Last weekend a local dealership ran an ad offering an XL wagon for $17,999. I emailed the dealership and began working with a salesman on the vehicle. The price was only good on one specific vehicle. I finally made it out to the dealership on Friday to look at it and take it for a test drive. When we got back from the drive we started talking about a possible trade-in and different financing options. At two different times during my time there I clarified with the salesman that we were still talking about the same vehicle at the same price. He confirmed that both times. To make a long story short by the time his manager had come over the price was now at $21,000. He explained to me that the ad was only good until Monday and that that had been explained in the fine print in the ad. At that point I left the dealership, a little flustered and disappointed to say the least. I emailed the manager the next day to explain my frustration with the whole situation, explaining that I had clarified the price with my salesman on two different occasions before, that I wasn't asking them to match the price on another vehicle but the one that was in the ad that had not sold (my salesman told me today that no one else had even inquired about it), and that this whole situation looked like a bait and switch. They've offered me the vehicle at $20,500 at this point. If this was your dealership what would you do? The dealership is about an hour from me and I probably pass 15 other Ford dealerships to get there and they know that. I'm inclined to drop the whole thing altogether or at least just work with a dealership that is much closer to home.
