Thank you very much for your kind words. They are much appreciated.
First of all, without actually seeing copies of the Buyer's Order and the Bank contract I can't tell you for sure exactly what this finance jerk did to your parents.
I can tell you that some states require that car dealers itemize add-on items. I'm not sure what New York's laws are.
Is the warranty, in your experience, refundable?
All extended warranties are refundable. The refund has to be applied for through the selling dealer or wherever you bought the warranty! I answered a similar question for another reader. Perhaps you can glean something from it. You can read it at: Cancel Warranties.
Do you know the basic price of the so-called auto theft insurance plus etching program? I have no idea. Since this is a dealer item they can charge whatever they can get away with. Their cost is next to nothing on it so it's almost pure profit. This is one of the most common scams perpetrated on car buyers.
Is it true that there is absolutely no way in h-e-l-l that we can cancel the auto-theft insurance program after only one business day after the contract has been signed? Again, this is a program that is totally controlled by the dealer, so they can probably do whatever they want within the law - whatever that is.
Unless this so-called insurance is through an outside company like an extended warranty is. If this is the case your parents should have some kind of contract or policy with contact information in it. Read the fine print for cancellation procedures.
This dealership is licensed by the Office of Consumer Affairs. If Toyota Corporate does not help me, I plan to contact Consumer Affairs. Great idea! If you can't get any satisfaction file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and with the New York State Attorney General's office.
My parents' no longer want to finance through Star Toyota of Bayside. Is it possible to not accept the financing and pay off, interest free, through our own bank? If the dealer already processed the loan papers that your parents signed it may be too late to cancel the financing without penalty.
However, you can pay off a loan anytime. Some banks charge a penalty if the loan is paid off early, but even if that's the case it won't amount to much. Your parents should go to their bank and arrange refinancing as soon as possible. Hopefully, the person they deal with at the bank can walk them through the process.
Is there any advice that you can give me to handle such a situation? Is the fact that the costs for the extra options was not itemized an advantage for us? Their charge for the extended warranty has to be broken down separately from the other items. Your parents should have received a copy of the extended warranty contract which should itemize the cost, terms etc. You should demand copies of all the contracts that make up this so-called "package" that these thieves shoved down your parent's throats.
Don't even waste your time talking to the Finance Manager who is responsible for this. He's only going to try to cover himself and protect the commissions he made for "selling" all this stuff. He clearly doesn't have your parent's best interests at heart.
Go to the Sales Manager. If you get no satisfaction there go to the General Manager or the owner of the dealership. Tell them if they don't undo this mess that you will indeed report them to the agencies mentioned above, and tell them that you will get an attorney and file a law suit (even if you have to bluff).
Also tell them you will go to the press. News reporters love to publicize these kinds of scams. Ask them how much negative publicity is worth to them!
I hope this helps.
All my very best to you...
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