Shopping for a new car should be an exciting experience, but for one woman, it turned into a frustrating lesson in disrespect. In a viral TikTok (since deleted), user @ta.mia.a shared her experience at a BMW dealership where a salesman’s dismissive attitude cost him a cash sale and ignited a conversation about racial profiling.
Her video, which has been viewed over a million times, begins inside the luxury BMW she was hoping to purchase. The text overlay sets the scene: "POV: I was gonna buy this car with cash today, but the salesman was being rude."
So, what happened? According to Tamiaa, the salesman refused to let her take the car for a test drive unless she first filled out a credit application—an unusual and often unnecessary hurdle for a potential cash buyer. "I'm not gonna buy from here 'cause the [salesman] was being rude as f**k," she says in the video.
Woman taking a test drive at dealershipCanva
Suspecting she was being treated differently than other customers, she made a powerful choice. Instead of arguing or complying, she simply walked away, taking her business with her.
Her story immediately resonated with thousands of viewers who flooded the comments with support, many believing the salesman’s behavior was a clear case of racial profiling. "They definitely let you test drive without an application unless it's new and they have low inventory. He was profiling you, most definitely," one user wrote. Another shared a similar story, commenting, "This happened to me at Toyota like your loss."
Car salesman hands over the keys to a carCanva
The experience is, unfortunately, far from unique. Studies have repeatedly shown significant racial disparities in the car-buying process. Research from the National Fair Housing Alliance, for instance, has found that non-white buyers are consistently offered less favorable pricing and financing terms than white buyers with similar credit profiles. One study revealed that 62.5% of the time, testers of color were offered more costly pricing options than their white counterparts.
A couple talks to a salesman at a car dealershipCanva
This documented pattern of discrimination in the auto industry is why Tamiaa's video struck such a chord. Her decision to walk away wasn't just about poor customer service; it was a refusal to reward a system that often treats customers of color with suspicion. By taking her money elsewhere, she sent a clear message: respect isn't optional, it's a prerequisite for doing business.
This article originally appeared earlier this year. It has been updated.
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