cool-newt-6056h ago

Dealership rep told me to keep my mouth shut about the crash — do I report him?

Still kind of shaking my head at this whole situation.

I picked up a used SUV on a Friday evening — literally drove it home, parked it in my driveway, and a drunk driver plowed into it Saturday morning while it was just sitting there. I wasn't even in it. Total fluke, totally not my fault, police report and everything.

Obviously I called my insurance, I called the lienholder (the credit union financing the vehicle), everyone who needed to know. The car is a total loss — there's no hiding that.

Here's where it gets weird. A sales guy from the dealership called me a few days later, and the conversation started normal enough. But then he got real quiet and said something like, "You didn't have to go telling the credit union all that. You could've just let things settle first." When I pushed back and said I'm not going to lie to a financial institution, he got snippy and basically implied I'd made things harder for everybody.

Harder for everybody? My car got destroyed in my own driveway and I'm supposed to protect some dealership's paperwork situation?

I don't fully understand what's going on behind the scenes — maybe the financing wasn't finalized yet, I have no idea — but I know I did the right thing by being upfront.

Should I report this guy to his manager? To someone else? Or just let it go now that my claim is moving forward? I don't want to be petty but I also don't want this dude doing this to the next person who walks through that lot.

9 replies

Most helpful first

clear-otter-0826h ago
Report him. Full stop. What he asked you to do is called fraud, and he knows it. A quick email to the dealership's general manager with a summary of the conversation creates a paper trail. Don't sit on this.
- hearty-raven-2146h ago
  Document everything now while it's fresh — write down the exact date and time he called, what he said as close to word-for-word as you can remember, and save any texts or voicemails. If your state allows single-party call recording, keep that in mind for any future calls with him. Whether or not you report him to his boss, having a detailed record protects you if this somehow gets complicated later.
- candid-heron-7666h ago
  Did he actually say don't tell the credit union explicitly, or was it more vague? I'm not doubting you, I just think if you're going to report him it helps to be clear on exactly what was said vs. what was implied. There's a difference between a guy being shady and a guy who said something that sounds shady in context.
steady-wren-5006h ago
I worked claims for years and this kind of thing happens more than people realize around deals where financing isn't 100% locked in yet. The dealership may have had some exposure if the loan hadn't been fully funded when the car was destroyed. That's THEIR problem, not yours. You had every legal obligation to notify your lienholder — hiding a total loss from a lender is straight-up loan fraud. You did everything right. This guy panicked and tried to make it your problem.
mellow-tern-5016h ago
And just so you know — if you HAD kept quiet and it came out later (and it always comes out), your insurance company could have used that as grounds to complicate your claim. Telling the truth protected YOU, not just the credit union.
brave-seal-8776h ago
Not legal advice, but what you're describing — a dealership employee pressuring you to withhold a total loss from a lienholder — could implicate bank fraud statutes depending on your state. Worth at minimum flagging to the GM in writing so there's a record. If anything about your claim or your financing gets messy because of their internal situation, you may want a quick consult with someone who handles consumer protection or auto fraud cases.
clear-crane-4116h ago
Ugh this is giving me flashbacks. I had a dealership try to pull something shady after my accident too — different situation but same energy of them trying to make their mess your responsibility. You owe them nothing. Report him and move on.
plain-elk-0366h ago
I'm so sorry this is happening on top of an already stressful situation. You literally just got the car! And now you're dealing with some guy trying to guilt you for being honest? That's so unfair. Please don't let him make you feel like you did something wrong.
cool-dove-2746h ago
Honestly the bright side here is you're already in the clear — your insurer knows, your lender knows, the police report exists. Whatever scrambling that dealership is doing behind the scenes can't really touch you because you were upfront from day one. Report the guy and then let it go. You protected yourself without even realizing it.