Leasing a car - question

[Cupcake143]

I was going to lease a car I was interested in and I rescheduled maybe a few times with the sales guy to pick the car up (I basically did everything through text and filling a credit app online). But, as I had more time to think, I ended up not really liking the car as much anymore and liked a different car instead. The sales guy was kinda annoyed, and he also had locked in a discount for me one weekend (they had a special discount for that weekend but wasn’t able to make it to the dealership so he locked it to where I could still get it) bc I thouht I was for sure going to get it at the time. So, I felt bad about changing my and told him I would give the money bc I don’t care about that I just want something I love. I told him is $500 ok? And he said that’s fine and now he thinks I’m going to go to the dealership and give him the money. But, do I even owe them? He said something about how they had to detail it and stuff too, so I don’t know if it’s true that I really owe money. I didn’t put any deposit or money down though.

I mean if it’s legit I will but I don’t know if he’s trying to take advantage bc i mentioned giving the money.

 

[Viki63]

Someone else will have a better answer, but IMO it depends on what you signed. Did you sign an agreement that commits you to the lease? Even if you did, you should have 3 days to change your mind.
If they did work for you, such as detailing the car, you may be required to pay for that. Look at what you signed, and always read everything before you sign it so you know what you’re agreeing to.

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[Cupcake143]

Someone else will have a better answer, but IMO it depends on what you signed. Did you sign an agreement that commits you to the lease? Even if you did, you should have 3 days to change your mind.
If they did work for you, such as detailing the car, you may be required to pay for that. Look at what you signed, and always read everything before you sign it so you know what you’re agreeing to.

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I didn’t sign anything, except doing the credit application online which I think i electronically signed.

 

[Viki63]

So you may not be legally obligated to pay anything, since you only applied for a loan. Of course the salesman may feel that you promised to return with payment. If you made a verbal agreement, you may be morally bound by that.

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[PaulfromIowa]

I felt bad about changing my [mind] and told him I would give the money bc I don’t care about that I just want something I love. I told him is $500 ok? And he said that’s fine and now he thinks I’m going to go to the dealership and give him the money. But, do I even owe them?

How old are you, if you don’t mind my asking? Never listen to high pressure sales tactics. Never offer consolation gifts to a salesman. If you didn’t sign a contract, you do not owe anything.

 

[1ke]

NO DO NOT PAY THIS SALES GUY ANY MONEY.

First, you have no contract and therefore no obligation to pay anything.

Second, the special deal the guy offered you is not special and he is playing you.

Third, leases are financially bad choices. They are expensive and I suggest you NOT lease a car at all. Read Dave Ramsey on leases, Basically these are for people who don’t take time to understand the math behind them.

Last,h, if you do not understand how contracts work, and that you should NOT go to the dealership a pay a salesman $500 for no reason, you really have no business signing a contract.

Take some financial literacy classes or have a trusted older adult with you when you do shopping of this type in the future.

Leases are for suckers. Stay away.

 

[on_the_hill]

You don’t owe him a penny. Unless you signed an agreement that said you would pay him $500, you don’t owe him anything at all.

If I get this right, he has guilted you into thinking that you owe him $$ for annoying him. Sheesh. What an easy way to make money! It’s almost like extortion. (j/k)

He’s a salesman, and every single customer he encounters is a risk/reward. If he makes the sale, the risk is paid off. If he doesn’t make the sale, he moves on to the next customer. All he’s lost is his time.

You’re losing $500 as “penance” for your “sin” of “inconveniencing” a salesman.

I knew a young woman who wanted to buy a car. The salesman said, “Take it home overnight and try it out. If you don’t like it, you can bring it back.” So she did, and she didn’t like it. She didn’t like it and called him to make an appointment to return it. He told her that if she didn’t buy the car he would call the police and tell them that she stole it.

She took the car back and, of course, his threat didn’t work. Coincidentally, I looked at the very same car when I was shopping around, and the same salesman offered me the same ‘take it home and try it out’ deal. I didn’t.

 

[NeedImprovement]

. . . Not sure where you’re posting from , but here (north of the 49th) “detailing” a car simply means giving it a thorough cleaning - inside and out, according to someone I knew who was a professional auto detailer - making it look appealing ; clean&shiny . So you didn’t make them do anything that they wouldn’t have had to do anyway before leasing the car to anyone else as far as detailing is concerned.

I don’t see any obligation incurred on that particular point. Actually , the chances of a customer leasing a car are greatly increased if the automobile has already been detailed by the dealer before a potential customer tries it out - not too many people want to buy,lease, or rent a car that looks like someone has been living in it. You may have done the dealer a favor.

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

I was going to lease a car I was interested in and I rescheduled maybe a few times with the sales guy to pick the car up (I basically did everything through text and filling a credit app online). But, as I had more time to think, I ended up not really liking the car as much anymore and liked a different car instead. The sales guy was kinda annoyed, and he also had locked in a discount for me one weekend (they had a special discount for that weekend but wasn’t able to make it to the dealership so he locked it to where I could still get it) bc I thouht I was for sure going to get it at the time. So, I felt bad about changing my and told him I would give the money bc I don’t care about that I just want something I love. I told him is $500 ok? And he said that’s fine and now he thinks I’m going to go to the dealership and give him the money. But, do I even owe them? He said something about how they had to detail it and stuff too, so I don’t know if it’s true that I really owe money. I didn’t put any deposit or money down though.

I mean if it’s legit I will but I don’t know if he’s trying to take advantage bc i mentioned giving the money.

You should never ever negotiate a lease or purchase for yourself. Find a trusted friend or relative. And have them do it all. And I mean all. Several things in your post show that you have no business attempting to do this and you could very well be taken advantage of.

 

[Cupcake143]

Thank you so much everyone for your responses back!! They all were very helpful, glad I don’t owe him anything!

 

[1ke]

. . . Not sure where you’re posting from , but here (north of the 49th) “detailing” a car simply means giving it a thorough cleaning - inside and out.

Yes, that’s what it means in the States too. Detailing a car is something all dealerships do and is not special, nor is it anything the salesman did himself. And it sure doesn’t cost $500. .