With slimy salesman and sketchy sales tactics, buying a vehicle isn’t for the faint of heart, but this car enthusiast truly loved the thrill.
When one buyer was burned by a dishonest salesman, he held on to that grudge until it was time to buy his next ride.
Then, the perfect opportunity for petty revenge fell into his palm like a new set of car keys.
Read on for the full story!
Several years back, I was looking to buy a new car, something a bit faster and more fitting for my love of driving.
While looking around, I was genuinely pricing up a new Civic Type R instead of saving for a deposit on a house.
This is when I came across a local dealership that had a heavily modified Fiesta ST2.
It’s a small, local dealership run by one guy who mostly acts as a sort of sales broker for people struggling to sell privately.
So he paid the local dealership a visit.
I contacted the dealer and arranged a test drive during my lunch break that week.
I got in, and as I started it up, a warning popped up on the dash saying “Tire pressure sensors not installed.”
The dealer quickly assured the buyer this wouldn’t be a problem.
I queried this with the dealer, and he said not to worry — it would be sorted by the time I bought the car.
The car had just come in, and they hadn’t been able to do their usual touch-ups.
Fair enough, on with the test drive.
The buyer was enamored with the car and made the purchase.
I pretty much fell in love within five minutes, and long story short, traded my old car in to buy it a few weeks later.
When I came to collect the keys, I got in the car, and what do you know — the same warning message came up.
I turned the car off and headed back inside to talk to the dealer.
That’s when the dealer starts going back on this word.
He claimed he never agreed to fix it, saying it was only £100 to get them installed, and gave me the contact details for a local garage.
He had only promised verbally, so I didn’t have any proof.
Needless to say, I was ticked.
Not much the buyer could do, so he moves on with his life.
Over the next four years, I loved the car, got the sensors installed, and told everybody that story, warning them to stay clear of him as he’s a liar and generally doesn’t treat you well after he’s got your money.
That is, until he’s in the market for his next ride.
At the four-year mark, I was once again looking for a new car as I’d definitely outgrown the Fiesta.
This time I was in the market for an Audi RS3, 2018 or newer, with a budget of around £40k.
I checked all the local dealerships, but none of them had anything like that — except for the same dealership I bought the Fiesta from.
So he decides to pay the dealership another visit.
I contacted them about it and once again arranged a test drive.
Went on the test drive, had a good time, but honestly wasn’t 100% sold.
Time to set the trap.
He asked me what I thought, and I lied, saying that I loved it, apart from the silver trim on the front.
To nobody’s surprise, he said he could get that changed if I’d agree to the sale today.
Now to deliver the petty revenge he’s been sitting on for years.
I couldn’t hide the massive grin on my face when I said, “No thank you, I’ve heard that one before from you, and that turned out to be a lie.”
There was a moment of confusion, followed by an obvious realization with a hint of regret.
The dealer was eager to negotiate, but the buyer’s mind was made up.
I left without buying the car — despite his best efforts to cut me a deal as an apology.
The fact was, I simply didn’t want to give this guy my money.
I went to another dealership and ended up buying a brand-new A35, which I’ve still got to this day and absolutely love.
The buyer got their petty satisfaction and the salesman got a heaping helping of regret.
What did Reddit think?
When businesses treat their customers poorly, it can come back to bite them in unexpected ways.
Any self-respecting business owner should heed this mantra.
This redditor doesn’t think too highly of people in the car sales profession.
This commenter wonders what would have happened if the petty revenge plot went in another direction.
May all shady car salesman remember this lesson.
Never underestimate the power of a discerning customer!
If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.
