A family-owned business in Pinellas County, Florida is promoting its vehicle trade-in option for consumers as a controversial buying system that does away with the traditional method of trading-in used cars for newer models.
The business in question, OfferMORE, is asking everyday drivers to get appraisals from high-volume dealerships with the intent of beating them with higher offers.
“Many car dealerships are not happy with these specialists as their strategies take advantage of their vehicle appraisals in order to minimize costs, allowing for room for the higher offer,” said OfferMORE, adding that the tactic is legal in the U.S.
“Dealerships take the time to carefully inspect a vehicle and armed with this thorough analysis are they able purchase vehicles while maintaining a solid profit margin for resale,” said OfferMORE. But when selling a car, the business said the seller has the legal right to do “whatever possible” to find the best price.
The business argues that, although it may be operating in an ethical grey area for this type of business, consumers are bound to be pleased with its car-selling option. It’s a tactic appears to fall outside of the concept of “fair game” and may leave many dealers frustrated.
The move points to the importance for dealers to improve transparency, efficiency, and the overall customer experience to build brand (or dealership-specific) loyalty and maintain healthy trade-in profits.
