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Deposit paid on item now on sale - advice required

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  • 23-02-2012 8:09pm
    #1
    spitonmedickie
    Registered Users Posts: 322 ✭✭


    Hi,

    Any help on this before I have to get on the phone in the morning would be really really appreciated!

    Looking over the threads here I accept that a seller is under no obligation to return a deposit if i back out of a deal (even if verbally he said that if I had problems finalising finance he would give it back happily) but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience/tips/advice of negotiating to get a better deal when you've paid a deposit on a Wednesday but find out there's a sale on the day after (only online advertising started the day of the sale)! Salesman never mentioned it when we were negotiating the price and the discount i got was less than the savings now offered.

    Paid deposit on a used car yesterday over the phone, also getting finance through the dealer for pick up saturday, but today I see online that they're advertising a sale with substantial savings on new and used models this weekend. Will be talking to the dealer tomorrow but what do you reckon the odds of the dealer doing a goodwill gesture and reducing the price we agreed yesterday? I guess he could claim the car i'm interested in wouldn't be part of the sale but it seems to apply to all cars in stock.

    How hard ball can i play? part of me would let the deposit go if I thought I was being screwed. any tactics recommeded?

    Any help appreciated.

    S


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    #2
    Zab
    Registered Users Posts: 1,931 ✭✭✭Zab


    Well, I don't see how there's any way that you're "being screwed" anyway.

    What is the difference between the sale price discount and the deposit? Did you originally agree to pay the sticker price or did you make a deal?

    It's unlikely that you have a right to a refund here, but it's possible the guy will be reasonable if you talk to him.


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    #3
    spitonmedickie
    Registered Users Posts: 322 ✭✭spitonmedickie


    Cheers for the reply Zab. Deposit is e500. Back of an envelope calculations suggest that if I was buying the car today rather than yesterday I could save between e500-e1000.

    I got a discount of around 8% off the sticker price, the sale savings are in the order of 10-12% off list/sticker prices (and I'm sure if you were a cash buyer they'd go further again off that discount price).When this planned sale wasn't mentioned to me during the week or yesterday (and that I missed it by a day) I think it's fair to at least ask the question? Is their any techniques you'd recommend?
    S


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    #4
    uck51js9zml2yt
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18,268 ✭✭✭✭uck51js9zml2yt


    You agreed a price that you were more than happy with. A business is there to make a profit and is under no obligation to tell you he can make less money on the deal the following day.

    You could have a chat with them and see what they can do for you.

    If he's a member of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry(SIMI) you could give them a ring and ask their advice.
    If he did anything it would be goodwill on his part.


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    #5
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    spitonmedickie wrote: »
    Cheers for the reply Zab. Deposit is e500. Back of an envelope calculations suggest that if I was buying the car today rather than yesterday I could save between e500-e1000.

    I got a discount of around 8% off the sticker price, the sale savings are in the order of 10-12% off list/sticker prices (and I'm sure if you were a cash buyer they'd go further again off that discount price).When this planned sale wasn't mentioned to me during the week or yesterday (and that I missed it by a day) I think it's fair to at least ask the question? Is their any techniques you'd recommend?
    S

    Why would they mention it to you before it was on? Like the other poster said there not there to give you things for less, you had already got a discount anyway. Its your own hard luck you missed the sale its not the dealers problem


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    #6
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    Annabelle Uneven Forceps wrote: »
    You agreed a price that you were more than happy with. A business is there to make a profit and is under no obligation to tell you he can make less money on the deal the following day.

    You could have a chat with them and see what they can do for you.

    If he's a member of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry(SIMI) you could give them a ring and ask their advice.
    If he did anything it would be goodwill on his part.

    Sure theres a recession all business have to give everything away for free to people....


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    #7
    spitonmedickie
    Registered Users Posts: 322 ✭✭spitonmedickie


    Honestly if they meet me with the hostility I'm getting here I'd forgo the deposit and let them go swing for the 20k + they make out of me over the next 3 years!

    I wasn't whining just asking if anyone had encountered this, how they got on and if any approach is better than the other!

    I agreed the price, But equally I'll make them aware that I might walk away and hope that the €500 I lose will be made up in future sales elsewhere but I was wondering if goodwill etc might be likely to prevail.


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    #8
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    spitonmedickie wrote: »
    Honestly if they meet me with the hostility I'm getting here I'd forgo the deposit and let them go swing for the 20k + they make out of me over the next 3 years!

    I wasn't whining just asking if anyone had encountered this, how they got on and if any approach is better than the other!

    I agreed the price, But equally I'll make them aware that I might walk away and hope that the €500 I lose will be made up in future sales elsewhere but I was wondering if goodwill etc might be likely to prevail.

    Well if i was them id be gland to not get your business. You already got a discount off them and now you want another one!


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    #9
    slimjimmc
    Registered Users Posts: 7,786 ✭✭✭slimjimmc


    Are you even sure the sale applies to your car? The 10-12% discount you mention might be on a limited selection of cars.


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    #10
    spitonmedickie
    Registered Users Posts: 322 ✭✭spitonmedickie


    slimjimmc wrote: »
    Are you even sure the sale applies to your car? The 10-12% discount you mention might be on a limited selection of cars.

    Seems to be across the board, deeper discounts on new cars but similar age/value/spec cars are being advertised as 'sale now on' 'must sell this weekend' etc

    Can't know if I walked in tomorrow to buy my car what they'd take for it compared to yesterday when I paid the deposit but would seem strange that this sale would apply to 60+ vehicles advertised on their site just not mine


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    #11
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,998 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    spitonmedickie wrote: »

    just not mine

    This is the important bit.

    You've paid a deposit so they can't have it on sale or discount it any more as it's already yours. You would be on here complaining if they had increased the price of all the other cars on the yard as well as the one you've paid a deposit on.


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    #12
    spitonmedickie
    Registered Users Posts: 322 ✭✭spitonmedickie


    Del2005 wrote: »
    This is the important bit.

    You've paid a deposit so they can't have it on sale or discount it any more as it's already yours. You would be on here complaining if they had increased the price of all the other cars on the yard as well as the one you've paid a deposit on.

    See the difference here is they would be sure to tell me the prices were going up tomorrow to ensure a sale today but they don't mind taking me for a mug by keeping a sale quiet. It's not an issue for me for retail outlets, I buy a coat today, it's in the sale tomorrow, such is life. Forgive me for thinking a 5 figure purchase deserves a little more fair play.


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    #13
    Del2005
    Registered Users Posts: 18,998 ✭✭✭✭Del2005


    spitonmedickie wrote: »
    See the difference here is they would be sure to tell me the prices were going up tomorrow to ensure a sale today but they don't mind taking me for a mug by keeping a sale quiet. It's not an issue for me for retail outlets, I buy a coat today, it's in the sale tomorrow, such is life. Forgive me for thinking a 5 figure purchase deserves a little more fair play.

    Maybe it does, but at the end of the day you where happy with the price you got. And I doubt many garages are paying high basics now so the salesman is working off commission, why would he cut his wages when you where happy?

    If you'd enquired about the car and gone to look at it then you may have gotten it cheaper. You bought over the phone so I was about to say though. But isn't there a 7 day cooling off period on all distance purchase?;)


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    #14
    foggy_lad
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,373 ✭✭✭✭foggy_lad


    spitonmedickie wrote: »
    See the difference here is they would be sure to tell me the prices were going up tomorrow to ensure a sale today but they don't mind taking me for a mug by keeping a sale quiet. It's not an issue for me for retail outlets, I buy a coat today, it's in the sale tomorrow, such is life. Forgive me for thinking a 5 figure purchase deserves a little more fair play.

    Talk to the salesperson and ask for the higher sale discount and if they refuse tell them you wont be giving them any more business and will be telling people their garage is not the place to get good deals. Any good salesperson will gladly increase the discount to keep a friendly customer happy.


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    #15
    Melendez
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,645 ✭✭✭Melendez


    This post has been deleted.


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    #16
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    foggy_lad wrote: »
    Talk to the salesperson and ask for the higher sale discount and if they refuse tell them you wont be giving them any more business and will be telling people their garage is not the place to get good deals. Any good salesperson will gladly increase the discount to keep a friendly customer happy.

    So lie to people about what they do is it? They had already got a deal but there greed made them want more and thats all it is greed


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    #17
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    spitonmedickie wrote: »
    ... Forgive me for thinking a 5 figure purchase deserves a little more fair play.
    I disagree. The rules of fair play should be the same, whether a deal is for €50 or €5000.

    I don't think you are entitled to have an already-sold car put into a sale and discounted.


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    #18
    RoboRat
    Registered Users Posts: 2,559 ✭✭✭RoboRat


    OP, I would go in and ask, there is no harm in it. Some places will look after you rather than risking having a pissed off customer.

    Also, you seem to think that the salesperson deliberately didn't tell you of the upcoming sale. This may not be the case, a lot of companies don't give their staff forewarning on upcoming sales and only let them know as they happen.


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    #19
    Dodge
    Registered Users Posts: 10,289 ✭✭✭✭Dodge


    RoboRat wrote: »
    Also, you seem to think that the salesperson deliberately didn't tell you of the upcoming sale. This may not be the case, a lot of companies don't give their staff forewarning on upcoming sales and only let them know as they happen.

    Precisely because they don't want them saying "don't buy it now, wait 2 days and give us less money."

    Companies love getting less money


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    #20
    lala88
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,243 ✭✭✭lala88


    Dodge wrote: »
    Precisely because they don't want them saying "don't buy it now, wait 2 days and give us less money."

    Companies love getting less money

    More over during a recession


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    #21
    Nonoperational
    Registered Users Posts: 7,401 ✭✭✭Nonoperational


    You were happy with the price yesterday, to be honest I wouldn't expect them to do anything for you. A lot of those sales worth very little anyway. The money you end up handing over probably wouldn't be a whole lot different.


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    #22
    the groutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    Law 101:

    Offer + Acceptance + Consideration = Legally Binding Contract


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    #23
    Melendez
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,645 ✭✭✭Melendez


    This post has been deleted.


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    #24
    edanto
    Registered Users Posts: 2,809 ✭✭✭edanto


    As you clearly know, and don't need to have pointed out anymore, they are under no obligation to offer it to you.

    I'd say your chances of getting a lower price depend on the manager/salesman, and your rapport with them. I'd stay away from the threat of walking away, instead just explain how you found out about the sale and would like to know what price 'your' car is discounted to.

    If they say it's not discounted, then explain how you feel hard done by, sour taste in the mouth etc, basically show how unhappy you are and see how they react. They might give you another few % off the car, you said you already had 8% off, so they don't have to move very far to get to the sale prices of 8-12% off.

    They might not and then you have the choice of walking away, e500 poorer, or with the car, unlikely to come back to them. Either is bad for their business.

    Good luck!


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