According to a woman on Reddit, a car dealership forced her to accept a white vehicle she never wanted or face having it towed away, in what she and her husband allege is a case of bait and switch. Comments, however, can’t decide whether she or the dealership is in the wrong.
The incident began when the woman purchased what she believed to be a gray 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan. She found out later that the dealership had registered her as the buyer of a white one instead. According to a Reddit post, the buyer and her husband visited the dealership after a cold call about trading in their old car. They chose a gray Tiguan she loved, but couldn’t finalize the sale that day because of income verification issues. She returned later with a co-signer, signed the documents electronically, and drove off in the gray car she had chosen.
Issues with the VIN
A week later, however, the dealership contacted her claiming that she needed to return to “sign new paperwork.” When she asked why, she was told the contract had VIN errors and listed a white Tiguan—not the gray one she’d taken home.
She insisted she never wanted the white car and would’ve walked away if that were the only option, but the finance manager allegedly became aggressive.
He called her at work, threatening to tow the gray car if she didn’t return and accept the white one. Her frustration grew when she later discovered the registration paperwork was wrong, meaning she’d been driving with false documents.
Feeling cornered, she went back and was pressured into driving off in the white Tiguan. She now believes the dealership intentionally swapped her into a cheaper car while charging the same price.
The online debate: bait-and-switch or buyer responsibility?
The story quickly divided Reddit users over who was actually at fault. Some commenters argued that the issue came down to buyer negligence, not dealer misconduct. One user wrote, “They put the wrong VIN on the paperwork. They notified her. She refused to return or work it out. She has now stolen that vehicle. Take it back, fix the paperwork, or don’t buy. Next time read the documents you sign. Not bait and switch. You’d get laughed out of court.”
Others took the opposite stance, suggesting the dealer’s actions were deeply unethical and possibly illegal. “They gave her the wrong car, with the wrong VIN. She said she didn’t want the white Tiguan. She could’ve avoided the trouble by checking the VIN, sure—but if your dealership operates in a way that forces customers to double-check your work to avoid being tricked, something’s wrong. Their attitude absolutely suggests a bait and switch,” another commenter wrote.
In response to criticism, the original poster clarified that his wife never refused to return the car. “She already has, actually,” he wrote. “They did not just put the wrong VIN. We were never buying a white VW—only a gray one. I truly believe they tricked her into buying a cheaper car for more money. They promised the gray and gave her the white a week later along with pressure and threats.”
The case highlights just how easily confusion—or manipulation—can occur in car purchases that involve complex paperwork. A simple error, like an incorrect VIN or vehicle description, can snowball into a legal and ethical nightmare if the dealer uses it as leverage against the buyer.
While it’s true that customers should verify every detail before signing, dealerships also carry the responsibility of ensuring that contracts reflect the correct vehicle and that buyers are treated fairly. In this case, the aggressive behavior and the alleged tow-truck threat raise serious concerns about professionalism and consumer rights.
