HELP!!! Is my dealer lying to me!?!?! :(

[subiedoobie]

Hello everyone! This is my first post and I'm excited to be part of the L.O.A.! :) Through the VIP (at cost) program, we ordered a 2005 Outback LL Bean Edition back in July (yeah, in July!) and were told they had to order it from Subaru direct, since the color we wanted could not be found. That was all right with us, cause we wanted it "factory fresh"! They said it would take anywhere from 6-8 weeks, but could be as long as 12 weeks, in rare situations. So we placed the order and left a $500 deposit, and wee told that when they have info on the car they would call us. A month goes by, and they say they have zero information. 2 months goes by, and same thing - no info. Finally, in September, they tell us that our car HAD come in, but not been "tagged" because it didn't have the exact options (rear net/dog separator/air filter/wheel locks) so they didn't realize it was "our car". They assumed it was another LL Bean with different options and that our car was still to arrive. Yep - they sold it. They said that with the demand for Subarus lately, Subaru logistics has been very bad and that this wasn't the only car that came in "untagged" and "unassigned", so they didn't know it was the car they had ordered and was just another inbound/for sale vehicle. They profusely apologized and said they would re-order the car immediately. This was of September. I recently called them (October 19th) and they said they have no idea as to a VIN #, or if it has even been built yet, but they will call me as soon as they have info. My question is this... Are they giving us the shaft because we will be buying a VIP (at cost) car? I wonder if they ordered the first car, and then sold it to someone else because they paid more/a profit? *OR* is Subaru's ordering system truly that screwed up that they didn't flag/mark the car as mine?? AND, is it true that the dealer can't track a car until Subaru gives the dealer information (the dealer is at the mercy of Subaru)? That's what the dealer is telling me. That they place the order and then basically wait until Subaru contacts them to give an update. It seems a *little* odd that a dealer would not know which cars they are to receive (the excuse they gave me, saying they sold our car by mistake, thinking it was just a "normal"/"expected" inbound vehicle") right?? Sorry for the long post, but I want to make sure you understand the entire situation and I'd like a REAL answer. The dealer is known to be a very good dealer and I get the feeling that I can trust what they are saying (they don't seem like they are lying or anything), but maybe I'm being shafted!?!? We want this car, and waiting 4+ months is starting to become very, very hard. We may go to another dealer if you guys let me know that they are giving us the shaft. Thanks for your replies in advance!!

[Driver72]

Sounds fishy. LL Bean Outbacks aren't exactly flying off the shelf. There's really little to NO reason why it should take that long. Did you call around to other dealers? Did you call SOA? Short of a rare exotic, no car is worth waiting 4 months for. Ask for your $500 back, and maybe then they'll suddenly be singing a different song.

[MtnSub]

BS-Detector buzzing loudly, If you have good sales rep working with you, they would be watching for your car and tracking it. The items that were missing were minor, a lousy excuse. A car almost exactly like yours and an LLBean Wagon at that and nobody thought about you? BSBSBSBS..... or no body home. -I am waiting and get a call at each milestone. -Ordered VIP mid-Sept and dealer said they would call me when order was confirmed by Subaru first week of Oct. -First week Oct. I get call that Subaru confirmed order and dealer wanted to double check my long list of specs, one error. -Three days later I get call from dealer with build numbers etc. and confirmation that one error in list had been corrected and entered in Subaru systm. I also got a target delivery date of Nov. 8, but sales rep said it could be 8-14th. -Dealer said they should have my VIN# first week of Nov and will call with update. My sales person has been selling Subys for years, a top producer in Calif/West and seems to watch out for her clients. I don't have my car yet, but so far the process has been much better than your experience.

[M. Schneider]

Hello Subiedoobie- Sorry to hear of your ordering troubles and that dealership. Could you tell us more about the VIP (at cost) buying program. It's my believe that there's suffcient "trunk money" in the sale for the dealerships to sell at much published invoice level and make a profit. Cheers, Mike

[Guest *Jedimaster*]

" HELP!!! Is my dealer lying to me!?!?! :(" [SIZE=7]Nevar![/SIZE]

[MtnSub]

Dealers get a special bonus from SOA for selling VIP, plus normal hold back etc. Dealer must fax actual VIP letter and sales contract etc to Subaru to assure SOA that dealers are not playing games with buyers. It is a good program, but a number of people have been able to get Invoice price or below without VIP for cars that are on the lot. If you are ordering a special spec car, VIP is about as good as it gets. I oredered all the extra goodies, short shifter, roof racks etc at invoice with car. Good luck with dealer for joggers, or run-a-round dealer.

[Drift Monkey]

[quote name='jedimaster']" HELP!!! Is my dealer lying to me!?!?! :(" [SIZE=7]Nevar![/SIZE][/QUOTE] 0h n03s!!1 t3h d34l3r st0l3z0r3d 4ll my t3h m0n3yZ!!1111 [IMG]http://www.e-thug.net/pics/lollerskates.gif[/IMG]

[M. Schneider]

Can anyone spill the beans on the content of the VIP sales program, or does this require a secret hand shake, LOL. Cheers, Mike

[gtguy]

Given the varying quality of Subaru dealerships, it could well be that yours just messed up. This isn't unheard of. It would certainly make me reconsider my dealer selection, however. LL Bean Outbacks are nice. It's pretty much all that I see in my neck of the woods these days, so I can believe the demand for them is up there. The other possibility is that as a VIP "invoice" customer, they saw the opportunity to unload "your" Outback on someone for something approaching MSRP, and took it. Either way, it doesn't sound like they've been all that they could be, so to speak. Kevin

[Flo4Legacy]

First, sorry to hear about the delay. This is really annoying. I had to wait 14 weeks for my car but that was the expected time. It finally arrived in the week that was predicted. The story about not tagging your car sounds a little bit "scary". If the ordering system is really that bad, why the heck didn't they take much more care before selling a car that is destinated for a customer? If you are not eager to change the dealer, then ask them for the confirmed delivery date and what will they throw in the deal to make you "happy" again. Or if you don't care about the dealer, ask for the $500 down payment (as already suggested) and see what will happen. By the way, I love that "Lollerskates", DM [quote name='Drift Monkey']0h n03s!!1 t3h d34l3r st0l3z0r3d 4ll my t3h m0n3yZ!!1111 [img]http://www.e-thug.net/pics/lollerskates.gif[/img][/QUOTE]

[Th3Franz]

They should have known what the VIN # of your car would be before it arrived. Personally I don't think the order and delivery system would be that unorganized. My car arrived in four weeks and my sales guy e-mailed me the VIN# as soon as he knew what it was.

[c_hunter]

Two issues here: first, you can get the 05 models for invoice at most large dealerships without the VIP program. I got my OB XT Ltd for invoice back in July. Right now, the same dealership is selling them *below* invoice. No haggle, no hassle, just like VIP. Second, the options you ordered can be installed at any time, they do not have to be factory options. The dealer could do it, heck *you* could do it (and save money). Even if the car was not optioned exactly the way you wanted from the factory, if it was the right color, they could have added the other options and delivered the car to you. Call Subaru of America and explain the situation to them. I think they will attempt to help you out. I heard another story where a fellow was waiting a very long time for a VDC (which are quite rare apparently) and not getting any cooperation from the dealer. A call to SOA and he had his car within 1-2 weeks. I think they can help you out too. Craig

[rao]

To answer your original question - YES. "Shazam, we have so many cars we get all confused sometimes" Fiind another dealer who is willing to get the deal done.

[MtnSub]

My dealer just called today to give me my cars VIN#, meaning it has been built and is getting all extras added on for a delivery week of November 8th. When you get your VIN#, SOA has invoiced car and you find out actual price. My dealer on to the dollar. She claims she just ordered 40 cars and sales are fantastic. Just cannot get enough because so many special orders. Two weeks after I ordered my car, my dealer called with a Sold# meaning order had been entered by Subaru and a manuf or VON# for tracking. Again, today, two weeks ahead of delivery, I got a call from my rep, Debbie from Exclusively Subaru in Ontario with my VIN#. Debbie must go to every Subaru meeting in the western states and seems to be very involved with marketing people and order process folks. Note: If you buy/order your car mid-month like I did, you will wait to first week of following month for order to be entered into SOA build schedule. Will post later in a new topic on some interesting info about things to come next year and warrantee issues with Sti parts, even if dealer installs. This could delay my PINK springs install, but may be good news in other ways.

[subiedoobie]

UPDATE: I contacted Subaru of America, and they did some research and they found out the car has been built (still no VIN, which seems odd) but they assured me the car would be at my dealer no later than 11/15. They even offered me an accessory (took the extended armrest!) for all the trouble. Keep in mind that we have been waiting over 6 months for a car, and the problem was Subaru's fault for not tagging our original ordered car as "sold". Anyways, my wife and I are keeping our fingers crossed, but I think the long wait is finally coming to an end. Thanks to EVERYONE who replied and gave us great input! :)