‘He was playing me,’ fumes driver after dealership tried to charge her $550 for $100 service – the ‘pink tax’ is real

A TIKTOKER vented to her thousands of followers about a car salesman trying to apply the “pink tax” to her dealership experience.

She called him out on the inflated price, which made him visibly nervous.

Tiktok /vitamincierra

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Cierra, a TikToker (@ vitamincierra ), told her over 2,000 followers an enraging story of her recent experience at an Infiniti dealership.

In the video , she said she went to a dealership after knowing exactly what she wanted at the price she could afford.

“I walked into an Infiniti dealership knowing exactly what I wanted. They had a Q50 advertised in my budget on their website at that location,” she explained.

“When I get there, they don’t even have the car. I don’t know if they ever had the car.”

She said that’s when she knew something was up.

The salesman told her there was a different Q50 on the lot, and she agreed to look at it – but was firm on not letting the salesman know she intended to pay cash.

Cierra said the car was everything she wanted, as it was in perfect condition, and had all the features she wanted, so she was eager to buy it.

Then trouble began brewing in the finance office.

“We get to his office and he gives me a price that’s $5,000 more than the advertised price,” she said.

“I understand taxes, I understand dealer fees, and everything else… So I asked him, ‘Why is the price $2,000 more than what we just looked at?'”

She said his answer, being that it was due to her zip code, was “complete BS” as zip codes only affect taxes.

Suddenly, he offered her $1,000 off the price for being loyal to the brand and another $1,000 if she financed through the dealership – something she didn’t want to do.

“Basically he said he’d go back to the original price… I laughed at him and called him out, like, okay, let’s move on to the next random fee,” she said.

She also explained that he tried to tack on a delivery fee even though she planned to drive it off the lot, which she also quickly called out and dismissed.

Dealership Tips

Here are some expert tips when purchasing a car from a dealership lot:

• 1. Set your price: Ensure you’ve calculated your monthly budget before going to the lot. You should include the car’s loan payment, insurance costs, fuel, and regular maintenance.
• 2. Research: Make sure you know which cars you’re interested in test driving before you reach the dealership.
• 3. Pre-approval: Secure financing before you go to the dealership. Dealerships may give you a better interest rate if they are competing with an outside bank.
• 4. Test away: Get behind the wheel before making any payments. A car purchase will be worth thousands of dollars – drivers should ensure they like the drivetrain, steering feel, and comfort of the car before taking it off the lot
• 5. Haggle: Drivers should always try to negotiate the price. There are so many good cars on the American market – buyers have a strong hand when negotiating price.

Source: Kelley Blue Book

Then he tried to charge her $550 for the tag and title.

She explained she already had a tag, so he agreed to discount it by $200.

“A title transfer does not cost $350. It costs $100,” she explained.

“I understand he has to eat, and he’s trying to make the commission, but don’t do that. Don’t jack up the price and then try to make it seem like you’re giving me a deal.”

Cierra said she gave him a cash price she was willing to pay, and he wasn’t willing to honor it – and that he was sweating.

She encouraged him to speak to the sales manager, and he wouldn’t do it.

She figured her calling him out on every bogus fee made him nervous, and that she knew he was “playing her.”

“He didn’t want to let the sales manager know that he bombed it,” she said.

Her viewers in the comments figured he was trying to apply the “pink tax,” which refers to a product being more expensive when marketed to women.

The assumption is that women are clueless about the buying process, or want products that are “prettier,” hence why pink razors tend to be more expensive than razors marketed to men.

VIEWER’S REACTIONS

Another woman in the comments said she foiled a salesman’s attempt to overcharge her and was forced to leave.

“I’m in finance. I did the math myself in front of the salesman and it was off by $2,000,” the viewer wrote.

“They kicked me out.”

Cierra responded that she too was a “numbers girl,” and that knowledge was power.

I understand [the salesman] has to eat, and he’s trying to make the commission, but don’t do that. Don’t jack up the price and then try to make it seem like you’re giving me a deal.

Cierra TikToker

A different female commenter wrote how drastically her price changed when she tried to buy a car .

“I went to look at a used 2015 VW Beetle that was $7,995 and wanted to finance and by the time we finished talking the car was $16,300,” she wrote.

Another woman wrote that she’s been to several dealerships because she won’t budge.

“I have walked out of several dealerships in the middle of the deal because they want to play games,” she wrote.

“I tell them upfront I’m not here to play games, I want to see the numbers.”