Dealers that insist on "Viewing by appointment only"
Discussion
So many dealers seem to have this "viewing strictly by appointment only" added to their listing. Can someone explain this reasoning behind this? I'm not just talking about smaller traders, some of them have 30 or 40 cars advertised (not just cheap cars either) and appear to have business premises too.
Being a cynical git this makes me wonder what they have to hide, do they need time so they can pump up the tyres, charge the battery, refill the oil and warm the engine?
I'm after an XJ (X300 / X308) or perhaps an XJS. I have funds and may want to PX. I would just like to have a look at a few cars to see what my money buys without feeling as though I have to make a commitment to buy, although if the car is right I will.
What happened to the old fashioned dealer forecourt where you could wonder around and visually inspect the car without bothering anyone and then go in to get the keys & paperwork if you were seriously interested?
Being a cynical git this makes me wonder what they have to hide, do they need time so they can pump up the tyres, charge the battery, refill the oil and warm the engine?
I'm after an XJ (X300 / X308) or perhaps an XJS. I have funds and may want to PX. I would just like to have a look at a few cars to see what my money buys without feeling as though I have to make a commitment to buy, although if the car is right I will.
What happened to the old fashioned dealer forecourt where you could wonder around and visually inspect the car without bothering anyone and then go in to get the keys & paperwork if you were seriously interested?
VolvoT5 said:
I would just like to have a look at a few cars to see what my money buys without feeling as though I have to make a commitment to buy, although if the car is right I will.
At the most simplistic level, don't feel like you are entering a commitment; you're making an appointment, not giving a letter of intent.If the dealer takes umbrage at the fact that you (possibly) don't buy the car, that's their issue, not yours.
ETA: There should be some cars on forecourts that you can view, get an idea, then see if the 'appointment only' dealer fits sensibly within that idea. Hell, just from adverts you should be able to get a reasonable idea of age, mileage and equipment, if not picture-perfect detail of condition.
Edited by xRIEx on Wednesday 31st December 10:04
Willy Nilly said:
so they can dig the car out and make sure you can actually drive it rather than making a trip there unannounced to find it is right at the back of the lot, or out on a test drive or sold or the salesman is off polishing his pointy shoes.
That's what I thought until I rang a dealer this summer, turned up a few hours later as agreed, car was at the back of the lot with a flat tyre and a flat battery. "great car this, been using it every day"... Joker. :@Willy Nilly said:
so they can dig the car out and make sure you can actually drive it rather than making a trip there unannounced to find it is right at the back of the lot, or out on a test drive or sold or the salesman is off polishing his pointy shoes.
On one of the few occasions I've bothered going to a dealer to look at a car, I ignored the "appointment only" bit as I didn't realise I would be in the area that day. The smarmy salesman didn't know the car was there despite it being on their website, we wandered round for ages finding the thing and when we did it was covered in dust and mud tucked down the side of the building. However, when he came back with the keys, there was suddenly 2 people coming to look at it later that day who were very interested, oh and by the way sir do you want finance?... Funnily enough no sale was made that day.xRIEx said:
At the most simplistic level, don't feel like you are entering a commitment; you're making an appointment, not giving a letter of intent.
If the dealer takes umbrage at the fact that you (possibly) don't buy the car, that's their issue, not yours.
ETA: There should be some cars on forecourts that you can view, get an idea, then see if the 'appointment only' dealer fits sensibly within that idea. Hell, just from adverts you should be able to get a reasonable idea of age, mileage and equipment, if not picture-perfect detail of condition.
I just can't help but wonder how much passing trade they miss by having this policy though. I bought my current car after 'just going for a look' and deciding it was far too good to miss. If it had been appointment only I wouldn't have even gone. If the dealer takes umbrage at the fact that you (possibly) don't buy the car, that's their issue, not yours.
ETA: There should be some cars on forecourts that you can view, get an idea, then see if the 'appointment only' dealer fits sensibly within that idea. Hell, just from adverts you should be able to get a reasonable idea of age, mileage and equipment, if not picture-perfect detail of condition.
I also think it is difficult to get much from an advert, because a well taken picture can hide many sins and many of the ads are just a list of spec anyway.
It doesn't help that the prices for these particular cars seems to be all over the place. There are some apparently nice cars advertised for 2k, but others are up for 5k.
VolvoT5 said:
I just can't help but wonder how much passing trade they miss by having this policy though. I bought my current car after 'just going for a look' and deciding it was far too good to miss. If it had been appointment only I wouldn't have even gone.
I also think it is difficult to get much from an advert, because a well taken picture can hide many sins and many of the ads are just a list of spec anyway.
It doesn't help that the prices for these particular cars seems to be all over the place. There are some apparently nice cars advertised for 2k, but others are up for 5k.
It's a different paradigm; the sole 'front of house' for a lot of these companies is their website. I also think it is difficult to get much from an advert, because a well taken picture can hide many sins and many of the ads are just a list of spec anyway.
It doesn't help that the prices for these particular cars seems to be all over the place. There are some apparently nice cars advertised for 2k, but others are up for 5k.
VolvoT5 said:
xRIEx said:
At the most simplistic level, don't feel like you are entering a commitment; you're making an appointment, not giving a letter of intent.
If the dealer takes umbrage at the fact that you (possibly) don't buy the car, that's their issue, not yours.
ETA: There should be some cars on forecourts that you can view, get an idea, then see if the 'appointment only' dealer fits sensibly within that idea. Hell, just from adverts you should be able to get a reasonable idea of age, mileage and equipment, if not picture-perfect detail of condition.
I just can't help but wonder how much passing trade they miss by having this policy though. I bought my current car after 'just going for a look' and deciding it was far too good to miss. If it had been appointment only I wouldn't have even gone. If the dealer takes umbrage at the fact that you (possibly) don't buy the car, that's their issue, not yours.
ETA: There should be some cars on forecourts that you can view, get an idea, then see if the 'appointment only' dealer fits sensibly within that idea. Hell, just from adverts you should be able to get a reasonable idea of age, mileage and equipment, if not picture-perfect detail of condition.
I also think it is difficult to get much from an advert, because a well taken picture can hide many sins and many of the ads are just a list of spec anyway.
It doesn't help that the prices for these particular cars seems to be all over the place. There are some apparently nice cars advertised for 2k, but others are up for 5k.
Ads that are just a list of spec - I don't see a problem with that, I'd rather know objectively (and in print) what is on the car rather than some rubbish about how "it's my pride and joy, never seen rain, I get lots of attention driving down the street".
Willy Nilly said:
so they can dig the car out and make sure you can actually drive it rather than making a trip there unannounced to find it is right at the back of the lot, or out on a test drive or sold or the salesman is off polishing his pointy shoes.
Not fussed about driving it there and then. If it looks decent and the paperwork is right I can always leave a deposit subject to testing and make an appointment to come back for the drive. Seems like everyone thinks this is quite normal practice, so I guess I am just unreasonable in wanting to be able to turn up and view.....
The guy local to me sells loads doing it this way.
He said if it was 'open house' he would need a full time sales guy, a full time receptionist, and a full time valet.
This means it would be costing him around £80,000 a year more in wages and PAYE.
He makes on average £2-3k out of each car once everything has been taken into account, so he would need to sell another 3 cars in reality every month to cover the costs.
He is selling around 5-6 cars a month currently on average, so he would need to increase his turnover of cars by 50%.
He then has the fact he would need to be there 6 days a week being realistic, where as now if he is not buying or has no appointments he hasn't got to go in.
He gets people come from all over the UK to buy cars from him, he sells mainly German marques and does a few Bentleys as well, but mainly as he loves them. But he prices them well, sells them quickly, looks after his customers and more importantly is now enjoying it far more doing it this way than when he had a sale lot that was open for anyone to walk in.
He said if it was 'open house' he would need a full time sales guy, a full time receptionist, and a full time valet.
This means it would be costing him around £80,000 a year more in wages and PAYE.
He makes on average £2-3k out of each car once everything has been taken into account, so he would need to sell another 3 cars in reality every month to cover the costs.
He is selling around 5-6 cars a month currently on average, so he would need to increase his turnover of cars by 50%.
He then has the fact he would need to be there 6 days a week being realistic, where as now if he is not buying or has no appointments he hasn't got to go in.
He gets people come from all over the UK to buy cars from him, he sells mainly German marques and does a few Bentleys as well, but mainly as he loves them. But he prices them well, sells them quickly, looks after his customers and more importantly is now enjoying it far more doing it this way than when he had a sale lot that was open for anyone to walk in.
gizlaroc said:
The guy local to me sells loads doing it this way.
He said if it was 'open house' he would need a full time sales guy, a full time receptionist, and a full time valet.
This means it would be costing him around £80,000 a year more in wages and PAYE.
He makes on average £2-3k out of each car once everything has been taken into account, so he would need to sell another 3 cars in reality every month to cover the costs.
He is selling around 5-6 cars a month currently on average, so he would need to increase his turnover of cars by 50%.
He then has the fact he would need to be there 6 days a week being realistic, where as now if he is not buying or has no appointments he hasn't got to go in.
He gets people come from all over the UK to buy cars from him, he sells mainly German marques and does a few Bentleys as well, but mainly as he loves them. But he prices them well, sells them quickly, looks after his customers and more importantly is now enjoying it far more doing it this way than when he had a sale lot that was open for anyone to walk in.
the days are gone of used car shopping, most people are already decided what they wantHe said if it was 'open house' he would need a full time sales guy, a full time receptionist, and a full time valet.
This means it would be costing him around £80,000 a year more in wages and PAYE.
He makes on average £2-3k out of each car once everything has been taken into account, so he would need to sell another 3 cars in reality every month to cover the costs.
He is selling around 5-6 cars a month currently on average, so he would need to increase his turnover of cars by 50%.
He then has the fact he would need to be there 6 days a week being realistic, where as now if he is not buying or has no appointments he hasn't got to go in.
He gets people come from all over the UK to buy cars from him, he sells mainly German marques and does a few Bentleys as well, but mainly as he loves them. But he prices them well, sells them quickly, looks after his customers and more importantly is now enjoying it far more doing it this way than when he had a sale lot that was open for anyone to walk in.
VolvoT5 said:
Seems like everyone thinks this is quite normal practice, so I guess I am just unreasonable in wanting to be able to turn up and view.....
Not necessarily normal - I'm much more used to going to a dealer forecourt; it's simply a viable alternative to the forecourt type of business.It's not unreasonable to want to turn up and view at a forecourt dealer; it is unreasonable to want to turn up and view at a dealer who says they don't want people to turn up and view.
lufbramatt said:
However, when he came back with the keys, there was suddenly 2 people coming to look at it later that day who were very interested, oh and by the way sir do you want finance?... Funnily enough no sale was made that day.
How do you know? One of the other 2 might have bought it 
Most people have already researched what car they want on the Internet. Long gone are the days of driving round multiple forecourts just browsing.
It makes a lot of sense to view by appointment for the customer so that you can simply checkif the car is actually still for sale and physically on the forecourt.
In some cases you get people posting on here saying I drove 3 hours to view the cheapest passat in the UK and when I got there it had sold... How can I get compensation from the dealer.
It makes a lot of sense to view by appointment for the customer so that you can simply checkif the car is actually still for sale and physically on the forecourt.
In some cases you get people posting on here saying I drove 3 hours to view the cheapest passat in the UK and when I got there it had sold... How can I get compensation from the dealer.
JimmyConwayNW said:
Most people have already researched what car they want on the Internet.
TrueJimmyConwayNW said:
Long gone are the days of driving round multiple forecourts just browsing.
Not so, We have recently been round lots of dealers in our area looking for a nice used late model, low mileage Fiesta for one of my sons, finally bought one at a Ford main dealer after visiting around twenty other dealerships, supermarkets etc.
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