Why I like OMVIC

Posted by on April 21, 2010 · Leave a Comment 

This is the second time that OMVIC helps me out. If you ever bought a car in Canada, chances are that you had problems with dealerships. I had at least two:

  • My friend signed a lease for a used car and left a $1000 deposit with the dealership. When time came, sales person contacted him. He said that the car was ready, the only problem, however, was that the bank hasn’t approved my friend’s credit at the initial leasing rate but was willing to go with a higher rate, effectively increasing the monthly payments. My friend didn’t like the idea so he asked for his money back. Dealership refused: they claimed losses because ‘they’ve already spent money to prepare the car’ and only agreed to return around $300.

I called OMVIC and chatted with a representative for about ten minutes. Resolution: the dealership must return amount in full since they weren’t able to honour the original deal. Even though the general manager told me that he ‘had his ways with OMVIC’, the day I sent him a registered letter saying I will file a complaint with OMVIC he called me back asking to come and collect the deposit.

  • I signed a lease agreement for my car in March. When the time came to pick it up (April), the sales representative called me and said that everything was fine, except for one little problem: the dealership doesn’t have the rebate programs that were in place in March available anymore (those were mentioned in my contract). Therefore, I must either add a $1000 to my down payment, or add $10 extra to my monthly payments if I still want the car.

I called OMVIC and they’ve told me that the dealership is not allowed to break off the contract once it has been signed and my credit has been approved. They must sell me the car at the price stated in the contract. If they refuse to do that, I can take them to court. I had a long conversation with the dealership right afterwards. Resolution: I am picking up my car on Saturday and the dealership did agree to honour the price.

It’s nice when somebody actually has your interests at mind.

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