Stories from the Sales Frontlines

isellhondas

I never borrow things and I hate to loan things out.

It's pretty bad when you have to ask for your leaf blower after two months.

I once loaned my gas pressure washer to a close friend who happens to live in our neighboorhood about three blocks from us. He was pressure washing his dock when the pressure washer vibrated itself off the dock and into the lake.

It is kinda funny. When it stopped running, he thought it had ran out of gas. He looked back at it and it was GONE.

It couldn't have been much fun fishing it out of the lake.

He paid a shop, I think, something like 90.00 to fix it before he gave it back to me.

I never said anything but it was never the same after that. It was very hard to start and it didn't have the same pressure.

jipster

Kind of a happy ending, don't you think? (And a car buying story to boot). .

Yeah, that was a good car story with a happy ending, but I always liked your stories about customers who grinded you on the price of tomaters. Any strange or unusual encounters during past or present growing season? :surprise:

jipster

On the other board Jipster suggested he was the only one holding "Sales Stories" together so I hope my Caddy purchase helps out.

Well... I don't recall that. But it certainly is possible.

jipster

I think you were here when I got the Genny in March of ’09. Ask him how many cars he’s bought in the last 5 years and that will prove my point

Well, I have been thinking about buying another car... for about the last 2 years. That should count for something. And I have to get partial credit for helping my niece buy a car, and presenting her story in this discussion, free of charge for all to enjoy. I could have put that story in my next book, but I was considerate enough to think of all my due paying (and freeloading) brothers here at Edmunds. :shades:

jipster

It doesn't matter if the store replaced the bumper or not. She damaged it and she was responsible for the damage.

True. But paying $600 for a small dent the buyer didn't even notice, sounds a bit like a hose job by the dealership. :sick:

jipster

We once had a teacher who never purchased her lunch in the cafeteria or brought her lunch from home. She simply announced to the children each day, "If you don't want something on your plate, bring it to me." Now that's cheap---and disgusting.

Like the doctors head bumping you in the crotch, this one made me laugh out loud. That 3 Stooges comedy just gets to me. :P

edited: Computer crashed a couple days ago, so catching up on all the posts.

tommister2

I agree with isellhondas. She was responsible for the damage, but that didn't mean the repairs had to be made. They could sell the car for less with the damage and just pocket the money.

One time a guy crashed into my car. I agreed to leave insurance out of it as long as he paid for the repairs. He agreed. When it came time to fix the car, he insisted on paying directly to the repair shop. This ticked me off because it really isn't his business if I fix the car or not. He damaged it, so he owed me the money to get it fixed back the way it was. This doesn't mean I (the owner) actually needs to get it fixed. I never said anything to the guy since I did want it fixed and I'm really not the confrontational type.

tallman1

I'm catching up on a few posts as well.

Teacher eating leftovers: When I was in the classroom many moons ago, the last thing I wanted to do was eat anything kids brought from home or had left on their lunch trays. Primary aged children don't have the best hygiene... and neither did some of their parents. If they brought me a cookie or cupcake, I always thanked them profusely and told them that I'd save it for after school. There were always some exceptions if I knew the parents well enough.

Siphoning gas: I've been accused of being frugal but that is waaaay over the top.

Cell phones in public restrooms: I was once in a hotel restroom during a break from a meeting. A gentleman was using the stall when his cell rang. He answered and it sounded like he was talking to his secretary. He was kind of loud and the room echoed. Just as he was finishing up the call, he decided to stand up... not realizing that the toilet had one of those motion sensor auto flushes. And that puppy was loud! Fortunately, I was just drying off my hands so that I could get out before I burst out laughing.

gogiboy

" He was pressure washing his dock when the pressure washer vibrated itself off the dock and into the lake."

Isell--

I think tidester and richard want to know at what lake (or ocean) depth were the pressure generated by the pressure washer and water pressure in the lake the same? Please give the PSI number and provide all calculations.

If you work in academia loan/loss is a constant companion and as predictable as the academic calendar. I can't tell you how many supplies have never been returned to me over the last 25+ years, but it's a lot. The students who have to constantly borrow stuff are the same ones who arrive in new or nearly new luxury cars and wearing whatever is most fashionable. They'll spend $100s on the latest tech fad, but complain that $5 for a piece of drawing paper or set of pencils is negatively impacting their lifestyle (read: one less pitcher of beer at the bar).

Gogiboy

jmonroe

We had a neighbor once who didn't want to go along with every one else..to put a fence in their backyard. Everyone paid for their share, except him. He knew he would get a free fence out of it, since every one else wanted fences.

It sounds like this guy had a lot that was between neighbors to the left and right of him. In that case he only had to put up the back section of the fence, unless there is a lot to the back of yours, and then you really made out by being cheap.

I worked with a guy back in the 70’s that moved into a new housing development. Since almost everyone had at least one small child they got together and agreed to put up a fence on, let’s say, the right side of their back yard (‘driver’, I guess this is what you’re talking about). Then all you have to do is put up the back section once the neighbor next to you puts up their ‘right side’. Just like you described, there was one guy that just waited it out until the guy next to him finally went ahead and put up the fence on the left side of his lot too. Then ‘cheapo’ puts up the rear section and has a fully fenced in yard for the cost of only one section of fence not 2. As it turned out he didn’t do a very good job and the fence fell over in a few years and he had to do it again. So, in the end he did have to pay for 2 sections of fence and the extra work of having to do it.

To make this fence story better, when the fence fell over he asked his next door neighbor (not my friend) for help in hauling it away (‘cheapo’ had access to a truck). ‘cheapo’ also asked for some knowledge of how to do it along with, “if you can spare some time AND help I’d appreciate it so it won’t fall over again”. Yeah, right !!!!

FWIW, just in case anyone is wondering how this relates to cars…‘cheapo’ worked at a local dealership in their business office. I would have preferred to say he was a salesman but I won’t lie to make the story even better yet.

jmonroe

nyccarguy

That is absolutely hysterical! So I take it they didn't lease another car from you?

Reminds me of the 2000 Saab 9-3 that I leased from December 1999 - December 2002. I got the car from a dealer in Jersey, so that's where I returned it to. Driving up from work, on a Saturday, I had to take a major detour because the GW bridge was closed. I noticed the mileage was awfully close to the 36,000 that was allotted to me for the lease and the "Distance To Empty" miles were creeping down. I got off the 1st gas station off the highway. The computer told me I had 1 mile to empty. I put $1 worth of gas in the car & made it to the dealership. When I pulled into the dealership, the odometer rolled over to 36,000 miles exactly.

As I'm filling out lease return paperwork, the salesman asks how many miles are on the car. I tell him 36,000. He can't believe it & says people are always under or over, but never turn the car in with the exact amount of miles. He then jokingly asked if there was enough gas in the tank to pull it around to the back of the dealership. I replied "Its downhill to the back, right?"

isellhondas

Once again, it isn't the DEALER that writes up the damage report. It's the Inspection Company. The woman get dinged for 600.00 because of the damage she inflicted on the car.

Some people certainly would have noticed it and now, because of that woman, the buyer knows about it now!

isellhondas

Hmm...exactly 36,000 miles and running on fumes.

So, did you yank the floor mats?

tidester

Please give the PSI number and provide all calculations.

I'll give you a hint. Water pressure increases by about 0.43 psi for each additional foot of depth. :P

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

jmonroe

It's pretty bad when you have to ask for your leaf blower after two months.

Two months? I’ll take that. How about a year, maybe even a little longer? I loaned Son #1 a Vix Bit to get a good center hole so that he could get out a broken screw that held the head light assembly on his Altima. You guessed it, when I needed it I didn’t have it. I called my Son and he swore up and down that since he looked for it everywhere and couldn’t find it he “musta” returned it to me. No he didn’t. On a visit to his place not too long after that call (to help him with something), he goes to get a tool and there it was. He said, “OH, is this what you asked me about awhile back? Here, make sure you take it home with you today and remember I gave it back to you”. :surprise:

It’s because of things like this that I have 2 and 3 of the same tools.

He was pressure washing his dock when the pressure washer vibrated itself off the dock and into the lake.

In a way that is funny but like you said you now have to live with an attempted repair to make it like it was but once you drown those things they are goners. I don’t have 2 of those; in fact, when I was going to buy a pressure washer years ago, both of my Son’s volunteered to “go in” on the purchase “since we would all need it for at least our decks”. Good idea huh? It would be if I got to keep it at my place every now and then and didn’t have to go fetch it when I needed it. Sometimes even when they want to help, they don’t.

jmonroe

isellhondas

OK, I'll bite.

After 19 years in the tool business I have to say, I have never heard of a "Vix Bit".

jipster

i>Once again, it isn't the DEALER that writes up the damage report. It's the Inspection Company

Yeah, you posted that before I had a chance to read it... I had a lot of "mental fluff" postings to catch up on... didn't have the strength to go back and edit (popeye emotorcon)

But, I still think it petty, for the Inspection Co., to charge $600 for a dent the buyer didn't even notice. But, if that is the going rate to take out a nickel size dent, that's the rate. Maybe that lady could have gotten a "Pop a Dent" for 3 easy payments of $19.99 and saved a ton of money.

verdugo

http://www.bing.com/search?q=vix+bit&form=IE8SRC&src=IE-SearchBox

I hadn't either. You learn something new every day.

Vix Bits are self-centering Drill Guides. Vix bits let you mount hinges the easy, professional way! Drill guides are most useful when mounting hardware such as hinges, handles, drawer slides etc. Using the drill guide insures the pilot hole will be located in the center of the hardware hole. Vix Bits make a tough job almost foolproof. The beveled self-aligning tip fits nicely into the hardware and is spring loaded so that once aligned the drilling pressure compresses the spring and extends the bit into the workpiece.

driver100

( ‘driver’, I guess this is what you’re talking about).

You got it exactly right. My cheapo neigbor rarely worked, stayed home all day and did some kind of programming, but he sent his wife off to work every day.

isellhondas

Cool! Probably used more in woodworking than automotive repair.

Looks like they would work well!

snakeweasel

After several unsuccessful attempts and at least one taste of gasoline, he gave up!

Amateurs.

snakeweasel

I did that with the Elantra, in the last 2 years I had it I was hit twice, both times minor, both times just creased the fender. Both times I just took the insurance money and put it away for a down payment which went towards the Sebring.

snakeweasel

In our old house I kept telling the wife that we should just wait to all our neighbors put up fences so all we would need to do is put in a short fence from the side of our house to the neighbors fence.

Its not that I was cheep, I just didn't want a fence, I knew the neighbors weren't going to put up a fence either.

houdini1

OMG, that guy takes the cake for being cheap !!

jmonroe

Cool! Probably used more in woodworking than automotive repair.

Looks like they would work well!

It works great and yes it is used mainly for wood working which I used to do quite a bit of years ago. Being a tool guy I’m surprised you never heard of a Vix Bit before. Although used mainly for wood working, like any tool, the principle of its design allows for its use where that principle is needed.

In the case of my Son’s head light assembly hold down screw, if you missed the center of what was left of the screw when the screw head broke off, you had no chance of an ‘easy out’ working and he would have probably destroyed that assembly getting it out. As you must have said to the guys you sold tools to…”there is a tool for every job and if you want to do it right and save time…you need this tool”.

PS. I don’t want to hear any wise cracks from anybody about me dusting off my wood working tools and starting in on that dining room set. I’ve heard that already from ‘you know who’.

jmonroe

kyfdx

Once again, it isn't the DEALER that writes up the damage report. It's the Inspection Company.

That's true for Honda Finance, but not all banks work that way...

BMW dealers do their own inspections...

Chase, who does Subaru (and a bunch of other ones) don't do any pre-inspections.. you just have to wait for the bill, afterwards... :surprise:

nyccarguy

Kyfdx - round these parts BMW sends out private company to do lease end inspections.

Isellhondas - gave 'em back the floor mats of course. I actually didn't intend to just hit 36,000 miles, it just worked out coincidentally.

driver100

gave 'em back the floor mats of course. I actually didn't intend to just hit 36,000 miles, it just worked out coincidentally.

Glad you gave them back the floor mats. It would have been better if you were over by 24 miles and haqd to pay $4.80, and you reach in your pocket and hand them a $5 bill....tell them to keep the change.

snakeweasel

Nope, better would be at 36,001 and flip them a quarter.

graphicguy

kyfdx.....I'm assuming you have experience with Subaru leases. Before my son took over driving my Accord, he was looking at leasing a Subie. I talked him out of it, (not the Subaru, which are supposed to be fine cars, but leasing).

I've heard stories about there being car companies who are really loose with their lease turn in damage reports, and those which are really, really held to the letter of the contract.

isellhondas

I didn't know that. I asumed all car companies used independent inspectors.

I know Honda was pretty liberal because they wanted people to lease again and not bad mouth leasing to other people.

jayrider

You would think that a person would do their own walkaround on a lease turn-in. If you see damage, ask the dealer how much to fix then check your own body shops to see if the price is fair. Trying to sneak damage by the pro's rarely works. Fix it yourself or let them do it. Even if you saved half -- the $300 wouldn't be worth my time. Now if a little bondo and paint might hide the issue ---- Maybeeee.

tjc78

I've heard stories about there being car companies who are really loose with their lease turn in damage reports, and those which are really, really held to the letter of the contract.

I've leased four in a row and never had any problems. Maybe, I am just too OCD with my car care.

I think the big things the companies look for are severly curbed alloy wheels, dented bumpers, and large stains/burns in the interior.

They also have a spec for the amount of tread left on the tires.

When I turned in my 06 Avalon it needed front brake pads badly (like any day from being metal on metal) I thought maybe I would have been questioned for that but I wasn't. It could have been due to the fact that it was perfect in every other way, when they came to pick it up the guy asked if I ever sat in it.

driver100

I didn't know that. I asumed all car companies used independent inspectors.

Why use an independent inspector? I can see the appearance of using an independent guy sounds like you are being more honest, but I imagine if they want to keep the contract they will find in favor of the dealership. It would be difficult for the customer to argue with the dealership, when the dealership can say, "It wasn't our decision, that is what the independent inspector found".

fezo

Going up to see my alma mater play football in teh New Meadowlands Stadium tomorrow. Due to the wonders of the Internet we already have a highlight film - Rutgers alum.

isellhondas

Well, yeah, that could be.

I suppose there are pros and cons as to who the best person is to do the inspections.

The best thing would be to have any damage repaired yourself. If you have a nasty dent paying your deductable would probably be cheaper than paying full price.

28firefighter

Not really a sales story about cars, but I figure I'll share anyway.

As some of you may know I recently bought a 2004 BMW 330xi. The only problem with it is that it didn't have Satellite Radio in it (or an AUX plug) for that matter. Given that I do a lot of driving across both Ohio and Pennsylvania, it is a must have. I ended up looking around, and found out that an OEM BMW tuner would have run me $500 plus installation. Ended up buying one off an enthusiast site for $80 and installed it myself in under an hour.

My Dad and I have shared a Sirius account for a while because it just makes more sense. Even if you don't have a promotion you can save yourself about 20% each month on each radio. I called in today to activate the BMW tuner, and turned on my Richard style negotiating skills, and was able to get both my radio and my Dad's radio a 1 year subscription for $75 each (usually $160 for the first radio and $100 for the secondary). Not a bad deal. The woman told me to call back in a year when the special is about to expire and they'll probably renew it.

I hear tons of horror stories about Sirius, but I've never had a problem with their customer service.

driver100

$500 plus installation. Ended up buying one off an enthusiast site for $80

I think it is a sales story in a way....and very nice savings, I agree, Richard would be proud.

I think it is a sales story in that I wouldn't by a navigation system as an option...I would take it if I had to. I actually prefer a portable one so I can take it with on a trip, and use it in a rental car for example. I know some people do a lot of travelling and I can understand wanting one built in to their car, but, I prefer having my portable Garman.

oldfarmer50

"...the guy asked if I ever sat in it..."

That's what I've never understood about the lease business, it seems all that matters is the car "looks" good. From what I hear they care very little for the mechanical care the customer gave the vehicle. That's what soured me on buying a lease return instead of a private party car. I'd rather have a car with a few dings and a burn hole in the seat than a car that was not given good maintenance.

Just the thought that the previous owner was driving around with three year old oil would keep me up at nights. :lemon:

verdugo

I prefer having my portable Garman.

Beware of cheap knock offs. Stick to the real Garmin :P

oldfarmer50

"...I hear tons of horror stories about Sirius..."

My wife's Chrysler came with a year of Sirius "free" which was nothing to us because we don't travel much and listen to local talk for the most part. Never even activated the thing because Sirius said there was an "acitivation fee" which seems to put the lie the the whole "free" thing.

Within two months of buying the car we started getting mailing saying that our service was expiring and that we should sign up for two more years. I didn't like the price so never took them up on any of the offers. These continued until a full year had gone by and I started getting sales calls at home. I finally told the last caller that I didn't know who he was talking about because I drove a GMC van, my name was different and I lived in Guam not NY. He mumbled and stumbled for a moment and then said "sorry, wrong number" and hung up.

Haven't had a call since. :shades:

28firefighter

See, that is the type of stuff that I've heard of that would really turn me off to a service. Now of course, we've had Sirius in some form for about 5 years now, maybe even slightly longer. Not sure if that plays into it.

fezo

I prefer having my portable Garman.

Beware of cheap knock offs. Stick to the real Garmin

Oh, no! You mean this Rolidex watch isn't the real thing?

gogiboy

"I'll give you a hint. Water pressure increases by about 0.43 psi for each additional foot of depth."

Tidester--

Yes, but does Isell know the value of "X" where x= the pressure in psi that power washer was set at while his friend borrowed the machine? I assume it can be set for different psi like my air compressor, but maybe I'm wrong

Gogiboy

isellhondas

Of course I don't know. You can't "set" pressure on that unit. It's all or nothing.

It didn't take a math formula to let me know it was never the same after it's dip in the lake.

Actually I'm surprised the cold water didn't crack the red hot, running engine!

driver100

Beware of cheap knock offs. Stick to the real Garmin

Nah, it matches my Roleks with the upside down number VI which looks like I^ as mentioned before.

Also in the middle it says, in very nice letters,
"OYSTER PERPETUAL
DATE JUST"

What in the world could that mean......I think I'll take it back and find that guy selling watches from a suitcase on the beach in Alexandria.

It does say "Swiss Made" at the bottom.(at least they didn't make it Maid).

snakeweasel

It does say "Swiss Made" at the bottom.

I have two antique pocket watches that are almost identical. One is American made and one is Swiss made. Guess which one is worth more than twice the other. Hint, it isn't the Swiss one.

bronsonb

I remember a friend of mine who, at the time, was driving a 12 year old Buick Century that her grandmother had given her. It was a fine car, but she knew she'd be buying something new in a year or two.

One day at the library, some teenage backed into the rear tail light (which ran the width of the car). The girl admitted fault, and her father offered to fix the damage out of pocket if my friend would avoid calling the police. After getting all of his info, she agreed. She got three estimates. The least expensive was $500 for an aftermarket tail light set up. The guy paid her cash. I told her she should just pocket the cash as the damage was mild and the car was 12 years old. She could have done the redneck repair of red tape over the crack. The car might have been worth perhaps $600. She insisted on getting the work done.

When she went to the shop, the aftermarket tail light assembly was no longer available, and I think they had to get one from the dealership. It cost $600 or $650. So she paid for it and then sent the receipt to the guy, circled the higher amount, and expected him to pay the difference. Note that she didn't ASK for the difference in her letter to him at all. I don't know how she expected him to read minds, but he never sent her another dime.

Sure enough, about 10 months later, she traded that car in for a new Ford Focus. The Ford dealer gave her $600 in trade for it. I told her she should take the bumper off and sell it separately (jokingly, of course). If she'd been smart, she'd have pocketed the money the guy gave her for the damage, and I bet she STILL would have gotten $600 for the car in trade.

Anyway, she's just "that way."

bronsonb

I love the fence stories. I remember our last house, which was in a new subdivision, had no fence when we bought it. Neighbors to the right of us installed a nice four foot high picket fence in their back yard. There were two much older houses behind us that our lot straddled, and one put up the standard six foot high privacy fence. The other had no fence. The guy to the left of us kept hitting me up to split the cost of fencing our common property line, but he wanted to put in a nice wrought iron fence.

I was prepared to split the cost of wood, but not wrought iron (it was something like 2 - 3 times as much). Plus, as I pointed out to him, I already had two different kinds of fences bordering my yard, and I didn't want a third. He never did build the fence. I found out later that he was hitting up all of the neighbors who shared a property line to try to get them to pay for 1/2 of the shared wrought iron fence. No one else would go for it.

In our current home, the yard was fenced when we bought it, but the fence was falling apart. I opted to replace it but didn't ask either of my two neighbors for a dime. I only asked if they'd be OK with the fence being down for a week during the replacement. Both were so nice about it. One neighbor is a widowed lady in her 60s, and she is ALWAYS bringing us bread and cookies, and the other guy is from Iran and came over with a check after I'd finished the fence. He said he wanted to pay for 1/2. He insisted, so I pulled out receipts, calculated the cost of the fence on that part, and he wrote out a check. He's a very kind neighbor, and I thought it was very nice of him to do that. He said that in his home country, everyone was very particular with their gardens and enclosed spaces and kept them very private. He has quite the oasis in his backyard, and said he appreciated the new fence to help keep it private ;-)

To get this back to cars, widowed neighbor has a late model Accord and a 15 - 20 year old diesel Mercedes sedan that her late husband used to drive. I'd love to get my hands on that car and convert it to run on fry oil!

stickguy

same thing happened to my son. he was parked at HS, and the kid next to him tried to back out, cut way too early, and scraped into the side of his car. And of course, instead of carefully going back, he tried to keep going,making the damage worse.

I happened to be there to see it (it was after school, and I helped with the band). Sad experience. This was when we had a Contour for him, the one best feature of which was a real clean body! But still, only a 2K car.

damage was not that bad. Noticable, but the doors still worked, and a little finagling would have gotten them to stop grinding.

as expected, the other guy ended up paying for it. I got 2 estimates, and they paid the lower (although I ended up using the higher, for a new skin vs. used and paid the difference). Still, they paid 1K for the repair.

I seriously thought of pocketing the $, figuring the hit on value was no where near that much (turns out from what I got when selling, I was probably right), but the other guy was my son's best friend, and I thought that would be tacky!