Picked up my Jeep - Random $500 deposit into...

[JSFoster75]

UPDATE - Mystery solved, see Post #22

So, we ordered our Jeep from AutoNation CDJR in Johnson City, TN on 12/4. We picked it up on 3/28/22... When we did the transaction, we had a large amount of equity in our trade, so we opted to only pay for the additional Paint/Dent protection, etc., I paid for those on my Credit Card.

On 4/1/22, we got a random $500 deposit into our checking account from AutoNation CDJR with no explanation whatsoever. The oddest part is that I never used my checking account or debit card with them.

My Credit Card is through my local Credit Union as well as my checking account, and they can all be accessed with my membership number or Social Security number as long as information is verified. AutoNation never got my SSN or my Membership number (at least not on this vehicle transaction) since we just brought a certified bank check to the dealer (not tied to my personal accounts).

How and why did I get a random $500 deposit into my checking account? I plan on asking my sales rep, but there's about a 0.1% chance he will know...

I'm not complaining about getting an unexpected $500 back on the deal, but for the life of me I can't figure out why... (Even weirder is that I just noticed it 18 days later...)

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[miweber929]

Did you put a $500 deposit down on the order they didn’t factor into the deal at the end?

 

[John VonJeep]

Did you have a trade? Was it financed through your bank? If so, it’s possible that the payoff was inaccurate because of a payment that was made the same day.

This would then be a make-right payment.

 

[RandyMarion CDJR]

If you utilized a debit/credit card for the initial deposit, and forgot then you are working with a pretty honest dealer (salesman mainly) to have randomly gotten it back! A refund of course has to be requested, and is in no way an automatic occurrence. However if you never made a deposit, this is very strange. Also, I believe most CDJR dealers use relatively the same processing/lead system (someone correct me if wrong) so we do not actually have access to your cards/ SS/ etc except when we first enter it and print off the paperwork with finance. After this we cannot access this same level of information on the salesman side as it is starred out for privacy. Let me know what you find out! Very interested in seeing what the final conclusion is.

 

[JSFoster75]

Did you have a trade? Was it financed through your bank? If so, it’s possible that the payoff was inaccurate because of a payment that was made the same day.

This would then be a make-right payment.

The amount was exactly $500, not a penny more or less, and the deposit was stamped "AN CDJR", so it was put in by them, not the credit union making an "overage deposit".

@miweber929 Nope, we had a trade equity of nearly $15,000, so we paid $899 for paint/dent/interior protection and put that on the credit card.

@RandyMarion CDJR Correct, no deposit, just a signed document showing the trade equity. We released our trade to them on 12/4 when we ordered the new one.

 

[RandyMarion CDJR]

Did you have a trade? Was it financed through your bank? If so, it’s possible that the payoff was inaccurate because of a payment that was made the same day.

This would then be a make-right payment.

This is likely.

 

[JSFoster75]

This is likely.

Normally I would agree, however, that would have been a "general deposit" made by the credit union with a note showing it was an overage, this one was done directly by the dealership... I've financed probably 30+ cars with my credit union.

 

[miweber929]

The amount was exactly $500, not a penny more or less, and the deposit was stamped "AN CDJR", so it was put in by them, not the credit union making an "overage deposit".

@miweber929 Nope, we had a trade equity of nearly $15,000, so we paid $899 for paint/dent/interior protection and put that on the credit card.

What I’m saying is when you ordered the Jeep you needed a deposit, right? Normally it’s $500 or $1000. Was that money down not factored into the end of the buy deal?

 

[JSFoster75]

What I’m saying is when you ordered the Jeep you needed a deposit, right? Normally it’s $500 or $1000. Was that money down not factored into the end of the buy deal?

They never asked for one since we were trading with significant equity. And we are long-time customers of AutoNation as well.

 

[miweber929]

They never asked for one since we were trading with significant equity. And we are long-time customers of AutoNation as well.

Ahh, ok. Maybe a frequent buyer reward then.

 

[JSFoster75]

Ahh, ok. Maybe a frequent buyer reward then.

That would be awesome, they did notate an extra $1,100 allowance on my trade for customer loyalty when we traded it in on 12/4.

 

[RandyMarion CDJR]

That would be awesome, they did notate an extra $1,100 allowance on my trade for customer loyalty when we traded it in on 12/4.

At least this is a good mystery to have/solve!
At close to 30 cars from the same dealer, you deserved some type of kickback on funds lol

 

[JSFoster75]

At least this is a good mystery to have/solve!
At close to 30 cars from the same dealer, you deserved some type of kickback on funds lol

Well, 30 with the same Credit Union, not nearly that many with Autonation LOL

Another part of the "puzzle", the trade in was paid off back in December, so it definitely wasn't tied to that... Maybe it was a "military/first responder" rebate/kick back since my Wife's a Nurse and I do Search & Rescue with the Civil Air Patrol?

 

[RandyMarion CDJR]

Well, 30 with the same Credit Union, not nearly that many with Autonation LOL

Another part of the "puzzle", the trade in was paid off back in December, so it definitely wasn't tied to that... Maybe it was a "military/first responder" rebate/kick back since my Wife's a Nurse and I do Search & Rescue with the Civil Air Patrol?

Possibly but I dont think it would be that, just due to how the rebates are typically posted/processed ( from state to state things may be different). This is how a rebate discount *typically works (at least here at Randy Marion CDJR). We as the dealer confirm you qualify for the rebate, we are required to put the rebate in with the initial purchase numbers, we send qualifications for rebate in with your paperwork, then once verified we get a cash credit back for that discount given.

 

[RandyMarion CDJR]

Well, 30 with the same Credit Union, not nearly that many with Autonation LOL

Another part of the "puzzle", the trade in was paid off back in December, so it definitely wasn't tied to that... Maybe it was a "military/first responder" rebate/kick back since my Wife's a Nurse and I do Search & Rescue with the Civil Air Patrol?

Lol either way personally Id hit a happy dance unless the $500 made its way back out of my account somehow.

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