‘Absolutely illegal,’ warns driver after encountering common dealership trick that sees buyers paying thousands more
A CAR buying expert has saved a friend from falling into an illegal financial trap set by a dealership hoping they wouldn’t notice.
Buying a car is a stressful and sometimes expensive feat, especially for first-time buyers.
Lyndan, a car-buying expert with nearly 20 years in the industry, uses his TikTok platform (@lyndan99) to publish free advice to his viewers about buying a car.
In a video posted in January, Lyndan uses a friend’s almost unfortunate car-buying experience as an example for his viewers as to what to look out for when sitting in the finance office.
His friend went into a dealership looking to buy a new truck and noticed that there was a warranty added to his contract that wasn’t previously agreed upon.
The friend was wise enough to call the finance manager and demand it be removed from the contract, and that matter was resolved with a new contract.
However, his friend was keen enough to notice that the new contract showed that the dealership had made a seemingly minor change to the financing details, so he called Lyndan for clarification.
“[The dealership] sent him a new contract, and he’d noticed that they raised the interest rate by half of a point,” said Lyndan.
“He called me and asked, ‘Is that okay?’ And I said, ‘No, that is absolutely illegal, call him back and have him lower the interest rate.'”
Lyndan’s friend did what he was advised to do, and phoned the finance manager and asked for a new contract that reflected the original interest rate that was mutually agreed upon and was met with an aggressive response.
“He called and said, ‘Hey, I don’t want that warranty and you need to lower the interest rate,’ And the finance manager said, ‘Well, you know what? Then I don’t want to sell you the truck,'” Lyndan recounted.
Lyndan noted that businesses have the right to refuse business with anyone for any reason – except for when the business conducted was done illegally.
So, his friend stood his ground and threatened legal action.
“He said, ‘That’s fine, I have the original paperwork showing the original interest rate we agreed on, and the new paperwork you sent me showing the raise rate, and I’ll see you in court,'” Lyndan said.
“And guess what? My buddy got his brand new truck.”
Lyndan’s viewers agreed that his friend made the right call sticking his ground, though some said they would have done differently.
“I would have said, ‘No thanks,’ And taken them to court,” one user wrote.
“If they do it to you, they’re doing it to others.”
Lyndan responded to the user, writing that they were making a valid point.
Another viewer mentioned that they went into the finance office armed with crucial knowledge from their bank.
“This is why the last time I went in was with a pre-approval letter with a rate I was sure they wouldn’t beat,” they wrote.
“In and out within an hour.”
Lyndan praised his viewer, writing: “Good job, bro! That’s how you do it!”