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#8342 of 12047 Cerritos Acura buying experience 08'TL type-S by lageek

Sep 23, 2007 (3:47 pm)

Hello
Wanted to let everyone know about my experience at Cerritos Acura.
 
One word, do NOT go to this dealership. If you can avoid it. Read through this if you intend on dealing with them. Its a long post, but I think its worthwhile for anyone who intends on getting a good deal and wants no lies and crap from the car salesmen. If after all your research, they do give you the same deal as elsewhere, go to them. BUT do not fall for all their crappy lies.
 
For the first time, I bought a car without contacting other dealers because I believed that Cerritos would usually give you the best deal. I fell for the classic salesman trap because I was a fool. But I dont want anyone else to be fooled because I was. I thought in this internet age, it would be foolish on their part to sell the car to a customer like that. But I got screwed. I traded in my car at a lower price assuming the 08's would not have a discount and they are giving me one. But after being made to believe (I dont believe I fell for that crap of "I am getting killed for giving you this deal", "I am selling you this at cost" and "This is a deal we offer no one else" etc etc) that I am getting a great price, I found out that my next door dealership was giving me 1100 dollars LESS on the 08's than the price they claimed as "cost'. So I lost money on the price, and lost money on the tradein. Learnt a very expensive valuable lesson this time.
 
My friend emailed them the same night via cars.com, and they offered her the same price as they offered me after " tough negotiations" and after talk about how they would never give this price to anyone else ever. And then came the 1100$ less than that price at other dealerships without even calling.
 
After I found out, I called the guy I was dealing with, and guess what I was told after all that? That sometimes, I should learn to take a hit in life(wow!!) and that I should just be happy with the car now. This is after all that great "customer service" talk. My calls were not returned for 2 days. After I finally got a callback, I was also told that he would talk to his general manager to see if something could be done. he did not have a word when I was talking and told him about all his lies. He would not have said that if he had not realised that I had figured he lied to me about everything. And then, after promising a callback(after he talked to his general manager), I dont get one and I call him myself again. I am then finally made to talk to the general manager, who refuses to even acknowledge that I got a bad deal(on the price AND the trade in on which I got killed, more than other people because I believed that I got a good deal on the 08) after I told him ALL the facts(which I will list below) and offers me a free tank of gas! This is after I get spiffed for over 1100 on the car and atleast 1500 on the tradein. A tank of gas!!! ALL lies. I actually decided to take the tank of gas and a free service from them, but then, I decided it is beneath me to even deal with them anymore.
 
Here are the lies they told me:
1. No 07s with my color available at any dealership when they were. They went "inside", checked, and there were none in So Cal. There were THREE dealerships I talked to the next day that had it in stock. So all of their check was bull.
2. The price they are giving me is a price they are getting killed at and they are virtually giving it away. This is after 3 hours of being there. Eventually, they offered a price 100$ more than mine to a friend of mine who emailed them via cars.com. And when I asked em about it, they said they thought she was a friend of their general manager's. via cars.com????? How can they even lie like that?
3. Their cost for the extended warranty quoted to me was "cost"1995, and then their finance guy eventually sells it to me for 200$ less. Lies again. Does anyone sell at below price? Hell no.
4. They are the best priced Acura dealership this side of the coast. Lie again. I could get the 08's for 1100$ less than them at 2 dealerships. If possible, dont deal with Cerritos Acura or the Browning auto group. Or go armed with alternative offers if you still want to.
5. We are "known" for our customer service at the time of buying the car and later. Once you are out of the dealership with the car and have complaints, you might not even be called back. The new guinea pigs sitting in the dealership to which they have to sell the cars get higher priority. Thats what I was told btw. That I was not called back because he was busy until 12:00 at night at the dealership.
 
In short, here is my opinion.
1. Do not deal with them without finding out prices elsewhere.
2. Their customer service post car-sale was appalling. No returned phone calls for 2 days after talking up their customer service to the sky. And after eventually calling me back and promising me another call, no call back because he was "busy" at the dealership. So a customer who bought a car before gets back in the list.
3. I was told they checked for the 07's and no one else has them in stock. A big black lie. A LOT of the dealerships had it in stock AFTER I bought my 08.
4. Do NOT believe their "This is my cost" and "I am giving you a big discount" crap.
5. Find out from other dealerships what they have available.
 
The people I dealt with there are;
1. Tony Packeer
2. Micheal(Mike) Castellano. This is the guy who lied to me about everything pretty much.
 
And the general manager I talked to was:
1. Rick Walker, who offered me a tank of gas, had no answers to my questions, but insisted I got a good deal even after all I told him.
 
I know you guys must me thinking I am a fool going and buying a car without finding out. Yes, I agree I was. But I dont want anyone else to be fooled by these folks. Save your money.

Replies to this message:

• kennyg8 (Sep 24, 2007 4:32 pm)
• mbrowni (Nov 14, 2007 4:17 pm)
  • oc2020 (Dec 01, 2007 4:45 pm)
    • misterfinch (Dec 05, 2007 1:40 pm) and 1 more...
• leenancy (Dec 05, 2007 6:16 pm)

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Sep 23, 2007 (4:57 pm)

Replying to: cllaw (Sep 22, 2007 11:14 am)

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Sep 23, 2007 (5:30 pm)

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#8347 of 12047 Re: Cerritos Acura buying experience 08'TL type-S [lageek] by kennyg8

Sep 24, 2007 (4:32 pm)

Replying to: lageek (Sep 23, 2007 3:47 pm)

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#8351 of 12047 Oct incentives by oc2020

Sep 28, 2007 (9:36 pm)

Does anyone know what OCT's incentives are going to be for TL Type S? I was wondering if the $2500 dealer incentive will change and if there will be any customer cash incentives. Does anyone remember from last year if Acura provided customer cash incentives?