Mark Dodge- Lake Charles Buying Experiences?

[VascularRN]

Sounded more like a dealer finance issue. It was my fault that the initial down payment was an ACH instead of regular wire. But I made it right by driving from Houston to Lake Charles the very next day. But telling me that the ACH would not be accepted, then cashing it as well as cashing the cashiers check i walked into the dealership....they kept telling me waiting for cashiers check to clear...never heard of that. I would not be allowed to give them excuses about paying them. Then miraculously a higher up contacted me after I posted my displeasure on this forum, and he overnighted me my $10K. Which I'm thankful for his attention. The thing is, when your truck hits the lot, I think they only give you 4 days to complete your transaction to guarantee your price. These terms are in your email from the dealer. They tell you finance will call you. So finance contacted me late on day 1 to schedule time to talk. We talked day 2 and I sent ACH. Day 3 finance said they had no record of my payment. So day 4 I'm on interstate 10 to dealer to pay in hand. If they cashed the. ACH, there was no need for me to be breaking my neck trying to get there. I could not take delivery on day 4, so I had to drive back there again 3 days later to take delivery. Like I said it was just a hassle.

 

[g_force]

Sounded more like a dealer finance issue. It was my fault that the initial down payment was an ACH instead of regular wire. But I made it right by driving from Houston to Lake Charles the very next day. But telling me that the ACH would not be accepted, then cashing it as well as cashing the cashiers check i walked into the dealership....they kept telling me waiting for cashiers check to clear...never heard of that.

The receiving party doesn't "cash" an ACH. Once the sender sends it, it automatically shows up in the receiving party's account.

The thing with ACH is that it can be retracted or even bounce days after it shows up. Thus, a lot of car dealers won't take an ACH because unscrupulous folks can steal a car by sending payment via ACH, driving off with the car, and then having or causing the ACH to be retracted.

BTW, cashier's checks can also be reversed, but they clear (or don't clear) sooner. Thus, it is harder to steal a car with a cashier's check.

 

[AnthonyRI]

The receiving party doesn't "cash" an ACH. Once the sender sends it, it automatically shows up in the receiving party's account.

The thing with ACH is that it can be retracted or even bounce days after it shows up. Thus, a lot of car dealers won't take an ACH because unscrupulous folks can steal a car by sending payment via ACH, driving off with the car, and then having or causing the ACH to be retracted.

BTW, cashier's checks can also be reversed, but they clear (or don't clear) sooner. Thus, it is harder to steal a car with a cashier's check.

It sounds like on that deal with @VascularRN we had some errors in communication and timing significantly, that resulted in a lot more stress than needed to be. While our GSM was able to jump in and get to speedy resolution, clearly that shouldn't have happened that way.

I won't go through point-by-point to make you relive the whole dang experience again - but in short
- Yes we ask that an ordered vehicle is "closed" within the first week - that's part of how we are able to provide the discounts that we do, part of our efficiency.
- Yes everything that @g_force said about the ACH and cashiers checks is correct in that they can have delays, windows of opportunity for retraction/rejection

When we're selling a lot of vehicles, expensive ones, out of state, and trying to do it quickly, there are a lot of fine details that have to work on OUR end to make it happen with as little risk as possible. We had 4 attempted frauds in the last two weeks, all were flagged before they got to the point of sending $ however. BUT most importantly the actual customer should not feel like they are jumping through hoops - should be quite the opposite - that should be our problem not yours so long as we communicate the hows and whats correctly.

 

[VascularRN]

The receiving party doesn't "cash" an ACH. Once the sender sends it, it automatically shows up in the receiving party's account.

The thing with ACH is that it can be retracted or even bounce days after it shows up. Thus, a lot of car dealers won't take an ACH because unscrupulous folks can steal a car by sending payment via ACH, driving off with the car, and then having or causing the ACH to be retracted.

BTW, cashier's checks can also be reversed, but they clear (or don't clear) sooner. Thus, it is harder to steal a car with a cashier's check.

This sounds like something the dealership should have been explaining to me. The finance person said they don't accept. She said the ACH would be bounced back to my bank. It did not, they cashed it. That's fine. I brought cashier's check on Friday and did not pick up truck until Monday. does it take 2wks to clear? B/c that's when I got my 10K back. It was also a cashier's check that they accepted for the balance owed. The op asked about dealer experience and that was mine.

 

[VascularRN]

It sounds like on that deal with @VascularRN we had some errors in communication and timing significantly, that resulted in a lot more stress than needed to be. While our GSM was able to jump in and get to speedy resolution, clearly that shouldn't have happened that way.

I won't go through point-by-point to make you relive the whole dang experience again - but in short
- Yes we ask that an ordered vehicle is "closed" within the first week - that's part of how we are able to provide the discounts that we do, part of our efficiency.
- Yes everything that @g_force said about the ACH and cashiers checks is correct in that they can have delays, windows of opportunity for retraction/rejection

When we're selling a lot of vehicles, expensive ones, out of state, and trying to do it quickly, there are a lot of fine details that have to work on OUR end to make it happen with as little risk as possible. We had 4 attempted frauds in the last two weeks, all were flagged before they got to the point of sending $ however. BUT most importantly the actual customer should not feel like they are jumping through hoops - should be quite the opposite - that should be our problem not yours so long as we communicate the hows and whats correctly.

I'm not unhappy. I did not think that the dealership was going to keep my money. I felt under pressure to get the deal done on that Friday, knowing that I would have to return the following Monday to pick it up. The 2 people I spoke to told me one thing and when I spoke up about it, you fixed it and I appreciate how it was handled. If I needed to, I would still do the deal with Mark Dodge.

 

[Teedger]

Good morning, all.
My TRX, that was originally ordered in January 2023, has finally shipped.
What experiences have you had with Mark Dodge on the buying process? Initially they were low balling me on the trade in value of my Raptor.
The sales manager assured me they would do better when it came time to process the paperwork.
I have always been able to get in between the KBB "Good condition" pricing and NADA trade in pricing.
They were about $3-4k below that in January when I inquired about it.

What has been your trade-in experience across the board with dealers in 2023?

I had a terrific experience with Mark Dodge in July of this year (ordered it on 12/31/22). Flew down to see and test drive the truck in person and they picked me up at my hotel the next morning for the test drive. There was a minor issue with the sunroof not closing properly and they fixed it immediately (said it was a calibration issue). Everyone I met in person couldn’t have been nicer! Really great and personable people to work with! Even got to meet the GM who thanked me for my business and said not to hesitate to call if I needed anything beyond the sale (more on that in a moment). They shipped the vehicle to me after my visit for a very reasonable price and I received it in a couple days. They did offer a less than desirable amount on my trade, but I half-way expected that given the discount I received for ordering, so I sold my car on my own and got several thousand more. Back to calling them after the sale. When the vehicle arrived at my house I inspected it and all looked well (or so I thought). It wasn’t but an hour or two afterwards when I noticed a scratch in the bezel of the center console that I missed earlier. Not sure if it was a defect from the manufacturer or a mishap by the shipping company, either way I called Mark Dodge and they were very helpful in securing a replacement part for me at no cost (and it wasn’t cheap per se). IMO this shows me they’re truly dedicated to their customers! They could’ve easily said - sorry, it’s your truck now but they didn’t and that is truly remarkable in an era where great customer service can be difficult to find at times. I will buy from them again and again in the future! Can’t say enough good things!!

 

[AnthonyRI]

Well, the deal was finalized yesterday and I picked the TRX up this morning. I even test drove a Jeep Wrangler 392 before I left. Robert was easy to deal with and we all meet halfway in the end. No issues with my money transfer wire to them. Everything went as stated. I never felt pressured in the buying experience. I would make a purchase through them again if the TRX treats me well.
The biggest pain was driving home and keeping it below 60 for the first 100 miles. It got better when i could step it up to 69. I have always been careful with all of my vehicles so it will be a while before i get a heavy foot. And even after the 1500 miles I will still treat the beast well.

You're making me think we should have a dog discount. If you bring your dog with you to pick up your vehicle, you get a free something or other.

But in all seriousness thank you for your business and for the kind words about the team - we sincerely appreciate it!

 

[Raptorowner]

My truck is currently on transport from them. Purchased it on Thursday evening and arriving in MD tomorrow. Easiest transaction ever. They even the held the truck for a bit while I figured out an emissions issue since this one isn’t CA compliant. And the cool part is I can track where it is through the Ram app!

 

[DavidStHubbins]

You're making me think we should have a dog discount. If you bring your dog with you to pick up your vehicle, you get a free something or other.

Make it retroactive. Mr Cheechers, enjoying the Lunar you sent my way.

 

[IdahoKTM]

My truck is currently on transport from them. Purchased it on Thursday evening and arriving in MD tomorrow. Easiest transaction ever. They even the held the truck for a bit while I figured out an emissions issue since this one isn’t CA compliant. And the cool part is I can track where it is through the Ram app!View attachment 107479

It looks like our trucks crossed paths in the opposite direction.

 

[VascularRN]

Well, the deal was finalized yesterday and I picked the TRX up this morning. I even test drove a Jeep Wrangler 392 before I left. Robert was easy to deal with and we all meet halfway in the end. No issues with my money transfer wire to them. Everything went as stated. I never felt pressured in the buying experience. I would make a purchase through them again if the TRX treats me well.
The biggest pain was driving home and keeping it below 60 for the first 100 miles. It got better when i could step it up to 69. I have always been careful with all of my vehicles so it will be a while before i get a heavy foot. And even after the 1500 miles I will still treat the beast well.

Same. I got a lot of glares from drivers even though I was in slow lane. Was a painful 100mi.