Story Time! Dealer Won’t Honor the TrueCar Price
In this trending discussion, a member of the Leasehackr community recounts a frustrating experience with a local car dealership.
In short, the user submitted a request to sell a vehicle through the Accu-Trade widget on the dealer’s website. The Accu-Trade algorithm generated a “True Cash Offer” that was automatically sent to the user. However, when the dealer got in touch with the user and manually appraised the vehicle, the offer was much lower than what the algorithm provided.
From the consumer’s point of view, this is a classic example of a bait-and-switch—to be excited by a high offer, only for the dealer to provide a lower number later. The unfortunate truth is that dealers, in most cases, are not obligated to honor the prices automatically generated by third-party algorithms and services such as TrueCar or Kelley Blue Book, despite marketing messaging to the contrary.
While frustrating, it’s important to keep this caveat in mind as an informed consumer. Whether it’s chat bots promising new “specials” or pop-up coupons offering $500 off your next vehicle, these widgets fall under the category of lead generation tools deployed by the automotive industry to get customers into showrooms. In cases like these, it’s often better to move on—than to be hooked in by these tools.
See what the community has to say when it comes to dealer lead generation tools and effective approaches for scoring a good deal.
The unfortunate truth is that dealers are not obligated to honor the prices automatically generated by third-party algorithms and services. Above: TrueCar’s True Cash Offer (TCO) Terms of Service.