Whats wrong with car dealers these days?
Discussion
I have contacted 3 dealers advertising on Autotrader and Carguru and not one has bothered to reply. All 3 dealers have advertised a nationwide delivery service available, so I have given them my postcode and asked for a quote to deliver to my home. No response! I have asked about paintwork condition as photo's do not show stonechips or scratches etc. I went to view one that was advertised on here ( Pistonheads ) with the advert saying " in overall excellent condition". The bonnet was covered in stonechips ( and I mean covered! They were all over it !) and being dark blue paintwork over a light coloured primer, they really showed up. If the dealers dont want to engage via email , they should not offer the facility.
I think a lot of dealers become inundated with requests via email and perhaps don't see them as that serious a request/ sale.
If it's a car I'm interested in I'll call them and after discussing the car with them ask them to send me a walkaround video picking out any imperfections etc, although appreciating it isn't a new car.
I've found that this way I am more likely to receive a response and they have had that initial assessment of me as a potential customer.
If it's a car I'm interested in I'll call them and after discussing the car with them ask them to send me a walkaround video picking out any imperfections etc, although appreciating it isn't a new car.
I've found that this way I am more likely to receive a response and they have had that initial assessment of me as a potential customer.
Yep initial contact for car sales is still by phone or in person - so most dealers put their resources into that.
You might get an email reply but IME you are always better calling if its distance.
Re the prep - most dealers just do the minimum. The higher end brands tend to prep for sale - but your ordinary used car places just give them a wash and send it. Most buyers these days are clueless regarding condition - so long as it passes the 10 yard test they dont care.
You might get an email reply but IME you are always better calling if its distance.
Re the prep - most dealers just do the minimum. The higher end brands tend to prep for sale - but your ordinary used car places just give them a wash and send it. Most buyers these days are clueless regarding condition - so long as it passes the 10 yard test they dont care.
I have found that messaging via sites like Autotrader generally gets a response but a phone call is the way to go.
That said, I was looking at a car online which looked tidy. I contacted phone first and then Whatsapp. Asked if they did delivery which he said they did, but then became reluctant when I said I'd want it delivered. Went quiet and next I heard it had been sold.
I would imagine that depending on the type of car traders probably get inundated on some and not so much on others.
When I was buying a BMW 650, the market was quite static, cars I looked at when I was hunting were still there when I bought. By contrast, looking at cheap people carriers they come and go really quickly. I'd imagine when dealing with traders on the more easily moved cars, they are less fussed as there'll be another person along two minutes later.
That said, I was looking at a car online which looked tidy. I contacted phone first and then Whatsapp. Asked if they did delivery which he said they did, but then became reluctant when I said I'd want it delivered. Went quiet and next I heard it had been sold.
I would imagine that depending on the type of car traders probably get inundated on some and not so much on others.
When I was buying a BMW 650, the market was quite static, cars I looked at when I was hunting were still there when I bought. By contrast, looking at cheap people carriers they come and go really quickly. I'd imagine when dealing with traders on the more easily moved cars, they are less fussed as there'll be another person along two minutes later.
For me when buying a used car you've got to go and see it and drive it otherwise you're asking for trouble and disappointment, what can look "mint" on the photos often isn't and if you go a see it you can at least haggle a bit, plus you want to check the state of the tyres/brakes/interior and paint work and get a feel about the seller before parting with your money.
Several reasons I’d guess.
- The days of customer service and actually wanting your customer are gone. It’s the same in every market.
- Emails are time consuming to reply to and people cannot be bothered to and some people type really slow or are computer phobic.
- They can’t lie in an email because you will ‘have it in writing’ so it’s not the ideal medium for car salespeople, estate agents, etc.
- The days of customer service and actually wanting your customer are gone. It’s the same in every market.
- Emails are time consuming to reply to and people cannot be bothered to and some people type really slow or are computer phobic.
- They can’t lie in an email because you will ‘have it in writing’ so it’s not the ideal medium for car salespeople, estate agents, etc.
vikingaero said:
Despite advertising delivery service etc, many dealers will do all they can to discourage purely online sales so they aren't subject to distance selling regulations and the right to return.
Because we've all had perfect cars sent back. It's always the really mint ones as well. I do delivery we do them all the time but particularly with older cars I do always encourage a site visit. Condition can be subjective. I never describe any car as mint as I actually think my version of mint would be a far higher bar than most people would say. A lot of dealers aren't honest with descriptions. In my space that's the bigger shiny showroom guys. I don't do a delivery that's under 2.5 hours away that's a real red flag. We have had people using the 14 day thing as a cheap hire. Cooling off period for the insurance and direct debit for the tax. Never underestimate the absolute neck of some people out there. They spoil it for the people that really need the service.
I would echo the just call the dealer thing. I might get an email really just to confirm the availability of the car but it's almost always followed up with a phone call. We do often get customers turning up to collect cars where we haven't spoken on the phone but it's very few. Really when all is said and done if you are actually serious about a car you will call the dealer not just moan into the void on here about emails. I don't reply to every single email I get sometimes I'm just too busy to reply to every single communication. Don't forget there's email/website enquiry forms/facebook/instagram/WhatsApp at times it's just impossible but nobody ignores a ringing phone.
Geertsen said:
- Emails are time consuming to reply to...
The phone is much worse.- Phone someone up. They're not there.
- Phone someone up. They're not there but someone else says they'll call you back. They don't.
- Phone someone up. They're there. You ask some questions. They say they'll have to check and get back to you. They don't.
- Phone someone up. They're there. You ask some questions. They say they'll have to check and get back to you. When they get back to you they only have half the answers as they didn't have a written list and have forgotten half of what you said.
Over the years I've spent thousands of pounds with people who dealt with me via email. I've spent the sum total of f
k all with phone obsessed primates.As for the notion that "if you're serious you'll phone up". Garbage. Maybe if you're looking for an ultra-rate unicorn of a car you might as you want to get in before someone else does. But if you're one of the disinterested majority looking for a generic peiece of white goods that could be any make/model as long as it's the right shape, size and price, then you'll just move on to the next seller if one doesn't want to deal with you on terms that are convenient for you.
Ultimately, if car dealers don't want to use email then don't have an email address/contact form on your website. This is really not a hard concept to grasp.
Sheepshanks said:
Along with "what's the service history?" they will immediately see you as a fussy buyer who is likely to be a pain in the arse. They also don't want to put anything in writing. So they skip past your email.
It varies. Some will behave that way to potential buyers having a number of questions but others will actually take the time to answer everything over email.That's what I've found. Those that didn't bother to respond properly or seemed to be scared to put anything in writing about the car's condition or spec, well I moved on and found dealers that would make comments on email regarding the actual condition of the car, and the history. Yes, I did go through the purchase.
It can depend on the dealer too. A big dealer group stick a form in on the website or email. They will have CRM systems that mean an email cant be not followed up as it will keep pinging up on their system. I have experience of this recently buying a Van I got quite a lot of response from submitting an enquiry form.
Us little Indies though yeah I mean just ring.
Email does have its place I often sit down and reply to emails way after hours as it can be the only time available to do it but at least its moving enquiries forward.
At the end of the day everyone in that dealership wants to sell a car so it can be done or they wouldn't be there. One other top tip if you are going to email just keep the email brief. Have you still got the car? Could you give me a bell on 0788888888 to discuss. Don't put anything else. The longer the email and more points to reply to the easier it is to push back down the list.
Us little Indies though yeah I mean just ring.
Email does have its place I often sit down and reply to emails way after hours as it can be the only time available to do it but at least its moving enquiries forward.
At the end of the day everyone in that dealership wants to sell a car so it can be done or they wouldn't be there. One other top tip if you are going to email just keep the email brief. Have you still got the car? Could you give me a bell on 0788888888 to discuss. Don't put anything else. The longer the email and more points to reply to the easier it is to push back down the list.
Emails are a way to drum up business if it's quiet, if there's people phoning up or walking through the door then they'll be dealt with first.
If you had the option of selling something to someone in person or having to post it with the chances of it coming back which would you choose?
If you had the option of selling something to someone in person or having to post it with the chances of it coming back which would you choose?
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