Disappointing Experience with Hoopers Volkswagen - Lack of Transparency and Dishonesty

I had a very disappointing experience with Hoopers Volkswagen, and I feel compelled to share it. I came across a vehicle listed on their site and was contacted by one of their dealers after inquiring. We discussed my interest in purchasing the car, and he requested several documents, which I promptly sent via WhatsApp. He then conducted a hard inquiry on my credit profile.

The next day, instead of Sizwe reaching out to me, I had to call him to follow up. He mentioned that my loan was approved by their internal finance, and I was asked to make a deposit of R18,000. While I was willing to pay, Sizwe assured me he would try to negotiate for a lower deposit and get back to me. Unfortunately, this “negotiation” turned out to be an excuse to look for another buyer, as he never contacted me again.

To my shock, the following evening, I checked their site and saw that the vehicle I was interested in had been marked as sold. They ran a hard credit check on my profile without completing the sale or informing me of any changes. This has now impacted my credit score unnecessarily.

The dealership showed a severe lack of communication, transparency, and honesty. Their enthusiasm when first contacting me was misleading and ultimately felt like a ploy. Based on this experience, I urge potential buyers to be cautious when dealing with Hoopers Volkswagen and to take other negative reviews seriously.