The story of the 'hobo' going into the dealership to buy....
Discussion
Plenty of people deal in cash and buy in cash as the taxman never gets near their money. The £1,000 in pound coins reminds me of a television program following a scrap dealer, who was scruffy but wealthy, who said that one of the most profitable things he could get his hands on were washing machines from launderettes as the people selling them for scrap would often forget to empty out the coin drawers first. Of course, with so many pound coins in circulation apparently being fake nowadays, all these bags of money, both paper and coin, could well be funny money.
I remember talking to a salesman in the old Lancaster Porsche/Ferrari dealership (now Jardine Motors) while my brother took a 911 out for a test drive. There were a group of "yoofs" looking around the cars and the salesman was extremely polite and accommodating to them. He then told me that a few months before he had been a bit unwelcoming to a particularly scruffy herbert. This bloke turned out to be J Kay. After a bit of a b
king from his boss the salesman said that he now aims to treat everybody equally. Shortly after the J Kay incident he said Liam from the Prodigy came in, but this time he was nice to him before he found out who he was.
king from his boss the salesman said that he now aims to treat everybody equally. Shortly after the J Kay incident he said Liam from the Prodigy came in, but this time he was nice to him before he found out who he was.Thankyou4calling said:
The vast majority of these stories are ............... stories. They didn't happen.
Why on earth would someone who is significantly wealthy go to the effort of purposefully dressing as an unwashed tramp in order to get one over a car salesman.
It's nonsense.
Exactly this. 99.9% of these stories are utter bWhy on earth would someone who is significantly wealthy go to the effort of purposefully dressing as an unwashed tramp in order to get one over a car salesman.
It's nonsense.
ks. Nobody gets purposely ignored in showrooms anymmore, and it's very unlikely anyone would get ushered out for being a bit raggedy looking.Blakewater said:
Plenty of people deal in cash and buy in cash.
They don't buy cars with that much cash, Money laundering regulations have put a stop to that. Most places have a max limit on what they will take, for us it's £2000 in cash.A customer of mine when I worked in Cheshire was a big mouthed builder with a crap load of money but always looked like the labourer and not the boss. He went to buy a Porsche in filthy work clothes but was ignored at the first place. He bought it from the second dealer and did a "pretty woman" by taking it back to the first place. The issue I have with the situation was that by going back and rubbing in his purchase he just proved himself to be a bit of a dick and probably a potential pain in the arse. I also would not let him sit in my Porsche in his dirty work clothes if I was the dealer.
My own example, from the other side of the fence, was when working for a Bang and Olufsen shop in Cheshire. I used to install the TVs but on busy Saturdays I would help in the shop. It would be very common for footballers to come in looking like scruffy 20 year olds. I had no knowledge about football and so had no idea who they were. This meant that everyone through the door got treated the same, professionally. Having spent an hour working with one person he said he was going to buy the system. The shop manager would write up the bigger orders and said "I know your name and it is a pleasure meeting with you. But, Mr Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. How do you spell it?"
My own example, from the other side of the fence, was when working for a Bang and Olufsen shop in Cheshire. I used to install the TVs but on busy Saturdays I would help in the shop. It would be very common for footballers to come in looking like scruffy 20 year olds. I had no knowledge about football and so had no idea who they were. This meant that everyone through the door got treated the same, professionally. Having spent an hour working with one person he said he was going to buy the system. The shop manager would write up the bigger orders and said "I know your name and it is a pleasure meeting with you. But, Mr Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. How do you spell it?"
samvia said:
It's funny that it's always a "mate" involved in these stories, and is never the actual person teling the story.
Well, I've told my experience on here before, but here it is again, in brief.When I was younger I fancied a little MR2 T-Bar. I went to the dealer in jeans/t-shirt. This was not because I wanted to show him how important I was, but because that is what I wore when not at work. I also used my 1.1 Fiesta to get there because, well that was my car..
I was looking at the car when the chap came over and said "you can't afford it mate". This was before I'd asked about her.
So I went to my fiesta, got the envelope of cash (I think about 1k more than the cost of the car as I was going shopping later), and showed it to the car dealer. Then said words to the effect of "that's as close to my money as you will ever get". And drove off.
I bought a T-Bar elsewhere.
Thankyou4calling said:
The vast majority of these stories are ............... stories. They didn't happen.
Why on earth would someone who is significantly wealthy go to the effort of purposefully dressing as an unwashed tramp in order to get one over a car salesman.
It's nonsense.
Maybe they don't dress scruffily in order to get one over on a salesman, not everybody chooses to dress 'smartly'. I don't think most examples have been about smelly, unhygenic people, merely people who choose to dress as they like or even people who pop into a showroom at their convenience, which could be on their way home from a job or working on their boat etc.Why on earth would someone who is significantly wealthy go to the effort of purposefully dressing as an unwashed tramp in order to get one over a car salesman.
It's nonsense.
I have a very good friend who's Mother as Founder of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management walked into Jack Barclay's Rolls Royce Dealership looking to by a car. Upon being welcomed into the showroom she climbed into a new Bentley and was checking the movement of the door and how it closed. A salesman rushed over and asked her what the problem was and 'told' her not to open and close the door on the car. Her response was 'Young man ..you should be opening the door for me...not me doing it for myself'. He was stunned, she was correct being 80 years of age and walked over to the general manager and suggested as Bentley and Rolls Royce were both customers of the institute maybe they should all come along to her seminars about customer service and how to sell by being gracious not by offering deals.
She did not buy a car but she did win their business.
She did not buy a car but she did win their business.
An unshaven scruffy bloke came into my place,greasy hands, I will talk to anyone, made him a coffee, talked Astons, Jaguars, he thanked me for the coffee, got in his 7.5 ton lorry and off he went. The next day he came back with 20 grand in a carrier bag as a deposit on a db7 I had....he went on to spend 500K with me over the years, Astons, Bentleys etc etc....he made a living collecting knackered cookers, refurbing them and exporting.
Have had experience of this at least a couple of times were we live - possibly a case of not sounding a posh tt like some of the other local residents.
The branch manager of an estate agency who showed me our previous home, and another property, but made me feel as I was wasting his time. For the second viewing, he sent his deputy who warmed to us immediately when he noticed we had the same car (at the time a 3yr old S3) - still speak to the guy when I bump into him. His boss was a bit more welcoming when I went in to pick up the keys, funny that...
Not long after that a local VW dealer wouldn't arrange a test drive on a without a deposit on the car in question, so we walked away. He was apparently a bit gutted when he was told I'd bought a RS4 when he called a couple of weeks later.
t like some of the other local residents.The branch manager of an estate agency who showed me our previous home, and another property, but made me feel as I was wasting his time. For the second viewing, he sent his deputy who warmed to us immediately when he noticed we had the same car (at the time a 3yr old S3) - still speak to the guy when I bump into him. His boss was a bit more welcoming when I went in to pick up the keys, funny that...
Not long after that a local VW dealer wouldn't arrange a test drive on a without a deposit on the car in question, so we walked away. He was apparently a bit gutted when he was told I'd bought a RS4 when he called a couple of weeks later.
LordHaveMurci said:
Maybe they don't dress scruffily in order to get one over on a salesman, not everybody chooses to dress 'smartly'. I don't think most examples have been about smelly, unhygenic people, merely people who choose to dress as they like or even people who pop into a showroom at their convenience, which could be on their way home from a job or working on their boat etc.
That's very different though.The fact is people judge by appearances to varying degrees.
If I were running a Porsche dealership for example and somebody came in wearing clean jeans, T shirt and trainers whilst needing a shave that'd be no problem.
If somebody wore filthy clothes and clearly needed a shower, you know what, I wouldn't want their business.
You can say that's right or wrong but for me, I wouldn't want them in the showroom.
Porsche dealers you say....I had an experience myself. Walked into a Porsche dealer to look at used 911's. I turned up in my Integra and was dressed pretty casually, it was early on a Saturday and the Sales Manager wasn't even there for the appointment! The guy who I did meet just pointed in the vague direction of a bunch of cars outside the main showroom, inviting me to 'have a look, but none of them have keys in them'. I wandered around but after about 5 mins in the cold I started to get the hump and wondered why I was bothering so I left and said nothing.
Bought an NSX about a month later. I must be a 'hobo' relative to Porsche profiling, or just generally
Bought an NSX about a month later. I must be a 'hobo' relative to Porsche profiling, or just generally
There are indeed many of these tales about. However, there are many magnitudes more where they do transpire to be a tramp, chav or mentally ill.
I won't ever blame a salesman on comm for playing the odds. One who doesn't isn't worth renting.
Any error lies with their manager for failing to train them to cut through FTWs quickly but politely.
I won't ever blame a salesman on comm for playing the odds. One who doesn't isn't worth renting.
Any error lies with their manager for failing to train them to cut through FTWs quickly but politely.
By the way, we don't have "Hobos" in the UK, they live in America, we have tramps.
A good salesman can, very quickly ascertain whether someone is a potential sale, so many things make it up, the type of car in question, what they arrive in, how they speak and maybe, a small percentage is what you wear.
Nobody wears a Tuxedo to go car shopping, most people will be in casual clothing which can be jeans and trainers, if in a suit they are probably on the way home from work as only Jehovas witnesses or people on the way to a wedding wear one at the weekend.
If someone is scruffy, then that wouldnt bother me, smelly though, as in proper, unwashed bodily odours, is different to having done a days work and having a slight odour of that, usually proper stinking goes hand in hand with mental problems, much less likely to be buying a car.
Everyone has heard these stories, car dealers are aware of it but they are much more tuned in to who buys cars, and who doesnt, wealthy people can be messers as well, they dont all come in and pay list price, even if dressed in full toff regalia.
A good salesman can, very quickly ascertain whether someone is a potential sale, so many things make it up, the type of car in question, what they arrive in, how they speak and maybe, a small percentage is what you wear.
Nobody wears a Tuxedo to go car shopping, most people will be in casual clothing which can be jeans and trainers, if in a suit they are probably on the way home from work as only Jehovas witnesses or people on the way to a wedding wear one at the weekend.
If someone is scruffy, then that wouldnt bother me, smelly though, as in proper, unwashed bodily odours, is different to having done a days work and having a slight odour of that, usually proper stinking goes hand in hand with mental problems, much less likely to be buying a car.
Everyone has heard these stories, car dealers are aware of it but they are much more tuned in to who buys cars, and who doesnt, wealthy people can be messers as well, they dont all come in and pay list price, even if dressed in full toff regalia.
Blakewater said:
I remember someone on here a few years ago saying he was test driving a Noble for a laugh when he couldn't afford it and then stuffing it and having problems with the dealer and insurance afterwards.
why would they have problems after stuffing it (unless of course he was DD or similar)? It's insured, he'll pay the excess that's itlarrylamb11 said:
I can give you a first hand account of a similar event 
15+ years ago I was contracting for a major classic car auction house and was working at the Goodwood Festival of Speed sale. The auction had already taken place and was being packed away ready for the gala dinner. A handful of the heavy hitting lots, the most valuable / important / iconic cars, had been moved around to the hospitality tent for some eye-candy and 'presence'. The hospitality tent was now the 'front of house' and entrance was largely by invitation, in order to prevent the throngs of unwashed flooding into the tent and pawing over what was now someone else's car.....
Those working were taking it in causal turns to 'man the stand' whilst colleagues enjoyed the atmosphere or wandered the pits and it was my turn to don the hospitality trousers. It was a task I actually didn't mind despite the fact that everyone that wandered past generally had something banal to say - some of my former colleagues rightly detested talking to the 'punters' as it could be tedious in the extreme. Anyway, that day, with the sale over I felt relaxed and happy to talk to anyone.... a young chap walks up, tattered jeans, ordinary t-shirt, usual 'freebies' plastic carrier bag and starts to engage me in basic conversation. I politely respond and he starts enquiring about the Ferrari F40 we had on the stand (a car which failed to sell in the auction), asking all the usual standard punter questions - how much is it worth? how fast does it go? where is the engine? etc. etc. all in the finest Dagenham accent and peppered with obscenities normally reserved for a building site. I wasn't terribly busy, so invited him onto the stand so he could have a closer look as he seemed to be a bit of a petrolhead, showing him around, pointing out the main delights - to be met with his excited expletives. Explaining how it had been in the auction but failed to sell and thus essentially still 'for sale', prompted a little twinkle in this chap's eye and he proclaimed he would buy it!
Normally one would laugh it off, but I had been observing the gentleman since his arrival and had already clocked the designer glasses, chunky gold watch and that his t-shirt was no off-the-peg number, so I humoured him and the conversation continued.... It turned out he had won the lottery and was 'proper minted' in his own words. The only problem was the money had rather driven a wedge between him and his wife and they were in the process of messily divorcing... hence he had made it his personal mission to spend as much money as he could on things he liked and wanted before it was all finalised. Cue yours truly introducing him to the auctioneer to finalise a deal. He did indeed go on to buy the F40 in an arranged sale through the auction house .
Good man. You and the guy who bought the motor!15+ years ago I was contracting for a major classic car auction house and was working at the Goodwood Festival of Speed sale. The auction had already taken place and was being packed away ready for the gala dinner. A handful of the heavy hitting lots, the most valuable / important / iconic cars, had been moved around to the hospitality tent for some eye-candy and 'presence'. The hospitality tent was now the 'front of house' and entrance was largely by invitation, in order to prevent the throngs of unwashed flooding into the tent and pawing over what was now someone else's car.....
Those working were taking it in causal turns to 'man the stand' whilst colleagues enjoyed the atmosphere or wandered the pits and it was my turn to don the hospitality trousers. It was a task I actually didn't mind despite the fact that everyone that wandered past generally had something banal to say - some of my former colleagues rightly detested talking to the 'punters' as it could be tedious in the extreme. Anyway, that day, with the sale over I felt relaxed and happy to talk to anyone.... a young chap walks up, tattered jeans, ordinary t-shirt, usual 'freebies' plastic carrier bag and starts to engage me in basic conversation. I politely respond and he starts enquiring about the Ferrari F40 we had on the stand (a car which failed to sell in the auction), asking all the usual standard punter questions - how much is it worth? how fast does it go? where is the engine? etc. etc. all in the finest Dagenham accent and peppered with obscenities normally reserved for a building site. I wasn't terribly busy, so invited him onto the stand so he could have a closer look as he seemed to be a bit of a petrolhead, showing him around, pointing out the main delights - to be met with his excited expletives. Explaining how it had been in the auction but failed to sell and thus essentially still 'for sale', prompted a little twinkle in this chap's eye and he proclaimed he would buy it!
Normally one would laugh it off, but I had been observing the gentleman since his arrival and had already clocked the designer glasses, chunky gold watch and that his t-shirt was no off-the-peg number, so I humoured him and the conversation continued.... It turned out he had won the lottery and was 'proper minted' in his own words. The only problem was the money had rather driven a wedge between him and his wife and they were in the process of messily divorcing... hence he had made it his personal mission to spend as much money as he could on things he liked and wanted before it was all finalised. Cue yours truly introducing him to the auctioneer to finalise a deal. He did indeed go on to buy the F40 in an arranged sale through the auction house
. Here's an example of the opposite from quite a few years ago. A guy I knew turned up at the Toyota dealership to buy an MR2. On finance. We lived in an island community with a population of about 30,000 people and the "buyer" was notorious for leaving debts everywhere. The dealer therefore said "No way, Jose" or words to that effect.
The "buyer" went home, phoned Toyota Customer Finance, and kicked up stink about not getting the car. The next thing was that the dealer got a call from Toyota saying that the finance was approved, to prepare the paperwork, and to sell Mr Y the car.
It goes without saying that the cheque he wrote for the deposit bounced and he never made any payments! The car was eventually repossessed
The "buyer" went home, phoned Toyota Customer Finance, and kicked up stink about not getting the car. The next thing was that the dealer got a call from Toyota saying that the finance was approved, to prepare the paperwork, and to sell Mr Y the car.
It goes without saying that the cheque he wrote for the deposit bounced and he never made any payments! The car was eventually repossessed
Jasandjules said:
samvia said:
It's funny that it's always a "mate" involved in these stories, and is never the actual person teling the story.
Well, I've told my experience on here before, but here it is again, in brief.When I was younger I fancied a little MR2 T-Bar. I went to the dealer in jeans/t-shirt. This was not because I wanted to show him how important I was, but because that is what I wore when not at work. I also used my 1.1 Fiesta to get there because, well that was my car..
I was looking at the car when the chap came over and said "you can't afford it mate". This was before I'd asked about her.
So I went to my fiesta, got the envelope of cash (I think about 1k more than the cost of the car as I was going shopping later), and showed it to the car dealer. Then said words to the effect of "that's as close to my money as you will ever get". And drove off.
I bought a T-Bar elsewhere.
"You can't afford it" is one of the oldest sales tricks in the book, along with "do you need to check with the wife?" and "are you sure you'll be ok with all that power?".
The male of the species is a simple thing to mug.
belleair302 said:
I have a very good friend who's Mother as Founder of the Institute of Sales and Marketing Management walked into Jack Barclay's Rolls Royce Dealership looking to by a car. Upon being welcomed into the showroom she climbed into a new Bentley and was checking the movement of the door and how it closed. A salesman rushed over and asked her what the problem was and 'told' her not to open and close the door on the car. Her response was 'Young man ..you should be opening the door for me...not me doing it for myself'. He was stunned, she was correct being 80 years of age and walked over to the general manager and suggested as Bentley and Rolls Royce were both customers of the institute maybe they should all come along to her seminars about customer service and how to sell by being gracious not by offering deals.
She did not buy a car but she did win their business.
That sounds just like the kind of bShe did not buy a car but she did win their business.
ks story you'd hear on a sales course.There used to be one about Sir Peter Parker and an ad agency too.
Alternately I went into a Porsche dealership dressed wearing a very nice bespoke suit, handmade shoes and expensive accouterments and the fkers completely ignored me until I went and talked to them.
After that of course it was a simple matter to lie to them about my intentions and drive a number of their vehicles, mostly very, very hard indeed, before retreating to my mundane terraced house.
The fools!
kers completely ignored me until I went and talked to them. After that of course it was a simple matter to lie to them about my intentions and drive a number of their vehicles, mostly very, very hard indeed, before retreating to my mundane terraced house.
The fools!
J4CKO said:
A good salesman can, very quickly ascertain whether someone is a potential sale, so many things make it up, the type of car in question, what they arrive in, how they speak and maybe, a small percentage is what you wear.
Not disagreeing with you but I think good salesmen are seemingly in short supply in car dealerships. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff