Yeh, stuff like that has always gone on. Mostly in bigger cities, at larger new car stores.By sales people who are just passing thru, & don’t intend to make a career of car selling.
All of the new car dealers that I worked for were very honorable men. They didn’t let us “hook & crook” and if anyone did, we got our butt “chewed out” or fired if we got caught screwing around with a customer like that. That’s the frigging crap that gives this business a bad name.
Sure it’s a good idea to get a deposit. It’s known as glue! From day one in this business your taught to get the customer to committ! The deposit is a committment. No dealer that I ever worked for in 20+ years ever kept a deposit if the customer backed out! Each state’s court system has different laws that address that stuff. Another reason is that it keeps another salesman from selling that car out from under you too. Infact, I believe the deposit concept is in place mostly so sales managers wouldn’t have to referee a dispute when two sales people had the same car sold. The “un-written” rule is: first one with a signed “write up” sheet and a deposit, gets the deal! no arguments. But, thats just my opinion.
The average customer wouldn’t believe how many fights and arguments take place on the lot
or behind closed doors everyday between sales people and their sales managers.