Downtown Infiniti- Auto dealership from hell
Stories about auto dealerships and their dirty tricks and customers’ bad experiences are not hard to find. I have seen and heard just about all of them and I have been to many of the dealerships in the Greater Toronto Area over the years. However, recently I visited one of the flagship dealerships of a luxury brand and went through one of the worst sales service experiences that even surprised me. The one positive about it though is that it makes for a good true story.
Less than one week ago I went with a friend to Downtown Infiniti, one of the largest Infiniti dealerships in Toronto and possibly in Canada. Located right off the DVP on Eastern Ave. (for those familiar with the city of Toronto), it is the Infiniti dealership that is beside and competes with the flagship dealerships for BMW, Audi, Mercedes and other luxury auto makers. For that reason alone, one expects the Downtown Infiniti dealership to have the utmost integrity possible in the market. However, the reality was the polar opposite of that.
My friend had been looking for a used Infiniti for some weeks and stumbled upon an ad by Downtown Infiniti for a used Infiniti G35x that seemed to have potential. The ad indicated that they were willing to negotiate on the price and when he spoke to the salesman by phone, he mentioned that he was about a 40 minute drive away at the time but he will be on his way to look at the car. When we arrived at the dealership it was just before closing time and most of the people other than the salesman and sales manager had already left for the day.
We inspected the car in and out and test drove it. Afterwards, we talked with the sales manager about some concerns we noticed with moisture build-up behind the window seals. At that point the sales manager informed us that all Infiniti G35 sedans from 2003-2006 had been recalled to replace all 4 doors due to corrosion. This was stunning news to us as we had never heard of this and for someone that is very in tune with the auto industry, it seemed unlikely that I would have missed such a revelation. However, he was the sales manager and so we decided not argue the point and give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being.
My friend liked that the car was the exact color he wanted both in and out and he was willing to overlook the concerns he had with the doors and other repairs the car had been through. When we went to discuss the price and terms of sale, the salesman informed us that he had just been told that someone else put a deposit on that car over the phone and so they were unwilling to negotiate on price. In fact, they were unwilling to sell the car at all at that moment. Knowing that we traveled 40 minutes to get there and spent time looking and testing the car, it was disgusting that they played this trick. The salesman said that if we wanted to, we can place another deposit on the car and be second in line as if it was a piece of original art or a unique home.
We obviously did not put a deposit and the following day the salesman called and said that the deposit was actually for the next day and if still interested, my friend can buy the car. However, after speaking to Infiniti Canada and telling them the story, we were told that the recall was completely made up and it was illegal to ask for deposits the way they did. We placed a complaint with them against the Downtown Infiniti dealership and hopefully they will do something about this awful sales manager and dealership.
I touched on the two major issues that the Downtown Infiniti dealership had, but there were tens of other contradictions, tricks and lies that the salesman and sales manager made during that visit. The lesson learned and what everyone in the city of Toronto should know is: avoid Downtown Infiniti at all costs.
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Just when you thought it was safe to buy a car from the manufacturer, turns out they try to screw you more than the used car guys
Yeah, this place should be shut down. At least at a private used car dealership it’s easier to get an independent mechanic to inspect the car first.
Have a great site and have a very good article. Above snap is quite good.
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Hi there, i wanna to start a Infiniti dealership of my own, so can you help me in this regard?
Well, to start you need enough capital. You also need to find out if Infiniti is looking to expand in an area you would accept and if you quality to get in on it. In terms of managing the dealership, be honest. You might want to get some management experience in the auto dealer sector if you don’t already have some. Hope this helps.
The validity of this article must be called into question. There most certainly is a program through Infiniti to have doors replaced for rust. I have had the four doors replaced on my car at no cost. While I was dealing with another dealership, I was told that this program is very common. Saying it does not exist is a flat out lie.
The information that we received at that time came directly from Infiniti Canada head office. Also, if you had seen that car and compared it with any other G35x, then you would see that something was very off with that car. Don’t get me wrong, I like Infiniti cars in general, but what I don’t like are dealerships that act in such a disgusting fashion.
[...] Downtown Infiniti- Auto dealership from hell | Wiz At BusinessMay 3, 2010 … Stories about auto dealerships and their dirty tricks and customers’ bad experiences are not hard to find. I have seen and heard just about … [...]