TL;DR: Avoid Rob Little and Mercedes-Benz of Riverside. They will lie to your face to close a deal, deny it later, and leave you holding the bill.
In March of 2024, my wife and I completed a transaction for a vehicle at Mercedes-Benz of Riverside, part of Walters Automotive Group. During this...
Dealer Replied: Raheem,
Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns. As the General Manager of Mercedes-Benz of Riverside, I want to address a few important points for clarity.
We have spent a considerable amount of time speaking with you and reviewing the details of your transaction. Because your vehicle was leased in 2024, the federal $7,500 Clean Vehicle Tax Credit is issued to the leasing company—Mercedes-Benz Financial Services—as they are the legal owner of the vehicle during the lease term. Mercedes-Benz then passes that full $7,500 back to the customer in the form of a lease incentive/down payment credit, which directly reduces the overall cost of the lease.
This credit is clearly itemized on your lease agreement, which we have provided to you, and it shows that the full $7,500 credit was applied to your transaction.
We have explained this process to you at length and reviewed the documentation with you multiple times. At no point were you charged or deprived of that $7,500 benefit—it was applied to the lease exactly as reflected in the signed agreement.
That said, we also need to address the manner in which these conversations have taken place. The use of profanity and shouting toward our staff is not something we will tolerate. Our team is always willing to help and clarify questions, but we expect all communication to remain respectful.
If you would like to review the documentation again, I am happy to do so with you. Please feel free to contact me directly at the dealership so we can discuss this further in a constructive and professional way.
Erwin Artacho
General Manager
Mercedes-Benz of Riverside
(951) 441-6182