An Acura dealership refused to budge on a price difference that could have closed the deal. When they finally changed their mind less than 24 hours later, they learned an expensive lesson about timing and customer service. In a video with more than 204,000 views, content creator Jackie Reinhart (@jackrein316) shares the frustrating story of trying to lease a car at the advertised price. Reinahrt explains that she and her husband were looking to buy a new car and had determined that leasing made sense for their situation because they wanted a secondary vehicle for a certain number of years and weren't going to put a lot of miles on it. After researching lease options online, she found what appeared to be the best deal on an Acura. "We kind of thought that that was out of our budget for this car, and so we were kind of excited," she explains in the video. She screenshot the deal, called the dealership, and made an appointment. Before heading over, she told her husband, who was going first, to make sure the dealership would honor the advertised lease deal. When her husband arrived and showed the salesperson the deal, he was told, "Yes, that's the deal." OWNERSHIP STORIES Viral stories from across the web Our team of experts tracks what owners are saying about car-shopping, repairs, the daily driving experience and more on social media. But the minute Reinhart arrived with their two kids, everything changed. "It's not that deal," her husband told her. She says the dealership was adding an extra $3,000 to the total cost, or about $185 more per month. Focusing on Total Price, Not Monthly Payments Reinhart emphasizes an important principle for car shopping: don't think about the monthly price, think about the price out the door. When the salesperson asked what monthly payment she wanted, she pushed back. "It doesn't matter what the monthly cost is. It doesn't matter. I just wanna know what the price is, and this is what the lease said, and now you're taking on this much money," she says she told the salesperson. Reinhart says that the salesperson admitted it wasn't the deal she'd seen online. She thinks the dealership was clearly hoping they'd like the car enough to just accept the higher price. And they did like it—"we were, like, really, really thinking, like, this could be our car"—but they couldn't justify the price difference. The Manager's 'Better Deal' While Reinhart was calling another dealership to compare options, the salesperson reportedly brought over his manager, whom Reinhart describes as "super smarmy." "What if I told you I could get you into the next level car?" he supposedly asked, suggesting the bigger version might have better incentives. Reinhart was skeptical. "You're telling me that the bigger version of this car is gonna be cheaper?" she says she asked. The manager reportedly left to "check the numbers." When he returned, Reinhart says he presented what he claimed was a great deal—except it cost significantly more. "This is more money. Like, a lot more money. Like, the equivalent of a bigger car money," Reinhart says in the post. The manager reportedly tried to spin it as a better deal because they'd be "saving 30% on MSRP," but Reinhart wasn't having it. "I don't want a bigger car. We actually don't want the bigger car. And I thought you were gonna come back with something cheaper,” she says she replied. After nearly two hours at the dealership with their kids "going nuts" and dinnertime approaching, they were still $1,500 over the advertised website price, so they left. Gallery: 2026 Acura Integra Dealership Calls As they packed up to leave, Reinhart's husband made one final offer to the manager: "You take it down that $1,500,” she recalls him saying. “We will sign right now. Like, we like this car. We wanna do this with you. We wanna work with you. Just bring it to the price that's on the website." "I can't do it. I really can't," the manager replied, per Reinhart. So they left and headed to a Subaru dealership next door to look at a Crosstrek, the car they'd planned to check out the next day anyway. The next morning, the Acura dealership purportedly called her husband and said they were now willing to come down in price. Not the full $1,500, but about $1,200, leaving them only $300 over the advertised price. But it was too late. "I already found another car," the couple informed the dealership. "This is the financially responsible decision." While her husband "really wanted the Acura," Reinhart had chosen a Subaru, even though it was a "car that we don't love driving." In the caption on her post, she explains their calculus. "Getting the Acura was going to be an extra $140 a month and we just thought about, are we going to $140 'like' this car when we drive it once a week,” Reinhart writes. “They lost a sale but it saved us thousands.” The dealership's refusal to honor the advertised price cost them a sale, according to her. If they'd agreed just 12-18 hours earlier, they would have closed the deal. "I think car dealerships can be so sketchy even when, like, you follow all the rules that we're supposed to follow," she concludes. How Much Does Bait-and-Switch Pricing Cost Consumers? Reinhart's alleged experience at the Acura dealership is a textbook example of what's known as "bait-and-switch pricing.” According to CoPilot, 71% of used car buyers in the United States are bait and switched on price. The practice amounts to an $11.8 billion problem annually. Bait-and-switch pricing works exactly as Reinhart described: dealers advertise a lower price to "bait" consumers into visiting the dealership, then "switch" to a higher out-the-door purchase price. This happens through illegitimate and excessive fees and add-ons for equipment or services that weren't requested or included in the advertised price. According to CoPilot, 71% of domestic brand purchases (Ford, GM, Chevrolet) had hidden fees averaging $885, while 64% of foreign brand purchases (Honda, Toyota, Kia) had hidden fees averaging $852. Even luxury brands weren't immune, with 39% of purchases showing hidden fees averaging $426. CoPilot emphasizes this isn't about individual shady salespeople, it's the dealer business model itself. During COVID, car shortages drove up prices and dealer profits substantially. New car prices are now $49,667, up 29% since the start of the pandemic, while used car prices sit at $26,715, up 18% since March 2020. Dealers became accustomed to record profits during 2021 and 2022, and despite supply rebounding in 2023, they're unwilling to give up those margins. New car prices fell by just 1% in 2024. With the overturn of the FTC's rule in 2024 that would have mandated transparent vehicle pricing and limited hidden fees, consumers are left without strong protections. CoPilot recommends getting the out-the-door price in writing before visiting a dealership, researching average fees for your state, and being prepared to negotiate or walk away. Are People Frustrated With Sales Tactics? “Dealerships need to be fined for not honoring online deals/online prices. The fact that we let dealers get away with blatant advertising fraud is insane. Any fees that can’t be removed need to be included in the advertised price,” a top comment reads. “I say this all the time: Costco auto. The price you get on their site is what you pay at the dealership. Costco will call you after you purchase to make sure the price you pay is what you got quoted for. They’ll remove the dealership from their network if they did anything shady,” a second recommended. “Thank you for standing on price. This is how we'll get businesses to stop gouging us,” another wrote. Via email, Reinhart told Motor1, "For context, the deal was online and then even printed out the online offer to show how the were allowed to add to the price. I’d add that the manager cost his dealership and his salesperson money by waiting until the next morning to call and offer the price they could have agreed on the night before." "Also the comments on the video made me realize we made the right decision," she added. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
+24 others
