Before visiting Pathway Hyundai in Ottawa on March 7th, I - 123
Before visiting Pathway Hyundai in Ottawa on March 7th, I spent several hours negotiating via text for a used 2025 Elantra.
Immediately upon arrival, I was told another customer was interested in buying the vehicle. Since this was my first time driving this model, I insisted on a test drive before making any decisions. Before my test drive, I offered to have my driver’s license verified or copied, but the sales representative declined. While I hold a valid license, I am concerned that allowing a test drive without verifying a license does not follow standard safety and insurance procedures, and could pose a liability risk.
I then drove the vehicle through a mix of highways, arterial roads, and residential streets in rainy conditions to properly evaluate the vehicle’s performance. I also throughly inspected the exterior and undercarriage, as well as testing the vehicle’s tech features.
During the drive, I received a text from the sale’s rep saying “car just sold”. From the time I received the text until I returned the car and left, the sales rep did not show or offer any other vehicles. After investing over two hours of travel time, I walked out feeling disrespected and dismissed. After I left, the sales rep texted about the length of my test drive, which I interpreted as annoyance.
While selling to the first signing customer is legal, the subsequent behavior of the dealership, in my opinion, was unprofessional. Despite the sales rep claiming 15 years of experience, in my opinion, the handling of this interaction fell far short of the integrity, tact, and judgment one would expect.
If you value transparency, internal dealership communication, and respect, I strongly caution against doing business with this dealership.
Read More