HOW DO I KEEP FROM BEING RIPPED OFF OR TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF AT THE CAR DEALERSHIP?

Many women and consumers in general fear being ripped off at the car dealership and it's true that there has been cases of dealer fraud. As a matter of fact, Car-Buy-Her recently did a segment on Auto Estrogen Live with two guest attorneys covering that topic. It's sad and frustrating when this happens and it doesn't just happen at the dealership, they can happen when buying from a private party as well. Here we will cover things to be mindful of when going into the dealership.

First and foremost consider the car dealership and the sales person. If you get red flags when you go into a dealership don't hesitate to leave. If possible, try to get referrrals from family, friends, or co-workers.

Also, try going online and searching dealership websites. If you see something you like call the dealership or send an email and see what kind of response you get. This is a good way to determine how the dealership treats customers. To give you an example, a woman searching for a car found one online. She went to the dealership and the car was gone. She searched the site again and found that the car was still listed, at least a car that looked like the one she wanted, except it was several thousand dollars more. She contacted the dealership to find out if the car was still available and if the car that was now posted the same car. If it was, then she wanted to know why it was now listed for several thousand dollars more. The internet salesperson took her number but didn't call back. Perhaps he got busy and forgot. Perhaps he didn't. The bottom line is he didn't call back which seems to say either 1.) something strange was going on or 2.) they're too busy to contact perspective customers. Either of which is not a good sign.

You want to make sure you do good research and homework before going to a dealership. This way you know if something doesn't sound right.

If you don't feel respected while there or if the dealership is not being forthcoming with your questions, these are also red flags.

Don't make spontaneous decisions. Take your time to consider your options and the car you're looking at. If you feel pressured or rushed this is also a red flag.

Pay attention to contracts. Be weary if a dealership doesn't give you a copy, leaves spaces blank and things of that nature.

Don't be afraid to shop by yourself but take someone with you if you're more comfortable. This person can help you maintain balance and not make decisions out of emotion.

You might also want to check dealerships out by contacting the Better Business Bureau and seeing if there are complaints and another resource is mydealerreport.com, a site in which consumers rate dealerships.

You can also read this article on some common dealership scams.