I was in the market for a BYD Seal 5 dynamic last May. I was looking to replace my 11yr old car with something practical and economical like most sensible people would. I decided to go with BYD’s PHEV sedan for P948,000 with a P50,000 discount, making my out the door price at P898,000. Which was a fantastic deal on paper for a plug-in hybrid that includes a portable and wall charger. I was required to make a P5,000 deductable deposit as a reservation fee which I paid right after my test drive.
They said their stocks will arrive in a week or two but were vague on whether my reservation would guarantee me a car when said stocks arrive. Nor would they tell me where I was in the queue. Which was fine, The worst case scenario is I buy from another branch. Fast forward to the last week of May, my sales agent informed me that their price had increased to P958,000. They hid behind the fine print stating that prices were subject to change without prior notice. It irked me but I stayed the course.
Then earlier today, my sales agent called me again to inform me that their cash discount went down from P50,000 to P20,000…. And that their stocks will be arriving this week, and I can probably get one by next week.
That was the final straw for me. I put up with their stock issues and price increase even after making a deposit prior to the increase. Not to mention their scare tactic statements like if I use an unaffiliated installer for their wall charger (which they charge about P25,000 to do) it “may” void your warranty. But the way they can just change their terms seemingly on a whim just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I know there is no binding agreement between me paying for a reservation and them changing details after the fact, but for me the spirit of the agreement was broken.
If it’s this hard buying from them, I wouldn’t want to be in a position where I would need to ask after sales support from them. After buying and owning 7 cars in my lifetime this has been hands down my worst experience by far. Mind you I reached out to several dealerships from Value Sales Inc., AC Mobility, Solar Transport to Wheeltek.
I know they’re popular now, probably for a good reason which could explain my experience. I guess my values just don’t align with their company and my business to them is inconsequential that they can afford to conduct themselves that way.
…I’ll just wait 5 to 8 business days to get my paltry P5,000 back.