Terrible dealer experience
Discussion
I've vented about this to my wife, people at work, a few mates and so this is my last resort!
I want to chop in my E92 M3 for an E91 335d, and so went to a dealer (who will remain nameless) to do a deal. I'd specced up a car of my choice on the BMW website, so I knew all the options I wanted, I just needed a quick test drive to see it was as the reviews had said.
So I called up, got an appointment, went to meet the chap there who was a junior sales guy. He was really pleasant, I talked through what I wanted to do, and we jumped in the closest demonstrator he had (saloon 335d). He took me on a really good test drive road for 40 mins, mix of motorway, B road, town driving, so I got a really good feel for the car. I peppered him with lots of questions and his product knowledge was excellent, he answered all of them.
Back to the showroom, and he shows me the boot of a touring. I'm happy with everything and want to buy the car, so we bring up the spec on his computer, and he prints out a quotation. I walk him around my car that I'm trading in, completely open and honest about the faults, and point out a scuffed allow to him.
So far so good, I am happy with the experience. I make it really clear that I just want a quick, no hassle deal, agree it quickly and do it quickly. I don't want any toing and froing, and I want him to give me a fair price for my car and charge me a fair price for the new car. So, when it comes to numbers, he goes and speaks to the sales manager, and this is where it all goes wrong.
The sales manager gives me a frankly insulting value for my current car with no discount off the new car. He says that it's a good product and they shouldn't have to discount it, and I say that it's more common than a Mondeo and I'm here for a fair deal. So I say to him that I'm not prepared to do the transaction at the figures he's given me.
While we're talking about it, he asks me how I bought the M3, and when I told him cash I was given a lecture on how it wasn't clever owning a depreciating asset and I should have bought it on finance. I am not kidding, he was telling me how to run my personal finances!
He asks me a question which in as many words is "what's the most profit we can make from this transaction" e.g. asking me to name my minimum threshold I would do the deal at. I don't give him an answer to this as it's shooting myself in the foot, and I keep on getting asked the same question, over and over again. I eventually flip it around and ask him what's the best deal he can do, that he will be happy doing business at. He won't answer... oh, the irony! This goes round and round for 20 minutes with voices getting escalated. My impression was he seems to be someone who is very used to getting his own way in terms of getting information out of customers, and can't understand why I'm not giving in.
End result? I walk out of the showroom half way through the "negotiation". I feel really sorry for the junior sales guy who had made the sale, which then got screwed up by his senior. I wanted a quick test drive and a fair deal, not too much to ask is it?
Feel much better after getting that out!
I want to chop in my E92 M3 for an E91 335d, and so went to a dealer (who will remain nameless) to do a deal. I'd specced up a car of my choice on the BMW website, so I knew all the options I wanted, I just needed a quick test drive to see it was as the reviews had said.
So I called up, got an appointment, went to meet the chap there who was a junior sales guy. He was really pleasant, I talked through what I wanted to do, and we jumped in the closest demonstrator he had (saloon 335d). He took me on a really good test drive road for 40 mins, mix of motorway, B road, town driving, so I got a really good feel for the car. I peppered him with lots of questions and his product knowledge was excellent, he answered all of them.
Back to the showroom, and he shows me the boot of a touring. I'm happy with everything and want to buy the car, so we bring up the spec on his computer, and he prints out a quotation. I walk him around my car that I'm trading in, completely open and honest about the faults, and point out a scuffed allow to him.
So far so good, I am happy with the experience. I make it really clear that I just want a quick, no hassle deal, agree it quickly and do it quickly. I don't want any toing and froing, and I want him to give me a fair price for my car and charge me a fair price for the new car. So, when it comes to numbers, he goes and speaks to the sales manager, and this is where it all goes wrong.
The sales manager gives me a frankly insulting value for my current car with no discount off the new car. He says that it's a good product and they shouldn't have to discount it, and I say that it's more common than a Mondeo and I'm here for a fair deal. So I say to him that I'm not prepared to do the transaction at the figures he's given me.
While we're talking about it, he asks me how I bought the M3, and when I told him cash I was given a lecture on how it wasn't clever owning a depreciating asset and I should have bought it on finance. I am not kidding, he was telling me how to run my personal finances!
He asks me a question which in as many words is "what's the most profit we can make from this transaction" e.g. asking me to name my minimum threshold I would do the deal at. I don't give him an answer to this as it's shooting myself in the foot, and I keep on getting asked the same question, over and over again. I eventually flip it around and ask him what's the best deal he can do, that he will be happy doing business at. He won't answer... oh, the irony! This goes round and round for 20 minutes with voices getting escalated. My impression was he seems to be someone who is very used to getting his own way in terms of getting information out of customers, and can't understand why I'm not giving in.
End result? I walk out of the showroom half way through the "negotiation". I feel really sorry for the junior sales guy who had made the sale, which then got screwed up by his senior. I wanted a quick test drive and a fair deal, not too much to ask is it?
Feel much better after getting that out!
BOR said:
So what were the numbers and what do you think is fair ?
Well this story has a happy ending, I've been speaking to Duncan (BMW dealer) who posts on here as Donut. We've agreed a deal that we're both happy with to be finalised on Tues, and it is 5 figures *better* than I was offered by the dealer who I had a bad experience with. So big thumbs up to Donut, thank you. Edited by edb49 on Friday 25th January 12:18
edb49 said:
BOR said:
So what were the numbers and what do you think is fair ?
Well this story has a happy ending, I've been speaking to Duncan, who posts on here as Donut. We've agreed a deal that we're both happy with to be finalised on Tues, and it is 5 figures *better* than I was offered by the dealer who I had a bad experience with. So big thumbs up to Donut, thank you. 
eta ->
Edited by Donut on Friday 25th January 12:21
edb49 said:
BOR said:
So what were the numbers and what do you think is fair ?
Well this story has a happy ending, I've been speaking to Duncan (BMW dealer) who posts on here as Donut. We've agreed a deal that we're both happy with to be finalised on Tues, and it is 5 figures *better* than I was offered by the dealer who I had a bad experience with. So big thumbs up to Donut, thank you. Edited by edb49 on Friday 25th January 12:18
).I will recommend him to anyone buying a BMW.
D
davidd said:
edb49 said:
BOR said:
So what were the numbers and what do you think is fair ?
Well this story has a happy ending, I've been speaking to Duncan (BMW dealer) who posts on here as Donut. We've agreed a deal that we're both happy with to be finalised on Tues, and it is 5 figures *better* than I was offered by the dealer who I had a bad experience with. So big thumbs up to Donut, thank you. Edited by edb49 on Friday 25th January 12:18
).I will recommend him to anyone buying a BMW.
D
creeping won't make it get here sooner ya know..
Edited by Donut on Friday 25th January 13:13
Donut said:
davidd said:
edb49 said:
BOR said:
So what were the numbers and what do you think is fair ?
Well this story has a happy ending, I've been speaking to Duncan (BMW dealer) who posts on here as Donut. We've agreed a deal that we're both happy with to be finalised on Tues, and it is 5 figures *better* than I was offered by the dealer who I had a bad experience with. So big thumbs up to Donut, thank you. Edited by edb49 on Friday 25th January 12:18
).I will recommend him to anyone buying a BMW.
D
creeping won't make it get here sooner ya know..
Edited by Donut on Friday 25th January 13:13
Ah yes, you seem to have experienced one of the motoring trades many 'experts' who OBVIOUSLY knows more than ANY of his customers about EVERYTHING. You could have learnt a lot if you had just stayed and listened, I mean he is a highly successful businessman running a team of sales reps, he must know everything! There are a few good guys out there in the trade, and though finding them is not always easy they are there. To many people think they are great when their name is at the top of a chart without appreciating that is when they should start to listen more and talk less.
Never assume ignorance in your customer, you did the right thing to take your business somewhere else.
Never assume ignorance in your customer, you did the right thing to take your business somewhere else.
Edited by housemaster on Friday 25th January 14:44
edb49 said:
The sales manager gives me a frankly insulting value for my current car with no discount off the new car. He says that it's a good product and they shouldn't have to discount it,
If the dealership is anywhere near your profile location (Windsor) then presumeably they can sell every car they can get their hands on at list. Locals probably just walk in there and throw orders at the salespeople.You did better than me - I've 'phoned and been into my local dealership several times but never actually managed to speak to a salesperson. To be fair they all did look very busy writing up orders. I ought to be driving something like a 530d but BMW don't even know I exist.
Edited by Deva Link on Friday 25th January 15:08
Deva Link said:
edb49 said:
The sales manager gives me a frankly insulting value for my current car with no discount off the new car. He says that it's a good product and they shouldn't have to discount it,
If the dealership in anywhere near your profile location (Windsor) then presuemably they can sell every car they can get their hands on at list. Locals probably just walk in there and throw orders at the salespeople.edb49 said:
Deva Link said:
edb49 said:
The sales manager gives me a frankly insulting value for my current car with no discount off the new car. He says that it's a good product and they shouldn't have to discount it,
If the dealership in anywhere near your profile location (Windsor) then presuemably they can sell every car they can get their hands on at list. Locals probably just walk in there and throw orders at the salespeople.
edb49 said:
Didn't like a young kid in jeans, trainers, tatty work polo shirt and unkempt hair around his nice shiny showroom?
Ah - that'll be it.If it makes you feel any better I'm a mid 40's sober looking company director with an effectively unlimited budget and they still ignored me.
Deva Link said:
edb49 said:
Didn't like a young kid in jeans, trainers, tatty work polo shirt and unkempt hair around his nice shiny showroom?
Ah - that'll be it.If it makes you feel any better I'm a mid 40's sober looking company director with an effectively unlimited budget and they still ignored me.
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