“I was promised a car…”
Shopping for a new car can be exciting. Or it can be unbearable. One woman says that her car shopping experience was ruined by a salesman playing games.
In a TikTok with over 10,800 views as of this writing, Penny (@appleuser3.14159265) reveals how excited she was to be a first time car buyer—and how that all turned sour due to dealership workers playing games.
Penny was looking for a black 2026 Toyota Camry SE Blackout. She wasn’t having any luck finding one until she stumbled across a similar one on a dealership’s website. It was a 2025 with 12,000 miles that to her looked basically good as new. Penny submitted an inquiry for the Camry and the dealership told her to come on in.
“It was at a good price. If I can get that, I’m buying it,” she says.
However, when she arrived, there was confusion about the listing. She says a salesman told her that the website had errors and that the 2025 Camry wasn’t there. Then Penny says the Toyota salesman tried to show her different vehicles instead.
“Nope. I’m here for that one car. So he’s like yeah we don’t know where it’s at,” she continues.
After walking around the lot, Penny says she found the 2025 Camry in the back.
“This is the exact car that has 12,000 miles that y’all say didn’t exist,” Penny says she told the salesman.
She asked for the keys and says the salesman refused to hand them over, telling her that someone else was in the process of buying the Camry.
“Crazy cause 9:00 this morning you said this car didn’t exist… but now is getting bought” she recalls saying.
Penny was told the people came 20 minutes before her. Disappointed, she decided to go to another dealership.
But before she left, she says the salesman offered her a trade from another dealership for the Camry she wanted.
The only problem was that Camry was out of her budget and the dealership wouldn’t budge on price.
So she left. Or started to. That’s when she says a sales manager came out to try to negotiate.
“Miraculously we can come down on a price,” Penny says.
The dealership started the trade process and Penny went to financing. A few days later, she returned to pick her Camry—only to find out the wrong car had been delivered.
She says the Toyota dealership claimed the car is the same but the interior was different, which was a dealbreaker for Penny.
“I want that premium system okay,” she says.
Next she says the dealership tried to blame Penny for providing the wrong VIN. The sales manager purportedly assured her they could get the right one, which was in Mississippi.
Likely having lost all trust in their process. Penny Googled the VIN and learned the vehicle was in Louisiana. Nevertheless, she decided to let it go.
Then a few more days went by with no word about the Camry.
At this point, Penny took matters into her own hands and contacted the dealership in Louisiana. She provided a stock number and says a Toyota worker confirmed that the vehicle was still in the lot. Penny says she shared her dilemma with AllStar Toyota Baton Rouge, which she says had the Camry she wanted, and asked what was possible.
“I explained to him everything. How I was promised a car that they traded from y’all, but apparently they didn’t. They deliver the wrong car and I just want the car that’s on your lot,” she explains.
“Yeah we can get it delivered to you,” the salesman shares.
Penny sent over all the existing paperwork and AllStar Toyota Baton Rouge was able to mostly match the numbers. They were also able to finalize the sale virtually and informed Penny the vehicle would get delivered the next day, which she says did happen.
Buying a car can be a stressful, time-consuming process; more so if you’re looking for something extremely specific. In these situations, a dealership may be able to trade with another one to get you that dream car. Dealerships have an exclusive search tool that can specify all the features you’re looking for, Edmunds reports, which can make it easier for them to find exactly what you’re looking for.
You may have to put a deposit down to secure a dealer trade. But all price negotiations should be concluded before the trade is submitted and agreed to.
According to J.D Power, the pros of a dealer trade is that they are simple, convenient, and fast.
However, there are some cons to doing a dealer trade. Arguably most importantly, it may cost more. Transportation costs and finders fee may be added to the bill. And it might not even be possible. Trades will be dependent on inventory and if the car you are seeking is popular, the other dealership may not want to do the trade.
Many viewers couldn’t believe the Toyota dealership so thoroughly bungled a potential sale.
“They really played… like for what though?” one commenter wrote.
“Don’t let them dealership play with you. Be ready to walk away if you don’t get what you want. They are playing games with you,” another added.
A third agreed, “Them playing games took away from the experience but congrats on getting what you want.”
Other viewers confirmed how frustrating car shopping can be.
“Car dealerships are so annoying,” one complained.
Another said, “I would’ve asked for someone else.”
Penny’s refusal to back down earned praise in the comments. One said: “Period. Don’t settle. Get what you want.”
Motor1 has contacted Penny via TikTok direct message and commented on the post. Allstar Toyota Baton Rouge has been contacted by online submission form. This post will be updated if either party replies.
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