“Salesmen Charged For Selling $41,000 Car For $66,000”

TORONTO STAR 6MAY10

Tony Van Alphen

Business Reporter

The Mazda dealership in Orangeville may have given new meaning to the automakers slogan of "zoom, zoom, zoom" for motorist Madeline Leonard.

Leonard walked into the dealership wanting to replace the tires on her 2004 car.

By the time she left she was on the hook for a spiffy, black 2010 Mazda6 sedan at the eye-popping price of almost $66,000, after taxes and the value of her trade-in vehicle.

Thats $25,000 more than she should have paid, according to Ontarios auto regulator.

She says "Moe," the salesman, talked fast. The numbers whizzed by and before she knew it she had bought the 2010 model.

"I was overwhelmed and confused and I soon felt like I had been mistreated," the 56-year-old woman said in an interview from her small, subsidized apartment in the town 85 km northwest of Toronto.

The Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council, which regulates new and used car dealers, took action after she complained. Its investigation found she should have paid about $41,000 for the vehicle — which wasnt even new.

"In my eight years here, I havent seen a case like this," said Carey Smith, the regulators director of investigations. "The deal was way over the top regarding pricing."

Smith has charged Mazda of Orangeville and two senior employees with breaching Ontario legislation that protects consumers. The dealership could face a fine of up to $250,000 if found guilty.

Kien Trung, business manager at Mazda of Orangeville and one of the employees facing charges, said he did not treat Leonard improperly or make any big profits in the deal in late December.

"We didnt do anything wrong in the case of this transaction," said Trung. "We made a little bit of money on the deal. I guess she was not happy with it."

In promotional messages, the dealership says it treats customers "with dignity and respect."

But Smith said in Leonards case, the store and two employees used several tactics to unfairly jack up the price.

"They put a list price of a new vehicle on the model but it was a demonstrator that the dealer used with about 6,000 kilometres on it," he noted.

Mazda Canada lists the base price of the new sedan at $39,969 on its national website, but the dealership allegedly posted a sticker of $45,846 on the car.

Smith said the salesmen also billed Leonard, who is intellectually disabled, about $4,500 for a "protection package" that included fabric guarding, rust and sound proofing and window etching. Other dealers charge about a third of that for the same items, he said.

Furthermore, Smith said Leonard, who is unemployed, should not have qualified for a loan from the dealer because her monthly income including a disability pension is less than $2,000.

But Smith added that didnt stop the two employees from offering an eight-year loan that will result in about $16,000 in financing costs for her, including a final balloon payment of $7,000.

Mazda of Orangeville says in a promotional message for phone callers that owning "your dream vehicle might be easier than you think." The message goes on: "If you are a great person with not-so-good credit, we have you in mind."

Leonard said she originally came to the store to replace the tires on her 2004 Mazda3 and didnt even want to buy a car.

"I wished I had never walked into the place," she said. "Ive had a lot of trouble keeping up with these payments. The stress has been terrible."

Leonard described the salesman at the dealership as "slick" and the process mesmerized her. But after signing a contract and driving the vehicle away, she checked prices at other Mazda outlets.

"The differences were shocking," she said. "I felt very disappointed how I was treated."

The regulator charged the dealership; Trung, 38, of Vaughan; and sales manager Mohammed (Moe) Shaikh, 46, of Mississauga with "engaging in unfair practice by making an unconscionable representation," contrary to the provincial Consumer Protection Act.

Trung said the defendants will plead not guilty when they appear in court this month.

Under the act, the employees could receive fines up to $100,000 each and/or two years less a day in jail if found guilty. The defendants could also be liable for damages to Leonard.

The regulator could also revoke the registrations of the dealerships and salesmen.

"Dealers tell me there is nothing wrong with making money but the law says there is something wrong if you take advantage of someone," Smith said.

Mazda Canada said it would not decide on any action involving the dealership until a court rules on the charges.

"Obviously we expect our dealers and staff to operate professionally," said spokesman Greg Young. "Well see what the (court) determination is."

Mazda of Orangeville has also popped up on the radar screen of the Better Business Bureau of Mid-Western and Central Ontario.

Although the dealership is not a member, the bureau has received six complaints and issued a D+ rating on a scale from A+ to F since January 2008.

"It speaks for itself," said a bureau official

I just happen to live in Orangeville and drive a car from this dealership. They are dirty and then some. They tried to ignore my Ford discount at the time of purchase and only my strong personality put them back in place.

Don't buy a car here EVER. But that's just my opinion.

I don't get it. Isn't that what salesmen do?

ManlyMinute wrote:

I don't get it. Isn't that what salesmen do?

If the guy is a cheap, dirty salesman, then yes... But most of them just want the sale and to be able to make a profit/commission. $66 000 for a $41 000 is total fraud. I mean, it appears that they deliberately tried to take advantage of a person who was probably a bit "developmentally delayed." If that's the case, the only thing I can call them is a synonym for "donkey orifice."

The place I bought my current car from was pretty good, but unfortunately there are a lot of sleazy salespeople out there. This is also true with auto repair... don't get me started on that...

Yes, this lady has developmental issues and that's what make this so sleazy. Don't quote me but I believe that there may be a social worker involved that looks after this lady's money and the social worker blew the whistle. I knew of an investigation back in late January and was not surprised.

And we say goodbye to O'ville Mazda

Looks like they deserved that one.

This woman is cognitively "delayed", aging, and in need/possession of a social worker for personal aid.

I'm sorry guys but why does she have a license?