$1000 of deposit

 

With AmEx, all I told them was the terms of the deal changed and I would like to dispute the charge. They said, no problem.

You need to presnt your argument in the best light.

Simply disputing the charge, even if the credit card cannot pull back the funds will get your dealer's attention. I would dispute and put the pressure on the dealer to fill out the paper work for the disputed charge. I am sure you will get an immediate call.

 

MiniR60S, Mini and the dealer are testing you to see if you will back down, and you need to show them you are not going to. The fact that your contract with the dealer mentions nothing about the coupon is irrelvant. Send a certified letter addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of Mini USA (with a certified copy to the dealer) stating that you attended the TDTD event because the ad included the offer of $750 off, the ad mentioned no such restriction, you accepted their offer by attending, you have the certificate that mentions no such restriction, the dealer (mention the name of the person that told you and the date) previously told you they would honor the certificate, and that if they won't honor what is clearly a perfectly valid certificate, you will legally enforce their obligation to honor it by suing both Mini and the dealer to complete the transaction with the certificate, and reimburse you for your legal costs to bring the lawsuit. If you give them the chance to get away with this, you can certainly assume they will. So far as you credit card company, you need to send a letter (not call them) to fully protect yourself under the federal credit card laws. The letter should state that you want the deposit canceled because Mini and the dealer refuse to honor the certificate (enclose a copy of the certificate) because they are making up the excuse that the certificate does not apply to cars that were already ordered (as they can clearly see given that you've furnished them with a copy of the certificate).

 

$750 is worth making an effort. You can accept the car at any time. I would make them sweat.

 

Thanks Shark and Brian for your suggestions. Sorry to tell you that I gave in and took delivery of my order. My MA said he would call his local area rep next week and see what they would say, don't have too much expectation. I've asked my MA to send me documentation from MINI stating the rules and restrictions of the TDTD certificate. I will write a letter to the CEO of MINI and make a formal complaint. Thanks again!

 

MiniR60S, I wouldn't expect to get much from your letter writing, but it's worth trying. You can try dinging them on the survey (apparently this is a big deal and affects MA salaries as well as dealership car allocations). Or just threaten to ding them on the survey and see if they can make it up to you in some way. Or simply take all your service business to another dealer (if there is another close by). Sorry to hear it didn't work out for you, and I do think they treated you poorly.

 

Well, it looks like My CM should arrive before the 2nd. I emailed my MA to let them know.

We agreed on a price & agreed that if the car came after the 2nd(we figured no way it was gonna make by the 2nd), that since I would not be able to apply my cert after the 2nd, that they would throw in a few extras(we wrote this down).
Well, now they are switching up the story, saying my negotiated price included the discount already, etc.
They are unhappy with their deal & are trying to renegotiate since it now looks like I will be able to use my cert for an additional $750.
I explained how they were confused. It's bordering a future ugly situation that I have clearly made my MA aware of. The discount applies or I walk, I call corporate & simply order a 13' from another dealer while they let my built to spec car sit on their lot. I am not renegotiating, I am getting my Cert. applied.

Updates to come in aprox 2 wks.

 

I ordered mine on May 7th and attended event two weeks later.
Picked up my car and no problem with discount. They had it on sheet before I even arrived to finalize.
Hope it works out for those having problems!

 

Do you have a written sales contract with the dealer? What does it say?