PLEASE READ
I…read morehaven't written a Yelp review since 2020 , you can look at my profile. But after my experience today, I felt like I had to write one to warn others.
All of the recent reviews you see on Yelp from people describing this dealership and its pricing practices as dishonest are 110% accurate. Unfortunately, today I experienced exactly what everyone else has been warning about.
Before driving down, I called the dealership and spoke with my salesperson, Louis, who was actually a nice guy. I genuinely felt bad for him because I know he was just trying to make a sale.
I specifically told him, "I live an hour and a half away with traffic. Before I drive all the way there on a Friday, is the price advertised online actually the price? Are there any gimmicks, mandatory add-ons, or other BS charges that are going to suddenly be added to the advertised price?"
I made it very clear that if my wife liked the car, I was prepared to pay the advertised price plus tax and license.
Louis told me yes. The only thing he disclosed was an additional $1,500 because I didn't have a trade-in. He explained that customers with a trade-in were receiving an additional $1,500 discount. I said fine. At least I knew about that before making the drive.
After our test drive, I told him, "We want the car. Let's go inside and get the paperwork going."
That's when all of a sudden he said, "Well, it's my job to go over something with you quickly." He then started explaining that the car had an additional $5,000 package they call the "Knight Package."
And this is where the whole experience changed.
This so-called $5,000 Knight Package consisted of a bunch of add-ons and BS services that we never asked for, didn't want, and honestly provided absolutely no benefit to us as consumers or as owners of the car. Things like ceramic coating, tire-related products, and other unnecessary add-ons that we had zero interest in purchasing.
In my opinion, this Knight Package is a complete scam. It felt like nothing more than a way to add another $5,000 onto the advertised price after getting you through the door.
What made it even worse was learning that any warranty or coverage connected to this Knight Package has to be handled through their dealership. It is not something you can simply take to another Chrysler dealership and have honored. So you're being asked to pay thousands of dollars for a package you may not even want, and then you're tied back to this dealership if you ever need to use it.
So now, after I specifically called ahead and asked about gimmicks and additional charges, drove an hour and a half in Friday traffic, test drove the car, and told them we were ready to buy it, suddenly another $5,000 appears.
I also asked the manager a very simple question: why isn't this so-called "Knight Package" disclosed in the AutoTrader listing?
His response was, "That's a third-party company. We don't control what they write."
That explanation made absolutely no sense to me. The dealership is the one providing the vehicle information and posting the listing. These sites give dealerships space to describe the vehicle, pricing, conditions, and additional information. If there is a mandatory $5,000 package attached to the purchase, then disclose it in the listing.
I told him directly that they should go back and clearly state that there are additional mandatory add-ons. At least then consumers can make an informed decision before driving all the way there.
Instead, the advertised price gets your attention, and the extra $5,000 only comes up once you're there and ready to buy. In my opinion, that is extremely misleading and dishonest.
And this is exactly what so many other people on Yelp have complained about.
When I said, "Fine, then remove those items because I don't want them," I was basically told they couldn't because they would be losing money on the car.
My response is simple: then don't advertise the car at that price.
The overall experience also felt very low-class. On a scorching hot day, no one even offered us a bottle of water. I finally went over to the refrigerator and grabbed one myself. It may sound like a small thing, but it says a lot about the level of customer service.
I wish I had read the reviews before I drove down.
Their AutoTrader ad listed the car at $31,821. I was already told to add another $1,500 because we didn't have a trade-in, bringing the price to $33,321 before tax and registrations which is fine. (LOOK AT THE PICTURE UPLOADED)
Then the manager came back with a piece of paper showing the car at around $41,800. LOL
Seriously? A car advertised at $31,821 somehow turns into roughly $42,000 by the time you're sitting at the dealership ready to buy it. What a joke.
BUYER BEWARE.