Georgia woman buys new Hyundai. Then it arrives at the dealership—and they say it’ll be $30,000 more: ‘It’s better than they thought it was’

When shopping for a new car, the dream scenario is locking down a low price before ever stepping foot in a dealership.

But one Georgia woman found out the hard way that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

‘It's $30,000 more than what we had originally told you'

On June 23, content creator Julie Pollard (@downhomeclothingco) shared her experience trying to buy a car from a Hyundai dealership. Her video has since accumulated more than 26,000 views.

“If you're shopping for a car, avoid ALM Hyundai … Athens, Georgia at all cost,” Pollard said. “I just had the worst experience I have ever had with them.”

Pollard said she and her husband found a car listed online at a price that seemed “way too good to be true.” When they called to confirm, the dealership assured them it was accurate, saying “it's a hot car right now.” The couple paid a deposit to lock in the price before the car had even arrived at the dealership. Pollard said the dealership ran their credit and told her what her monthly payments would cost at that price.

Pollard declined to sign anything without seeing the car. For four days, she said, she called to check on the car's arrival, while the dealership told her demand was high.

“We got a lot of people calling about it, 'cause the price is amazing,” Pollard said the dealership told her. “We're like, ‘We know. That's why we locked it in again with the payment.'”

When the car finally arrived, the dealership told her she could pick it up that Friday. The day before pickup, however, they called with different news.

“Hey, um, just so you know, like, we accidentally messed up on the price,” the dealership told Pollard. “It's $30,000 more … than what we had originally told you.”

Pollard puts her foot down: ‘That's not how that works'

Pollard was having none of it.

“What? Excuse me? That's not how that works,” Pollard said. “You don't get to just tell me it's $30,000 more now, 'cause you got it in and decided it was better.”

Pollard went on to reveal that one salesman ended up telling her exactly that. The car “was better than they thought” once it arrived. Another salesman apparently admitted the team had been checking the price back and forth themselves because they “couldn't believe” it was so low.

Pollard, who works as a real estate agent, argued the situation was no different from a seller backing out of a home sale after accepting “earnest money.”

“They would have to sell that house for that price,” Pollard said. “They wouldn't be able to change it. You know why? Because you took their money based on a verbal contract. That's upholdable in the state of Georgia. And he pulled my freaking credit, and he told me how much my payments would be.”

In her caption, Pollard added that it had “been over a month and [she] still [hasn't] received [her] deposit back,” accusing ALM Hyundai of having “stolen” the money.

@downhomeclothingco I wasn't sure if I was going to blast them or not, but it's been over a month and I still haven't received my deposit back. My husband has called, I have called, they keep giving us the run around and at this point have stolen our deposit too. #fraud #falseadvertising #crooks #car #fyp ♬ original sound – Julie Pollard

Is this a common problem with ALM?

Multiple commenters on Pollard's video said they'd had nearly identical experiences with ALM specifically.

“A lot of ALM cars are lemon buy backs, wrecked cars from insurance lots. You got lucky!” one commenter wrote. Another added, “ALM is famous for that sadly, Buford and Kennesaw locations both have been blasted.”

“I bought a Jeep from them and the online price was 8 thousand lower than the actual price and the excuse was all the aftermarket accessories,” a third commented, describing a similar situation at ALM's Buford location. “Then I took it home and they called me the next day telling me I bought the wrong Jeep.”

CarEdge's dealer transparency rating gives ALM Hyundai Athens a Grade F, noting that quoted prices there run 11.4% above the advertised listing.

“On the small number of verified deals we have so far, we observed significant fee, add-on, or markup concerns,” CarEdge reports. “This is an early read and the picture may shift as we collect more — get every number in writing.”

Reviews on Cars.com and Capital One's Auto Navigator describe similar experiences at other ALM locations. One customer said a different ALM store called back after a sale demanding an additional $20,000 down payment.

Is a verbal price agreement actually binding in Georgia?

According to the Georgia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, verbal contracts for transactions over $500 are generally unenforceable unless specific circumstances make them enforceable. As such, Pollard's “verbal contract” may not have to be honored.

The division's car-buying guidance also advises individuals to take extreme care when “closing the deal” on a car.

“Price offers, verbal promises and almost any other representations have little or no value if they are not clearly documented in writing,” the office writes. “A buyer's order might state that the dealership is not bound by a price quote even if it is written, unless it is signed by a manager rather than a salesman. Also, most contracts state that the dealership is not responsible for any verbal promises or representations not included in the contract itself.”

Buzz News reached out to Pollard via TikTok comment, as well as ALM Hyundai via email.