Was I out of order ? Upset salesman
Discussion
I went out to buy a Mercedes A180cdi recently from a reputable dealer who has a network of garages throughout the UK. The salesman was very informative and put my mind at ease. The car advertised for too much money so I offered £2000 less for the vehicle and he went crazy. He told me it was worth the full asking price all day long. I told him that it was not due to the alloys all needing refurbished, front brakes needing done and also the tyres all needing replaced.
The salesman marched off in a mood and got his manager. The manager said I was crazy to think they’d sell the car for that money. I explained the reason for my offer and the manager asked me to leave the premises. I agreed to do so and left.
Two days later the salesman phoned me back and asked if I would still be up for doing a deal. I told him no due to their attitude and the way they treated me. The salesman said I was out of order and he has strict targets to hit and my offer tipped him over the edge. I reminded him of my rationale and then asked him not to contact me again.
It’s been years since I’ve purchased from a dealership so I am interested to hear if anyone else has had this issue ?
The salesman marched off in a mood and got his manager. The manager said I was crazy to think they’d sell the car for that money. I explained the reason for my offer and the manager asked me to leave the premises. I agreed to do so and left.
Two days later the salesman phoned me back and asked if I would still be up for doing a deal. I told him no due to their attitude and the way they treated me. The salesman said I was out of order and he has strict targets to hit and my offer tipped him over the edge. I reminded him of my rationale and then asked him not to contact me again.
It’s been years since I’ve purchased from a dealership so I am interested to hear if anyone else has had this issue ?
Alan320i said:
I went out to buy a Mercedes A180cdi recently from a reputable dealer who has a network of garages throughout the UK. The salesman was very informative and put my mind at ease. The car advertised for too much money so I offered £2000 less for the vehicle and he went crazy. He told me it was worth the full asking price all day long. I told him that it was not due to the alloys all needing refurbished, front brakes needing done and also the tyres all needing replaced.
The salesman marched off in a mood and got his manager. The manager said I was crazy to think they’d sell the car for that money. I explained the reason for my offer and the manager asked me to leave the premises. I agreed to do so and left.
Two days later the salesman phoned me back and asked if I would still be up for doing a deal. I told him no due to their attitude and the way they treated me. The salesman said I was out of order and he has strict targets to hit and my offer tipped him over the edge. I reminded him of my rationale and then asked him not to contact me again.
It’s been years since I’ve purchased from a dealership so I am interested to hear if anyone else has had this issue ?
You can offer what you like and the salesman can say yes or no, getting upset isn't very professional. However, expecting to get two grand off a car nowadays is pretty unlikely. The salesman marched off in a mood and got his manager. The manager said I was crazy to think they’d sell the car for that money. I explained the reason for my offer and the manager asked me to leave the premises. I agreed to do so and left.
Two days later the salesman phoned me back and asked if I would still be up for doing a deal. I told him no due to their attitude and the way they treated me. The salesman said I was out of order and he has strict targets to hit and my offer tipped him over the edge. I reminded him of my rationale and then asked him not to contact me again.
It’s been years since I’ve purchased from a dealership so I am interested to hear if anyone else has had this issue ?
Out of curiosity what percentage value was the £2000 from the sale price. I.e. was it 20% discount or a 10% discount depending on the value of the car. In my opinion whatever you offer is still a valid offer and they can politely refuse not ask you to leave the premises. However obviously all this is your side of the story.
Mr lestat said:
Out of curiosity what percentage value was the £2000 from the sale price. I.e. was it 20% discount or a 10% discount depending on the value of the car. In my opinion whatever you offer is still a valid offer and they can politely refuse not ask you to leave the premises. However obviously all this is your side of the story.
Depends how you are directed out I suppose. Couple of possibilities:1. "How dare you! Get the f
k out right now!"2. "I can see that we are too far apart, no point in continuing these discussions"
Sales is a tough job, I’ve been in sales for nearly 20 years however one can’t get upset if a potential customer makes an offer they don’t like, Surely this is part of the negotiation process. Customers have been lowballing for as long as people have been selling. I would expect my sales team to have thicker skin than that.
No you weren’t out of order. The salesman should be sacked for letting his personal judgement cloud his professional negotiations.
No you weren’t out of order. The salesman should be sacked for letting his personal judgement cloud his professional negotiations.
The car was £15998 and I was willing to go to £14000. The salesman came across very good until I told him my offer. Perhaps he is struggling with his monthly target or something. I was quite shocked and would now not purchase a vehicle from a garage from this dealer network.
From the salesman point of view, I asked a lot of questions and he had to go back and forth a good few times. I was very polite throughout and treated him with respect (I am not sure if he deserves that).
From the salesman point of view, I asked a lot of questions and he had to go back and forth a good few times. I was very polite throughout and treated him with respect (I am not sure if he deserves that).
HustleRussell said:
I don’t think it was the offer you made which made the salesman irate, but your awful tumblr tier baby talk.
P.S. does anybody believe this actually happened?
Please don’t make a mockery of me. If you do not have anything constructive to say then please reframe from doing so on my thread. Thank you P.S. does anybody believe this actually happened?
Alan320i said:
HustleRussell said:
I don’t think it was the offer you made which made the salesman irate, but your awful tumblr tier baby talk.
P.S. does anybody believe this actually happened?
Please don’t make a mockery of me. If you do not have anything constructive to say then please reframe from doing so on my thread. Thank you P.S. does anybody believe this actually happened?
Drezza said:
I don't think £2k off a £16k car is too unreasonable as a starting offer, expecting to meet in the middle at £15k, I'd probably offer the same.
That’s how I viewed it and felt that I was given into trouble for making the offer. Back in the day you could get loads of added extras plus a little money off but it appears to be different these days. Maybe the salesman was having a bad day or the manager was under pressure. The Rotrex Kid said:
Countdown to 'All car salesmen are scumbags in shiny suits and pointy shoes anyway' type posts begins now....
Says you sitting there in ya pointy shoes with with a shiny suit on..... you also missed the TAG/Omega/Rolex watch comment. 
I'm pretty sure most salesman have heard it before so it seems odd they would get upset. Maybe next time ask to pay full screen price and ask for the additional work to be carried out as part of the deal, not pocket the £2000 and then run around until the pads cut into the discs and they tyres are slick
Alan320i said:
Drezza said:
I don't think £2k off a £16k car is too unreasonable as a starting offer, expecting to meet in the middle at £15k, I'd probably offer the same.
That’s how I viewed it and felt that I was given into trouble for making the offer. Back in the day you could get loads of added extras plus a little money off but it appears to be different these days. Maybe the salesman was having a bad day or the manager was under pressure. Alan320i said:
Please don’t make a mockery of me. If you do not have anything constructive to say then please reframe from doing so on my thread. Thank you
If anyone knows anyone that's good at reframing pictures can you let me know. Got several that need doing. TIA.If I'd be that salesman I'd have just laughed.
I wouldn't see this unreasonable at all. If you want top price then the car has to be as near to perfect as a second hand car can be.
If the car obviously needs some money spent in the near future on tyres and brakes then it's not unreasonable to ask for a discount.
Acting like a little brat and getting the manager to tell you to leave is bizarre though. You'd expect the tyres and brakes being rectified to be in the negotiations.
Being a cash buyer probably doesn't help either, they'd probably be more eager to give a little discount if you sign finance papers on a juicy APR.
If the car obviously needs some money spent in the near future on tyres and brakes then it's not unreasonable to ask for a discount.
Acting like a little brat and getting the manager to tell you to leave is bizarre though. You'd expect the tyres and brakes being rectified to be in the negotiations.
Being a cash buyer probably doesn't help either, they'd probably be more eager to give a little discount if you sign finance papers on a juicy APR.
Alan320i said:
The car [was] advertised for too much money so I offered £2000 less for the vehicle and he went crazy. He told me it was worth the full asking price all day long. I told him that it was not due to the alloys all needing [to be] refurbished, front brakes needing [to be] done and also the tyres all needing [to be] replaced.
Christ that annoys me... sorry Alan, I don't mean to pick on you personally but I'm seeing more and more of this recently and it's really difficult to read without it bothering me. Yes, I need a life. "Don't post if you don't have anything constructive to say" well, I do, so here:The salesman was out of order, not you, unless you've left out the fact that you had a terrible attitude or something silly like that.
You're well within your rights to make an offer, and he's well within his rights to not choose to sell to you.
To be honest, he's well within his rights to throw a paddy too, but that doesn't mean it'll do them any good for their business!
I think you've done the right thing by not dealing with them.
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