Non Refundable Deposit?
11-09-2011, 04:58 AM
#11
AudiWorld Member
Never leave a deposit on a car order unless the dealer is willing to pay interest on the money. The dealership is not a savings account, mutual fund, IRA, etc, etc. and you have better places to put your money for the 2-6 months you'll wait for your car to be delivered. It's too bad dealerships won't pay you interest on your money 
11-09-2011, 01:23 PM
#12
Banned
Actually,it is to YOUR advantage to put down a deposit. It legally binds the dealer to produce the car that you ordered. Otherwise, he could receive your ordered car and sell it from under you to a buyer willing to pay more. I put down no money when I ordered my 2010 S4. BUT, I am a personal friend of the GM of the dealership. Put down $500 on my 335i. I find the amount of the deposit asked for will vary depending on the dealership and what(if any) previous relationship you have had with that dealership. I would not put down any more then $1K. AND, unless you are special ordering something extra or unusual, the refund IS refundable. You can walk away at any time and get your deposit back. I would suggest you get something in writing that states the deposit is refundable just for peace of mind. NEVER sign or agree to any deal that indicates the deposit is non refundable .
11-09-2011, 05:06 PM
#15
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Strong Audi in SLC wanted $7000 deposit. All I wanted was red leather & MT from the norm. They are the only -large- Audi dealer in the state. Laughed, walked away, drove to Colorado, and drove home in the exact car I wanted the next week. Have had no problems with the SLC service shop either... Knock on wood. Have you looked within a state's drive for your car?
tim
tim
11-09-2011, 06:37 PM
#16
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11-09-2011, 06:52 PM
#17
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This is Wilsonville Audi in Oregon. I'm so glad to hear from you guys about this. The dealerler seems to be very firm about the nonrefundable deposit. I think I will take the advice from you guys and walk if they still tell me about the nonrefundable deposit. I was scheduled to drive down there in 2 weeks.
11-09-2011, 07:00 PM
#18
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I will take your advice on this. Thanks. My order is nothing off the wall. Silver metalic, sport diff, B & O system, silk napa, 19" 5 segment spoke, MMI Nav, Rear Acoustic sensors, rear airbags and wheel lock.
11-09-2011, 08:17 PM
#19
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I went through this ordeal when Nissan announced the new NV work vans. I waited patiently for them to get one on the lot and open ordering/dealer trading. There was nothing specific i wanted, except for black. We Negotiated the deal and i put down a "non-refundable" deposit for a dealer trade. The entire trade was only supposed to take a week. When i called the folowing week on the status he said they will be recieving it wednesday (it was a monday when i called) When no call came in a called and asked WTF was going on. My salesmen responded that they couldnt do the dealer trade but actually have on coming in on the truck friday that he didnt see on the manifest. I figured what ever and let it go.
I happened to be in Pennsylvania doing an estimate and happened to see all the NV's parked on the lot. I stoped in and spoke with them. They informed me that no black NV has been manufactured due to the japan crisis and will not be available until winter of 2011. So that floored me and i happened to negotiate a white one they had on the lot. They did not ask for a deposit because they knew i was serious. I called The dealership and asked what was going on and if this is true, they forwarded me to my SA and he said ohh yeah i just found out about that somethings wrong but i just placed an order it will be in in six weeks. I said you have got to be F******G kidding me, refund my deposit im cancelling my order. "Well Brendon, you do realize if you do that then you will lose your deposit" i responded no, you haven't produced anything and you will refund my deposit. He then erupted in a crazy yelling fit told me to F*** off and i wasn't getting my deposit back then hung up on me.
I was fuming, to the thought that i just gave these A$$holes $500 to be treated like that and thought that i wasnt going to see that again because i signed that deposit slip. I cooled down, called the new dealer for advice and they responded that by federal law a deposit is refundable until a VIN number is produced and since they havent produced that you will get your money back (only until a vin is produced then it becomes state law). I then googled and found out the same information. I then placed a quick phone call to my Lawyer and he to said i will get my money back. Also in the state of NJ a dealer must refund a deposit to the minute you sign the paperwork. He said that this is also true for 29 states around the country that he knew of off the top of his head.
I called the dealership and asked to speak to a manager, he overheard him yelling at me and immediately fired him. He was in the midst of getting stuff together to call me and refund my deposit. He apologized and said i had to come in to swipe my credit card. I did, he apologized over and over again and asked if there was anything he could do to win my business. I said no, just make sure you dont lead on customers and then when there is a supply issue be upfront and then i walked out.
I found out also, that if i had to go to court technically i could have sued them for ordering a vehicle without my knowledge/consent and would the dealer would have been tried as credit card fraud.
There are a few lessons i learned out of this ordeal.
1) Never sign a paper that sais Non-Refundable
2) Never write a check for a deposit. always use a CC because if things go sour you can do a dispute and 9/10 you will get your money back
3) Shop around, i was an hour away and not only did i get an even better deal but i got some amazing service.
4) Learned the laws in the tri-state area about car buying and ordering
5) Never trust a Dealer
Good luck, most dealers will refund the money anyway because they dont want a sour reputation, especially with how fast news travels on the web. Also, most states have a deposit cap on vehicles. here in NJ it is 1500. When i was going to order an A5 in January they wanted a $1000. 7K is insane, i would NEVER give any dealer that kind of money. Do a deposit of $500 because like others have said it is a legally binding contract and they cannot sell it to the guy that saw your car being unloaded and offered 5k above your price.
I happened to be in Pennsylvania doing an estimate and happened to see all the NV's parked on the lot. I stoped in and spoke with them. They informed me that no black NV has been manufactured due to the japan crisis and will not be available until winter of 2011. So that floored me and i happened to negotiate a white one they had on the lot. They did not ask for a deposit because they knew i was serious. I called The dealership and asked what was going on and if this is true, they forwarded me to my SA and he said ohh yeah i just found out about that somethings wrong but i just placed an order it will be in in six weeks. I said you have got to be F******G kidding me, refund my deposit im cancelling my order. "Well Brendon, you do realize if you do that then you will lose your deposit" i responded no, you haven't produced anything and you will refund my deposit. He then erupted in a crazy yelling fit told me to F*** off and i wasn't getting my deposit back then hung up on me.
I was fuming, to the thought that i just gave these A$$holes $500 to be treated like that and thought that i wasnt going to see that again because i signed that deposit slip. I cooled down, called the new dealer for advice and they responded that by federal law a deposit is refundable until a VIN number is produced and since they havent produced that you will get your money back (only until a vin is produced then it becomes state law). I then googled and found out the same information. I then placed a quick phone call to my Lawyer and he to said i will get my money back. Also in the state of NJ a dealer must refund a deposit to the minute you sign the paperwork. He said that this is also true for 29 states around the country that he knew of off the top of his head.
I called the dealership and asked to speak to a manager, he overheard him yelling at me and immediately fired him. He was in the midst of getting stuff together to call me and refund my deposit. He apologized and said i had to come in to swipe my credit card. I did, he apologized over and over again and asked if there was anything he could do to win my business. I said no, just make sure you dont lead on customers and then when there is a supply issue be upfront and then i walked out.
I found out also, that if i had to go to court technically i could have sued them for ordering a vehicle without my knowledge/consent and would the dealer would have been tried as credit card fraud.
There are a few lessons i learned out of this ordeal.
1) Never sign a paper that sais Non-Refundable
2) Never write a check for a deposit. always use a CC because if things go sour you can do a dispute and 9/10 you will get your money back
3) Shop around, i was an hour away and not only did i get an even better deal but i got some amazing service.
4) Learned the laws in the tri-state area about car buying and ordering
5) Never trust a Dealer
Good luck, most dealers will refund the money anyway because they dont want a sour reputation, especially with how fast news travels on the web. Also, most states have a deposit cap on vehicles. here in NJ it is 1500. When i was going to order an A5 in January they wanted a $1000. 7K is insane, i would NEVER give any dealer that kind of money. Do a deposit of $500 because like others have said it is a legally binding contract and they cannot sell it to the guy that saw your car being unloaded and offered 5k above your price.
11-09-2011, 10:47 PM
#20
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There are a few lessons i learned out of this ordeal.
1) Never sign a paper that sais Non-Refundable
2) Never write a check for a deposit. always use a CC because if things go sour you can do a dispute and 9/10 you will get your money back
3) Shop around, i was an hour away and not only did i get an even better deal but i got some amazing service.
4) Learned the laws in the tri-state area about car buying and ordering
5) Never trust a Dealer
Good luck, most dealers will refund the money anyway because they dont want a sour reputation, especially with how fast news travels on the web. Also, most states have a deposit cap on vehicles. here in NJ it is 1500. When i was going to order an A5 in January they wanted a $1000. 7K is insane, i would NEVER give any dealer that kind of money. Do a deposit of $500 because like others have said it is a legally binding contract and they cannot sell it to the guy that saw your car being unloaded and offered 5k above your price.
1) Never sign a paper that sais Non-Refundable
2) Never write a check for a deposit. always use a CC because if things go sour you can do a dispute and 9/10 you will get your money back
3) Shop around, i was an hour away and not only did i get an even better deal but i got some amazing service.
4) Learned the laws in the tri-state area about car buying and ordering
5) Never trust a Dealer
Good luck, most dealers will refund the money anyway because they dont want a sour reputation, especially with how fast news travels on the web. Also, most states have a deposit cap on vehicles. here in NJ it is 1500. When i was going to order an A5 in January they wanted a $1000. 7K is insane, i would NEVER give any dealer that kind of money. Do a deposit of $500 because like others have said it is a legally binding contract and they cannot sell it to the guy that saw your car being unloaded and offered 5k above your price.