What happened with the BMW. I am feeling happy on some fantastic Napa Pinot and I'm sure the British_Rover has had plenty of tequila: where is the rest of the story. I will be staying up late waiting for the ending. One of the best stories so far. Visions of Tom Clancy and Stephen King come to mind.....
I'm curious as to what might be considered the __highest__ number of salespeople that get involved with a single car purchase?
My experienced extremes:
At Honda, Acura and Toyota dealers I usually get 3 sales people; a greeter/junior salesperson, a regular salesperson, and the sales manager. The fastest turnover was Acura... 30 seconds for all three to hand me off from one to another.
At Saturn dealerships, I usually get one salesperson. However, when a Saturn is delivered, almost the whole salesforce goes into the delivery room and cheers the customer.
As I was saying saturday morning before I was interupted by customers I mean can't they wait a few minutes so I can finish writing this story.
I walk into the office and my managers have decided to blow the deal on the Z4...
This is what they told me happend about 30 minutes before I got there.
The sister and brother come in to sign the papers as she wants the car right then. They had already called her and told her what the in service date was on the Z4 and faxed over the information from the BMW dealer.
She comes in just a few minutes later and wants to take the car. Well it hasn't been washed or detailed yet and she hasn't even told them how much money she wants to put down for financing. She is already approved but the contract and all the other paperwork has not been printed yet.
She is very impatient and wants to know why isn't everything ready NOW??
They explain that it will take a little while to get the car prepped and have the paper work printed. Maybe she should come back in the later in the afternoon.
She says fine she will come back later but she is still not happy. She wants to know what plate she will be getting. They open up the drawer and pull out the first plate which is 369-***. She is very, very happy with this plate for some reason.
This is when my GM realizes something important. This BMW is a 2003 and therefore by CT law it has to go through an emissions test before it can be resold. It takes 24 hours for the emessions test results to be uploaded by the state so even if it was tested right now it couldn't be registered till after 12:00 pm the next day.
The delivery that I have going at 3:00 PM is going to get the 369-*** plate and so the sister will get the plate after that.
The GM explains all of this and says he is sorry he just forgot this was a 2003 and not a newer model year.
The sister explodes cussing in english and at least two other languages.
She is screaming at everyone and calling everyone liars.
Sister: If I can't have that plate I don't want to car etc. etc. etc.
The brother is just sitting their looking dumbstruck.
At this point our F&I manager picks up the paperwork and dumps it all in the trash.
She tells her fine she won't be buying this car and asks her to leave.
The sister is still yelling and complaining at everyone. The brother is basicly pulling her out of the showroom as she keeps yelling.
I walked in just a couple of minutes after all of this happend.
We had no idea why she flipped out. I don't know if numbers that are multiples of three are extremly lucky in her culture/country or something. Even if they are that does not justify her temper tantrum.
This 369 story reminds me of a Cincy TV station when they went to an hour and half newscast from a 30 minute newscast long ago. They spent most of their time giving promos of what they're going to tell you in the next half hour or the half hour after that! I'm on pins and needles to hear the rest!
I'm anxious to hear the finish to this. It's a good story!
At least once a week we get somebody we collectively decide NOT to sell a car to. Some people are just whackos and you know in advance they will turn in to an anchor. Don't need the ag, don't need the short deal and don't want a bad survey. To this day I love the looks on their faces when we tell them to take their business elsewhere.......
"At least once a week we get somebody we collectively decide NOT to sell a car to. Some people are just whackos and you know in advance they will turn in to an anchor. Don't need the ag, don't need the short deal and don't want a bad survey. To this day I love the looks on their faces when we tell them to take their business elsewhere......."
Aren't those the best :P ?
Don't get me wrong, I'll take a mini any time, but it sure is fun to boot out someone that's just being an idiot.
We had a guy this weekend that insisted on seeing the actual printed factory invoice. We agreed to show him, but only if he agreed to buy the car if it was what we had already promised him it was. He agreed. After seeing the invoice he still wanted to negotiate.
The salesperson didn't say a word, got up, got his keys, and asked him to leave and never come back.
The customer backpedaled and decided he wanted the deal (at invoice), and we told him no thanks (Talk about a survey risk at that point).
The best part in all of it was, we were the only dealer in our REGION with the car he wanted lol... What do you think we said when the next dealer he went to wanted to trade us for it? We sold it to someone else this morning.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind the mini at all, its better than working for free that day. Like you said though, it is fun to boot an idiot. Here's one from last week:
Cust: I have an offer on the car at 21000 from a dealer in New York.
Me: Sir, invoice is 22600 and we don't have any rebates. (It was an 07 GTI)
Cust: I don't believe you; he told me 21000, and thats the best I'll do.
Me: To get to that number, the car is used or damaged. Buy it at your own risk, and have a nice day......
He agreed. After seeing the invoice he still wanted to negotiate.
The best part in all of it was, we were the only dealer in our REGION with the car he wanted lol... What do you think we said when the next dealer he went to wanted to trade us for it? We sold it to someone else this morning.
In the past we have disagreed on several issues but I'm with you 100% on this. When somebody lies to you how can anyone even think of doing business with that person?
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
i haven't bought a car in about 2 1/2 years, but you used to get a temp plate with only an expiration date on it. unless it is a vanity plate, you don't know what it will be until you get them in the mail from the dmv.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
The rest of that day went as planned I left around 4:30 after my delivery.
Thursday was much the same nothing happend and we never bothered to call them the whole day.
In the early afternoon the brother calls me to see if we can still salvage anything. I tell him that I am not sure because everyone here is very upset at his sister. I ask if I can put him on hold for a few minutes will we discuss it. He says that is fine and will hold for as long as necessary.
I talk it over with our GM/SM and he agrees that we can re-open the deal but she is not getting anything else at all and after the deal is done she is never coming back.
I tell the brother what the terms are and he says he will talk to his sister.
A few minutes later the sister calls back. She only wants to know what plate she is getting.
As we don't have any deliveries planned for the next day and a half I go see what the next plate is.
I tell her and she gets pouty but says she will just get another plate from the DMV later.
Since everything sees a go again at this point I take the Z4 to get emissions tested and fill it up with gas. That was really the first time I had a chance to drive it at any speed. It was an ok car but felt very unstable over uneven pavement. It wanted to walk into the next lane when I hit some broken pavement.
No problems with the emissions test and I got back just in time to run into the sister and brother again. They were sitting down with the GM/SM. He was laying down the ground rules for the delivery.
1. We will fix the clear bra after delivery and that is the only thing on the car that we will fix.
She complained about this but the clear bra kit had to be ordered and would not be in till Tuesday at the earliest.
2. There will not be any additional negotations tomorrow. She is just going to take the car and that is it.
3. After the clear bra is fixed she will NOT come back to the dealership for anything ever again.
Lots more grumbling after that but she agreed to that as well.
They left and everything seemed fine.
Now we have to fast forward till Friday Morning.
The sister is supposed to all at 11:00 AM to set up an exact delivery time. I had the car ready and prepped by 9:30 am just in case she tried to pull a fast one and all the paperwork is all set as well.
Well 11:00 AM flys by and no call. At about 12:00 PM I start getting nervous and call her. She says she is busy at her business and will call later right before she is going to come down.
Grr great she is just going to fly down here probably call on her cell when she is five minutes away and surprise us all. Hopefuly I won't have anything else going on when she comes.
The hours past and not much is going on. I have a walkin come to look at Discoveries who is a very nice woman. Things start moving along and I figure out that this is going to be a sale and it is probably going to be a spot as well.
We never do spot deliveries because we just aren't set up for it. We don't have enough staff for those kind of things.
As I am finishing up the negotations with the woman the sister calls. She will be down in 15 minutes. :mad: :mad: :mad:
I wrap up everything with my Disco client and leave her in my office while she calls her insurance agent. Our F&I manager is printing all of the paperwork for the Disco deal and is just finishing up when the sister and brother come in.
She has an attitute that we cannot take her right away and that she has to wait while our F&I manger finishing printing the paperwork for the other deal.
I suggest that she go take a look at the car before we sign the paperwork.
Sister: No, lets sign everything now. Why isn't it all ready? You said it would be all ready when I got here what is taking so long.
Keep in mind she has been here less then three minutes.
Me: Well we have another delivery that is happening at the same time since you came down on such short notice. She will be finished printing up the paperwork for the other deal in just a minute.
With all of the paper work printed they all sit down to do the documents.
Now our F&I manager just can't resist twisting the sisters arm a little bit.
F&I: So are you still mad at me ****
Sister: Yes I am very mad at you you tell me you won't sell me the car and you don't do anything I want and I am very upset.
F&I: Yeah well you made me very upset as well after all of the things you said. What happend when you got home did you brother call you crazy for passing up this deal and talk some sense into you?
The Brother starts laughing despeite himself and can't stop.
Sister: Says something in another language.
F&I: Is she calling me bad names?
Brother: Nods his head.
F&I: Ah thats ok I dont mind I got tough skin.
Brother is laughing although trying not too and the sister is fuming.
All of the paperwork is finished and we go outside to look over the car.
Now the sister starts nit picking the car all over.
There are two tiny, less then 1/8 inch wide and l/2 inch long, road tar marks on the bottom of the rocker panel under the driver's side door. You can't even see it unless you are lying on your back on the ground.
Sister: Ah you will fix that right there right?
me: No we will not fixt that.
Sister: Oh yes you will you will fix it when you fix the clear bra thing yes you will.
me: No we will not that was not the agreemant.
I had her the keys.
sister: oh but it is not right you should fix it. Fix it for me now.
she walks off hands the keys to her brother and she drives away in her car.
Brother shrugs his shoulders and drives off in the Z4.
I walk back inside and do another delivery on the discovery I just sold and after that is done I found out another one of my customers calls agreeing to buy another used BMW we had on the lot that he had looked at earlier in the week.
I think they sold you (and you agreed to buy) an expensive MPV. If they say the rebate was included in the price, and you don't have any documentation to the contrary, then I guess the rebate was included in the price.
Saturday am I get a call specifically asking for me. Sister in law of a former co-worker calls and states " were coming to buy a car from you today." I dont know about the rest of you but that usually sets off the warning bells. Psycho, bad credit, negative equity, something bad will happen to make this a stroke. Fairly slow Saturday and she arrives at 3:00 with her daughter ( who is actually buying the car) in a Mustang thats 4 years old. In tow ios daughters hubby and newborn. These folks couldnt have been nicer. Walked the lot and she picked out a 5 speed cavalier that was a couple of years old. Bright yellow base model. We walk inside negotiate, agree on a figure and fill out a credit app. ( Notice I havent mentioned a test drive? It's because there wasnt one, she never even opened the door.) I go to finance expecting bad credit because they agreed to easily to the terms, and voila they were very financeable. Go through finace and 30 minutes plus gap protection and a warranty later they came out. As they are transferring their belongings to the new car the new owner said to her husband. " Now you promise you are going to teach me how to drive this thing, right?"
And you know what? She is probably going to be one of my better customers.
Erm... I can tell you that Edmunds will contribute all of the membership fees paid to date to help fund a meet-up
Even tidester & I would have to pay our own expenses. But hey, I'm sure I can get a handful of t-shirts, mugs, whatever to bring!
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
Hey everyone...i've been a reader of these posts for awhile, but never a poster...but I need to vent after this happened.
So, on Thursday we get this email from this guy offering to buy this vehicle at a set price, and no more. It's very very low price, actually wholesale/auction price. Anyway, we agree just to move the unit and he says he'll come up either Saturday or Sunday (he lives about 2 hours away). Anyway, he says he can come Sunday and to pick up the car.
Now, it is a 3 year old car that is not "perfect" but extremely nice with some minor previous paintwork. The customer comes on Sunday and starts taking out his flashlight, magnet, this, that and the other thing and thinks he is buying a new car-when he is buying a used unit at wholesale.
So I'm sitting here on my day off, showing this awesome car to this guy who is wasting my time. Then he finally test drives it and comes back and says no thanks. I am just perturbed that I spent my Sunday to come to the office to show this car, only to have this guy totally waste my time...no great punchline on this story, but just wanted to put it on the boards...
They'll be listed there... best way to find out where he's hanging out.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
On a a manufacturer's rebate, don't you have to sign a paper that assigns the rebate to the dealer? Also, just look at the figure that sales tax is paid on. That would be purchase price, not including any manufacturer's rebate as the state doesn't give a break on that.
Also, just look at the figure that sales tax is paid on.
Depends on the state. In Kentucky, we pay 6% of 90% of the MSRP as sales tax--it doesn't matter what the rebates were or what price you paid. You also only get a credit if you trade a car for a used car--there's no offset if you trade a used car in on a new one.
While I feel for you about wasting your Sunday, it's really kind of part of the job description. But usually it's not as bad as that. That guy was a fool, IMO. His loss.
Here in L.A, which is perhaps the most nasty place to buy or sell a used car on the planet, if I was shopping around and had someone accept an offer of mine for a car at or near wholesale/auction price, I'd run over there before they changed their mind(because it never happens out here).
ALL of the new and used car lots within five miles of me are run by bums, crooks, and slime. All except for one, which I check out regularly - the GMC/Buick dealer in Pasadena. It's also 5 blocks from my work, so it's nice to look around as well on the occasional lunch break. Just thought I'd mention it, because they are a nice place to do business with and their used cars are usually priced close to trade-in.(with some wiggle-room in addition, as you'd expect.) Hardly anything stays on the lot for more than about a week as a result.
Their new car department is pretty standard, though - a bit of good and bad. Great repair department. Fixed an old Buick of mine on the first try where THREE other mechanics had said it needed a new engine.(it didn't - their outdated equipment wasn't able to determine it properly, even with the OBD codes). If you need GM/GMC repairs, these are the guys to go to in this area of Los Angeles.
Every few blocks there's some guy selling cars on a small lot - and all of the tricks in the book you'll find being tried here. Second worst is the Nissan dealer in La Crescenta. Run away. They have ads on T.V. about fininching anyone and the place is like a bad T.V. show - it's unreal in there. Worst is a little place I ran into in N. Hollywood. Nasty people. You could see the grease oozing out of their pores like Jabba the Hutt. No, really.
Perhaps a book is in order? "Adventures in Used Car Land"? I'm sure someone could make a cable TV series about this - something simmialr to "The Office".
I know that many people in L.A.(and most big cities) wonder where they can find decent deals as the S/N ratio is so skewed most of the time.
I think it works for the GMC dealer in Pasadena because they only have room for about 20 cars - it's a small side business since they do most of their profit from repairs on fleet vehicles. New cars show up every week as a result.
That would be purchase price, not including any manufacturer's rebate as the state doesn't give a break on that.
I live in Pennsylvania and we pay 6% state sales tax on the bottom line (sale price minus any and all rebates that the customer qualifies for). However, I’m lucky, I live in a county that charges an additional 1% sales tax to help pay for the new baseball yard and football stadium that the city of Pittsburgh just had to have. You know, prestige thing.
I lived in South Carolina from 1992 to 1997 and they had a $350 maximum state sales tax (Chevy or Land Rover). I only took advantage of this once. Don’t know if it’s still like this or not.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
I live in SC and vehicles have only $300 sales tax but wait, there is a catch; each year you have to pay property tax on the vehicle till it dies or is disposed.
Unless the customer is someone I know or someone I have sold a car to before, I will no longer come in on my day off for a person like that.
I understand this completely.
The other side of this is when I bought my most recent car, I got everything done on Friday morning, made a special trip to my insurance agent to pick up the paperwork, dropped it back off at the Finance office that same day, and made arrangements to pick the car up the next day (it was an '05 model in April - I wanted an oil change first, because who knows how long it had just been sitting on the lot).
I had to wait nearly an hour the next day, while I waited for my salesman to come in, put the antenna on the car and shake my hand.
Sheesh. Everything was done; while it was nice of him to come in, I'd have appreciated getting the keys, getting the spiel and getting out of there quickly a whole lot more.
Ya We have talked about this before. But I would say that working under those conditions has made me a little more thick skinned and I also had the opportunity to work with every culture on the planet. But the screamer ads and the Huge Auto malls and open 7 days and some even close at midnight it is crazy.......
But I am not proud of some of the things I did back then, but I was very young and did not know any better. (i.e charging 1750 PDI fee, Charging over sticker ect ect ect.....)
Well, the car was an '05 model selling in the middle of the '06 model year. A relatively early '05, I believe. Under 70 miles on it.
Remember that there is a recommendation for oil changes based on time as well as milage, and I suspected that the oil hadn't been changed in that time. So, call me Mr. Paranoid, but I asked 'em to do that, and they agreed.
I had to wait a day in order for them to get their added on, rip-off, security system off the car anyway, so asking for the oil change on top of that was no big deal.
After seeing some of the stories on here it makes me happy to know I work where I do. Im with a "One-Price" dealer and only on very few occasions do we have customers like the ones described in here. Part of the reason Im sure is because with us customers dont have to worry about haggling or negotiating...we just give our rock bottom price up front so getting to the bottom line takes about 10-15 minutes. Now....choosing the right color/trim/model could take a couple of hours but Im pretty cool with that. Every once in a blue moon someone will come in wanting an 07 odyssey with nav for like 425 a month with no trade or money down...or some one with "good credit" who has bought plenty of stuff in their life but never paid for it..LOL Good Luck every1 and if you can ever find the "Life of a Car Salesman" poem read it every day to get you thru. Ill email it to you if you want it.
Hey, welcome to the discussion! Since this is the "Sales Stories" discussion, why not entertain us all and post the poem here? I'm not a salesperson, but I'd love to read it.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name. 2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h) Review your vehicle
The american Car Salesman is both hated and revered. He is the last of a rare breed-the ultimate Maverick. He walks with confidence and takes offense at direction. He cannot be left on his own, Yet his spirit will not be dominated.
He is free enterprise personified.
The American automobile salesman laughs in the face of affirmative action. He is one of the few workers in society who is paid exactly what he is worth. While the average person views an hourly wage as security, he disdains it as an unnecessary limit on his ability to produce. He hears negative responses every day, but has never learned the meaning of defeat. He believes free enterprise was created with him in mind. He has the instinct of the hunter, coupled with great compassion and kindness. He speaks eloquently and detects the most innocent untruth from his customers. He would never bow his knee to any king or queen, but has the uncanny ability to treat his customers like royalty. He is uniquely talented, endowed with a savvy that can not be taught in a classroom. His spirit is what America was built on. He is a loner who has difficulty walking in step with others, yet he gravitates towards those who are like him. He is intensely competitive, nevertheless is quick to give a helping hand to a struggling brother. He is a dealers biggest liability, yet he is that same merchants greatest asset. Some elements of society would like to eliminate him, but have found him to be indestructible. Without his personality, his smile, his spirit, there would be a giant void in America!
All I can say is that it helps me go another day and I love what I do!!!
Elantra GT Hatch. The dealership was a mixed manufacturer, covering Hyundai, Suzuki and VW - and if you can't figure out which of those three got the most attention from the salesmen, you need to get out more.
This was the dealership where one of the salesfolks tried to tell me that he'd never seen the GLS version of the Elantra Hatch - which I can almost believe, thinking that the dealership only ordered GTs. I didn't buy from that salesman.
Now that everything is said and done, I get my dealer service done at a different dealership - one that's actually a bit closer, and, more importantly, open on Saturday.
I used to work for TI in Dallas in the 80's, straight out of school. I bought a new '87 RX-7 from a dealership just west of you a few miles; in WORST, I mean Hurst. I still have the window sticker -- only $250 Destination Charge back then! I was still a bit green. I was so proud when I negotiated a free 7-band equalizer to go with that auto-reverse cassette deck. I didn't realize I gave just as much back when I purchased that extended warranty.
It was the only car I ever held for more than 3 years.
What are the chances that dealership still exists? It was called Bailey Mazda, 701 NE Loop 820, Hurst, TX.
Comments
You guys in the biz are going to ruin this before it gets off the ground.
Since I don't report to anyone anymore (guess you can say I'm in charge around here) I can do it whenever it's good for the mases.
Gotta go fast I hear Mrs. jmonroe comin. Oh no, wasn't fast enough; ouch, ouch, OUCH ......
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
My experienced extremes:
At Honda, Acura and Toyota dealers I usually get 3 sales people; a greeter/junior salesperson, a regular salesperson, and the sales manager. The fastest turnover was Acura... 30 seconds for all three to hand me off from one to another.
At Saturn dealerships, I usually get one salesperson. However, when a Saturn is delivered, almost the whole salesforce goes into the delivery room and cheers the customer.
Just curious... :confuse:
As I was saying saturday morning before I was interupted by customers I mean can't they wait a few minutes so I can finish writing this story.
I walk into the office and my managers have decided to blow the deal on the Z4...
This is what they told me happend about 30 minutes before I got there.
The sister and brother come in to sign the papers as she wants the car right then. They had already called her and told her what the in service date was on the Z4 and faxed over the information from the BMW dealer.
She comes in just a few minutes later and wants to take the car. Well it hasn't been washed or detailed yet and she hasn't even told them how much money she wants to put down for financing. She is already approved but the contract and all the other paperwork has not been printed yet.
She is very impatient and wants to know why isn't everything ready NOW??
They explain that it will take a little while to get the car prepped and have the paper work printed. Maybe she should come back in the later in the afternoon.
She says fine she will come back later but she is still not happy. She wants to know what plate she will be getting. They open up the drawer and pull out the first plate which is 369-***. She is very, very happy with this plate for some reason.
This is when my GM realizes something important. This BMW is a 2003 and therefore by CT law it has to go through an emissions test before it can be resold. It takes 24 hours for the emessions test results to be uploaded by the state so even if it was tested right now it couldn't be registered till after 12:00 pm the next day.
The delivery that I have going at 3:00 PM is going to get the 369-*** plate and so the sister will get the plate after that.
The GM explains all of this and says he is sorry he just forgot this was a 2003 and not a newer model year.
The sister explodes cussing in english and at least two other languages.
She is screaming at everyone and calling everyone liars.
Sister: If I can't have that plate I don't want to car etc. etc. etc.
The brother is just sitting their looking dumbstruck.
At this point our F&I manager picks up the paperwork and dumps it all in the trash.
She tells her fine she won't be buying this car and asks her to leave.
The sister is still yelling and complaining at everyone. The brother is basicly pulling her out of the showroom as she keeps yelling.
I walked in just a couple of minutes after all of this happend.
We had no idea why she flipped out. I don't know if numbers that are multiples of three are extremly lucky in her culture/country or something. Even if they are that does not justify her temper tantrum.
I will write up the last part after dinner.
I'm anxious to hear the finish to this. It's a good story!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have a visual of your BMW customer.
People from certain parts of our planet are EXTREMLY superstitous. The number 8, for example is very good and the number 4 means death.
Real Estate agents will tell you that the wrong street address or the way a house faces will kill a sale.
Aren't those the best :P ?
Don't get me wrong, I'll take a mini any time, but it sure is fun to boot out someone that's just being an idiot.
We had a guy this weekend that insisted on seeing the actual printed factory invoice. We agreed to show him, but only if he agreed to buy the car if it was what we had already promised him it was. He agreed. After seeing the invoice he still wanted to negotiate.
The salesperson didn't say a word, got up, got his keys, and asked him to leave and never come back.
The customer backpedaled and decided he wanted the deal (at invoice), and we told him no thanks (Talk about a survey risk at that point).
The best part in all of it was, we were the only dealer in our REGION with the car he wanted lol... What do you think we said when the next dealer he went to wanted to trade us for it? We sold it to someone else this morning.
So much fun to boot an idiot :P
T
Cust: I have an offer on the car at 21000 from a dealer in New York.
Me: Sir, invoice is 22600 and we don't have any rebates. (It was an 07 GTI)
Cust: I don't believe you; he told me 21000, and thats the best I'll do.
Me: To get to that number, the car is used or damaged. Buy it at your own risk, and have a nice day......
The best part in all of it was, we were the only dealer in our REGION with the car he wanted lol... What do you think we said when the next dealer he went to wanted to trade us for it? We sold it to someone else this morning.
In the past we have disagreed on several issues but I'm with you 100% on this. When somebody lies to you how can anyone even think of doing business with that person?
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
unless it is a vanity plate, you don't know what it will be until you get them in the mail from the dmv.
Thursday was much the same nothing happend and we never bothered to call them the whole day.
In the early afternoon the brother calls me to see if we can still salvage anything. I tell him that I am not sure because everyone here is very upset at his sister. I ask if I can put him on hold for a few minutes will we discuss it. He says that is fine and will hold for as long as necessary.
I talk it over with our GM/SM and he agrees that we can re-open the deal but she is not getting anything else at all and after the deal is done she is never coming back.
I tell the brother what the terms are and he says he will talk to his sister.
A few minutes later the sister calls back. She only wants to know what plate she is getting.
As we don't have any deliveries planned for the next day and a half I go see what the next plate is.
I tell her and she gets pouty but says she will just get another plate from the DMV later.
Since everything sees a go again at this point I take the Z4 to get emissions tested and fill it up with gas. That was really the first time I had a chance to drive it at any speed. It was an ok car but felt very unstable over uneven pavement. It wanted to walk into the next lane when I hit some broken pavement.
No problems with the emissions test and I got back just in time to run into the sister and brother again. They were sitting down with the GM/SM. He was laying down the ground rules for the delivery.
1. We will fix the clear bra after delivery and that is the only thing on the car that we will fix.
She complained about this but the clear bra kit had to be ordered and would not be in till Tuesday at the earliest.
2. There will not be any additional negotations tomorrow. She is just going to take the car and that is it.
3. After the clear bra is fixed she will NOT come back to the dealership for anything ever again.
Lots more grumbling after that but she agreed to that as well.
They left and everything seemed fine.
Now we have to fast forward till Friday Morning.
The sister is supposed to all at 11:00 AM to set up an exact delivery time. I had the car ready and prepped by 9:30 am just in case she tried to pull a fast one and all the paperwork is all set as well.
Well 11:00 AM flys by and no call. At about 12:00 PM I start getting nervous and call her. She says she is busy at her business and will call later right before she is going to come down.
Grr great she is just going to fly down here probably call on her cell when she is five minutes away and surprise us all. Hopefuly I won't have anything else going on when she comes.
The hours past and not much is going on. I have a walkin come to look at Discoveries who is a very nice woman. Things start moving along and I figure out that this is going to be a sale and it is probably going to be a spot as well.
We never do spot deliveries because we just aren't set up for it. We don't have enough staff for those kind of things.
As I am finishing up the negotations with the woman the sister calls. She will be down in 15 minutes. :mad: :mad: :mad:
I wrap up everything with my Disco client and leave her in my office while she calls her insurance agent. Our F&I manager is printing all of the paperwork for the Disco deal and is just finishing up when the sister and brother come in.
She has an attitute that we cannot take her right away and that she has to wait while our F&I manger finishing printing the paperwork for the other deal.
I suggest that she go take a look at the car before we sign the paperwork.
Sister: No, lets sign everything now. Why isn't it all ready? You said it would be all ready when I got here what is taking so long.
Keep in mind she has been here less then three minutes.
Me: Well we have another delivery that is happening at the same time since you came down on such short notice. She will be finished printing up the paperwork for the other deal in just a minute.
With all of the paper work printed they all sit down to do the documents.
Now our F&I manager just can't resist twisting the sisters arm a little bit.
F&I: So are you still mad at me ****
Sister: Yes I am very mad at you you tell me you won't sell me the car and you don't do anything I want and I am very upset.
F&I: Yeah well you made me very upset as well after all of the things you said. What happend when you got home did you brother call you crazy for passing up this deal and talk some sense into you?
The Brother starts laughing despeite himself and can't stop.
Sister: Says something in another language.
F&I: Is she calling me bad names?
Brother: Nods his head.
F&I: Ah thats ok I dont mind I got tough skin.
Brother is laughing although trying not too and the sister is fuming.
All of the paperwork is finished and we go outside to look over the car.
Now the sister starts nit picking the car all over.
There are two tiny, less then 1/8 inch wide and l/2 inch long, road tar marks on the bottom of the rocker panel under the driver's side door. You can't even see it unless you are lying on your back on the ground.
Sister: Ah you will fix that right there right?
me: No we will not fixt that.
Sister: Oh yes you will you will fix it when you fix the clear bra thing yes you will.
me: No we will not that was not the agreemant.
I had her the keys.
sister: oh but it is not right you should fix it. Fix it for me now.
she walks off hands the keys to her brother and she drives away in her car.
Brother shrugs his shoulders and drives off in the Z4.
I walk back inside and do another delivery on the discovery I just sold and after that is done I found out another one of my customers calls agreeing to buy another used BMW we had on the lot that he had looked at earlier in the week.
All in and all it could have been a worse day.
I would have given her the ole 3C delivery
See your car?
See your keys?
SEE YA!
Good for your boss (making her agree to never come back)!
T
-Moo
And you know what? She is probably going to be one of my better customers.
Even tidester & I would have to pay our own expenses. But hey, I'm sure I can get a handful of t-shirts, mugs, whatever to bring!
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2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
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bobw3, "Customer Satisfaction Surveys" #334, 6 Nov 2006 7:04 am
Continue in your ignorance over there :P
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So, on Thursday we get this email from this guy offering to buy this vehicle at a set price, and no more. It's very very low price, actually wholesale/auction price.
Anyway, we agree just to move the unit and he says he'll come up either Saturday or Sunday (he lives about 2 hours away).
Anyway, he says he can come Sunday and to pick up the car.
Now, it is a 3 year old car that is not "perfect" but extremely nice with some minor previous paintwork. The customer comes on Sunday and starts taking out his flashlight, magnet, this, that and the other thing and thinks he is buying a new car-when he is buying a used unit at wholesale.
So I'm sitting here on my day off, showing this awesome car to this guy who is wasting my time. Then he finally test drives it and comes back and says no thanks. I am just perturbed that I spent my Sunday to come to the office to show this car, only to have this guy totally waste my time...no great punchline on this story, but just wanted to put it on the boards...
Half of the time, they don't show and if they do, they may end up like the guy you had.
I'll tell them to ask for someone else and I'll take a half deal instead. I have learned the hard way too.
I used to read this forum all the time, but have been away for some time. Are any of you regular posters with Toyota?
http://www.carspace.com/kdhspyder
They'll be listed there... best way to find out where he's hanging out.
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Depends on the state. In Kentucky, we pay 6% of 90% of the MSRP as sales tax--it doesn't matter what the rebates were or what price you paid. You also only get a credit if you trade a car for a used car--there's no offset if you trade a used car in on a new one.
While I feel for you about wasting your Sunday, it's really kind of part of the job description. But usually it's not as bad as that. That guy was a fool, IMO. His loss.
Here in L.A, which is perhaps the most nasty place to buy or sell a used car on the planet, if I was shopping around and had someone accept an offer of mine for a car at or near wholesale/auction price, I'd run over there before they changed their mind(because it never happens out here).
ALL of the new and used car lots within five miles of me are run by bums, crooks, and slime. All except for one, which I check out regularly - the GMC/Buick dealer in Pasadena. It's also 5 blocks from my work, so it's nice to look around as well on the occasional lunch break.
Their new car department is pretty standard, though - a bit of good and bad. Great repair department. Fixed an old Buick of mine on the first try where THREE other mechanics had said it needed a new engine.(it didn't - their outdated equipment wasn't able to determine it properly, even with the OBD codes). If you need GM/GMC repairs, these are the guys to go to in this area of Los Angeles.
Oh yeah just go a head and insult innocent bums, crooks and slime. :P
Ducking and running
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Every few blocks there's some guy selling cars on a small lot - and all of the tricks in the book you'll find being tried here. Second worst is the Nissan dealer in La Crescenta. Run away. They have ads on T.V. about fininching anyone and the place is like a bad T.V. show - it's unreal in there. Worst is a little place I ran into in N. Hollywood. Nasty people. You could see the grease oozing out of their pores like Jabba the Hutt. No, really.
Perhaps a book is in order? "Adventures in Used Car Land"?
I know that many people in L.A.(and most big cities) wonder where they can find decent deals as the S/N ratio is so skewed most of the time.
I think it works for the GMC dealer in Pasadena because they only have room for about 20 cars - it's a small side business since they do most of their profit from repairs on fleet vehicles. New cars show up every week as a result.
I live in Pennsylvania and we pay 6% state sales tax on the bottom line (sale price minus any and all rebates that the customer qualifies for). However, I’m lucky, I live in a county that charges an additional 1% sales tax to help pay for the new baseball yard and football stadium that the city of Pittsburgh just had to have. You know, prestige thing.
I lived in South Carolina from 1992 to 1997 and they had a $350 maximum state sales tax (Chevy or Land Rover). I only took advantage of this once. Don’t know if it’s still like this or not.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Six percent of 93,650 is a ton of money compared to 350 dollars.
Born and raised in San Pedro.
i'll bet you would have liked to give someone plate 444-444.
I understand this completely.
The other side of this is when I bought my most recent car, I got everything done on Friday morning, made a special trip to my insurance agent to pick up the paperwork, dropped it back off at the Finance office that same day, and made arrangements to pick the car up the next day (it was an '05 model in April - I wanted an oil change first, because who knows how long it had just been sitting on the lot).
I had to wait nearly an hour the next day, while I waited for my salesman to come in, put the antenna on the car and shake my hand.
Sheesh. Everything was done; while it was nice of him to come in, I'd have appreciated getting the keys, getting the spiel and getting out of there quickly a whole lot more.
But I am not proud of some of the things I did back then, but I was very young and did not know any better. (i.e charging 1750 PDI fee, Charging over sticker ect ect ect.....)
In over 11 years and thousands of new Hondas later, I have never, once, had a customer want me to change the oil in a new car they have bought.
Remember that there is a recommendation for oil changes based on time as well as milage, and I suspected that the oil hadn't been changed in that time. So, call me Mr. Paranoid, but I asked 'em to do that, and they agreed.
I had to wait a day in order for them to get their added on, rip-off, security system off the car anyway, so asking for the oil change on top of that was no big deal.
Good Luck every1 and if you can ever find the "Life of a Car Salesman" poem read it every day to get you thru. Ill email it to you if you want it.
Later.
Wow, that was a long time for a car to sit! What kind of car was it anyway?
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The american Car Salesman is both hated and revered.
He is the last of a rare breed-the ultimate Maverick.
He walks with confidence and takes offense at direction.
He cannot be left on his own, Yet his spirit will not be dominated.
He is free enterprise personified.
The American automobile salesman laughs in the face of affirmative action.
He is one of the few workers in society who is paid exactly what he is worth.
While the average person views an hourly wage as security, he disdains it as an unnecessary limit on his ability to produce.
He hears negative responses every day, but has never learned the meaning of defeat.
He believes free enterprise was created with him in mind.
He has the instinct of the hunter, coupled with great compassion and kindness.
He speaks eloquently and detects the most innocent untruth from his customers.
He would never bow his knee to any king or queen, but has the uncanny ability to treat his customers like royalty.
He is uniquely talented, endowed with a savvy that can not be taught in a classroom.
His spirit is what America was built on.
He is a loner who has difficulty walking in step with others, yet he gravitates towards those who are like him.
He is intensely competitive, nevertheless is quick to give a helping hand to a struggling brother.
He is a dealers biggest liability, yet he is that same merchants greatest asset.
Some elements of society would like to eliminate him, but have found him to be indestructible.
Without his personality, his smile, his spirit, there would be a giant void in America!
All I can say is that it helps me go another day and I love what I do!!!
Chris- GUNN Honda - San Antonio, TX
And all the time I thought Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and Adams were honest and noble men. :surprise:
This was the dealership where one of the salesfolks tried to tell me that he'd never seen the GLS version of the Elantra Hatch - which I can almost believe, thinking that the dealership only ordered GTs. I didn't buy from that salesman.
Now that everything is said and done, I get my dealer service done at a different dealership - one that's actually a bit closer, and, more importantly, open on Saturday.
Any of you on the Traver's Program or familiar with it?
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
"Useless"! Ha!! :P
I used to work for TI in Dallas in the 80's, straight out of school. I bought a new '87 RX-7 from a dealership just west of you a few miles; in WORST, I mean Hurst. I still have the window sticker -- only $250 Destination Charge back then! I was still a bit green. I was so proud when I negotiated a free 7-band equalizer to go with that auto-reverse cassette deck. I didn't realize I gave just as much back when I purchased that extended warranty.
It was the only car I ever held for more than 3 years.
What are the chances that dealership still exists? It was called Bailey Mazda, 701 NE Loop 820, Hurst, TX.