Is business so good that franchised dealers can treat potential customers with contempt?
Getting ignored in a delearship seems to be the norm. But what about "we are too busy to offer test drives on a Saturday?" I was the only customer but the three salesman seemed to be enjoying the rugby. No I won't be back.
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Went to a Ford dealership last Sunday and measured the back seats and boot of a Puma for about 20 mins; was ignored by salesman sitting at desk and reading paper 3m away. Went yesterday with wife we were both ignored even causing a minor disturbance with giggling when she got stuck in the back seat.
The Hyundai dealership was completely different. A polite knowledgeable salesman and suddenly I was scorching off up the road in a silver Coupe for a test drive. I know who would get Madame's money ...
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But which one did she buy?Ford,Hyundai,or niether.Most people that actually buy a car never 'test drive'them.
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Not bought anything yet. Just looking. It'll be the first car she's bought since buying a Triumph Toledo two weeks before her driving test in 1977, and failing said test. Yes she *will* kill me if she finds out I've posted this.
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Darcy,
Which Hyundai dealership was that? About 5 years ago, I had a particularly bad experience with the dealer in Darlington, who lost a good chance of a sale by just not being interested in my interest in the Coupe.
As an aside, did you realise they're replacing the Coupe with a new version? Might save a few £s on that silver one.
Cheers,
Lee.
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SG Petch on McMullen Rd. Yes we sat in the new version and drooled a bit. Anyone know what this F2 Evolution is all about? There's a couple for sale there.
Yes. I have checked the car-by-car.
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Guess I'm just the rare sort who thinks that decent service should be the rule not the exception.
The guy at SAAB was really helpful. There was a salesman at our local Audi dealer who was brilliant - the family bought 3 cars from him - but now he's left the dealership and the service is as bad as everywhere else.
Me? I'll probably do the safe thing and get a Mondeo
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remember that the saab is just a vauxhall vectra in disguise.
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Back in the eighties I visited a well known Ford dealership on the A13 at Dagenham and told the salesman I was interested in buying two Fiestas for driving tuition. Barely lowering hit Daily Mirror he Said, "Theres some brochures on the table over there," and promptly went back to his reading. I went straight back the way I came in, and that afternoon began a long and happy relationship with the local Peugeot dealer which resulted in buying a total of eight cars from them over the years, not to mention spending many thousands on servicing and having pupils buying a Peugeot as their first car because they liked the one they learnt in.
This seems typical of some Ford dealers from what I have heard from others.
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Really depends on the dealers. I recently bought a new shape Mondeo from Godfrey Davis in St. Albans and found the salesmen and whole dealership to be very professional. Very keen prices too.
A couple of weeks later I decided to buy a Clio, and arranged a test drive at Bristol Street Motors in Milton Keynes. I duly arrived on time only to see the guy I was to see disappear out of the door with another customer, then was told that the Clio I wanted to test was not in today because it's driver was off sick. Needless to say I went to West's in Bedford the next day, they arranged for the car to be driven over from another branch 50 miles away, and I bought it after the test drive.
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I think you made the right decision. I bought a Mondeo from them and they managed to cock just about everything up including the sale itself, the servicing and a couple of warranty repairs.
The only thing the actually managed to get right was an oil change at their fast fit place in Barking.
Suffice to say I left them and found a much better dealer in Plaistow. Unfortunately not long after they were taken over by the same group!
Since them I've never owned another Ford.
Tony
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DK,
Buy the Puma - trust me.
By the way a single female friend of ample means is hunting a new Mazda MX5 sport. Cash purchase having already sold her S reg example. "What's the best deal" she asked the suited (apathetic) delaer. "List Price" and then ignored her.
Anyway who cares about salesmen. You're buying a car and not entering into a relationship with him/her (by the way how many hers do you see selling cars ?).
Can't complain about the Ford dealer where I bought the Puma, excellent service down to a returned tax disc after the plate transfer. Even when I called back two weeks later to return the Reg. Doc for the 106 he still remembered my first name.
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S
Madame rejected the Puma without a drive because the rear is too claustrophobic for passengers and the boot is too small. In a male-dominated forum like this is is odd to say that the driving/handling experience is not first on the list of priorities, but there it is.
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I recently visited the BMW dealer in King's Lynn (Sorensons) to look at the new 3-Series, my first visit to that particular dealership. A sales rep said "Just let me know if you need any help. I'll be at my desk". We then discussed the merits of the 3-Series compared with the 5-Series and I got very helpful and honest answers from him, plus the offer of any test drives that might help. I asked to drive the newly-engined 525 (VERY impressed -- a big improvement over my older 5-Series). I selected a route that would return us to the dealership in about 3 miles but, as we were almost back, the sales chap suggested that I needed a longer drive and a bigger variety of roads to get a proper feeling for the car so we drove out of town and back. We shook hands and departed and I wasn't even asked for my name or telephone number.
Visited a Mercedes dealership in another town to look at a C240. Hardly through the door before a young sales rep approached us and started his patter. He told us that he had to have our name and telephone number because "the boss insists on this". During a test drive, where he drove for two or three miles and then invited us to drive back, he asked what other make I was interested in. I told him that I favoured the BMW 5-Series to which he responded: "It would be a mistake to buy one of those. They have an outdated straight-six engine. The Mercedes has a vee-six and this is far better balanced than a straight-six". I informed him that my 40 years in engine design told me that it is the straight-six that is the naturally balanced engine. He said: "I suppose you must be right but I always thought it was the other way round". As for helping me decide what to buy, he was of no help whatsoever, in fact he kept questioning my own judgement of what I was looking for in a car. He was altogether too pushy and, of course, I received the customary 'phone call a few days later.
Called in to my local Citroen dealership to look at a C5 estate. I was quite impressed with it but was not offered a test drive or invited to ask questions (probably because the sales people in the vicinity were already quite busy). At my request for a brochure, I was given some leaflets but later found that these did not include the requested C5 brochure. I then sauntered over to a Picasso for a casual look and a 'Sales Executive' who was barely out of school jumped from his desk and started telling me what wonderful car it was, ignoring my assurance that I had no interest in buying one. I said: "I'm sure it would be very good for a family with children but it is not my type of vehicle" to which he responded: "You would be surprised how many old people like yourself buy them". I didn't mind the "old" (though I feel relatively young at 58!) but the realisation that the sales side lacked proper training rang warning bells about the whole of the dealership and I decided to move the C5 down my short list.
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David,
Is that the Citroen main dealers a few miles west of you?
David
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Not quite a vectra, the floor pan may be from the Cavalier but the only shared component seems to be the light switch.
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but do you really want a luxury car, with the chassis of a old mainstream car.
(plus i hate all vauxhalls, ever since we had a 1992 cavalier 1.6L auto, horrid car)
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When was SAAB a luxury car?
With the tyres at the correct pressure the understeer in a Vectra is on a par with a Mondeo and the car drives beautifully but neglecting this have you driven a SAAB 900/9-3? If you didn't know there was a Vectra underneath you'd never guess anyway. It's like the Fiesta/Puma comparison...
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Worst treatment I ever had was at a Toyota dealer's last year - I had arranged a test drive and took the afternoon off work for the purpose. I gave the salesman the keys to my car so he could value it which he spent about 25 mins doing while I sat twiddling my thumbs. I gave him all my details so it was obvious I wasn't a time-waster. He then asked 'how much are you looking to spend' to which I said 'well you tell me what sort of deal you can do me' - but he wouldn't quote a figure, to which I said 'ok - we can talk about it after the test drive - after all I don't know what the car is like to drive yet!' to which he said that no I couldn't have a 'test drive' until I agreed to buy a car from him - i.e agree a price and sign an order form.......needless to say I haven't been back.
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The boot size would put me off a lot of cars, even if we did not have two dogs.
Many of the current "small" cars would not take a week's shopping.
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If you want a laugh, get a copy of 'California Dreaming' by Lawrence Donegan (www.penguin.com) ISBN 0-670-89136-3. It's about a Scottish bloke in his late 30s who gets a work permit via an old mate and goes to live in California. Doesn't facy working for the mate and takes a job as a car salesman on Orchard Boulevard, San Jose, where the combined stock of cars is around 7,500. Some amazing sales techniques in there. But then the salesmen were on a proper commission rather than a fat arse salary.
HJ
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