A FURIOUS driver has called out a dealership after claiming they upped their price by $6,000 with no warning.
Brittan Mackenzie took to TikTok to share her unpleasant experience with her followers.
In a viral TikTok that garnered some 150,000 views, she told her followers that she would “pass on buying from” the Bayway Cadillac Southwest dealership in Houston, Texas she used to buy a new Cadillac.
At the start of the video, a text overlay lays out her frustrations with the dealership.
“When a dealership tries to raise the price of a car just because you’re interested,” she writes.
Mackenzie said she found the car – a pre-owned 2021 Cadillac Escalade ESV – online and then reached out to the business.
“I got some pictures of the interior and then I asked about the price,” she said, before adding that she had already checked the price online.
The Cadillac was listed on the dealership’s website at $63k.
At this point in the video, Mackenzie moves out of the way of the screenshot placed in the clip via the app’s green screen feature.
The screenshot appears to show that the dealership upped the price of the car by $6k in response to added interest in the vehicle.
“We have priced our vehicle very aggressively and we have been getting a lot of inquiries just today,” the dealership’s message reads.
It adds that for this reason, the “price may go up. Our selling price with dealer adds is $69,278.00 + TT&L fees.”
Mackenzie responded expressing her frustration at the car salesperson.
“So you just magically raise the price 6k cause someone is interested?” she asked.
“Seems like a solid way to do business.”
The dealership responded by saying that “all dealerships have their own cost,” and that only the “internet price” was listed at $64k.
Mackenzie then cuts to a screenshot of the company website detailing the cost of the vehicle.
Dealership Tips
Here are some expert tips when purchasing a car from a dealership lot:
- 1. Set your price: Ensure you’ve calculated your monthly budget before going to the lot. You should include the car’s loan payment, insurance costs, fuel, and regular maintenance.
- 2. Research: Make sure you know which cars you’re interested in test driving before you reach the dealership.
- 3. Pre-approval: Secure financing before you go to the dealership. Dealerships may give you a better interest rate if they are competing with an outside bank.
- 4. Test away: Get behind the wheel before making any payments. A car purchase will be worth thousands of dollars – drivers should ensure they like the drivetrain, steering feel, and comfort of the car before taking it off the lot
- 5. Haggle: Drivers should always try to negotiate the price. There are so many good cars on the American market – buyers have a strong hand when negotiating price.
Source: Kelley Blue Book
The dealership did not respond immediately to The U.S. Sun’s requests for comment.
Many of Mackenzie’s followers responded in agreement with her decision not to buy.
“This is why they can’t sell any vehicles,” one TikTok user wrote. “They can’t be switching prices on folks.”
“That’s definitely a salesman trying to pocket more money and they can’t do that!” wrote another.
But some were more sympathetic to the dealer.
“Worked in the car business for 10 years,” one user wrote. “Internet price is always below what they paid for the car.
“They do it because of other dealer competition on the internet. Always add 2-3k to the internet $$.”
