Purchasing a used vehicle can be stressful enough without having to worry about whether the dealership will honor its promises after the paperwork is signed. Unfortunately, one Canadian car buyer found themselves in an unusual situation after a dealership refused to complete several agreed-upon repairs and instead offered to reverse the entire transaction.
The buyer took to Reddit’s r/askcarsales community on October 9 to explain what happened after purchasing a used vehicle from a major dealership. According to the post, the original sales manager signed a document promising to address several problems with the car, but the repairs remained incomplete weeks after the sale.
Things became considerably more complicated when the sales manager left the dealership, and a replacement manager suggested canceling the purchase altogether. Rather than completing the promised work, the dealership wanted to take back the recently purchased vehicle and return the customer’s original trade-in.
However, the trade-in had already been sold to another customer before eventually finding its way back to the dealership. The buyer refused to reverse the transaction, only to be told that the original repair agreement wasn’t binding because the dealership’s name or logo didn’t appear on the document.
Dealership Claims Former Manager’s Signed Repair Agreement Isn’t Valid
Embedded Reddit post below; please give it a moment to load completely.
According to the Reddit post, the original sales manager signed paperwork outlining several repairs the dealership had agreed to complete after the vehicle was purchased. The buyer explained that the manager’s signature also appeared on other documents associated with the transaction, making the dealership’s refusal to recognize the repair agreement particularly frustrating.
The situation became even more complicated when the buyer revealed that the former manager had promised additional repairs through text messages after another mechanical problem was discovered before delivery. However, the replacement manager insisted that the customer would lose if they pursued the matter in small claims court and would need to take legal action against the former employee instead.
The buyer questioned whether a dealership could simply disregard commitments made by an employee who had been authorized to complete the original sale. Although the post doesn’t identify the dealership, vehicle, or exact repairs involved, the dispute raises questions about what happens when a business changes management after making written promises to a customer.
Comments and Reactions to Dealership’s Refusal To Honor Repair Promises
Several Reddit users criticized the dealership’s explanation, arguing that the departure of an employee shouldn’t automatically invalidate agreements made while that person represented the business. One commenter wrote, “Yeah, you can’t retroactively void contracts that were signed by someone that dealer ownership authorized to sign in the first place,” while others encouraged the buyer to obtain independent repair estimates before considering legal action.
However, not everyone believed pursuing the dispute was worth the trouble, with one commenter suggesting, “I’d just unwind the deal instead of trying to sue the dealership and waste all you time and money in court.” Another participant recommended returning the recently purchased vehicle and finding a different dealership, although that suggestion raised additional concerns about the condition of the customer’s previously traded-in car.
Interestingly, some commenters were particularly troubled by the fact that the trade-in had already passed through another owner’s hands before being returned. One participant expressed that concern by writing, “I would not want my old car back that was sold to someone else,” highlighting why reversing the transaction might not be as simple as the dealership suggested.