Car Salesman Agrees To Price Over The Phone For Mercedes GLE. Then The Customer Tries To Negotiate In Person

Car sales isn’t perceived as the most honorable vocation. But this Mercedes-Benz of Smithtown, New York, employee says that a customer ended up pulling a tactic that dishonest salesmen are known for, and it made him not want to make a deal with the client.

Christian (@ctalktoem) explained in a social media post that he had worked out a deal for a Mercedes GLE 53 with the buyer before they came to the showroom. But when the client arrived, they were in no rush to sign on the dotted line.

Customer Switches Up After Mercedes GLE 53 Phone Negotiation

“Client calls in looking for a GLE 53. We agree to pricing. He’s like, 'I’m coming in at three o’clock. Three o’clock comes around; he comes in. He sits down. I give him the paperwork. I say, 'This is where you sign.' He says, 'Whoa I still want to negotiate,'” Christian tells his viewers.

The statement gives the car seller some pause because as he understood it, they had already agreed to the price on the phone. Hence, he prepared all of the paperwork for the client to sign when he arrived at their previously agreed-upon time. “I’m like, 'Why do you still want to negotiate? We agreed to pricing over the phone?'” he says.

He says that the prospective car buyer responds by shrugging his shoulders and saying, “Eh, just ‘cause I feel like it.” Christian goes on to state that the sequence of events, coupled with the client’s attitude, soured the experience from his end.

“Now I’m not comfortable making this deal with him anymore. Let me ask you a question: If we agreed upon pricing over the phone, and when you get here and I give you a purchase order, the sale is higher than what we agreed to, you’re gonna be pretty furious with me, aren’t you?” he asked.

Moreover, he says that if he were to pull a bait-and-switch on a client, he’d only further negative stereotypes pertaining to car sales reps.

“You’re not gonna want to do business with me at all, and then I’m just gonna be adding to the stigma why car salesmen are sleazy,” Christian concluded.

Bargaining Tactic Or Sheisty Move?

Agreeing to a price over the phone only to be hit with a different charge in the showroom is something many potential car buyers have complained about. One woman, who negotiates car deals for a living, says that even she came face to face with this tactic at a Toyota dealership. In other instances, deal seekers may see an advertised price for a vehicle online, and when they contact a car seller to purchase the ride, they’re asked to come in person to check it out. However, once they show up to actually buy the car for the marketed price, they’re told that they’ll actually have to pay more.

This is exactly what happened with this gentleman who was intrigued by several 2025 Honda CR-Vs listed by one particular dealership. After hitting them up, he asked about the car’s out-the-door price. Not long after, a sales rep informed him that they didn’t have any available 2025 models—only 2026 ones—and those retailed for thousands of dollars more. When he asked why no fewer than 9 2025 models were listed on the dealership’s website, he was informed that the cars weren’t available, but they weren’t technically “sold” because they weren’t on the road.

After some more back-and-forth, the dealership eventually took the 2025 models off of its website. The car buyer suspected that the business was attempting to lure customers in with an attractive price, only to turn around and try and sell them a pricier ride.

Premium Packages

Another pivot to up the cost of a vehicle dealerships purportedly pull is to bundle in add-ons that are non-negotiable. This Chevy Blazer shopper said they were drawn by a $23,000 asking price for the ride. But then, they were told that a $2,500 “Blazer Cost” premium was appended to the car, which included a pair of "free" mats and two years of maintenance visits for the ride.

Both LawInfo and the Federal Trade Commission warn consumers about these practices. According to them, in most instances, dealership tie-ins and add-ons cannot be made a mandatory point of purchase for a vehicle.

“Generally … a dealer can’t force you to accept add-ons as a condition of sale,” LawInfo penned. And the FTC shared some of the nefarious ways businesses may get consumers to unknowingly agree to paying for costly “perks” they weren’t interested in getting. For example, only presenting new car owners with digital contracts that only show them where to sign on the dotted line. This means that they’ll miss any verbiage that shows that they agree to pay for any added perks. “You might not find out about those charges until after you’ve driven off the lot - if ever,” the FTC writes.

Negotiating On The Phone

Christian’s ire stems from the fact that the customer waltzed into the dealership and had the gall to try and walk back a deal. Prior to his arrival, the car seller they had determined what the price would be over the phone, which doesn’t always happen: Some sellers will do everything in their power to try and get you into a showroom so they can run a game on you. But Consumer Reports writes that there are indeed sellers who will allow folks to agree on a price without ever having to go to a dealership in person. 

And the buyer advocacy group shared some tactics folks can employ when they’re shopping around. According to their write-up, making numerous dealers compete for the best out-the-door price is your best bet at securing the best possible price for your new (or used) ride. Be upfront about the non-negotiable trims/packages you want on the car and your cognizance of their available inventory. Moreover, Consumer Reports says that it behooves customers to let sellers know from the onset how you intend on communicating with them, i.e., via email or phone.

Motor1 has reached out to Christian via email for further comment. We will update this story if he responds.