[Uncle ENzo]

So my wife and I just bought an MDX from Norris. Today we get a call from the dealer that they miscalculated the taxes and want a check for 1k. Thus far they have been awful to work with but since the car was a good deal we went with it. So my question is since we have a contract signed are we obligated to come up with more money? On top of that we found evidence the rear quarter had been resprayed. At this point I just want to give it back. Its only got 28k on it and in mint shape.

[Jazzbass]

Originally Posted by Uncle ENzo

Today we get a call from the dealer that they miscalculated the taxes and want a check for 1k.

It's a scam. This happens a lot and there are tons of threads all over the internet about it. Here's a good one from Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfin...ship_saying_i/

Tell them you're not going to pay the extra, and if they have a problem with that you'll gladly return the car and unwind the deal. Seriously though - this is what these people do for a living. There is software that does all the math for them. Miscalculate the taxes to the tune of $1000? Seriously? If that's true (which I doubt it is), then they need to think of it as $1000 expense on their part to learn a valuable lesson.

[HoodPin]

Unless you didn't otherwise pay what's clearly spelled out in the contract, OR there's something on the contract that say's you're liable for their mistakes, I wouldn't give them a nickel. Its their responsibility to get it right, and they should/probably otherwise have some sort of errors & omissions insurance coverage. Of course they won't have to submit a claim if you instead cover it for them.

I once had a station wagon whose AC failed (again) that I brought back to the dealership to address the AC repair I had paid $800 for 2 weeks before. After I dropped it off, I started looking at the "new" minivans on their lot. Fell in love with the space for our growing family. Spoke with a salesperson, including trading in our wagon that was already in their shop for service. Ending up working a deal, and drove home in a new minivan. 2 days later I get a call from the salesperson. Says the wagon needs nearly $1,000 in work, and that I'm responsible to pay for it. I said why didn't you bring that up while it was sitting in their shop WHILE we were negotiating the new purchase. I told him they had an opportunity to address any issues with the wagon before we finalized the deal; the repairs were no longer my problem. He said "I agree with you........but my manager told me to call and try to get you to pay for it anyway." I never heard another word about it.

[spiffyjiff]

granted, i dont buy from stealerships often at all but i have never heard of this. even if it is just a ploy to get more advantageous financing for themselves (or, that's how i interpreted what is happening in most cases?), i have a hard time with how they pitch it to the buyer. and yes, despite calling them "stealerships" in the first sentence, still shady as hell to me even for them.

[Uncle ENzo]

One thing I left out is that the car we traded in was leased but the lease was just about done and we had positive equity. They are telling me the didnt notice it was a lease and thus we dont get a rebate on the taxes of the trade.

[John Clay]

Did they show you the error? I'm not sure how Maryland car taxes work, but dealing with sales taxes the states go equally hard to collect from those who should have paid the tax (the buyer) and those who should have collected and remitted the tax (the seller).

[Uncle ENzo]

I just dont see how they made this mistake. They do this all day every day. Hell the sales guy even called Mazda financial to get the lease info!

[HoodPin]

Originally Posted by Uncle ENzo

One thing I left out is that the car we traded in was leased but the lease was just about done and we had positive equity. They are telling me the didnt notice it was a lease and thus we dont get a rebate on the taxes of the trade.

I've never leased a car, always purchased. Wouldn't the Lease info have been obvious on the Title, in the Lienholder info, that you signed over to them? I know the loan info is always evident, unless you get a new title when the loan is paid off.

Furthermore, "rebate" is 99% something they do in-house to help incentivize a deal; I highly doubt the local jurisdiction has a hand in rebating taxes. As such, if they screwed up their own deal, it should be on them. However, if the intent was to eventually screw the customer........

Originally Posted by Uncle ENzo

I just dont see how they made this mistake. They do this all day every day. Hell the sales guy even called Mazda financial to get the lease info!

This ratchets the stink factor up even higher. Sadly it sounds like you've already paid them the $1K. IMHO, getting it back is highly unlikely. However, if there's any chance you can recover the $1K (stop payment, etc.), I would instead bring them a paper bag with some sand in it, and the word POUND clearly written on the outside.

[Dandelion]

Yup - offer to unwind the deal.

ed

[Uncle ENzo]

I have not paid them a dime yet! We paid cash for the car as well so it should have been a breeze!