Image Credit: numba1customeradvocate / TikTok.Every once in a while, a car sales story comes along that makes you wonder who's really in the driver's seat during a negotiation, and this one's a doozy. A Mazda salesman out in San Leandro, California recently posted a video venting about a customer who booked an appointment, negotiated hard on price, and then never actually bought the car herself. Instead, her boyfriend showed up to sign the papers.The salesman, who goes by numba1customeradvocate on TikTok, called it a "catfish." A woman named Isabel scheduled the appointment, confirmed she'd be there, and pushed him for his best out-the-door number. Only after all that haggling did it come out that Isabel wasn't the one driving off in the new Mazda. Her boyfriend was.Now, if you've ever bought a car, you know the sales floor can feel like a chess match where only one side knows all the rules. So it's not exactly shocking that buyers have started finding creative ways to even the odds. Whether Isabel and her boyfriend planned this out over dinner the night before or she just happens to be the better negotiator in the relationship, the strategy worked. The dealer had already committed to a price, and that price stuck.AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat's funny is that the comment section didn't exactly side with the salesman. A lot of folks pointed out this isn't catfishing so much as it is just... negotiating. And honestly, they've got a point worth digging into.Wait, Is This Actually A Scam?Here's the thing. Calling this a "catfish" implies there was some kind of deception designed to hurt the dealership. But nobody lied about the car, the price, or the terms. Isabel just handled the negotiating while her boyfriend handled the buying. That's not exactly bank fraud, that's more like sending your buddy who happens to be a mechanic to look at a used truck before you commit. People delegate. It happens.One commenter on the video, a guy named Victor, asked the obvious question: Why would it matter whether the buyer ends up being male or female? The dealership doesn't have to sell the car to whoever negotiated it. If the numbers work, the numbers work.It's definitely not a scam. And I'm saying that because I've done something similar myself. I have gone to a car mechanic with a friend and claimed they were my husband. The presence of a man makes them much less likely to make sketchy estimates. Hey, if people want to be sexist, I have the right to "catfish" them with a fake husband! Turns Out, This Is Just... How You're Supposed To Do ItHere's the part that probably stings a little for our friend in San Leandro. Locking in an out-the-door price over the phone before ever stepping onto the lot is a tactic that groups like Consumer Reports have recommended to car buyers for years. It keeps a salesperson from steering the conversation toward monthly payments, financing tricks, or add-ons you never asked for. Isabel wasn't running a con.AdvertisementAdvertisementShe was doing exactly what savvy buyers are told to do, she just happened to do it on someone else's behalf.Dealerships Play This Game TooA few commenters didn't hold back, either. One flat out compared the move to bait-and-switch tactics some dealerships use themselves, and another simply said "y'all do the same thing." The salesman pushed back, saying that at least when he calls, he's not pretending to be someone named Brenda. Fair enough. But it does raise a decent point: negotiating tactics tend to look a lot less shady when you're the one using them.At the end of the day, the Mazda got sold, the dealership honored its price, and somewhere out there, a boyfriend is driving around in a car his girlfriend negotiated better than he probably could have. That's not a catfish. That's just teamwork.If you want more stories like this, follow Guessing Headlights on Yahoo so you don't miss what's coming next.
