Customers put off by pushy salesman

munners · 09-12-2011, 08:35 AM

From news.com.au

Quote:

Car buyers are put off by rude salesmen, RACQ survey reveals

New car buyers are being driven away by pushy car salesmen and bad customer service.

A survey of car dealers has uncovered a raft of customer complaints such as vehicles taking up to four months to be delivered, problems with accessories, and customers being pressured into accepting another vehicle because the wrong one was ordered.

The RACQ survey found just over one in four customers (27 per cent) indicated they needed to return their car for follow-up fitment of dealer added accessories, warranty related faults or to have a concern checked.

However, the RACQ survey also found 85 per cent of first-time customers to a dealership said they would buy again from the same dealer while 95 per cent of repeat customers said they would return.

Motor Trades Association of Australia spokesman Colin Duckworth said pushy car sales people were “dinosaurs on the way out''.

“The average dealer principal these days goes out of their way to keep customers,'' he said.

“They really don't make a lot of money out of selling a car - bugger all. Their main profit centres are finance and insurance, and the ongoing service of the vehicle.

“I don't deny that there are the odd ones that are pushy and try to upsell customers but I wonder how much of that comes from the suppliers who instruct them to push customers into higher-spec vehicles.

“They would rather dealers sold their floor stock than raise an order for a special vehicle.''

RACQ spokesman Steve Spalding said respondents' comments about car dealership staff included that they were rude, far too pushy and too busy, lacked interest once the contract was signed and didn't care whether I bought there or not".

Others said the manager was “quite unethical'' and the purchasing process was “generally unpleasant''.

Mr Spalding said the survey showed that dealers had improved their customer satisfaction ratings, but still had a lot of work to do.

“Overall, dealers generally met buyer's expectations in how well they performed although they need to improve their performance in responding to customer's enquiries and reduce their tendency to pressure the customer when dealing with them,'' he said.

“Customers rated the dealer's showroom and facilities well above their expectations which is a positive reflection of the high standard typically found in a new-car dealership.

“Dealers could also work to lift their performance in how they communicate with their customers and follow up by ensuring they do as promised.

“If dealers lose the confidence of a customer shortly after purchase they are potentially missing out on that customer's business for ongoing servicing work, which can amount to several hundred dollars a year. Worse still, that customer will tell others about their bad experience,'' he said.

The survey also found 90 per cent of customers were happy with “most of the major'' brands of vehicle, ranging from 87 per cent for Ford owners to 91.5 per cent for Hyundai owners.

Carsguide resident mechanic Graham Smith said the worst habit of sales staff was upselling with items such as rust and paint protection, extended warranties and unnecessary servicing.

“Customers assume that what the dealer sells them is a factory product, but clearly paint protection and aftermarket LPG systems are not.

“Extended warranties also don't come from the factory but from an insurance company.

“Buyers need to be a bit more smart and understand what warranties cover.

“The first mistake people make is believing the guy on the other side of the desk is their mate and things will be ok and they will look after them when things go wrong.''

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/car-...#ixzz1fyenssLa

Munners

aussie muscle · 09-12-2011, 09:36 AM

hmm, i would have thought 87% satisfaction rating to be rather poor

Poetic Justice · 09-12-2011, 10:03 AM

Just a little perspective from a new car salesman, most of this article is fairly right but in some instances it's not fair on us either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OP

Motor Trades Association of Australia spokesman Colin Duckworth said pushy car sales people were “dinosaurs on the way out''.

“The average dealer principal these days goes out of their way to keep customers,'' he said.

“They really don't make a lot of money out of selling a car - bugger all. Their main profit centres are finance and insurance, and the ongoing service of the vehicle.

This is pretty well right, especially the money side of things. From my perspective, manufacturers like Toyota are rating every sale with a customer satisfaction survey as do most manufacturers, and the old dinosuar sales person who is a pushy ****** is not well received by customers and it can reflect poorly when the CS results come out. Hence, most of these sales people are either being told to change their ways or they're moving into a used car sales roll which doesn't have a lot of the satisfaction measures in place.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OP

“They would rather dealers sold their floor stock than raise an order for a special vehicle."

Well this should be painfully obvious, like in any sales environment a sales person, manager even dealer principal is not going to reap the financial rewards (commission, revenue, bonuses, incentives) until the product is 100% paid for and has left the business. Hence why wouldn't I try to "sell" a car from stock rather than go for a factory order which can take 3-4 months and as much as 12 months from other manufacturers (Volkswagen, for instance)? Plus most customers want their car now anyway so they will be flexible on what they're after if it means a change of colour preference, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OP

RACQ spokesman Steve Spalding said respondents' comments about car dealership staff included that they were rude, far too pushy and too busy, lacked interest once the contract was signed and didn't care whether I bought there or not".

Well any sales person who says that is clearly in the wrong job.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OP

Others said the manager was “quite unethical'' and the purchasing process was “generally unpleasant''.

My only gripe with this is simply that whilst its great for people to look for the best deal they can get (as would I), the media/tv shows/magazines/etc have educated the buyer well in how to go about the business as far as their best interest goes. This has resulted in MANY prospective buyers coming into the dealerships and stating "I want the best price for this car".

I can tell you that at least 50% of our walk in traffic now days comes in with this attitude without first even allowing us to show them the value in the vehicle. Sure, you might say the internet allows them to do research but then, as an example, a customer I spoke to yesterday was hell bent on getting the best deal and then wanted me to throw bluetooth in. Well, bluetooth is standard on every model we sell. I could easily have thrown in it for him and made him think I was doing him a big favour but hey, I don't work that way.

So my response, is that a bigger group of buyers are responsible for the "quite unethical" practices of wanting to treat us like prostitutes, and get whatever they can out of us with little input and then barter off with every other dealership in Melbourne without ever building that relationship with someone first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OP

Carsguide resident mechanic Graham Smith said the worst habit of sales staff was upselling with items such as rust and paint protection, extended warranties and unnecessary servicing.

“Customers assume that what the dealer sells them is a factory product, but clearly paint protection and aftermarket LPG systems are not.

“Extended warranties also don't come from the factory but from an insurance company.

Unfortunately, the interior/exterior protections stuff I can't defend. I'd never purchase it myself even.

However, when it comes to warranties, there are two types. The one which is by the insurance company he speaks of which is illegal to actually sell and is given away to customers to help sell and the other is the factory backed warranty which you would normally pay over $1k for.

In summary, I think the article is spot on. Customers don't like to be pushed, but when most of them have this mentality of getting the best price before they even find out the sales persons name they're basically putting the sales staff in a position where they have to learn tactics (ethical or unethical) to turn the person around. Unfortunately, as is always the case in the sales industries, more sales and more profit equals a better sales person. And so the world keeps spinning...

Lima · 09-12-2011, 10:55 AM

I recently went to purchase a new car with the missus, she wanted a Subaru Forester 2.0D Premium. Having worked in sales for quite some time, I said of course I'd go with her to help out. So after doing the research and ensuring this is the model she wanted, we trotted off down to the closest dealership to us, and had a chat with the first available sales guy.

I have respect for salespeople no matter what industry they work in, because I've been on the receiving end of horrendous & rude customers myself. We walked in, let them know the model we wanted, and sat down for a chat. We gave him colour and options preferences and was told that there was one in NSW that we could have shipped down here. One of the things that annoyed me, is that I knew that the newer models which were commonly referred to as the MY11.5 models had a revised clutch, more fuel efficient engine and a new dash cluster, dual zone climate control etc etc for the same retail price. When i mentioned this, the sales guy really wasn't sure whether the one we were talking about had it or not - when i asked for clarification, he just confirmed that "it probably had this, seeing as it has only arrived recently" - hardly 100% reassuring. I let it go, as I figured i could make sure we put a "subject to blah blah..." in the contract should we decide to buy.

We then explained we were looking to lease (tax benefits with work), at which point he immediately changed his tune and gave us the "Well I'll have to get you to have a chat with the Business Sales Manager". I was fine with this, so we walked in to her office and sat down for a further discussion. I should mention that we weren't really that fussed on shopping around, going to every dealership trying to get every last dollar out of them - as we would have been happy to sign on the dotted line on the day, given the customer service was at a good level and we felt we were getting a good deal.

From the moment we started talking to this lady, the experience went sharply downhill. She tried immediately to get us to do a finance application, and refused to talk price with us until we submitted all our details and got her to see if we could get finance. Understandably we were not comfortable doing this, so after a good 20 minutes of back and forth with her and the sales manager, we politely said no thanks, and walked out.

The better half was quite exasperated right then and there, and she just wanted to go home - but i had read on the internet that the majority of Subaru dealerships are in fact owned by a parent company, except for a couple of dealerships in the outer suburbs (Frankston and Lilydale). So we jumped in the car, and drove the 40 mins to Lilydale. As soon as we walked in, we explained exactly which dealership we came from, and the service we received - at this point, the salesman was more than happy to oblige and be as courteous as possible. We got a price we were comfortable with, an interest rate that was competitive, and they had one on the lot that was the spec we wanted. So we did the application, signed for the car and we pick it up next week.

Just thought i'd share this, good customer service can make the difference between a sale or a wave goodbye.

-The business sales manager called my phone yesterday also, as a follow up and I was delighted to let her know we bought from the independent dealership due to their better level of service. She wasn't too happy and promptly hung up..

rancidpunx · 09-12-2011, 11:12 AM

I have been lucky enough to buy a few new cars in the past 3 years and the first contact has always been a bit touchy. Tattoo, piercings and work shorts probably dont scream money and as such every dealership I walk into ignores me.
But there are good guys out there. The sales fella at Metro in the city who sold me my ute was excellent, not pushy in anyway, more than happy to talk to me over the 2 weeks we nutted out a deal (festive season/ stock issues) and then ordered me a vehicle from Ford with no deposit. 6weeks later went in paid the money and drove away. He has left now and they are all monkeys now as I found out whilst trying to buy a Ranger.

I have dealt with guys who want you to sign up within 5mins of first contact and guys who give you "the cars only available for the next 2 hours" as well.

I too have had a crap sales person call me after I have bought a car else where and ask "how I was going?" Its funny as the conversation unfolds.

Rodge · 09-12-2011, 11:45 AM

I seem to have the most trouble with the after sales lady with the tight dress and low neckline

trying to sell me over-priced and over-rated paint and fabric protection and window tinting. I suspect they know that men have a fair bit of trouble saying no to a pretty lady and exploit that fact.
Salespeople i've dealt with over the years have been reasonable to good, I'm sure we've all got horror stories to share about the odd one we've met over the years but why go there, most salespeople are reasonable people with a genuine interest in vehicles.

2011G6E · 09-12-2011, 02:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rodge

I seem to have the most trouble with the after sales lady with the tight dress and low neckline

trying to sell me over-priced and over-rated paint and fabric protection and window tinting. I suspect they know that men have a fair bit of trouble saying no to a pretty lady and exploit that fact.
Salespeople i've dealt with over the years have been reasonable to good, I'm sure we've all got horror stories to share about the odd one we've met over the years but why go there, most salespeople are reasonable people with a genuine interest in vehicles.

I got the "low neckline flirter" once when being sold a car and being pushed for the fabric protection/electronic rust prevention/tinting package. My missus even spotted that I was being virtually hit on before I did (as wives do...

). I mean, I'm no oil painting (I'm not even a spray painting), but this girl was smiling like mad, twirling the hair, leaning my way and showing me the papers as if the wife wasn't there, "accidentally" nudging my feet with hers under the desk...the lot.
Now, while I am an Adonis amongst mortal men and used to such attention

, I was savvy enough to realise this was probably to get me to say yes. When i said "No, thanks", she completely changed into a "normal" woman again and started chatting to my missus.

I've generally had very good sales experiences...apart from rediculous trade-in offers of course. The guys do it for a living and one would expect they try hard to make sales when they're on commission.
Although there was the one guy at a Holden dealership in a town that shall remain nameless that wouldn't let my wife take an SV6 for a test drive..."Why don't you wait until your husband is here and he can drive it with you?". My wife said, quite rightly, that she drives our main car probably 75% of the time, and I had instructed her to take one for a drive, as I had already driven them at work as rental cars...I wanted her opinion. Checking to see that she hadn't stepped through a wormhole to 1955, she told him all this and asked for a drive, but he still stalled and refused.
One polite but firm email to the dealership, and I recieved a phone call from the owner of the dealership half an hour later, very angry (not at me...) and saying "I'll be calling him in on Monday morning, and if that's his ****ing attitude he can take a walk down the damn road!".

The Ford and Holden dealers in Rockhampton couldn't have been more helpful, virtually throwing the keys to whatever the wife asked about (& some things she didn't) at her when she was down there enquiring about different cars, and we ended up with the G6E from Ford in Rocky. I had my eye on XR6's, but the wife actually spotted two 50th Anniversary G6E's he had sitting there and asked him what they were as she liked the look of them.

jpd80 · 09-12-2011, 02:58 PM

Dealerships are usually individual franchises and the experience can vary immensely.
Buying a car should be enjoyable and fun, not laden down with pain and annoyance.
Do your research and sums, know what you want and how much your trade is worth
and if you feel uncomfortable talking to a certain sales team then get out of there..

Poetic Justice · 09-12-2011, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Although there was the one guy at a Holden dealership in a town that shall remain nameless that wouldn't let my wife take an SV6 for a test drive..."Why don't you wait until your husband is here and he can drive it with you?".

I don't believe he took this path as in "you're a woman, you don't need to drive it" type sexist remark, it's more about the pressure sales staff are under to make a sale right there on the spot. Without her husband with her, we can see that it's something that is going to take time.

The other side to that is, while your circumstances might be different, I come across plenty of wives that have been "instructed" to go look at and drive vehicles because the husband is a weakling and wants to use his wife as the pawn before shopping around like an ******* behind the scenes etc.

Some people might think sales people are idiots, but if there is one thing you become good at after time in this sort of job is how to read people.

**SSD-85** · 09-12-2011, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpd80

Dealerships are usually individual franchises and the experience can vary immensely.
Buying a car should be enjoyable and fun, not laden down with pain and annoyance.
Do your research and sums, know what you want and how much your trade is worth
and if you feel uncomfortable talking to a certain sales team then get out of there..

I agree with this immensely. Buying a car should be a well thought out, but fun experience.
If people or places insist on making it a headache (in whatever form) then they should indeed be avoided. It takes a pretty immaculate vehicle that is a very good price to consider buying it from a not-so-friendly person.

Rodge · 09-12-2011, 03:14 PM

Quote:

2011G6E I got the "low neckline flirter" once when being sold a car and being pushed for the fabric protection/electronic rust prevention/tinting package. My missus even spotted that I was being virtually hit on before I did (as wives do... ). I mean, I'm no oil painting (I'm not even a spray painting), but this girl was smiling like mad, twirling the hair, leaning my way and showing me the papers as if the wife wasn't there, "accidentally" nudging my feet with hers under the desk...the lot.

That was like a trip down memory lane, must have been the same girl

Trouble was my wife wasn't with me at the time and when I complained that some of the prices seemed steep she said, common Rodge, for you I can arrange a very, very special deal, I didn't have the courage to ask how special

Fortunatly after being charmed and flirted with for a good 30 minutes explaining all the benifets of this that and the other and every different type of window tint under the sun I finally managed to come to my senses and blurted out, okay I'll have a chat with my wife and see if I can get clearance for extra funding. At least that extricated me out of her office. This little trip down memory lane has me wondering how special that very very special deal was though

Yeah look.. TBH I find Ford dealerships owned by the AHG group very harsh with trade-in's and don't bother asking them the question anymore.

XR8 Uterous · 09-12-2011, 03:25 PM

Not for a brand new car, but I rang a dealer yesterday morning to enquire about a car for sale, explained I would be driving from an hour away to have a look at the car and test drive. Drove the hour to the dealership straight after hanging up the phone, got there, and was denied a test drive until I paid a non refundable deposit BEFORE driving. Luckily there is no shortage of cars on the market at the moment.

pundit · 09-12-2011, 03:30 PM

My mate had a rather interesting run a few weeks ago with a couple of yard in Mount Gambier. He went to carlin and gazzard to look at a 2004 BA MKI XR8, was citric colour with 84,000kms lowered with FG 19" wheels... Looked all-right. He let them do a test driver and evaluation first on his current car before looking to much at the XR8, as a trade in he had a 2005 BA MKII SR 4L... As soon as they looked at the car they thought it was dodge as it had 2 sets of books in the glove box, ontop of that they tried to say that it had structial rust in it and wasn't roadworthy which rather interesting as he got it off a major defect not even 2 weeks prior, they also slammed the door a pole in the yard when they got in it and dinted the drivers door...

After test driving the XR8 my mate wasn't impressed with broken interior plastics, a strange "clunk" from the donk for about 5 - 8 seconds after startup, transmission slipped, whiplash in the driveline, rear seatbelt was broken, after the test drive parked the car went from drive into park. As soon as it was put in park it stalled me mate questioned what was wrong with this lemon and the sales rep comeback was "You are just wasting my time and why are you complaining your BA has issues" They offered him $2,300 for a 05 BA SR with 97,000km o.O

After that he test drive a BA XR6 5speed and that wasn't too bad of a car but my mate said that he doesn't want a car that has been in a accident... car drove beautiful but after the test drive we noticed the front bar was cracked had a look behind the bar cover and the reo was pushed back, and the bracket around the airbag was pushed back a fair way.. The braked that has written on it "Replace when damaged", pointed it out to the yard and they said someone else will buy it if me mate didn't and still tried to push him into buying it o.O

blueoval · 09-12-2011, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR8 Uterous

Not for a brand new car, but I rang a dealer yesterday morning to enquire about a car for sale, explained I would be driving from an hour away to have a look at the car and test drive. Drove the hour to the dealership straight after hanging up the phone, got there, and was denied a test drive until I paid a non refundable deposit BEFORE driving. Luckily there is no shortage of cars on the market at the moment.

I hate it when car sales people do this. WTF is the point of test driving a car after you have already bought it starting with a deposit? Derrrrr. How are you supposed to know if the car is right for you if you cannot drive it? It's ludicrous and will turn 99% buyers off.

On the other hand, My mate is a car wholesaler and he gets annoyed when he gets [insert ethnicity here] groups come in, pick on the car in every aspect, treat you like a drug dealer, ask what the bottom dollar price is, test drive it and then dump it when they get back and walk off without a word. Talk about cake and eating it too. It's not everyone that does this, but when people treat others like a used dish cloth, I can see how hard it would be for a sales man to put on a smiley face and say 'thanks for coming'.

I can see it goes both ways. You need to meet on middle ground.

Then again I dont step foot on a dealers lot unless 1) I am 100% serious about buying a car and doing a deal or 2) I am there to help buy a car for a friend or family. Otherwise I am wasting both my time and theirs.

Bucknaked · 09-12-2011, 03:56 PM

Actually, I had a good experience with a ford dealer. Went in to look for a 2nd car and the salesman approached me, asked what I was looking for. Anyway, after a 20 minute chat and look at some cars, he asked when I was buying and I said I'm not sure just yet, mainly interested to see whats around at the moment. He said when I'm ready, give him a call and come back in for a test drive. He never asked for name or number, gave me his card and said he'll be happy to help once I am ready. So it was refreshing to talk about my potential purchase without being pushed in to buying because they have some great deal thats only available in the next 5 minutes.

So If I choose to buy from that yard, I will go back and see him.

Poetic Justice · 09-12-2011, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueoval

I hate it when car sales people do this. WTF is the point of test driving a car after you have already bought it starting with a deposit? Derrrrr. How are you supposed to know if the car is right for you if you cannot drive it? It's ludicrous and will turn 99% buyers off.

On the other hand, My mate is a car wholesaler and he gets annoyed when he gets [insert ethnicity here] groups come in, pick on the car in every aspect, treat you like a drug dealer, ask what the bottom dollar price is, test drive it and then dump it when they get back and walk off without a word. Talk about cake and eating it too. It's not everyone that does this, but when people treat others like a used dish cloth, I can see how hard it would be for a sales man to put on a smiley face and say 'thanks for coming'.

I can see it goes both ways. You need to meet on middle ground.

Then again I dont step foot on a dealers lot unless 1) I am 100% serious about buying a car and doing a deal or 2) I am there to help buy a car for a friend or family. Otherwise I am wasting both my time and theirs.

I need to deal with more people like yourself, and not said ethnic groups which are more common than you think.

2011G6E · 09-12-2011, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCUD

I don't believe he took this path as in "you're a woman, you don't need to drive it" type sexist remark, it's more about the pressure sales staff are under to make a sale right there on the spot. Without her husband with her, we can see that it's something that is going to take time.

The other side to that is, while your circumstances might be different, I come across plenty of wives that have been "instructed" to go look at and drive vehicles because the husband is a weakling and wants to use his wife as the pawn before shopping around like an ******* behind the scenes etc.

Some people might think sales people are idiots, but if there is one thing you become good at after time in this sort of job is how to read people.

I'm not going to go into exact quotes of what he said, but unfortunately he made it extremely clear that he just wouldn't let her drive the big scary car...I would have to be there and drive it for her...there was no possible misinterpretation of what he said. Repeatedly saying that shouldn't she wait until her husband is there, wouldn't it be better if he drove it, etc. I later found that a female friend of mine who owns a business tried to test drive an SS Commodore ute there which she wanted to purchase as a combined mobile advertisement/work vehicle, and was met with virtually the same reception by this very same salesman some months before.

Poetic Justice · 09-12-2011, 04:01 PM

Well that's ridiculous; such a person wouldn't last a week where I work with that type of attitude.

Lima · 09-12-2011, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCUD

Well that's ridiculous; such a person wouldn't last a week where I work with that type of attitude.

Unfortunately, in a lot of situations, salespeople such as this are allowed to keep their jobs because their numbers are good.

In one of my old retail positions when i was a young, enthusiastic uni student with a hunger for commission (i called it beer money) and fought my way to being in the top 30 of the company, i found that my store manager would give me a few concessions that other employees didn't get.

Not that i condone his behaviour, just saying, it happens in some places and is tolerated by the boss because the turnover is there.

flappist · 09-12-2011, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCUD

Well that's ridiculous; such a person wouldn't last a week where I work with that type of attitude.

Big picture.

At the end of the month when the numbers are done they are all that count.

The bastard who does the deals will alway survive the nice guy who does not.

Anyone who thinks the the role of a salesman is anything other than closing deals and they will not do ANYTHING they think they can get away with to achieve that goal is rather naive. (of course salesman will disagree violently and spin off flowery tales of customer service that may or may not include fluffy puppies, pink unicorns and world peace).......

Franco Cozzo · 09-12-2011, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XR8 Uterous

Drove the hour to the dealership straight after hanging up the phone, got there, and was denied a test drive until I paid a non refundable deposit BEFORE driving.

I had the same thing happen to me at a Jap Import dealer in Fawkner before I bought my WS Fiesta in 2009.

I had an R34 Skyline lined up, it was in good nic, 5sp manual, but the unwanted 4 door N/A version, they wanted $11K for it, which I said I'd pay for it.

I got my parents to come with me, they looked at the car and agreed on it, said it was OK to buy.

Then the owner of the business said I want a $500 non refundable deposit, then only I can drive it, you and your parents will be passengers.

I bought a new WS Fiesta from Sunford in Sunbury a week later, that was before they got bought out and replaced all their staff. The salesman I bought it off, let me test drive it even though I didn't have a license at the time

. I said how much, he said $18,000, I paid, I didn't bust their balls, I probably could have negotiated, but I'm not that kind of person to bother.

He asked me if I wanted any extra options, I said no.

They didn't push or try persuade me and I signed the dotted line.

Then when I bought my Focus earlier on in the year, I used to work with the salesman, didn't even test drive it or negotiate, just said I wanted that one in the dealership and how much then signed the dotted line.

Then I totalled it in a not at fault accident with less than 1000km

So insurance got me another one, I made sure through the same salesman and in exactly the same colour and options

Before I got the Focus, I argued with the new staff at Sunford, they treated me like crap even though I was a previous customer and same with my mum, I seen a 6sp manual FG Falcon ute, base model in the back of their yard, packed away in a far corner, looked like it had been there for a long time, after 30 minutes of wondering around the yard, I got someone, I asked how much for the ute, he said the lowest I'd go is $35K, I offered $27,500 and I'll take it now, he said "I'm here to sell cars, don't waste my time, make another offer", so I said $27,500 again, he went off to the manager to see what he could lower it to, and said $29,990.

I walked away, gave him my number, 3 missed calls from him, never answered his calls back.

Two other dealerships offered me a 6sp auto one for $26,000 drive away, but I declined as I didn't want auto.

Thats when I changed my mind and went for a small turbo diesel car, I went to Hyundai, who werent interested in talking to me, and Holden which I really liked the Cruise CDX diesel, but when they seen me coming they locked the cars and went inside.

I also went to Kia, but after a long chat with everyone in the dealership, they where happy to sell me a Kia Sportage, but the wait time was huge, it was over 6 months wait because they didn't allocate much stock to Australia.

So I went to Ford and they where all over me.

X000BOSS · 09-12-2011, 05:36 PM

i like puishy saleman sometimes. only if they're "smart" pushy and not "rude" pushy. when i purchased the mrs' territory, the saleman came up to me and asked if i needed a hand. i said no, just looking for now. he asked what i was looking at, told him territory then he walked away and started to line up 5 cars to look at. he literally drove 5 territories and parked them one behind the other so i can compare and have a good look at them. i thanked him for doing that, told him to leave them there and ill be back in 20minutes. we bought one that arvo. thanks Brian Clarke from cumberland ford. he was a true gentleman, although he offered me too little for the old BA as a tradein. so i sold that privately.

Ben73 · 09-12-2011, 05:48 PM

Couple of years ago I went to a 4x4 car yard.
Almost every 4wd had a sticker saying "buy me for $60 a week, $100, $95, etc.

The one I was looking did not have this sticker, so I asked the salesman what it would be. He said he would ring up the finance company and find out. I never said I was buying it I just said looking for now. He ends up putting me on the phone to them and as I am answering questions he is writing up a contract and giving me the pen and pointing for me to sign it. He would not give up on trying to get me to sign it, so I just walked out.

Ended up buying off a Mercedes dealer that also sold Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, and had no problems at all. Staff were friendly and not pushy. The salesman actually said at one point "Buying a car is a big decision, are you sure this is the right one for you?"
Much more pleasant then them them shoving the contract down your throat whether you want it or not.

Poetic Justice · 09-12-2011, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flappist

Big picture.

At the end of the month when the numbers are done they are all that count.

The bastard who does the deals will alway survive the nice guy who does not.

Anyone who thinks the the role of a salesman is anything other than closing deals and they will not do ANYTHING they think they can get away with to achieve that goal is rather naive. (of course salesman will disagree violently and spin off flowery tales of customer service that may or may not include fluffy puppies, pink unicorns and world peace).......

On the other hand at the end of the month if I'm down on numbers, and I don't have a 5 deep line of people waiting at the door to speak to me, I'm going to put my energy into everyone (including women on their own) I speak to in case I could turn it into a deal.

pauljh74 · 09-12-2011, 05:58 PM

This clip covers most of the negative experiences with salesmen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-SK1-iILlY

FPV+fteT3 · 09-12-2011, 05:59 PM

If you want an experience just step in to Australian Fleet Sales that is all.

351@GT · 09-12-2011, 06:04 PM

Father in law just bought a new navara 550. went to one dealership has white with the specs he wanted, yep now worries where do i sign, 95% way through writing the contract another staff member goes sorry thats sold but we will put you on the list for the next one that comes in. FIL reached across the table grabs the contract tore it in half and walked out.

Wasnt forsale in the first place, just to lure them in.

bought a black one with more fruit a day or 2 later.

Lightning Strike GT · 09-12-2011, 06:11 PM

The last 2 I have bought done the research found what I wanted rang up made an appt they had the cars ready, lobbed up on time, he went thru the features of the cars asked if I needed any more info etc let me test drove what I wanted - picked the one negotiated a price a shake of the hands - deal done
No BS no pushyness from both sides - happy deal
That was the good story now the bad - back in 99 I saw a clean looking EL XR8 in manual had a quick squiz went back to work and got the wife to have a look and a drive as well - all the sales man did was belittle the wife saying listen luv you know it is a V8 and a manual a powerful car for a girl - cut a long one short - we got the who hits left the dealership and I went back in a few days time only becuase we wanted that car seen another sales man done the deal now the corker - he, the first salesman, actually rang us at home a few nights later absolutely gave us a new one and it sounded like he head few rums under the belt as well for not buying this car from him and we owed him the money he lost on this sale ie: commission - yep bring it on some idiots out there

superfly · 09-12-2011, 06:46 PM

I've recently bought a brand new XR50. I found the whole experience excellent.

I knew which car I wanted but my wife didn't so we went to lots of different dealers to test drive their cars. And I gotta say all the sales people were very professional and not at all pushy. It was a pleasant change from the 90's. A couple of the salespeople knew less than me but that was fine.

**DJM83** · 09-12-2011, 07:02 PM

I wasnt even allowed to drive an XR5 at the first dealer i went to. Next one was great, not even close to pushy.
Needless to say i went back with my new XR5 to first dealer to 'have a look' only to be asked where i purchased from, i said 'Look at the number plate surrounds' (They are gone now though) he wasnt happy.