Rude car dealers
Discussion
TonyHetherington said:
...with free cars? 
I like the ones that let you browse and say "I'm here if you need me" sort-a-thing.
Problem is though, look at the responses on this thread. Some are saying "I want to be acknowledged" some are saing "I will come to you when I am ready".
Poor salesmen don't know which bloomin way to turn!!!
Damned if you do, damned if you dont!I like the ones that let you browse and say "I'm here if you need me" sort-a-thing.
Problem is though, look at the responses on this thread. Some are saying "I want to be acknowledged" some are saing "I will come to you when I am ready".
Poor salesmen don't know which bloomin way to turn!!!
TonyHetherington said:
...with free cars?
I like the ones that let you browse and say "I'm here if you need me" sort-a-thing.
Problem is though, look at the responses on this thread. Some are saying "I want to be acknowledged" some are saing "I will come to you when I am ready".
Poor salesmen don't know which bloomin way to turn!!!
I would like to think that after all these years that I'm not too bad at gaugeing (sp?) when a customers does or does not require assistance, always acknowledge them and be polite and helpful and all will be okay.I like the ones that let you browse and say "I'm here if you need me" sort-a-thing.
Problem is though, look at the responses on this thread. Some are saying "I want to be acknowledged" some are saing "I will come to you when I am ready".
Poor salesmen don't know which bloomin way to turn!!!
I'm not a pushy kind of person anyway to be honest, more of a petrolhead passing on his enthusiasm!
I went to a merc dealer recently looking a c-class etate. they had 3 and let me test drive the saloon version (it was easier to get out of the car lot). No problem.
However... then we started talking about which of the 3 I liked. I said that that depended on what my car was worth as PX. I didnt think this was unreasonable. Chap pours over my car for 15 minutes, does an HPi, checks tax MOT etc, takes it for a run around the block, taps away at his PC for a while... And then nothing.
He's too busy drooling over a guy looking over an S-class and had dropped me flat. Doesn't even apologise, explain or send anyone else over. So I left. He called 4 weeks (yes a month) later to see what I thought! I asked him what valuation he had made, and he said I'd have to bring it in again as a month old valuation is meaningless. Twunt. I told him I wasn't willing to waste another hour or two of my time, and told him not to call me again.
I wont be buying from them.
However... then we started talking about which of the 3 I liked. I said that that depended on what my car was worth as PX. I didnt think this was unreasonable. Chap pours over my car for 15 minutes, does an HPi, checks tax MOT etc, takes it for a run around the block, taps away at his PC for a while... And then nothing.
He's too busy drooling over a guy looking over an S-class and had dropped me flat. Doesn't even apologise, explain or send anyone else over. So I left. He called 4 weeks (yes a month) later to see what I thought! I asked him what valuation he had made, and he said I'd have to bring it in again as a month old valuation is meaningless. Twunt. I told him I wasn't willing to waste another hour or two of my time, and told him not to call me again.
I wont be buying from them.
POORCARDEALER said:
TonyHetherington said:
...with free cars?
I like the ones that let you browse and say "I'm here if you need me" sort-a-thing.
Problem is though, look at the responses on this thread. Some are saying "I want to be acknowledged" some are saing "I will come to you when I am ready".
Poor salesmen don't know which bloomin way to turn!!!
Damned if you do, damned if you dont!I like the ones that let you browse and say "I'm here if you need me" sort-a-thing.
Problem is though, look at the responses on this thread. Some are saying "I want to be acknowledged" some are saing "I will come to you when I am ready".
Poor salesmen don't know which bloomin way to turn!!!
Same again with the I've been in the showroom 20 minutes and no one offered assistance they were all busy with bits of paper and computer screens. Well you can go sit at their desk or just interupt them say I like this tell me more. They don't they get all shitty and storm out.
We sales people do have other jobs to do instead of just following prospects round the showroom all day saying "can I help you"? which is one of the worst ice breakers there is. There are medical profesionals that can help. 
MK4 Slowride said:
There are medical profesionals that can help.
with what?getting your head out of your ass?
honestly - car salespeople are there to sell cars. this is what they have to do to make a living - yes? so don't tell me about all the other jobs you have that are keeping you from attending to the (potential) client.
if you were taking the piss -
and 
I sent an email last week to a company 2 miles away.
Ignoring the niceties the pertinent parts i put in were..
"is the car still available, if so, can it be ready for collection by friday & could you arrange road tax, I am a cash buyer"
It was only a cheap car but I got no response at all, hilarious.
Ignoring the niceties the pertinent parts i put in were..
"is the car still available, if so, can it be ready for collection by friday & could you arrange road tax, I am a cash buyer"
It was only a cheap car but I got no response at all, hilarious.
SpydieNut said:
[
so don't tell me about all the other jobs you have that are keeping you from attending to the (potential) client.
Exactly.so don't tell me about all the other jobs you have that are keeping you from attending to the (potential) client.
Yes there are other tasks that need to be done but they will still be there later on in the day, the customer in the showroom will not. Many years ago I worked with a guy that seemed to be narked by the fact that customers came into the showroom, very odd!!
To carry on working at your computer while customers are in the showroom is just plain rude in my book.
Davey S2 said:
Got there the following Saturday to be told that the car wasnt there again as the DP had decided to go away for the weekend in it. Not happy.
No sh't! DP takes star car away for weekend...punters can't do ARRANGED test-drives. That's a letter to Hethel in my book...accidents/unforseen circs, fair enough...but for the DP to have a jolly in a demo when it's booked shows no consideration (regardless of whether it's allocated to him or not, it's a demonstrator, therefore should be there when a potential customer has arranged to look at it...).Email is part of the evolving world. If dealers fail to evolve with it then Darwin will step in and make them extinct.
Had a problem with my merc ML which was a trim piece under the bonnet was blocking the air intake and causing rubbish internal ventilation (a LHD part on a RHD car). Called the service manager and told him about it, he said bring it in and we will take a look but I insisted I send him an email with photos. He got the email ordered the part and fitted it when the car went in. Without email I would have had a wasted journey (30 mile round trip) and his chaps would have wasted half an hour on something that they would not have the part for.
If you have no life then take a look http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w164-m-class/12872...
The email saved a pile of time and demonstrates how effective it can be when used properly.
IMHO car dealers have developed various anti sales techniques over the years and deserve to be trashed by the online dealerships.
Had a problem with my merc ML which was a trim piece under the bonnet was blocking the air intake and causing rubbish internal ventilation (a LHD part on a RHD car). Called the service manager and told him about it, he said bring it in and we will take a look but I insisted I send him an email with photos. He got the email ordered the part and fitted it when the car went in. Without email I would have had a wasted journey (30 mile round trip) and his chaps would have wasted half an hour on something that they would not have the part for.
If you have no life then take a look http://www.benzworld.org/forums/w164-m-class/12872...
The email saved a pile of time and demonstrates how effective it can be when used properly.
IMHO car dealers have developed various anti sales techniques over the years and deserve to be trashed by the online dealerships.
Edited by SLacKer on Tuesday 4th December 18:38
SpydieNut said:
MK4 Slowride said:
There are medical profesionals that can help.
with what?getting your head out of your ass?
honestly - car salespeople are there to sell cars. this is what they have to do to make a living - yes? so don't tell me about all the other jobs you have that are keeping you from attending to the (potential) client.
if you were taking the piss -
and Medical professionals can help you with your webbed feet.
My local Honda dealer is by far the best dealship I have ever dealt with, and I've bought a few cars.
Infact, I've now bought 1 secondhand and 2 new cars from them. They are superb, unlike the other dealerships in Salisbury.
The dealer has been so good over the last 6 years, it would even make me choose Honda over other brands. So good service does work.
Infact, I've now bought 1 secondhand and 2 new cars from them. They are superb, unlike the other dealerships in Salisbury.
The dealer has been so good over the last 6 years, it would even make me choose Honda over other brands. So good service does work.
shouldbworking said:
Just imagining these poor souls fuming their way round their weekly shop 'I've been staring at these apples for 20 minutes and noone has come and spoken to me! damn their eyes!'
Worst analogy ever.. What's the point of having sales staff if they're not there to sell, but simply process orders ? You can bet your arse they'll be claiming the commission, so why not work for it ?Similarly, regarding the purchasing of apples, some of the best salesmen I've known have been fruit + veg stall holders
Rather than giving excuses, and probably justifiable historical reasons, why dont the car dealers on here take a moment to think about everyones comments and adjust their efforts accordingly. Its like listening to a teenagers whinging about why they didnt tidy their room - we dont want excuses, we want action!
I was an IFA when i was in the UK. If i ignored emails, or any prospective client communication, i would only have myself to blame if i had a bad year. The reality is i reckon that by just dealing with everyone the way i would want to be dealt with i did rather well. Yes some where time wasters or information gatherers, but in the reverse i did business with people that initially appeared as pointless. And i did a lot more business as i didnt try and use some random guessing process as to who was worthwhile or not.
I would rather waste time by spending 1 minute responding to an email that started with 'thanks for your enquiry' and ended with 'if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me' than waste an hour with a guy doing all the test drives, pricing up finance details only for them to not buy having walked away to think about it. Surely its more time-worthy to spend the prep work by email than face to face?!
Also as a few mentioned on email it creates hard copys of whats been discussed, so everyone knows where they stand. Its not because people are thick, they just want a double confirmation on mileage/history etc so they know there are no errors on the advert. It looks shady if dealers just say 'as per the advert'
What have you got to lose by answering every email? A bit of time? Wow. I guess that you must be too busy with reading autotrader, drinking tea and looking at your car lot, a lot, to even entertain answering an email!
You wouldnt ignore the phone, and i'm sure there are a similar amount of time wasters on the phone, so whats the difference!
Rather than think of how much time you save/d by not answering emails, how many sales did you lose?
Whats the worst that could happen, you might even make a bit more money.
I was an IFA when i was in the UK. If i ignored emails, or any prospective client communication, i would only have myself to blame if i had a bad year. The reality is i reckon that by just dealing with everyone the way i would want to be dealt with i did rather well. Yes some where time wasters or information gatherers, but in the reverse i did business with people that initially appeared as pointless. And i did a lot more business as i didnt try and use some random guessing process as to who was worthwhile or not.
I would rather waste time by spending 1 minute responding to an email that started with 'thanks for your enquiry' and ended with 'if you have any other questions please do not hesitate to contact me' than waste an hour with a guy doing all the test drives, pricing up finance details only for them to not buy having walked away to think about it. Surely its more time-worthy to spend the prep work by email than face to face?!
Also as a few mentioned on email it creates hard copys of whats been discussed, so everyone knows where they stand. Its not because people are thick, they just want a double confirmation on mileage/history etc so they know there are no errors on the advert. It looks shady if dealers just say 'as per the advert'
What have you got to lose by answering every email? A bit of time? Wow. I guess that you must be too busy with reading autotrader, drinking tea and looking at your car lot, a lot, to even entertain answering an email!
You wouldnt ignore the phone, and i'm sure there are a similar amount of time wasters on the phone, so whats the difference!
Rather than think of how much time you save/d by not answering emails, how many sales did you lose?
Whats the worst that could happen, you might even make a bit more money.
Theres good and bad in dealers AND customers.
2 of my worst ones recently were the couple who blocked off the forecourt outside in an old fiesta and came into the showroom,barging past me and somebody I was showing a car to without even a hello,sorry,excuse me etc,straight over to an XK8 I was selling.One got in the drivers side,the other in the passenger side and started messing about pushing buttons,adjusting seats etc.I overheard one say"The colours horrible"and they proceeded to mess about inside the car.At that point I excused myself from the person I was with and went over to them,asking if I could help,to which the reply was"No-We're not interested in buying it-just wanted to sit in it and see what it was like.The colours horrible,theres no room inside and I thought they were supposed to be well finished-they're dead plasticy".They then walked to the showroom door and left saying nothing more,not even thanks or goodby.
The second one was a guy who called in a few weeks ago looking at a Ferrari 355 I had for sale.After talking to him for a time it became clear that he wasnt interested in my car at all(my car was a berlinetta and he wanted a spider at a lower price),but his plan was to test drive my car to make sure he was happy with how a 355 drove before he made the journey to look at the car he was actually interested in!He was quite annoyed when I refused to let him have a go
2 of my worst ones recently were the couple who blocked off the forecourt outside in an old fiesta and came into the showroom,barging past me and somebody I was showing a car to without even a hello,sorry,excuse me etc,straight over to an XK8 I was selling.One got in the drivers side,the other in the passenger side and started messing about pushing buttons,adjusting seats etc.I overheard one say"The colours horrible"and they proceeded to mess about inside the car.At that point I excused myself from the person I was with and went over to them,asking if I could help,to which the reply was"No-We're not interested in buying it-just wanted to sit in it and see what it was like.The colours horrible,theres no room inside and I thought they were supposed to be well finished-they're dead plasticy".They then walked to the showroom door and left saying nothing more,not even thanks or goodby.
The second one was a guy who called in a few weeks ago looking at a Ferrari 355 I had for sale.After talking to him for a time it became clear that he wasnt interested in my car at all(my car was a berlinetta and he wanted a spider at a lower price),but his plan was to test drive my car to make sure he was happy with how a 355 drove before he made the journey to look at the car he was actually interested in!He was quite annoyed when I refused to let him have a go
My experiences as follows:
Mercedes - Terrible, totally not interested, even though I drove up in a Merc and was obviously looking to replace it. Wife wants to look at M Class, salesman tries to sell her G Class. I make my mind up to buy something else.
BMW - My wife wants an X5 and I take her to the garage. Sales person is told by my wife that she is buying the car. He spends 15 minutes telling ME all about it. My wife says she's no longer interested.
Porsche - I've always had good treatment at Porsche, both buying and servicing. My wife looked at a Cayenne, but salesmen clearly not interested in making a sale.
Audi - Very good. My wife test drives a Q7, but it's too big, I order a new S6
VW - Even better. All salesmen are busy, sat down with a coffee, newspaper and TV, asked if 'all-right' every five minutes or so. My wife wants a car and the salesman realises that she is the buyer, not me. Sold - new Touareg.
Jaguar - Best service and follow up. The only thing they didn't tell me was to buy two, as one would always be in the service department, but that's another story. Even so, I will go back to a Jag one day.
Mercedes - Terrible, totally not interested, even though I drove up in a Merc and was obviously looking to replace it. Wife wants to look at M Class, salesman tries to sell her G Class. I make my mind up to buy something else.
BMW - My wife wants an X5 and I take her to the garage. Sales person is told by my wife that she is buying the car. He spends 15 minutes telling ME all about it. My wife says she's no longer interested.
Porsche - I've always had good treatment at Porsche, both buying and servicing. My wife looked at a Cayenne, but salesmen clearly not interested in making a sale.
Audi - Very good. My wife test drives a Q7, but it's too big, I order a new S6
VW - Even better. All salesmen are busy, sat down with a coffee, newspaper and TV, asked if 'all-right' every five minutes or so. My wife wants a car and the salesman realises that she is the buyer, not me. Sold - new Touareg.
Jaguar - Best service and follow up. The only thing they didn't tell me was to buy two, as one would always be in the service department, but that's another story. Even so, I will go back to a Jag one day.
you will not get this service from Lexus dealers
absolutley in a different class
first class
edited to add, Lotus were excellent , although this was Westover Sports cars service dept booked the Lotus in for MOT , the mechanic had a right laugh when the assistant said Type 22 Will that will be an Elise Sir........er no type 22 racing car.
Ahh you mean the green cigar with yellow wheels ...
and they had some cracking cars in the car park !!
absolutley in a different class
first class
edited to add, Lotus were excellent , although this was Westover Sports cars service dept booked the Lotus in for MOT , the mechanic had a right laugh when the assistant said Type 22 Will that will be an Elise Sir........er no type 22 racing car.
Ahh you mean the green cigar with yellow wheels ...
and they had some cracking cars in the car park !!
Edited by DBSV8 on Wednesday 5th December 04:51
DBSV8 said:
you will not get this service from Lexus dealers
absolutley in a different class
first class
Rubbish. I had a brand new is200 as a company car a few years ago. Whilst they were good during the initial viewing etc, their after-sales was appalling. Not only did it never get washed after a service, it came back in worse condition than it went in every time. Only a small thing, but for this reason I would never buy another Lexus again.absolutley in a different class
first class
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