Stories from the Sales Frontlines

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Comments

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,593
    Yes then I must of misunderstood. sorry for the confusion.

    I am here at work and I am so $%@& bored, don't even know why we are open. But hey if they want to pay me to sit in the back of the office and surf the web them fine, I'll do it.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    I can understand your being upset. I get that way with businesses myself at times. I have tried this and it helps: Write a long nasty letter, read it to your spouse or friend, let it sit on your desk for three days and read it every day. Then throw it in the trash. Joel is right. You'll stress yourself out and end up with an attorney fee.

    When a car deal went really bad for me last August, I did do a review of the dealership on Edmund's. My attorney advised me that it would cost me big bucks to go to court and then I might not win. Doing the review plus posting here made me feel much better. On top of that, I met all of these nice people here. Sometimes we have to pick our battles and, even if we win the battle, it doesn't mean that we can win the war. When my students used to say, "Teacher, that isn't fair.", I would say, "Sorry, but the fair has been called off this year and there will be no rides or cotton candy." We would laugh and life went on. :)
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Your accounting office is open on Saturdays?! I'm impressed. Even in the heat of the tax season, the firm that I use doesn't do that. Who says that we don't work six days a week?
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Gosh, I never heard of that system. What a neat idea. Wish I had that one. You're a champ for getting through the week with your added posting. To make you feel better and, since I love Fords, I'll post this one in your honor:

    FORDS LED AND STILL LEAD THE UNIVERSE!
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,593
    Actually I am working my second (well actually 3rd) job as a tax prepairer (1st day of the season). We are open 7 days a week for the first few weeks then we start closing on sundays with the exception of the last two sundays of the season. Its just dead here and all I am supposively doing is answering questions.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    Its pretty cool, it also tells telemarketers to take you off there call list.

    Question: How does Privacy Director® Service work?

    Answer: Unidentified calls are intercepted before your phone rings and callers are asked to identify themselves. Privacy Director® Service then rings your phone with the recorded name of the caller. You have three options: Press [1] to accept the call, press [2] to reject a sales call (telemarketers receive a message to remove your name from their calling list), or press [3] to ignore the call.

    "Imports are superior"
  • micosilvermicosilver Member Posts: 212
    This was Mazda 3 Hatchback, popular color, right equippment. In big cities - it's a very hot car.
    Yes, there was about $500 holdback, and "stairstep program" - basically volume bonus from Mazda, and ata the last day of the month - pretty much anything goes.
    Pitting dealers one against each other can work sometimes, especially in high population areas, we have 4 Mazda dealers within 15 miles raduis, and our clientelle seems to be more educated, so the old dealer tricks don't work here, people do their homework, research, then shop online.

    As for why this lady didn't come to us to buy - my guess is out of spite. For some people winning os more important than saving money.
  • roadburnerroadburner Member Posts: 18,470
    This was Mazda 3 Hatchback, popular color, right equippment. In big cities - it's a very hot car.

    I paid MSRP for my Mazdaspeed3 back in July. At that time, some dealers were slapping $3K or more ADM stickers on them. I still don't think I got a bad deal; they didn't charge me for flatbedding the car I wanted from Cleveland to Cincinnati and I get free 5K oil changes for as long as I own the car...

    Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
    Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
    Son's: 2018 330i xDrive

  • theatasigmatheatasigma Member Posts: 6
    "Gosh, I never heard of that system. What a neat idea. Wish I had that one. You're a champ for getting through the week with your added posting. To make you feel better and, since I love Fords, I'll post this one in your honor:

    FORDS LED AND STILL LEAD THE UNIVERSE!"

    Amen! Owned 5 of them and never had an issue.

    TS
  • cdnpinheadcdnpinhead Member Posts: 5,629
    Well, aren't you just a breath of fresh air.

    If the time you take pursuing this is less than the time it would take to hang up the phone (possibly more than once), then I guess I understand.

    Otherwise, I'm not so sure.
    '08 Acura TSX, '17 Subaru Forester
  • mark156mark156 Member Posts: 1,915
    Joel, I love my Ford (2006 Land Rover HSE LR3) .......... and I know that it will be an Indian car soon. :blush:

    Ford Imports are pretty darn good!

    Mark :)
    2010 Land Rover LR4, 2013 Honda CR-V, 2009 Bentley GTC, 1990 MB 500SL, 2001 MB S500, 2007 Lincoln TC, 1964 RR Silver Cloud III, 1995 MB E320 Cab., 2015 Prevost Liberty Coach
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    Interesting to know that you have been to India.

    The lengthy lunch break and the early closing of shops would necessitate working a six day week

    I was not a day laborer. I am sure you knew that. I only used to get 30 minutes lunch break. My daily working hours were 7:30am to 4:30PM.
    Compared to that, in the United States, I get 1 hour of lunch. So I am not sure if it is the same. Again, please do not compare government offices, education services and day laborers to me. IMO, Govt offices, education services and day laborers are just as "lazy" over here, except that they have more technology at hand to get the work done. I have seen the Energy company truck with the worker sleeping inside it during lunch hours in the US too....why do you think those guys want the crewcab ;)

    In short, you can't compare Private jobs with Govt/public jobs, that too over seven seas.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Can you order Privacy Director Service regardless of your current telephone provider, or is this a Tenn. thing?
  • british_roverbritish_rover Member Posts: 8,502
    Imported Fords do seem to be the best ones. :surprise:
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    You are correct. It is difficult to compare. Both of us know that regardless of the country, there are hard workers and lazy workers on both continents.

    In your country, the citizens have such nice manners---especially in dealing with foreign visitors. Another thing that impressed me was that when I went to the doctor, I could then go and get the medicine that I needed without a prescription---as long as I knew what to ask for. The medicine was packaged and ready with no waiting in line. This is probably a silly thing to remember, but your ice cream is much more delicious than in the U.S. I still can't find mango ice cream that matches yours.

    The sad part to me was your public schools. The children have so little with which to work. The universities didn't have much either, but the professors worked very hard. Our children are so spoiled over here in terms of what they have in their schools. Too bad they don't take more advantage of our wonderful resources. I remember taking $5,000 worth of calculators, crayons, scissors, and writing paper to some of your schools. The children lit up as if it were Christmas morning and Santa had arrived. :)

    Your cab drivers are something else. They drive 80 mph and never stop at signals. Still, everyone seems to get to their destination and I never saw many accidents. As for your airlines, that's a story for another day. I'm just glad that I had flight insurance! :P
  • waterloomanwaterlooman Member Posts: 15
    just curious, has anyone had any luck with the online car buying services???
  • lrguy44lrguy44 Member Posts: 2,197
    Glad to see you are driving the best Ford has (had) to offer!
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Don't mean to be off topic here, but good luck Tuesday in the primary. I can't wait to see the results.
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    This is probably a silly thing to remember, but your ice cream is much more delicious than in the U.S. I still can't find mango ice cream that matches yours.

    You are pushing the right buttons Richards.....it is making me nostalgic. Guess i will buy tickets to India for summer of '08, now ;)

    The sad part to me was your public schools. The children have so little with which to work.
    You bet. Studying in a public school is not what any family with a moderate income would ever want to do there.

    As for your airlines, that's a story for another day. I'm just glad that I had flight insurance!
    You bet again. It is a fledgling industry and still a lot to learn, and stabilize.

    Another thing that impressed me was that when I went to the doctor, I could then go and get the medicine that I needed without a prescription---as long as I knew what to ask for.
    Ah...now that is changing....Not all pharmacies will dispense "real" potent medicines without a prescription.
  • joel0622joel0622 Member Posts: 3,299
    It was a service from Bell South, which is now AT&T our phone service provider.

    "Imports are superior"
  • manamalmanamal Member Posts: 426
    I am thinking of getting a 'toy', and thought that a VW Eos might fit the bill perfectly. I went to A VW dealership near my home to look. I was not buying yesterday, and was upfront. I also said that was going to keep my crrent ride, my Subaru Forester. I said I want to look at two other cars upfront. (SAAB 9-3 ragtop, and BMW 3-series). I was interested in the VW because it seemed to offer a lot for the money.

    We go on the test drive. Everything is ok, except I could not get a comfortable driving position. And, I remembered why I hate 'performance' FWD (I currently drive a Subie).

    We get back, and I was up front. I found the seat uncomfortable. But, that might be because they had the extra 'plastic' from shipping the car in. I gave the salesman my info, and he asks..."do you want me to work up number?" I said, no, because I am not buying today. I have 2 other cars to check out, and need to make sure that my daughter and her booster seat will fit in the back.

    He gets his sales manager to come over. He asks me what could he do....if we made an unbelievable offer, would I consider it. I say, if it was low enough such that I could leave the dealer and flip it for more money, then yes, but I acknowledged that they would be unable to do that. While that is happening, my sales person moves the EOS that I just test drove behind my car, blocking me in.

    When everything was done, and they said that they could not sell t to me for what I was willing to pay (that day), which I knew, they refused to move their car. Instead, they suggested that maybe we could negotiate a deal. My response was, I will not be buying a car from you now. You will move your EOS or will drive over your lawn to the street. He said the keys are missing now....I left some nice divots after driving over the curb and up the lawn. I like my 8" of clearance on my Subie...

    I thought those techniques went out in the 80's. I might buy an EOS, but not from that VW dealer.
  • cccompsoncccompson Member Posts: 2,382
    The point, Steve, is that I shouldn't have to answer the phone at all.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    I've heard and experienced some high pressure tactics, but holding you hostage is a new one. I can't believe that they wouldn't move the car. Interesting to think about what you would have done if you had been driving a lower slung car.

    You need to post your story on the dealership review link here. You'll see mine. I did one last August. I'll remember to stay away from VW dealerships in Virginia. :D
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,593
    Interesting to think about what you would have done if you had been driving a lower slung car.

    Well unless the lawn was a mud pit or had a high curb most cars would have been able to do that.

    But you could have walked the car out of your way. I bet the keys would have been found real quick once you start to bounce up and down on the bumpers.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,388
    "...I thought those techniques went out in the 80's..."

    I think we will all be seeing more of that in the future. From what I have been reading cars sales have been tanking in the last few months. 2008 is shaping up to be a pretty bad year for the dealers. If you can put up with the nonsense there may be some great deals coming.

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • madmanmoomadmanmoo Member Posts: 2,039
    Unreal.

    I mirror your thoughts. I can't believe this sort of thing still occurs.

    -moo
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,593
    2008 is shaping up to be a pretty bad year for the dealers.

    After only 5 days one can tell how the year is going to shape up? Does the year usually follow what happens the first week?

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,388
    "...After only 5 days one can tell how the year is going to shape up?..."

    After reading various articles one can make an educated guess. If I'm wrong I'm sure you will remind me. ;)

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • exb0exb0 Member Posts: 539
    Manamal, was it Stohlman VW/Subaru at Tysons? You know, I was wondering what to do with my free time on this warm Sunday afternoon. Sounds like a lengthy test drive of a wrx and eos is in order. However, just in case, I will put a baseball bat in the trunk of my car. For some reason, it gives me a pleasure to screw with sleazy salespeople.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    A better suggestion would have been to back his car into the VW and push it out of the way. Talk about finding some keys really fast.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    Great idea! Try out three cars and then tell them that you just wanted something to do on a pretty afternoon. I love it. Be sure to get the same salesman.
  • sterlingdogsterlingdog Member Posts: 6,984
    He's grumpy today because they made him work yesterday. :P
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Lemee guess...you work for Microsoft?

    Right? :)
  • manamalmanamal Member Posts: 426
    No....It was the closest dealer west of there....

    I have had good experiences at Stohlman Subaru sales, but I have not been impressed with thier service dept. (I have had three minor issues with my Subie....radio failure (x2), dash board squeek, and a check engine light. In all cases, it took multiple trips to fix the problem.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    There are a lot of places that operate like that.

    I have only worked at one place and that's whre I am now. We have a "Country Club" attitude and it seems to work. We just finished our 27th year in a row as the number one Honda dealer in nine states.

    But we do have a few people at our store who have worked other places and I can't believe some of the stories they can tell.

    In a slow store, on a slow day, they might wait five hours for a single customer to walk in. They will do ANYTHING to sell that customer a car. These places don't care about repeat or referral business like we do. They will turn that "up" over to three different "managers" before that let them leave. They don't care if the the customers are unhappy. They turn their sales people over on a monthly basis.

    And, yet, sometimes these tactics work and they do sell some cars that way. I spent most of my life in So. Calif and I have been subjected to this myself.

    A couple of years ago, I interviewed a guy from a local Ford store. He told me that out of 25 salespeople he had the second most senority. He had been there eight months.

    You will recognize these places by their full page "screamer" ads.
  • de77de77 Member Posts: 40
    Guess what, people wasting worker's time in commissioned sales is a standard practice EXBO. Have fun wasting your own time. It won't be anything new.
    Another thing, I bet it wasn't the salesman's idea to block the gentleman's car in rather the sales managers idea. They are the ones that call the shots.

    If someone blocked me in at a dealership, and I work at one, I would call the cops without them knowing then watch their faces as the officer showed up. Oh, and I would never go back.
  • mackabeemackabee Member Posts: 4,709
    The way it's setup in our region you can go to buyatoyota.com and input your zip code and "build your Toyota" with the options they are offering in your region. From there you can request price quotes from several dealers in your area. Individual dealers are the ones responsible for their own websites and listing their inventory. Southeast Toyota dealers do it differently, they do list their inventory online which makes it easier for consumers to pinpoint a location to where their favorite vehicle is. Hopefully we will do the same in our region to make it easier for our customers.
    Mack :shades:
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,726
    You are mild mannered. I would have had the police on the line about moving their car and being held against my will. If I didn't know the local police number, I would have used 911 and asked for the local number.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,726
    Also, I carry two sets of key at all times. The dealer would have gotten the stripped set for test drive. I'd still have the other set in my pocket and would drive away--telling them to FedEx or Rush Delivery the keys to my home address.

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,593
    If I'm wrong I'm sure you will remind me.

    Nope, not unless someone reminds me to. Old age is sneaking up.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    Southeast Toyota dealers do it differently, they do list their inventory online which makes it easier for consumers to pinpoint a location to where their favorite vehicle is.

    That's the first and only good thing I've heard about "Southeast Toyota".

    Maybe some of that incredible fee they charge to buy in their area goes to support their Web sites. :surprise:

    Nice guys afterall. :D

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    He said the keys are missing now....I left some nice divots after driving over the curb and up the lawn.

    I don’t blame you for what you did but the more I think about this situation I would have done it differently.

    How about this:

    Tell the salesman AND his manager that if they can give you their best deal you’re willing to reconsider but since you had some questions after your test drive you’d like both of them to come along for another test drive. You insist on both of them so that you can be sure someone is along that can answer questions so you don’t have to waste their time by needing another test drive.

    Once everyone is aboard, you drive to the police station and tell your tale.

    I like it, I really do. It’s better, at least legally, than using a baseball bat like another poster suggested; as much as I’d be willing to buy a ticket to watch that event. :D

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,593
    I like it, I really do.

    SO do I but it might open you up to legal problems.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,388
    "...not unless someone reminds me..."

    That's what a wife is for.

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • oldfarmer50oldfarmer50 Member Posts: 24,388
    "...you drive to the police station..."

    How would you get back to your car after you had them thrown in jail?

    2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible

  • exb0exb0 Member Posts: 539
    If it is the one on rt. 50, I am not surprised. That store is owned by the Rosenthal auto group, need I say more?
  • chikoochikoo Member Posts: 3,008
    not even close.....
  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    SO do I but it might open you up to legal problems.

    How so? :confuse:

    You tell the police what happened the last time you came back after a test drive and since you decided you don't want the car after driving it again, you just want to ensure the same thing doesn't happen again. :D

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • jmonroejmonroe Member Posts: 8,989
    How would you get back to your car after you had them thrown in jail?

    How about the response you gave to 'snake' in post 23876 ? :shades:

    jmonroe

    '15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,593
    How so?

    Well there is the possibility that you are engaging in the act of kidnapping and grand theft (you did take the car frauduantly). These are things that you have to consider if you want to do this kind of stuff.

    Also what were you going to have them arrested for? Losing keys? Last time I checked that wasn't illegal.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

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