Won ebay auction at 60K for E90 M3, BMW of Lincoln refusing to honor

[ganjadude]

Originally Posted by bolmedias14

Now I'm looking for people to help with my little plan:

i was gonna attempt to buy the car from them (lol) later on today. im gonna offer 75K for it. after i got them on the phone for an hour or so im gonna be like did i say 75K i meant 750$ what do you got for me in the 750$ range sorry i made a mistake

[Anonymous Dissent]

Saw on hawaiitalks.net.

As Red Green would say: Remember, i'm pulling for you. We're all in this together.

[bolmedias14]

Okay, I've set up an IRC Channel on the Mibbit server for this discussion. If you already have an IRC client, the details are:

Server: irc.mibbit.com Channel: #M3_Troubles

Another way would be to use Mibbit's own web-based client, which can be found at www.mibbit.com. You'll still need the channel though: #M3_Troubles

[Spazdoc]

Originally Posted by bolmedias14

That's not to say he doesn't have a case...

I do not disagree. Many times these buyers and sellers renege on the sale, and nothing happens because the end result is often too small to pursue. In this case, I ebelieve Dooma actually obtained financing, in addition to the contractural agreement.

I am enjoying the legal squabbles, especially since the whole internet law phenomenon appears to be evolving as we encounter new situations.

[UsedCarSalesmanwCombOver]

Again, if others have noticed that this dealer has engaged in unethical and illegal practices, the only one that can really investigate and address the issue(s) is the NEBRASKA DMV.* The DMV has the power to fine and even pull the dealership's license should they find that the dealership is using bait and switch tactics or scamming them financially. The BBB is powerless and, frankly, is a joke. Your call to the BBB is a waste.


*EBAY issues might not fall under their oversight but it's worth a try.

Btw, this would have been perfect for Elliot Spitzer. Maybe he'll come across this from a post on the Emperor's Club website and come to your aid while he still has his law license!

[Spazdoc]

Originally Posted by NavNurs

I confess I have only read through page 16 and have a question to pose. Why has this caused such a massive response? What is the symbolism? Why have I, perhaps like many, had such a passionate reaction to a story which may not even be true? All we have for proof is a completed Ebay auction.

I would guess that the dealership represents the "evil" which is sometimes ascribed to the affluent and powerful. This evil is the ability to take advantage of others at will and exploit them for monetary gain.

While BMW certainly represents the affluent, and many of us subscribe to owning/desiring the car, we somehow fall into that arena. While I personally save lives and help others for a profession instead of car sales, my country has been accused of exploitation. As much as I would like to remove the negative associations of these two groups, they exist.

So, the amount to which I detest these labels may be the amount I detest BMW of Lincoln for attempting to exploit this one individual. I also typically back the underdog. At times I feel I am that guy fighting for my rights, without a world-wide forum to help. Thankfully, we are here and we are watching. Then again the rum n cokes I had tonight may have me babbling?

Any Psychologists or Sociologists out there want to venture a guess?

Perhaps this is some left-over resentment from the last M3 release and dealership price gougeing. I remember reading through the Roundels years ago and the stories of 'evil' delaerships pulling underhanded tactics during the release of the E46 M3.

[anosa]

Hi from Supraforums,

wow that was a bit to read, although i skimmed alot and read more so when characters such as mooseman arose i feel that I've gotten the jist of this. One thing i know is win or lose the car this dealership has already lost FAR more then 6k just in the negative press there getting from this. this has most likely gone to every forum by this point and if not it will by tomorrow, while a small portion of each of those forums will live in an area that would affect the dealership word travels fast. and I'm sure that 99% of the people posting in this thread wouldn't want to or even attempt to do business with this dealership, aside of course from those for the dealership and dooma cause he clearly wants his car.

another think i wanted to say was... seriously enraged? iv seen several people now say that there " enraged " over this... if you get that mad over something like this you ought to go to some anger management issues the only one that it seems should be getting peeved is dooma and he seems to be handling the situation quite well...

none the less goodluck with your purchase and hope you enjoy your m3 once you get it, be it this one or one with a color combo you would prefer.

[paologaspar]

found the thread on m5board.com
to the OP, good luck! I'm very interested to see what happens next.

[Eichhörnchen]

I think I may be the farthest this story has traveled. I am currently deployed to Jalalabad, Afghanistan and came across this story while researching new BMWs. Just know there are some paratroopers that are rooting for you. Stick it to 'em, no prisoners.

[rainsux]

Here's a bit of background on the business:

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/ka...l?jst=pn_pn_lk

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/ka...F6A5019D27EF4F

[Bammered]

Originally Posted by Eichhörnchen

I think I may be the farthest this story has traveled. I am currently deployed to Jalalabad, Afghanistan and came across this story while researching new BMWs. Just know there are some paratroopers that are rooting for you. Stick it to 'em, no prisoners.

Thank you for your contribution, Be safe!!!


Les hope they honor the add, because this could be a precedent for EBAY...

[Adam_B]

I'm personally not an auto enthusiast, don't even have a car!

But like many other people around this forum, just wanted to say that the OP is completely in the right here. The dealership has nothing going for it. As has been pointed out over and over, they clearly were watching the posting.

The specific language of the posting just reinforces the fact that if there were any errors in the original posting, they had ample opportunity to change it. What happened is that they were trying to use a very well-known seller strategy -- hyping the auction as no reserve -- to start a bidding war.

That didn't happen here. Auctions are by their nature more unpredictable than a simple "buy/sell on pre-ordained price" method. The risk for the seller can be completely eliminated by listing a reserve price -- at the cost of auction popularity.

The dealership is trying to back out of a contract.

And no money has to exchange hands for a contract to be in place. If you go to Best Buy and see a TV tagged at $899, they have created an implied contract with verifiable details. You pay $899, you get that TV. If the tag was outdated and the TV rings up at $999 on their register, they are still LEGALLY required to sell it at the advertised price. Point is, the payment doesn't have to already happened in order for the seller to offer the TV at its posted lower price.

[Fyre Man]

saying hi from acurazine (yes, another car forum is on your side) only 15, still a big car enthusiast, hope I count though I still cant drive

http://www.acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=387461

this is now international news.

gotta love the internet.

Here's my take on what's happened so far:

The dealership took a risk when posting the car on ebay with a low price. They knew there would be consequences if they didn't get what they want.

They didn't get what they wanted.

Now they're trying to hide and run away like a 4-year-old after breaking his mom's china and she coming after him with a belt.

these guys are wusses, too scared to face the consequences. this is what makes them a bad dealership.

if worst comes to worst, you take up the dealership on its $65k offer, and you still get a great car for a great price.

but, what will defintetly happen is this: a shitload of people are in this, ALL supporting you, and eventually that 4-year-old will come out of the closet and give you the damn car. its just a matter of time.

[Fyre Man]

Originally Posted by bolmedias14

I've told a lot of people who I know, and they've all agreed with me on the unfairness. But where else can we post the story now?

Facebok? we could start a huge group in support of this.

[kingdaviswaco]

Originally Posted by rainsux

Here's a bit of background on the business:

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/ka...l?jst=pn_pn_lk

http://kansascity.bizjournals.com/ka...F6A5019D27EF4F

This could be interesting! I checked the two pages quickly but didn't see the connection between Lincoln BMW and Van Tuyl automotive. Can you confirm? Perhaps I just missed something?

VT is a huge dealership group with 62 dealerships in over 10 states. Seems that, at least at one time, this was the largest privately held auto group in the nation. (http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/st...16/story7.html) Anyone able to find a list of which dealerships are part of this group? I wonder if these tactics are the MO of the whole group, just this one dealership, or a lousy salesman. Perhaps this is a way to leverage influence from the 'net?

If anyone finds a list of all the dealerships, please post...

[LilRedGXP]

Originally Posted by Fyre Man

Facebok? we could start a huge group in support of this.

I was thinking the same thing myself. If you get the chance to create one post the link. I'm sure we can drum up enough of our online friends to join in.

[fizzle]

dude this is f'd up. def get legal advice....but this is good that media is catching on to this. lets stop these shady dealers!

[sonofthor]

Originally Posted by mooseman

I know this is my first post, and the only thing I have in common, apparently, with any of you is that I own a BMW, which I enjoy driving.

But, as far as this situation goes, here is my take: I find the whole ordeal disgusting. I've been to a restaurant where the waiter gave me change for $100 when I paid with a $50. Naturally I returned the money. I've been at the bank where the teller gave me more money than the check I cashed. I obviously returned the money.

Here, we have a very analogous situation. You were bidding on the car with full knowledge that the vehicle was listed for less than invoice. You knew it was most likely a mistake. Did you e-mail the lister to find out if they intended to sell it under invoice? No, you wanted to profit from the mistake of another.

Now you want to post in here about how the dealer "screwed" you. Although I don't know what they have "cost" you in refusing to "honor" what was obviously a mistake on part of an agent of their organization. Rather than sympathize with the poor bastard who might lose his job in this worsening economy, all you can do is pout and pitch a tantrum like a 4 year old.

Seriously, and what is worse the constant support from others in here who believe that you are somehow "owed" that deal. Am I the only person who find you a morally reprehensible spoiled brat?

No wonder I never get anywhere in this world. I'm too worried about morals, ethics, principles, empathy and the other useless traits that tend to keep good guys down.

Good luck with your purchase, I hope you get your car, but it won't be worth what you paid for it, namely your humanity.

Hey,

Maybe you wouldn't have so many problems with your so-called 'ethics' getting in the way if you had actually made a point of studying ethics in school instead of navel gazing.
Your post here has no logical, philisophical, ethical or theological (there are no ethics without theology) basis. Therefore, I must conclude that you are an employee of the dealership in question or the parent company. Consider yourself pwned.

PS - I found out about this story on Reddit - you're big time now dooma.

[mrmcderm]

I love t3h int4rw3bs. Saw this linked in from autoblog, and I'm sure freshalloy and nasioc have it linked already.

Good luck! If the legal route doesn't pan out, I hope at least the internet pressure will.

[ianbiz]

We need people to go protest in front of the dealership. Old school tactics ftw.

[ganjadude]

I just spent 45 minutes setting up a deal on a M5 with a man named jeff( on in his defense was a really decent guy)

i got the car fully loaded, it was over 100 grand by the time i was done ( i was calling on behalf of a client lol)

at the point of transering me to financial i informd him that i made a mistake, i only had 5 grand to spend not 111,473.52 like the m5 i set up. I told him it was an honest mistake like the company he worked for did an honest mistake on the ebay auction....

i than proceeded to tell him that i was sorry for wasting his time as i know its not personally his fault (or i would assume a saleman does not have anything to do with the net sales) however the dealership[ as a whole needs to be taught a lesson. Than i told him he really should find another dealership as hes gonna get hammered with people like me, if not me again who are angry at the way his company treats it customers.

the salesman seemed genuinely angry not at me but at his employer for doing what they did.

i also informed him if he ever did leave the dealership to give me acall because he was a good guy and i would do business with him if he worked for another company (complete BS as i live on the east coast but if he was here i would, his name was jeff)

im gonna keep doing this ever few hours until they decide to make things right.

[kingdaviswaco]

Originally Posted by ganjadude

I just spent 45 minutes setting up a deal on a M5 with a man named jeff( on in his defense was a really decent guy)

i got the car fully loaded, it was over 100 grand by the time i was done ( i was calling on behalf of a client lol)

at the point of transering me to financial i informd him that i made a mistake, i only had 5 grand to spend not 111,473.52 like the m5 i set up. I told him it was an honest mistake like the company he worked for did an honest mistake on the ebay auction....

i than proceeded to tell him that i was sorry for wasting his time as i know its not personally his fault (or i would assume a saleman does not have anything to do with the net sales) however the dealership[ as a whole needs to be taught a lesson. Than i told him he really should find another dealership as hes gonna get hammered with people like me, if not me again who are angry at the way his company treats it customers.

the salesman seemed genuinely angry not at me but at his employer for doing what they did.

i also informed him if he ever did leave the dealership to give me acall because he was a good guy and i would do business with him if he worked for another company (complete BS as i live on the east coast but if he was here i would, his name was jeff)

im gonna keep doing this ever few hours until they decide to make things right.

STOP IT! It might make you feel all superior, but don't be deceptive and commit fraud with the dealer. (Two wrongs don't make a right and all that...) Call to share your complaints with the management, but when you veer off into crap territory like this, you aren't going to help Dooma, and you give the dealer a chance to take the focus off THEIR fraud and place it on yours.