‘This is just ridiculous’: Car buyer catches Chevrolet dealership tacking on thousands of dollars in random fees on Dodge
Car salespeople are notorious for hiking up prices, using deceptive sales tactics, and not always giving customers a fair deal in exchange for taking home a larger commission.
Many people get flustered when dealing with a car salesperson, feeling pressured to make a decision on the spot, especially if they need a car soon, aren't confident negotiators, or are new to the process.
This content creator pointed out that you should never sign up for something if you have lingering questions or doubts.
In fact, he says he caught a Chevrolet car dealership in Miami trying to tack on a bunch of extra charges to his friend's car and decided to do something about it.
The original video was created by finance influencer Hoodrich Credit, but a clip has gained 4 million views on TikTok after it was reposted to the @q.ed1tz TikTok account. @q.ed1tz calls the situation "hands down one of the most absurd dealership scam attempts I've ever seen in my life."
In the original video, Hoodrich was vlogging about going with his friend to trade in his Dodge Charger for a lightly used Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Though the cars involved were Dodge vehicles, the YouTube video shows the men in a Chevrolet dealership.
Here's the catch—and what @q.ed1tz calls an "unbelievable dealership scam attempt."
The car the friend wanted to buy was listed at right around $57,000. But after fees, it came out to a whopping $72,500.
Among the fees were:
- $2,495 Tropical Advantage plan
- $1,199 used vehicle inspection
- $2,781.68 used vehicle conditioning
But the real kicker is a $3,000 charge because the buyer wanted to use his own financing option instead of the dealership's.
If you're financing a car you're likely better off securing your own car loan outside of the dealership, whether it be through your own bank or credit union since they usually offer better rates than what the dealership will give you.
See, dealerships get a cut of each loan they get signed through their finance partners, so some of them will do everything in their power (even if it's unethical or illegal) to get you to go with their loan option. That's probably why the dealership was charging Hoodrich's friend more for the option with his own financing, to force his hand into going with their finance.
@q.ed1tz This is insane! . . Footage from @HoodrichCredit . . . . . #scammers #scam #carsales #cardealership #dodge #dodgehellcat #hellcat #hellcatcharger #tiktokstory #fy #credit #autoloan ♬ original sound - Q
As Hoodrich goes through each fee, the car salesman says that they are standard fees they apply to every car and that it's listed on their website. He doesn't actually explain what the fees entail or why they're so high.
And to be clear, paying for the inspection and repairs is something that typically falls on the seller to get it ready for the next person, not on the buyer.
"This is just ridiculous. Stay safe out there guys. Geez," @q.ed1tz concludes his summary of Hoodrich's video.
The TikTok clip had more than 4,000 comments.
"Tropical Advantage Plan is an air freshener," a person joked.
"Used vehicle reconditioning. aka. We washed it $2700," another said.
"People need to learn to walk away from these deals or they’ll keep doing it," a commenter pointed out.
Per the full YouTube video, Hoodrich and his friend ended up walking away from the deal, knowing they weren't getting a fair offer and would be locked into paying much more than necessary.
The Daily Dot reached out to @q.ed1tz via TikTok direct message and to Hoodrich via email. We also reached out to Dodge and Chevrolet via email.
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