Mitsubishi Motors Misleads Prices with Website and Advertising
Mitsubishi Motors advertising presents an Eclipse Cross at an advertised price of $34,438 at Motorcity Mitsubushi in Whitby and depicts/describes a vehicle that appears to be the GT. However, when I attempted to obtain the vehicle represented in the advertisement at the advertised price, there was no acknowledgement that this is a serious error and they claim just a third party software mishap.
This is not simply a matter of a consumer misunderstanding a price. The advertisement creates a reasonable impression that a particular vehicle configuration is available for the advertised price when, in fact, it is not. The distinction between the advertised vehicle and the vehicle to which the lower price actually applies is material and directly affects the consumer's purchasing decision.
I find this advertising practice particularly concerning because a consumer could reasonably be attracted to the advertisement based on the lower price, only to discover after making an inquiry or visiting a dealership that the vehicle they believed was being advertised is substantially more expensive. I would have not put a deposit down and would have questioned the integrity of the company and the dealership if I would have seen this beforehand.
I cannot trust this dealership or this brand. If this is the way they way with misleading advertising, I can't even imagine what I will have to contend with when I have a defect or warranty claim with the unfortunate vehicle I put a deposit on. Pursuing the matter now with OMVIC for contravening the Motor Vehicles Dealers Act, Consumer Protection Ontario and the BBB.