30 Points Won’t Buy a Lexus

I used to work in car sales. One day, a customer comes in wanting a fully loaded vehicle. There’s just one problem: his credit history is a nightmare, with multiple repossessions on his record.

After running his application, we do manage to get him an offer… but for a much lower-end car than what he wanted. That’s when he notices something.

Customer: “Hold up. On my phone, my credit score says 521. Why are you saying 491?”

Me: “Sir, credit bureaus use different scoring models for different purposes. The one you see on your app isn’t necessarily the same one banks see. Also… 521 versus 491 isn’t going to make much of a difference.”

Customer: “You need to call every bank back right now and tell them my score isn’t 491, it’s 521!”

Me: “Sir, even at 521, you’d still be declined. You don’t make enough, you already have a lot of debt, and you have multiple repos on your record.”

He doesn’t like that answer and starts threatening to sue us. My manager steps in.

Manager: “Sir, he’s correct. There are different credit scores for different uses. None of that changes the fact that you’re not approved for this loan.”

Customer: “I’ll sue you! You’ll hear from my lawyer!”

Without missing a beat, my manager reaches into his pocket, pulls out a business card, and hands it to him.

Manager: “Here’s the law firm that represents us. Ask for Lisa, she’s their secretary and very nice. She’ll get a lawyer assigned to your lawsuit. Just so you know, once that happens, we can’t help you anymore. At that point, it’s between the lawyers and the judge.”

The customer takes the card and storms out.

We never heard from him, or his lawyer, again.