Car Salepersons.....do you dislike them as much as me?

[ramblingboy42]

Some of you may have noticed on several occasions I have been toying with returning to the fold.

recently I have chosen to do just that and have spent hours scouring the forum for information on the LR of my choice.

deciding to go ahead I have also spent. hours scouring carsales/carsguide/autocar etc hoping to find what I'm looking for.

Well I did and 4 days ago I approached a dealer through one of the "guides", put a reasonable amount of effort into explaining my trade via email....as the dealership is about a 150km round trip , I did not want to do a woftam.

I received a quick reply from the "guide" who also fwd my info to the dearlership and the "guide" then mailed me their thanks and said back to youasap.

Late next day I got mail from dealership acknowledging they would process and be in touch very soon. I have not heard from them.

The "guide" has since sent me survey asking me to assess their communication and assistance and asking me how I'd found the dealership response. I basically told them it has been sfa. "guide" got back to me after contacting dealership. nothing to see here.

Now, had the dealership responded properly to me I may be a new LR owner as I did like the one we were discussing.

I cringe every time I think about having to deal with these people.

[gromit]

You're dealing with people and everyone is different, although car sales staff are a special breed.

I was looking at buying a new Isuzu earlier this year.

Phone call to dealer 1 :
I asked for a brochure he said he's email....never arrived.
One comment he made on the phone annoyed me.
I was being given delivery dates of next year, he said "we're not selling cars at the moment we're just taking bank details" !

Visit to dealer 2 :
Phoned and salesman was very helpful, brochure emailed. Explained that I wished to get the car sooner rather than later. 2WD next year 4WD maybe November.
Arranged a test drive, was well looked after. Took the kids and he showed them round, how to adjust rear seats etc.
Came back and he asked whether I was bothered about the colour. Turns out he had one available the following week !
Worked out a reasonable deal and he gave a trade in value on our old car. Deposit paid.

Handover a couple of weeks later was straightforward, helped me pair the phone etc.

I have had bad experiences in the past, the comment I always like is "I must introduce you to the Sales Manager". Why ?
Buying a car for my wife some years back and we had to get introduced to the Sales Manager. The salesman explained that the car was for my wife and the Sales Manager completely ignored her ?!

At the moment they don't need salesmen to sell cars, there's a shortage of cars.
Maybe if you're contacting them by email you get a lower priority over people contacting them in person ?

Colin

[Discodicky]

Car (and some other) Salespeople are getting it far too easily at the moment due to shortages etc, but having said that I think most of them have no clue whatsoever re customer relations.

Example: June 2021 we ordered and put a deposit on a new Mitsubishi ASX for my wife. It arrived in the first week of January this year and as "our" salesman was on annual leave, another fella went through the Delivery Service with us.
Our original salesman has never contacted us.......

During that process of car hunting we looked at others and had a Honda CRV and a Suzuki 4WD on the final list with the ASX. I sent an email to both those salesman thanking them for their time with us and said we'd decided on the ASX.
Neither the Honda or Suzuki guy replied. Rather silly in my opinion as if the ASX sale had fallen thru for some reason we 'could' have bought the Honda or Suzy. Had they the grace to reply and say "hopefully I can help you next time", we would have contacted them if the ASX fell through.

Many years ago in another work life (early 1970's) I was the head mechanic/workshop supervisor at the local L/Rover, R/Rover, Jaguar, Rover and Triumph cars dealer in Hobart.
Their #1 salesman was the late Cec (Cecil) Schofield a 'mature' Englishman in his early 60's who had built up an enviable & loyal customer base over the years due to providing outstanding customer support. All the prospective purchasers wanted to talk to Cec and no one else.

He had outstanding product knowledge, and..... he did little things to satisfy his clients, eg, one particular owner with a Rover 3500 would flick his seatbelt chrome steel buckle out of the door as he got out. The steel buckle would put tiny chips in the paint on the RHR door. Cec would see the car in for a service and get some touch up paint to fill in the chips. Every two years that person bought a new Rover only from Cec.

I saw him paint dirty towbars on Range Rovers on many occasions.

.... it's the little things....

[3toes]

Is both people and the business. Large dealer groups move lots of metal which the manufacturers like. Smaller dealers tend to provide customer service and build loyalty. Trouble is this loyalty is to the dealer / sales person not the manufacturer. While a generalization many years in the trade and CSI scores have shown this to be true

As the manufacturers are globally moving from franchise to agency sales model the customer relationship aspect will fall away. This is due to the new sales process being internet driven with the part exchange handed on to an outsourced business making the purchase and trade in separate transactions. Manufacturers do not want to be involved with trade in vehicle

New car Pricing set centrally based on customer type and location of applicant eg retail, small fleet or large fleet in Sydney will have a different price to Dalby

Dealer paid a delivery fee to hand over the car if it is not delivered direct to customer by manufacturer and becomes a primarily used car operator. Large dealer groups are already expanding into used cars for this reason

Service of the vehicle handled by another company in a shed somewhere with pick up and delivery so no need to visit them

You always were (and it is now only more clear) a number to the manufacturer

[scarry]

I bypass them like they have a disease....

Work vehicles,i know exactly what i want,email the usual dealer and another to keep him honest.Talk on the phone,and Email.
Fleet sales people are usually pretty good,know their stuff,but still didnt go in to see them.Only to pick up the vehicle.

Private vehicles,the last LR we bought new from a Melbourne dealer,email and phone,flew down and picked it up.A contact on this site also helped as he worked at the dealer.
Local LR dealer was a pain to deal with,in fact both of them,bought vehicles off them before,nothing had changed.

The LC,we knew what we wanted,spoke to local fleet guy we used for work vehicles,couldnt supply,6 months minimum.
This was before all the Covid nonsense.
I knew a guy at a regional dealer,North Qld,over phone and email,delivered in 2 months,same price,not the colour we wanted,but took it.
We were very lucky,because about a month after we got it,the Covid nonsense started,stupid prices,etc.
But then again,the buyer of our D4 also got a good deal,got in just before the prices of second hand vehicles took off.

[ATH]

I don't particularly like or dislike car sales people, they're doing what they're paid for. I certainly do hate buying a new car and selling the old one privately though as the viewers that turn up are awful in so many cases. Smokers who think it's their right to smoke in your car because they may buy it. Dog and children owners who must have them along for the ride. Tojo owners who just want to boast about their unstoppable, unbreakable..... :) Drivers who don't like their licence being checked, pic taken and emailed just in case their driving causes damage or collects fines.
Next new vehicle and I'm going to see what I can get as a trade in as my nerves won't take another bout of shocking driving and basic stupidity and rudeness from possible purchasers. I don't care any longer how smarmy the git is flogging whatever I choose, I reckon it may just save my nerves from more stress. :)
AlanH.

[loanrangie]

Only ever bought one car from a dealer and it was my D1, sales guy was so laid back and not pushy at all. I took the car overnight leaving my RRC in their yard so i could show the wife and give it a good test, signed the papers on return to the yard the next day.

[chuck]

The last car dealer i dealt with the salesman was rude & unhelpful & it was a chore to keep me informed.

To be fair price was good.

Service was lousy

The car was in the country for two months before he told me it was here, and this was after a 10 month wait

The car was held up for an additional three weeks because the bracket to fit the number plate to the tray was not available.

The manufacturer gave him a sales award which was posted on social media - lol

[scarry]

I don't particularly like or dislike car sales people, they're doing what they're paid for. I certainly do hate buying a new car and selling the old one privately though as the viewers that turn up are awful in so many cases. Smokers who think it's their right to smoke in your car because they may buy it. Dog and children owners who must have them along for the ride. Tojo owners who just want to boast about their unstoppable, unbreakable..... :) Drivers who don't like their licence being checked, pic taken and emailed just in case their driving causes damage or collects fines.
Next new vehicle and I'm going to see what I can get as a trade in as my nerves won't take another bout of shocking driving and basic stupidity and rudeness from possible purchasers. I don't care any longer how smarmy the git is flogging whatever I choose, I reckon it may just save my nerves from more stress. :)
AlanH.

The last worn out work Van i sold private a month ago,guy called two hours after the vehicle was listed,said he would be around 3.00pm the next day with the cash.

He was there at 2.30pm,signed all the transfer documents,after taking it for a run around the block,and took it.I also had four others call about it.

But yes i have sold vehicles before and had to put up with all the pain in the asses.I just ignore them until someone genuine comes along.
Its supply and demand as well,some vehicles are much more sort after than others.

[ATH]

I had a preacher come round to look at a Prado some years ago and I reckon he relied on divine intervention to avoid accidents. He was checking it for a rellie in the Alice (who bought it) who described his driving as "rather confronting".
Bit of an understatement that but as he gave it a good rap I forgave him his sins. :)
AlanH.

[1950landy]

The last worn out work Van i sold private a month ago,guy called two hours after the vehicle was listed,said he would be around 3.00pm the next day with the cash.

He was there at 2.30pm,signed all the transfer documents,after taking it for a run around the block,and took it.I also had four others call about it.

But yes i have sold vehicles before and had to put up with all the pain in the asses.I just ignore them until someone genuine comes along.
Its supply and demand as well,some vehicles are much more sort after than others.

When I am selling a car & buyer is in another state & says they will buy sight unseen & pay the asking price. I tell them if they can't inspect / have a friend inspect or organize an inspection I am not prepared to sell to them. Had a guy from Sydney wanting to buy my MGBGT He told me he was too sick to fly to Brisbane, didn't know anyone in Brisbane to look at it, I even offered to take to the MG car club for him for an inspection my answer " if you are too sick to organize an inspection you are too sick to drive the car"

[incisor]

last car salesman i dealt with was a true gentleman with a genuine interest in looking after his clients

his manager was an arse

i walked out of the dealership after thanking the salesman for all his efforts and good manners

about a quarter of an hour later i got a phone call from the salesman and they added a grand to my tradein if i came back and did the deal

i told him i would if i didn't have to deal with his manager

deal was done, manager was not sighted and i drove off happy..

salesman rang me a week later to see if i was still happy, which i was....

nice fella

[NavyDiver]

Some of you may have noticed on several occasions I have been toying with returning to the fold.

recently I have chosen to do just that and have spent hours scouring the forum for information on the LR of my choice.

deciding to go ahead I have also spent. hours scouring carsales/carsguide/autocar etc hoping to find what I'm looking for.

Well I did and 4 days ago I approached a dealer through one of the "guides", put a reasonable amount of effort into explaining my trade via email....as the dealership is about a 150km round trip , I did not want to do a woftam.

I received a quick reply from the "guide" who also fwd my info to the dearlership and the "guide" then mailed me their thanks and said back to youasap.

Late next day I got mail from dealership acknowledging they would process and be in touch very soon. I have not heard from them.

The "guide" has since sent me survey asking me to assess their communication and assistance and asking me how I'd found the dealership response. I basically told them it has been sfa. "guide" got back to me after contacting dealership. nothing to see here.

Now, had the dealership responded properly to me I may be a new LR owner as I did like the one we were discussing.

I cringe every time I think about having to deal with these people.

2009 trying to buy a New D3. Went to Local dealer who after giving me a test drive then said I should wait for a D4 when I was after a D3. I wanted the 17 inch rubber option. The delay was all on the salesmans part to a point D3s where not available 4 months after I had asked.

On a bright note. I Loved my 2nd hand D3 2005 RIP killed by hail [bawl][bawl][bawl] Putting the 2009/10 replacement D3 on the market soon.

[Roverlord off road spares]

Before I met Mario he was a car sales person, in his younger years. And when our 2 boys where looking for a car, Mario always went with them as he knew how dealerships kinda bend the truth. And then he told them that in his younger days he was a car sales person, they kinda changed there speech. And even when we went and bought our first d1 he would get the price down and for them to put in some freebies like a full tank of gas etc. And then they would say would you like the extend warranty with that. He told them what he thinks of there warranty (lol). As try as they may with the different dealership that we had deal with over the years they couldn't pull the wool over his eyes. Mario was also up front and honest with people, what you saw is what you get, I suppose that why I love him so much. Heather

[V8Ian]

We all do Heather, for the same reasons. His honesty and integrity, so hard to find these days.

[rrturboD]

My brother in law and I went shopping for his new family station wagon some 11 years ago. He really wanted a BMW 5series. First we looked at a number of competitors, but dressed down (T-shirt Shorts etc). Almost no dealers took us seriously, ready to spend $105k. Interestingly the BMW dealer was different, and ready to talk turkey. He got the $5k deposit there and then. Lots of delays and excuses with vehicle delivery spoilt the relationship, and when they contacted him that his vehicle was ready he arranged to pick it up at 5pm on the Friday. Went to the bank and withdrew the $100k. You should have seen the salesman, the sales manager and the dealer principal all counting out the money. I think we left at 6pm! Apart from the first bundled services the dealership never saw the BMW 528i touring again. It is now in my possession, and still going ...

[BradC]

I'm in the security industry. I guest lecture occasionally, and I generally open my lectures with "When a real-estate agent fails, they generally move on to cars, then to used cars. When they fail as a used car salesman, they start selling security equipment". I've met honest examples of all of those, but they are few and far between.

A car salesman still rates above the snakes my clients have to deal with. My great-uncle (who died before I was born) was one of those guys who'd pack a diff with banana peel to quieten it down for the sale. I never met him, but I know the type.

[scarry]

I'm in the security industry. I guest lecture occasionally, and I generally open my lectures with "When a real-estate agent fails, they generally move on to cars, then to used cars. When they fail as a used car salesman, they start selling security equipment". I've met honest examples of all of those, but they are few and far between.

A car salesman still rates above the snakes my clients have to deal with. My great-uncle (who died before I was born) was one of those guys who'd pack a diff with banana peel to quieten it down for the sale. I never met him, but I know the type.

We recently had to sell my Mothers house.Not knowing any real estate agents in the area,we shopped around and found this guy,he seemed like a great salesman.
Anyway,house was sold for some rediculously stupid price at auction,while doing some of the final paperwork,i said to him,did you ever sell cars?
Yes he said,did 30yrs selling second hand cars.
He was the sort of guy that knew every trick in the book, plus more,had an answer to every question,the sort of guy that could sell ice to Eskimos.


I wandered into one LR dealership,must now be many years ago,to buy our first D2,in Tradie clothes.
After about 20 minutes looking at vehicles in the showroom,not one salesman got off their arse to talk.
I walked out.

So i went to the only other LR dealer in Brisbane, paid cash for one,picked it up two days later.
Then over the years,bought another two,so the first dealership ended up missing out on three sales.

[WhiteD3]

Yes.


I bought a Liberty in 2003 ish. The dealer I purchased my previous car from refused to give me a price on the new car. Said to come back when I was ready to buy. I bought elsewhere, he called, abused me, etc.

I bought a D3 in 2006. The LR salesman in town couldn't beat the deal I was offered by another LR dealer. Rang and abused me, literally screaming at me on the phone. They lost the sale. Their sales manager rang asking why and then asked me to make a formal complaint, which I declined to do. Their GM rang for same. Why wouldn't I make a formal complain she asked? I'm making one...I bought elsewhere.

I bought a D4. A dealer who missed the sale rang and emailed me with a long winded, pompous lecture on how to value a car. Their sales manager rang asking why they lost the sale, asked me to make a complaint........

I bought a D5. Again hassled by a dealer who lost the sale. Why didn't I give them the last bite to which I replied I'd ask for their best price and I got a better price.

I just bought a Touareg. The young sales guy hardly spoke. Gave me the price I expected, a good deal on finance and threw in 5 years servicing. When I signed up he asked what I thought of their process. I said it was great. Quiet, low stress, simple, expected value.

[RHS58]

I use a motor vehicle broker who I was referred to by my professional association over 20 years ago.
He has reliably sourced several vehicles over the years for less than I could manage with dealers.
And also shopped my old vehicles to wholesalers for more than dealers would offer as trade-ins, if I haven’t been able to sell privately.
He did fail my son-in-law who got a better price at a dealer, and told him to take that as the price was below cost and dealer must be mistaken. Nonetheless the deal went through.

[DiscoMick]

Totally agree about using brokers. Great idea.
Works excellently with mortgages too.
Remember never to name the price you are prepared to pay. Once you do, you're committed.
Just keep asking for their best price. Make them come to you.

[Tombie]

Never paid close to the list price.
Never that desperate for a vehicle.
I set my price and inclusions and give them my details.
I’ll put multiple dealers in play and may the best deal potentially win [emoji41]