A confrontation at Coastal Chevrolet Cadillac Nissan, a Pawleys Island, South Carolina car dealership, last week turned hostile when a customer who purchased a vehicle with no warranty demanded a battery and then verbally abused dealership staff after being told they wouldn’t cover the cost. This according to third-generation owner Brooke English Guy (@brookebuyscars), who shared the incident on social media.

“What was the wildest demand from a customer this week? I’ll tell you right now,” Brooke started. “We had a customer come in who had bought an as-is car from and wanted us to give him a free battery. Yep. And, proceeded to cuss out my entire team because we told him that. So there’s your crazy customer demands of the week.”

What Is An “As-is” Purchase?

Just as a matter of housekeeping, we should be clear on what an “as-is” purchase entails. According to Upcounsel, “as is” is a legal term meaning the item is sold complete with all known and unknown issues. This frees the seller from legal recourse should unexpected issues come after the sale. In car sales, specifically, it refers to a vehicle’s warranty status. The car is sold without a warranty, and any problems become the buyer’s responsibility as soon as the ink is dry, and the buyer drives it off the lot.

This would, of course, include the need for a new battery.

Car dealers who sell five or more used vehicles in a 12-month period must comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s Used Car Rule, which applies in all states except Maine and Wisconsin, per the Federal Trade Commission guidelines. Dealers must display a “Buyers Guide” on every used vehicle, indicating whether it’s sold with a warranty or “as is.”

In South Carolina, all used cars sold by dealers must undergo a safety inspection before sale, checking brakes, tires, lights, seat belts, and other safety features. The South Carolina Disclosure of Vehicle Information Regulations mandate all sellers to provide certain information to buyers before finalizing a sale. This includes particulars about the vehicle’s title, prior accidents, flood or fire damage, odometer readings, and any previous salvaged or rebuilt titles.

Again, though, new batteries are the buyer’s responsibility.

The Peanut Gallery

The short clip comments section had a number of salespeople and other dealership employees with similar stories.

“I had a customer call me in the service department to ask if I would call the dealership they go to, because no one in the service department would answer her phone call,” one person wrote. “I called and told them that this random person wanted them to answer her call.”

Another experienced commenter made an interesting assessment: “The amount of customers that come in and yell and scream about the dumbest things or things out of our control has ramped up since COVID. No one can simply be a polite human being anymore.”

One person noted a similarly ridiculous demand at their dealership. “Recently had one demand a warranty on his brake job… 135,000 miles later [in] less than 3 years,” they said.

Another person correctly claimed, “There is not enough space to cover these wild customers we deal with daily.”

But we are going to look at some diabolical instances.

Mission: Ridiculous

A customer at a Los Angeles-area Toyota dealership demanded that only “American” parts be used in his repair, refusing parts from China or Korea, stating, “I’m an American. I demand quality for my car, not that stuff.” When informed that many Toyota parts are manufactured overseas, he hilariously insisted that the dealership order American parts regardless of wait time or cost.

Also, uh, the vehicle is a Toyota, a Japanese manufacturer. Make it make sense.

Some stories are as much about the seller as the unusual customer request. Per a Jalopnik story, an elderly woman insisted on a V8 engine, but a salesman, “who was a bit of a snake,” sold her a V6 Buick Regal. When she returned weeks later, she asked about the delay in her engine upgrade. She produced a “WE OWE” form, stating “2 additional cylinders for engine.” The salesman had promised her that two cylinders would be added later, but they were on back order. He was fired the next day, and she was upgraded to the V8 at the dealership’s loss.

One of the greatest stories has to be provided in full:

“My favorite story out of any of them, though, would be the customer who called in complaining that his new vehicle wouldn’t run in night mode. Confused, I re-stated what he had said, assuming I misheard. He insisted again, “When I put it in day mode, there is no problem, I drive forward immediately, but in night mode, I can’t get it to move at all. It just sits there. It still turns on the same, and I can hear the engine get louder and louder when I push on the pedal, but it doesn’t move.”

That is when I clicked in. “Sir, are you referring to when you shift, and the stick is next to the “N” symbol? That’s when you have the problem?” He immediately confirmed, “Yes! Like I said before, in night mode, this piece of shit doesn’t work. I can never drive at night!” I couldn’t find the words to politely tell this [gentleman] that D and N meant Drive and Neutral, not Day and Night. I had to have the assistant manager take over for me because I couldn’t hold back from laughing. Now I realize that it is actually a terrifying story, because that guy is actually somewhere out in the world driving.”

MotorBiscuit reached out to Brooke (@brookebuyscars) via email. The article will be updated upon response.

@brookebuyscars This one was just uncalled for ? #cartok #cardealership #humor #behindthescenes #funny ♬ Feel Good – koka