Scammed by dealer -- help

if they advertised it as an SE when it's an XE that sounds a bit like false advertisement to me.

although as someone who doesn't have much sympathy for folks to don't research a big-ticket product before they purchase (no offense), and while i'm no lawyer, i'm pretty sure the law doesn't require a consumer to know that an item advertised as product X isn't actually product X (which is what happened in your case). the company selling the product has an obligation to properly disclose the product for which they are selling. (for example, if i buy an "elite" model cloths washer that's supposed to have features that the standard model doesn't... i'm quite certain i don't have to actually know that the product the dealer is telling me is the "elite" model isn't actually the case.)

i don't know what you recourse is exactly, but i'd give your state's attorney general's office a call if i were you and see what they say.

if they really did advertise it as an SE when it was actually and XE, it would seem to me that they are definitely in the wrong and you should have some recourse. seems to me at the very least you should be entitled to the kbb difference between the XE and the SE.

Something else to look at, is there a VIN on the window sticker that shows the options? Does that VIN match your truck?

Most people don't inspect every single option on a vehicle if the list says it has it, it doesn't even cross their mind since, in their head, "It's there".

You need to put together all the paperwork you have that says it's an SE as well as anything that says it's an XE and go talk to a lawyer. Note any differences between what they said it was and what it is, especially if they advertised it as a completely different vehicle with a different VIN.

It's entirely possible they put the wrong sticker on the truck and you did pay for price for an SE, in which case the dealer is liable for the mistake as the product was misrepresented. This is no different than someone advertising something on eBay as X and the product really being Y. Whether intentional or a mistake, it's misrepresentation and they need to correct the problem.

Good luck and keep us posted!

pa_07_black_titan said:

Yep, the VIN numbers do match. So it wasn't a case of simply putting the wrong sticker on the truck. The finance guy even showed me the MSRP price of a titan SE to prove what a good deal I was getting...

Click to expand...

The VIN matching actually helps you, this is further proof that the dealer misrepresented the product. If they didn't match then they could easily say "Oops, we made a mistake and put the wrong sticker on the window" but for them to match shows there was no mistake. They should realize, based on that, they will lose if they go to court and be willing to make things right with you so it doesn't have to go that far.

Pure and simple, they advertised the truck as something it's not and charged a price that isn't reasonable for the product actually sold. Consumers should be able to trust the dealer is selling them what they say they are, to do otherwise and say the customer should've known better is deceptive and dirty.

Someone needs to make an example out of them if they don't correct the situation NOW.

EDIT: A somewhat similar situation happened with my mother-in-law, a few years ago she was looking for a used Dodge Ram cargo van for search & rescue dog carrying. She ended up finding one a couple of hours from home, was told it had a V8, etc. She got up there, didn't look under the hood, test drove it, bought it...then later realizes, on the drive home, that it's a V6 with a 3-speed auto (No OD) instead of a V8 with a 4-speed auto. She didn't really care all that much and kept it anyway. Buyer beware, unfortunately.