Could bait and switch happen at a car dealership?

On Behalf of | Jun 13, 2022 | Auto Dealer Fraud

One common type of fraud in retail industries is known as bait and switch. This is essentially a tactic to trick consumers into thinking they’re going to get a better deal than they are going to get.

There are a few different ways that this can happen. In some cases, the consumer sees an advertisement with what looks like a tremendous price. When they actually arrive at the store, they find out that the advertisement was wrong and the real cost is much more expensive. In other cases, the store owner says that the location is temporarily out of the sale items and then tries to sell the consumer something else at a much higher price.

This could certainly happen with a car

More and more these days, people are starting their search for a new car on the internet. This makes it very possible that a bait-and-switch tactic could be used.

For instance, a dealership could claim that they’re having a tremendous sale on a certain make and model, which you’ve been looking for. When you arrive at the dealership, they may claim the last one just drove off of the lot, but they do have a much more expensive model that they’d like to sell you.

Additionally, you could get to the dealership and be told that the sale was only for a certain length of time, even though the ad never specified that. You could then be informed that you’re no longer able to take advantage of that sale, and they’re hoping that you’ll be so excited to get the new car that you’ll just agree to a higher price.

All of this is fraud, so if it has happened to you, make sure you are well aware of the legal options at your disposal.