Volkswagen of Downtown Chicago

I like the human touch this company offers, real values and work ethic not all are perfect but very good. and work ethic not all are perfect but very good. More

Please avoid this dealership. I canceled my warranty and they are refusing to refund me. I canceled my warranty and they are refusing to refund me. More

TLDR: This dealership allegedly engaged in fraud and bait-and-switch when I purchased a used car from them on March 14, 2026. They attempted to turn a sticker price of $7500 into a total sale price of $ bait-and-switch when I purchased a used car from them on March 14, 2026. They attempted to turn a sticker price of $7500 into a total sale price of $12,000 ($14k including interest) by applying thousands of dollars in undisclosed fees, rolling fees into the vehicle price, applying unwanted insurance contracts without consent or consultation, and (based on circumstantial evidence) applying for payday loans despite being my approval for a standard auto loan. They even required us to sign an arbitration agreement. We also spent hours 3.5 hours at the dealership to buy a car we had picked out online - most of the time was spent waiting. In all follow-up communications I have had with the dealership, they have denied any wrongdoing. They insist that since we signed the papers, there was nothing illegal about the deal. They are also only willing to compensate me for the alleged damages if I sign a release agreement, thereby barring me from sharing my experience. ---------- The sales rep, Melissa, was very friendly and seemed like she genuinely wanted to help. However, the rest of our experience was a catastrophe. We spent more time waiting for the car to be brought to us for viewing than actually looking at and test driving it. When it was finally brought out, the battery was dead and had to be jumped. The advertised price was $7500. We were presented with a document indicating that after taxes, title, and fees, the cost would be $9500. We were NOT given a copy of this document, even after a month of multiple emails and phone calls. When we asked if this was the out-of-door cost, they said not quite and that we needed to wait for the finance department. We spent over an hour waiting for the finance department to get to us. When we finally got to the finance department, we were handed a pile of documents without explanation, except that we should sign and initial where marked. The papers we were handed applied an additional $2000 financing fee and every single warranty contract without our consent or consultation. The vehicle price was now listed as $9500 with fees applied on top of that. When we told the dealership that we did not want the warranties, we were told they were "part of the loan application", tick the boxes and sign anyways, then use the online website to remove the warranties. They provided a printout of a computer screeenshot showing that website. We trusted them and were misled into signing the contracts. They have not removed the insurance contracts despite multiple requests. A suspicious email also showed up twice on our documents. We have no connection to that email, and have no idea why the dealership tried to use it. We had to cross it out and write in the correct email on both occasions. The dealership even forgot to attach a temporary plate/license to the car. We did not notice until after two hours of driving late in the evening and past business hours. We purchased the car on Saturday. This dealership does not close a loan on the day of the purchase, choosing instead to continue shopping for vendors and closing for the one that benefits them the most on a later day. The next business day (Monday), I received a Norton LifeLock alert - someone attempted to apply for a payday loan in my name. It did not go through since I have "Payday Loan Lock" enabled. I have never been a victim of identity theft before or since this incident. The application was made during business hours (~11AM) before the dealership finalized a loan for the car. More