Dealership Worker Is Oh-So-Close To Closing Car Sale. Then a Receptionist Ruins It In 1 Minute
After a potential deal was purportedly ruined by a coworker, a car salesman shared what he describes as 'the number one golden rule' for all dealership employees: 'Zip it and go on about your business' when it comes to other salespeople's customers.
Salesman Costa (@costacreatescardeals) is clearly peeved in his TikTok. He starts the video by saying, 'When someone is working a deal with a customer, do not ever, and I mean ever, go talk to that customer.'
Get the best news, reviews, columns, and more delivered straight to your inbox, daily.
back
Sign up
For more information, read our
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use
.
Costa says that a receptionist essentially snatched a sale from the dealership at the last minute.
'We had a receptionist today go up to a customer—after they signed at the desk, ready to go into finance—telling the customer that she was able to lower her payment when trading out of her vehicle with $12,000 of negative equity,' he alleges.
Anyone who's rolled a car loan with negative equity into another car loan knows that the outcome of that is usually, but not always, a higher monthly payment.
This was apparently the case with Costa's customer. 'Her payment went up,' he says. 'Not down. And then the customer decided not to do the deal and left while waiting for finance.'
He notes that the new payment after trading in a car with negative equity will be determined by multiple factors.
'Every case is different,' he says. 'And it also depends on credit. It depends on many factors.'
His bottom line is that if it isn't your sale, you need to butt out.
'Don't ever go and talk to another customer while another salesperson is working a deal with that customer,' Costa says.
His advice has people coming for him specifically and car salespersons generally.
America's Most Loathed Profession?
It's no secret that car salespeople—perhaps especially
used car salesmen
—are widely reviled. A
list
of the most hated professions describes used car salesmen as ' fast-talking liars who do it all with smiles on their faces.'
While this is just a stereotype and, as with any profession, there are good and bad actors throughout, Costa's TikTok put the taste of scummy car salesmen in many viewers' mouths.
Trending Now
'I'm Not [an] Expert:' Man Gets in a Honda Civic. Then It Starts Making This Mystery Noise When He Puts It in Reverse
Man Fills Up His Truck. Then He Pulls Out a Trick for When the Handle Clicks and Stops Pumping
"Seems like the receptionist was honest with the customer," wrote one user. "Who in their right mind is going to roll $12k negative equity into another loan at probably 10-12%. She did them a favor."
"Man, car sales people really do get on here and tell the world how shady they are," wrote a second user.
"Wow, an ethical employee working at a dealership! Good for her! She is probably too good to work there," a third user said.
Why Would a Newer Model Have Negative Equity?
In response to the commenter who claimed that the receptionist was simply being honest with his customer, Costa explained why his colleague may have led the potential buyer astray. It's actually inflation.
As he explains in a follow-up
TikTok
, the increased cost of living due to inflation is making it harder for people to make ends meet on one income. This, he alleges in a text overlay on the post, is 'indirectly' wrecking the car market.
Many people, he explains, are using their vehicles for a second source of income, often in the gig economy. While gigging for a
rideshare
or delivery service can be a flexible way to make ends meet, it also typically puts a lot of miles on your car. This often translates into negative equity.
'They're stacking over 200,000 miles on a car that they bought in 2020,' he explains. 'And now we're in 2025, the depreciation is through the roof.'
This is why he cautions, 'you should never use a personal vehicle as a commercial vehicle.'
He says that the customer the receptionist talked out of the sale was trading in their vehicle for just this reason. Their vehicle, Costa claims, had become utterly unreliable due to high mileage and the wear and tear this causes.
'It was costing them way too much money,' he says.
Costa frames the role of people in his line of work as helping people like his lost customer get a reliable vehicle, 'rather than screwing them.'
'What we're doing is actually losing money on some deals just to trade a customer out of the vehicle so we maintain a long-term relationship with them,' he says.
If the business maintains that relationship, he says dealerships realize that the customer is likely to keep coming back for maintenance and repairs. So ultimately, taking a loss on a sale can translate into a profit in the long term.
'It's actually a very smart decision to sell them a car,' he says. "And if you can make money, hey, that's what we're in it for. But sometimes you'll actually lose money and sell them a car."
Motor1
reached out to Costa via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll be sure to update this if he responds.
More From Motor1
Toyota Salesman Finds Thousands of Dollars of 'Missing' Keys. Now He's Exposing Dealerships for Failing to Give Buyers the Spare
'We Paid...to Get It Fixed': Woman Says Her 2020 Ram's Steering Wheel 'Randomly' Locks Up. The Dealership Says It's Fine
'Lawyer Up': Woman Drops Off Mercedes At Dealership For Oil Change. Then She's Told It's Totaled, Costs $27K To 'Fix 5 Wires'
Woman Visits Toyota Dealership. Then a Salesman Refuses to Give Her a Pricing Breakdown When She's Quoted $27,500
Share this Story
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Reddit
WhatsApp
E-Mail
Got a tip for us? Email:
tips@motor1.com
Join the conversation
(
)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
31 minutes ago
- CBS News
Audit questions Sacramento's homeless spending, motel program under scrutiny
There is new scrutiny over Sacramento's spending on homeless programs. A city audit reveals some inaccurate charges and questionable invoices from Step Up, the operator of the city's motel room program that helps keep families in crisis off the streets. Nicia Mars is surviving as a single mom living with her three children in a Sacramento motel room. "So I'm a basic single mom of three kids," Mars said. "I have a 17-year-old and then my two little ones. We got involved with the Step Up program. They've been helping us." Mars is one of thousands who have enrolled in the Sacramento city-funded program. This year is better than last year. "We were in our car waiting to get help," Mars said. "It took us a minute. It was hot last year. Car. Hotel. Car. Hotel." "It really is a crisis to get our most vulnerable off the streets," City Councilmember Lisa Kaplan said. Kaplan is concerned that a new city audit shows only 32% of enrollees in the city motel program go on to find permanent housing. The city auditor compared it favorably to programs like it. Kaplan wants better "Thirty-two percent that enter exit into positive housing," Kaplan said. "Now you and I, as we grew up, that's an 'F.' That says you're not succeeding." The city auditor also found in a sampling of receipts that the program host invoiced one charge for furniture delivered to Los Angeles, not Sacramento motels — the total cost was $4,760. The audit also identified over $50,000 in invoiced furniture and rental assistance expenses that were questionable. "How do we put controls in place so we don't have these mistakes?" Kaplan said. The city auditor will be presenting this audit to the full council on Tuesday. The council will then have the opportunity to put new rules in place, possibly tying funding to outcomes of permanent housing. "If this wasn't available, I don't know where I would be," Mars said. "It's hard."
Wall Street Journal
35 minutes ago
- Wall Street Journal
$30 Minimum Wage Has L.A. Hotel Owners in Revolt
Hotel owners are in open revolt against Los Angeles's new $30-an-hour minimum wage, the latest blow to one of the country's poorest-performing lodging markets. This was supposed to be a great time to own a hotel in L.A. The area will soon be at the center of the globe's premier sporting events, first as a host city for eight World Cup soccer games next year, and then the Super Bowl the following year. In 2028, L.A. hosts the summer Olympics.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
The Retail Strategy Helping Canadian CPG Brands Win In The U.S.
Blume's Superbelly product will be a $20 million product line this year. Canadian consumer brands have long seen the U.S. as a critical market for growth. However, as direct-to-consumer models mature, many consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies find their most impactful traction through strategic physical retail partnerships. Rather than casting a wide net, these brands leverage highly curated U.S. retailers to establish credibility, gain trial, and unlock national expansion. For emerging Canadian names like Blume, Mid-Day Squares, and Nuts For Cheese, retailers such as Whole Foods, Sprouts, Erewhon, Wegmans, and more are proving to be more than just distribution points; they're brand-building partners. The Case For Focused Retail The U.S. offers scale, diversity, consumer appetite, and steep competition for Canadian brands looking to expand beyond their borders. Many brands have succeeded not by entering every primary market at once, but by starting small, learning quickly, and scaling intentionally. Nuts For Cheese chose to launch first in California, a market known for early adoption of wellness and plant-based products. "Our U.S. expansion mirrored our successful brand-building approach in Canada: sustainable, regional growth driven heavily by physical retail. As an artisan plant-based cheese brand, establishing a presence in stores was crucial for building both awareness and credibility in the highly competitive U.S. market," said Margaret Coons, founder of the company. This regional approach allowed them to fine-tune their messaging and formats in a receptive region before expanding nationally. Nuts For Cheese is in over 5,000 U.S. retail stores. Blume, which crafts superfood lattes and gut health drinks, took on a similar strategy. Karen Danudjaja, co-founder of Blume, echoed the need for restraint. "One of the biggest mistakes I think CPG brands can make, especially ones that don't have a lot of outside customers, is going too wide too fast. We're saying no to a lot of new distribution to really focus on Whole Foods and Sprouts." This region-first approach allows brands to build operational knowledge and local brand affinity before chasing national scale. It also allows them to support in-store performance through events, demos, and regional marketing, creating a feedback loop between direct-to-consumer awareness and brick-and-mortar results. Retail As A Growth Driver Across the board, physical retail has helped Canadian brands achieve something that digital alone can't: credibility and growth. While direct-to-consumer allowed many to gather early insights and build loyal customer bases, being on-shelf in well-regarded U.S. retailers has accelerated trial and trust. Mid-Day Squares co-founder Jake Karls explained the effect, "Retail has played a massive role in growing our U.S. presence. Today, we sell in thousands of stores across the country, and the U.S. now represents over 60% of our total business. That growth wouldn't have happened without physical retail." Karls said the team started by leaning into Erewhon, then quickly scaled through an unplanned but welcome opportunity with Sprouts, which brought them into over 20 states. That unexpected acceleration required the brand to build new capabilities in field marketing and paid media around store locations. Luckily, the founders have been recognized for their social media strategy and were able to replicate that for stores. Mid-Day Squares first launched in Erewhon's retail stores, but has since expanded into over 20 ... More states with Sprouts. ©LaChance 2025 - All Rights Reserved Blume saw a similarly rapid leap from direct-to-consumer to retail success with SuperBelly's probiotic hydration line. After launching online, the product entered Whole Foods and Sprouts within its first year, outpacing the six-year journey its latte blends had taken to land in physical retail. According to Danudjaja, sales have been robust in natural channels, aided by a format strategy that adapts product sizing for each channel. Meanwhile, Nuts For Cheese leveraged strong early results in natural grocery stores to expand into conventional retailers like Wegmans. "Our U.S. retail presence has had a measurable and significant impact on brand awareness, sales growth, and customer acquisition. Since launching in the U.S. in 2020, our total business has more than doubled in size, largely due to our expanding retail footprint,' said Coons. All three brands point to a clear pattern of physical shelf space driven by real-world engagement. It turns online fans into trial users, and trial users into long-term customers. Learning The U.S. Retail Market The move into physical retail also forces Canadian brands to understand U.S. consumer behavior at a deeper level. Each region can differ dramatically regarding taste preferences, price sensitivity, packaging size, and merchandising. Rather than national launches, these brands are taking a localized playbook approach. Mid-Day Squares, for example, started by geo-targeting Meta ads around Sprouts locations and producing content highlighting the ups and downs of building a CPG business. Karls said these efforts, combined with what they call "bars to bellies" demoing, made the brand feel personal and authentic to new audiences. Blume's Superfood Latte products on shelf at Target. Blume also treats the U.S. as a learning lab. "We have people who are subscribers online, and they also pick it up in store. It's really like consumers are becoming more and more omnichannel, said Danudjaja, adding that "the awareness we build online supports retail." The strategy is paying off. Blume's SuperBelly reached over 11,000 subscribers in its first year and will be a $20 million product line this year. It's also distributed in over 6,000 retail stores across the U.S. and Canada. Nuts For Cheese now spans over 5,000 retail doors across Canada and the U.S., and Mid-Day Squares reports that 70% of its business is now through retail. Though each brand has followed its own path, their playbooks share core elements, including leading with regions that match brand values, selecting retailers that support education and trial, and balancing physical presence with digital storytelling. For Canadian CPG brands, entering the U.S. isn't about blanketing every state, but about showing up where the right consumers already are and building slowly but deliberately. Through partnerships with various retailers, these brands aren't just landing shelf space; they're writing new cross-border playbooks. And in doing so, they're proving that when approached strategically, retail is not just a distribution channel but a long-term growth engine.
