Hendrick of Cary

In my car quest, Hendrick Pre-​Owned was dealership #6 that I visited. Came here on a whim with my «car buying husband» Matt on February 17^th after finding out that Auto Park Honda down the road was not for me. Lou Long greeted us, but not in the usual vulture car salesman manner. We told him what we were looking for in terms of a crossover vehicle, price range, mileage, and that I had my own financing. Unlike some of the other dealers, this didn’t seem to phase him or put him off.
He suggested a Pontiac Vibe, which I wasn’t a fan of because of my concerns over the stability of Pontiac. He seemed to want to lecture me on the pros of a Vibe and I told him that I didn’t like his tone, but I listened. We found a couple other cars and noted that there wasn’t too much on the lot (in my parameters) so we went inside to browse online. He mentioned that they could bring cars from other locations if some paperwork is completed to make the transfer. OK…
The next day (Friday) I emailed him inquiring for a status on the Honda CRV we’d found in Wilmington and mentioned a Vibe I’d read about and may be interested in. I’d done my research and thought maybe a Vibe would work for me. At the very end of the day he said he’d get back to me the next day. Nothing on Saturday so on Sunday I sent an email asking for an update. He called and said that apparently the CRV had been sold. We talked about the Vibe. He said if I came in the next day I could fill out paperwork for the transfer, but was under no obligation to actually buy the car. I agreed and returned on Monday, February 21^st.
We talked numbers. They agreed to pay off my car and bring the Vibe to me. I had to fill out paperwork for transferring my car to them. I contemplated financing with them so I let them run my credit and went to meet with Micah in finance even though I already had my own financing ready. He seemed relatable and fairly understanding. Then I began to get suspicious that they were actually lining me up to buy the car, when I hadn’t even seen it. I left and saw that Lou had already taken my tags off and put dealer tags on my car which was quite upsetting. I put a halt on that one quickly! He didn’t even wait for me to make a final decision. Pretty shady Lou. I called the dealership once I got home to confirm whether or not a purchase was in process. The answer was no, but they would not transfer the vehicle unless I was buying the car. I rarely even buy a dress off the Internet (much less in a store without trying it on) so why on earth would I buy a car I hadn’t seen?!?
Clearly there were a number of miscommunications going on here. I emailed Lou and told him that doing business with him and Hendrick Pre-​Owned was certainly not in my best interest if they could not communicate clearly with me and I could not trust them.