Lexus of Pembroke Pines

The following episode is a classic example of the Bait and Switch sales technique---Dangle an attractive offer in front of a prospective buyer. When the customer expresses an interest in the product, come up with a reason why the it won't work, and suggest another offer that is more lucrative to the seller. Lexus of Pembroke Pines has an ongoing agreement with the Costco Auto Purchase Program. I had emailed Costco about the agreement and they responded by giving me the names of eight Pembroke/Lexus employees who are experienced with the procedure. I would be able to save several thousand dollars by using the Costco Program. I arrived at the dealership with the full expectation that Pembroke/Lexus would use the Costco Auto Purchase Program. But the upper management at Pembroke/Lexus had other plans. The Finance Manager and the Sales manager steadfastly refused to use the Costco Program, even though Pembroke/Lexus had an established agreement with Costco. We went round and round over the subject. Regardless of how I phrased my request, they refused to even look into the matter. I placed the names of the eight Costco-enabled Pembroke/Lexus employees in front of the Finance Manager. He refused to acknowledge it. (The original salesman wasn't present for this part of the negotiation) The Finance Manager always had the same response---"We do not accept the Costco discount for that automobile." The finance manager left the room to confer with the General Manager. He came back with the same response. I had already paid a $1,000 deposit for this specific automobile. I even specified the VIN number. In addition, I had traveled 134 miles to complete the sale. (My granddaughter was with me, and she would drive my old vehicle back home.) I'm 88 years old and grow weary of such obfuscation. They said no in dozens of different ways. My only alternative was to cancel the entire procedure, possibly lose $1,000 and go home. I was negotiating from a position of weakness. After two hours of haggling, I capitulated. I accepted the financing terms with the Toyota/Lexus financing company. The interest rate was 7 percent, which was high even for the circumstances. My credit score with Experian was extremely high, at 874, out of 900 maximum, and Lexus knew that. I was willing to put down $15,000 and finance the remainder. Pembroke/Lexus gave me a $1,000 "military discount". But the salesman, who was low man on the supervisory totem pole, gave a more honest and naive answer---"It's a discount for financing with Lexus." One hand gives and the other takes away. Technically, I could have chosen one of several finance companies on their acceptable list, but the timing was wrong. It was something that I would have had to arrange in advance. I didn't have the strength to go through the ordeal again. I fervently hope that I will never see Pmbroke/Lexus again.