When shopping for a car, getting a good price on your desired vehicle involves a lot more psychological maneuvering than you might expect.
As numerous experts on TikTok have pointed out, a dealership asking you something as innocuous as “When can you come in?” may be a red flag—and if one is interested in having a conversation about their budget, they must be careful with what they say and how they ask their questions if they want a truly helpful answer.
While there’s a fair bit of psychological trickery at work here, there may also be a bit of covert spycraft, warns TikTok user Lyndan (@lyndan99).
Previously, Lyndan sparked discussion after claiming to have caught a dealership raising interest rates. Now, the TikToker has inspired debate after alleging that private conversations in car dealerships might not be as private as one thinks.
“With some dealerships, when you’re in the office and there’s a phone there, whenever they excuse themselves to go get numbers or to take a phone call, a lot of times they are listening to your conversation,” Lyndan alleges. “The phone in that office is a microphone, and they’re learning all about you and what your expectations are.”
Given this, he says that there are ways to game this system to ensure better outcomes for you as a shopper.
“I would say some crazy number I knew they couldn’t reach,” he recounts. “‘We’re not taking this car unless they take $10,000 off the sticker!’—trying to work on their psychology. So what that did was, if they were planning on trying to get me $5,000 over sticker [price] or something like that, they changed the numbers right away and gave me a more reasonable offer.”
The other option, Lyndan says, is to simply excuse oneself into another area.
“One thing you can do is simply get up and walk outside away from the store where no one can hear you,” he details. “You can talk it out on the phone, or with a person you’re with.”
Immediately, commenters became suspicious of how common this practice actually is.
“25 years and franchise dealerships in management I have never in life heard of a dealership listening in by intercom to a customer,” stated a user.
“Literally noone is doing this, but great idea,” added another.
That said, Lyndan insisted it was real, writing in comments that he’s “experienced it.”
“Unfortunately some do, a couple of the dealerships that I worked at did this,” he added. “Or they have another salesman stand close enough to hear u.”
@lyndan99 Dealerships have many tactics to steer you in the direction they want you to go. The more knowledgeable you are the better. Do your research and use these tips or tips you’ve heard to get the best deal! Please Like and follow for more tips! #fyp #tiktokcars #carsoftiktok #carbiz #buyinacar #cartok #carcommunity #Dealership #cartiktok #carsalesman #foryou #foryoupage #foryoupage❤️❤️ #carbuying ♬ original sound – Lyndan C. 🚙That Car Guy
The legality of this is an open question, though it appears doing so would likely be illegal. As noted by NOLO, “Under the federal Wiretap Act, it is illegal for any person to secretly record an oral, telephonic, or electronic communication that other parties to the communication reasonably expect to be private.”
That said, there are exceptions to this rule, and individual instances of what Lyndan is describing would have to be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Other commenters simply spoke to the veracity of this allegation.
“That’s why my wife and I texted each other when they left the room,” said a commenter.
“I know for a fact this is true,” declared a second.
The Daily Do reached out to Lyndan via email.
Update 11:35am CT March 1: In an email to the Daily Dot, Lyndan said he does not know the legality of this practice.
“Some say it’s considered illegal wire tapping but I can’t confirm that,” he wrote.
That said, he noted that car salespeople are very clever with their tactics.
“I believe people don’t notice this type of scam because they typically trust what the sales person and sales manager says. They trust that they can speak openly in an office when the sales person steps out. Listening through the phones intercom seems so outlandish that it wouldn’t even cross most people’s mind,” he explained. “They are very convincing. They are well trained to work on gaining your trust and using your attachment to the vehicle you want against you.”
“In most cases, the dealerships have figured out ways around what is considered illegal…so people feel they don’t have a chance when most lies are verbal and what seems to be illegal is somehow covered in the small/fine print,” he added.
The TikToker concluded with some car-buying advice.
“Once you agree on the sales price ask for a print out before going into finance. Read EVERYTHING on that print out and make sure you are only being charged for Tax, Lic, a doc fee and maybe a few small fees,” he wrote. “Make sure they have not added any aftermarket accessories, alarms, paint protection and so on. If they have, get those things removed. It’s optional no matter what they say, but they can refuse to sell you the car. Once you’re satisfied, when you are in finance and you get the contract, compare all of the numbers. Make sure the sale price, the tax amount and all of the other fees are exactly the same, including the amount financed. If there are any discrepancies, speak up! Because once you sign and leave, it’s too late.”