after you got shafted that way. I would never step foot on his lot again. I think they deliberately played on your being hot for the new truck and this way they could squeeze a few grand more out of the deal. Even if the truck had a bad connecting rod, it would have been covered under the diesel warrantee. It was only two years old. Did you at least get back your deposit on the new truck? Man, I feel for you after waiting that long.



Casey :{ :{

 

[bighammer]

You could probably name them and remove a few other potential sales.

 

[paesan]

Guys, thank you so much for all your positive comments. They really help. I will stay on this board, I am a diesel fanatic and I like Dodge trucks, new and old.



As for the comment of which dealer it was, I can't say the name directly because I saw some guy on a VW board getting sued for damages after he claimed he had bad service for xxx dealer. but i will say it is in Cary, NC and it has a 2003 dually patriot blue sitting in the lot. Probably not for long.



Thanks and maybe in 3 or 4 years after my 80,000 miles I might consider to switch back to the DARK side

 

[work2muchplay2little]

Here is a link to a site where you can post anonymously and where it will do some good for others. I hope you like your new truck - if it rattles - it's a real truck

 

[RKelly]

You made the right call.

Make sure the Dodge dealer knows you bought the Ford BECAUSE they tried to screw you.

 

[Cummins4Life]

That sucks!



I would have bought a Ford also if the dealer had tried to screw me.

 

[Peter Campbell]

Maybe they had another buyer that outbid you. See if the truck is still there- probably sold next day. They were most likely under contract to you. Sweet way of getting you to break the contract they may have wanted out on. Tell DC, loosing one customer for a higher paying customer makes sense for the salesman, maybe for the dealer. But it will not make sense to DC and they may make better corrective actions on the dealerthan you. Of course post the information all over. That salesman may have made a 1-2K more on the deal by screwing your deal up. Cost him a few dozen sales and they will remember.

 

[Fireman Dave]

Hey paesan,



You are more than welcome to stay with us and hang out. We can learn from each other just the same. I would feel better writing a letter to DC about that experience. It may never go anywhere, but at least you'd have the satisfaction of knowing you tried to let them know how that dealer is representing Dodge.

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

ditto on CTD trade in's. Dealer only wanted to give me 3k for my first gen on a trade in. I sold mine in the paper in 2 days for 6k. Almost had to auction the thing off LOL had 3 offers at the same time LOL. Dealers are stupid they could really make some money with competitive tradein values on some trucks. And BTW 6k was 1200 above kellly blue book.

 

[David Muench]

My condolences, paesan. Hope the Ford works out for you, and hope you'll stick around here.

 

[Mike Ellis]

Hey paesan,



Don't worry, you did the right thing. The Ford will work out just fine for you, it isn't a Cummins but doggone it the old Powerstroke really is a pretty good engine in spite of what folks might tell you My Dad's is still going strong...



DC just lost a sale to me a couple of weeks back too. My wife had been clamoring for a new vehicle as the Suburban was falling apart a bit more day by day. (GM lost a good customer with that miserable POS, never never never NEVER again). She wanted an Odyssey but the price was steep, and I got to thinking "Hmmm for the same money I could get her a 2002 quad-cab short bed CTD and it would last forever". Went to the stealer here and they had a nice truck with automatic transmission, loaded. They also had a 6-spd HO dually that was making me drool but wife wouldn't go for it doggone it.



The dealer offered the following, best deal he would go:

- Selling Price - $34,400 (sticker!)

- Long list of fees and such added, with rebate subtracted

>>> Grand Total = $34100

AND they then had the nerve to try to throw in a charge for the standard warranty (!!!!) to the tune of $1700, that's right folks not an extended warranty just the standard warranty.



The first time through the numbers I thought they looked fishy and added them up on my calculator. Remarkably an extra $250 had found its way onto the bottom line, "Idiot Tax" I guess. I asked them if they thought I was I an idiot, heck I had my CTD sitting outside and had been through all this with them before, besides other dealers were advertising dealer discounts on same truck. The response was that the 2002's were going fast because 2003s were on the way, these deals were incredible and too good to pass up, buy today or it won't be here tomorrow, blah blah blah blah ... so out I walked.



Checked with a couple of other metroplex Dodge dealers and got run-around too, the dealer discounts seemed to disappear somehow when you actually went to buy a truck. I would have driven to Brownwood or Bonham but didn't have time and energy. RESULT: Wife is driving a 2002 Honda Odyssey, first foreign vehicle I have ever purchased, wouldn't have bought it at all but at least it was assembled in Alabama with less foreign parts content than many "American" vehicles. Honda dealer was professional, courteous, matched the best price that I was quoted over the Internet without a quibble, didn't try to pressure me to buy propwash or flightline or anything. Hmmm numbers added up too with no "Idiot Tax".



Good job DC! Could have been a 2-CTD family if your team was on the ball. What's really funny is that if the sale had gone pleasantly, there was a really good chance I would have sold my '97 and bought that '02 6-speed HO dually, I was already running the numbers. Unfortunately I didn't feel like throwing a few thousand $$$$ away for nothing.

 

[98rammer]

mike, i'm not saying you're wrong... but some places just have bad dealers, while the one in the cubicle over may be awesome. i've been through that experience with bad dealers so i know what it's like to be POed and walk out. as for the money issue, he's totally screwing you and you obviously knew that



ah well, i'd probably switch if i went through the same thing as paesan... . that's just rediculous. i think that each dealer should be evaluated by the BBB and allow the ones who act fair and nice to be rewarded.

 

[rrl989]

The only thing that hurts DC is hitting them in the pocket book!



You did the right thing!!



This is my first DC vehicle (In my entire family, Yes), may even be a little better than all my past bow ties, but it will be my last. My local DC Stealers X3 are disgusting, pathetic, agravating, lying cheats. Hell Chevy was giving me $19. 5K for my truck last year, as I had ordered a Duramax ( But, I changed my mind)



Since I had been previously victimized by DC / Stealer (5 Star)



I know I have directly cost them 4 truck sales and I will continue.



Ron

 

[HEMI®Dart]

paesan,



You made the right move. The dealer probably hoped once you saw the new truck your emotion would get the best of you. I bet a few of us (suckers) would have gave in.



Good luck with the new truck!