Car dealerships need to pull their heads out of the 80's

[CrazedJava]

I found a car I thought I wanted to buy.

Call the dealership, tell them "Get the paperwork started, if the test drive goes well, you've made a sale"

Show up, the salesperson I talked to is not there. After doing a little dance, finally got someone else to help me.

We sit and wait while the guy fills out a form, asks a bunch of unnecessary questions (It does not matter what features are important to me, I already told you what car I wanted. The SPECIFIC car). Then after writing it all down, he types it into the computer.

GRRRRARRR!!!! I have spent the last 16 years developing, designing, and implementing software that allows you to have one system of record so you don't have to keep paper forms around anymore!!!! JAVA SMASH!!!!

Ok, deep breaths, I can do this.

Salesguy tells me he is going to go get the keys. Comes back.

"I'm sorry, that car is already sold. It's on the board. I guess we haven't taken it out of our computer yet."

I ask, politely, are you sure the guy I talked to earlier didn't put it up there because I told him to start the paperwork?

"I don't think so, it's another salesperson's name next to it."

Here's what I think happened. I called, I told him to start the paperwork. Phone salesguy writes it down but knows he is about to leave, so he hands it off to someone else. I get there, talk to a different guy, confusion. Car is sitting next to the entrance, which I assume they moved it for the test drive.

"Can I interest you in something else?"

Nope. We left.

I am the easiest person in the world to sell to. I know what I want, how much I will pay for it, and I show up ready to make a purchase. You don't need to ask me a bunch of pointless questions, upsell me, cross-sell me, or anything else. If you want my money, give me what I asked for, and I'll be on my merry way.

They just lost the easiest car sale they will ever make.

 

[grasshopperglock]

CJ, a dealership sales anywhere between 10 to 45+ vehicles in a single day. If 10 cars were sold, prolly 30 people have looked at the same car you were.

It's a cut throat business. Some other salesman sold the car another salesman was trying to sale. The ride you were looking at.


If you got upset over the situation. The salesman was also livid. Another salesman made the sale before he did.

 

[Renegade]

I found a car I thought I wanted to buy.

Call the dealership, tell them "Get the paperwork started, if the test drive goes well, you've made a sale"

Unless you are a major regular customer, I do not see any dealership doing this. No paperwork is started until the price is negotiated and agreed to in writing. Thus the car is still for sale to the first person to sign for it.

My last car (August) I beat a guy to it by about 15 minutes. He whined like a baby just like you, claiming he called in, etc, just like you. But I called in too, verfiied it was not yet sold, and got their first with money in hand.

 

[grasshopperglock]

I've had a customer that wanted a Toyota tundra in a specific color. Another couple were in the next office.


The guy at my desk was willing to pay more. However, the couple put ink to paper first. They bought the truck for a $1000 less.


Think I was pissed off? Lol, yeah.....just a little bit.


The car business is a yuuge piss off. For both sides.

 

[CrazedJava]

Unless you are a major regular customer, I do not see any dealership doing this. No paperwork is started until the price is negotiated and agreed to in writing. Thus the car is still for sale to the first person to sign for it.

My last car (August) I beat a guy to it by about 15 minutes. He whined like a baby just like you, claiming he called in, etc, just like you. But I called in too, verfiied it was not yet sold, and got their first with money in hand.

They should have told me before I drove down there if it was already sold.

If it was indeed sold, I'm not mad about that. I'm more angry that they wasted my time. Plus the whole sitting and waiting while they asked me a bunch of pointless questions, wrote them down, and typed it into the computer.

Could have sworn this was the 21st century. That dealership needs to get its act together.

EDIT - Plus, as for the paperwork, I've done this before. Found a car online, spoke with a sales rep. We discussed everything over the phone including the trade-in. Got a verbal commitment on a few things knowing my trade-in wasn't worth much. Showed up at the dealership, they had all the paperwork printed out with the boilerplate stuff filled in. Test drove the car, filled out the paperwork, cut them a check for the down payment, away we went. Got the whole thing done in an hour.

The biggest problem I saw was this place was still reliant on paper. I've been a repeat customer at places that had their act together. Never go back to anyplace that yanks me around. Maybe a one off bad experience so I never name names but I won't recommend them to anyone either.

 

[grasshopperglock]

They should have told me before I drove down there if it was already sold.

If it was indeed sold, I'm not mad about that. I'm more angry that they wasted my time. Plus the whole sitting and waiting while they asked me a bunch of pointless questions, wrote them down, and typed it into the computer.

Could have sworn this was the 21st century. That dealership needs to get its act together.

CJ, that's his job. He was trying to save the sale. Anyway possible.

First recourse, flip the customer to a different ride.




You shoulda used the selling of the car you were looking at. The interpretation of wasting time. All to your advantage.

Told the salesman to make it right by a stripped out deal on another ride.

"You've upset me, Mr Salesman. To make up for it, I want $750 back invoice and three tanks of fuel....for free. So let's talk about this other ride you want me to see"

 

[SA_Steve]

A few months ago I bought a lightly used car from a 'one price - no haggle dealer' biggest one in town. Middle of the week, empty showroom.

Cash deal still took close to 5 hours to complete the sale and fight off the pitches for extras. Several bogus extras (like carpet puke and blue steel paint protection) were declined but included for free anyway.

Then they screwed up and almost hit the 60 day penalty rule to get the paperwork done to get new license plates to me. Demanded that I come in and take care of it. Told them to use FedEx and we did it that way.

You would think they would have the process figured out by now.
These guys live in a slow moving parallel universe.

Still it was better than the all day deal I did in Atlanta, GA a few years ago trading in a car. That experience made me want to do bad things. Their attitude is they are going to be there all day and the longer they keep you the more money they make. And the paperwork on a trade in is incredible these days. The dealer can void the deal for most any reason weeks later...

As major sales tax payers, dealers are a protected class.

 

[CrazedJava]

I checked their inventory before I left the house. If there was an alternative on their lot, I would have had in my back pocket.

Like I said, I'm an easy sale. I do all my research before I ever step foot in a dealership.

FWIW, I didn't direct any wrath towards the guy that helped us. He got screwed to. At least it was fairly late, it's not like there were other customers he could have helped. Still sucked to get his hopes up. It's more a problem with how they have their system set up.

Also, I know why they are asking those questions, but the extra step of typing them in was pointless. They should be doing all that directly. If they need a paper copy they can print it out. It's extremely back asswards. My biggest gripe is their inability to correctly utilize technology is really what cost them a sale and likely future business. This was a major dealership, not some used car lot. I wouldn't beat them up for the same thing.

 

[Renegade]

Like I said, I'm an easy sale. I do all my research before I ever step foot in a dealership.

Keep in mind the salesguy/dealer does not know that.

He sees haggling tire kickers all day, everyday. No reason to think you are any different, until you plunk cold green cash on table or he runs your FICO and it is 800+, and you say "sold". Even in your own words, "Get the paperwork started, if the test drive goes well, you've made a sale". He be a millionaire if he closed everry deal that had an "if" in it.

eta

I feel your pain. Nothing irritates me more than when I am ready to spend serious cash to buy something NOW, and the sales guy is wasting time with a tire kicker. Happened to me yesterday at Dallas Auto Show. Result was no sale.

 

[TX69]

A few months ago I bought a lightly used car from a 'one price - no haggle dealer' biggest one in town. Middle of the week, empty showroom.

Cash deal still took close to 5 hours to complete the sale and fight off the pitches for extras. Several bogus extras (like carpet puke and blue steel paint protection) were declined but included for free anyway.

Then they screwed up and almost hit the 60 day penalty rule to get the paperwork done to get new license plates to me. Demanded that I come in and take care of it. Told them to use FedEx and we did it that way.

You would think they would have the process figured out by now.
These guys live in a slow moving parallel universe.

Still it was better than the all day deal I did in Atlanta, GA a few years ago trading in a car. That experience made me want to do bad things. Their attitude is they are going to be there all day and the longer they keep you the more money they make. And the paperwork on a trade in is incredible these days. The dealer can void the deal for most any reason weeks later...

As major sales tax payers, dealers are a protected class.

So the new rules are:

1. Leave the trade in vehicle at home
2. Haggle only price.
3. Bring a laptop, some movies, headphones and sit in the fancy waiting room all to avoid the sales pitches and bullshit waiting process that is designed to get you antsy pantsy to buy it at a higher price so that you can go enjoy your new ride.
4. Bring the wife so she can go get take out so you can eat.
5. Flip the scrip at the end and ask for free shit like oil changes and gas tanks of gas.
6. Have done this whole process at another dealership so that when this one fails you can go back to the one that may have the vehicle in the color you actually want.
7. Buy off the internet and avoid all of these people and the mind blowing process.

 

[TexasBrandon]

That's what I do. I buy new vehicles though so it may be a bit different with used. My last used vehicle was in 2008 and I was still rather naive to the car buying process back then. I tell them 500 over invoice or at invoice and they tell me yes or no. If they tell me no I go elsewhere. Last three vehicles I have bought new have been at invoice and not 500 over though, plus the manufacturer free oil changes since most vehicles come with that these days. I'm in and out of the dealership in an hour and a half, 2 hours tops since I come with a check already cut.

 

[Orbie]

Brandon nailed it. I used to be a sales manager and I used to sell cars. I sold a lot of "minis". That's what we called a car that sold just over invoice. A customer would come in and demand, "I want car XYZ for $$$ over invoice. If you don't accept the deal, the dealership down the street will." These deals sucked when working on commission however, it was still a unit on the board for me and a car off the lot for the dealership. I would have much rather closed him on a monthly payment where I could rip his head off on total cost of car but the next sucker that came into the dealership would make up for the mini.

Ultimately whoever you spoke to on the phone was not a salesman. If you work for commission and you have a customer coming in, make the appointment and make the sell! I used to stand on the lot until my shoes stuck to the asphalt. In car sales if you're not at work, you aren't selling cars. If he knew that car sold, he should have stuck around and found another car in town that was a match to what you wanted. I hate seeing sales people that are worthless. Sometimes I buy crap I don't need just because the sales person is so good and they earned the sell.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[txinvestigator]

I love the car buying process. We have purchased two since last September. No one holds a car, though, until you sign on the line that is dotted.

 

[cncfan]

A Honda dealership that I had bought a Pilot from lost what ended up would have been two sales. The Pilot got tagged on the right side from a car pulling onto the road. Had it fixed but still did not feel right so wanted a new truck. Called the guy that sold me the Pilot and was told he was busy with someone else, I oped to leave him a message. About 4 hour later and no callback I called again, this time was told he had left for the day. Next morning I try again, leave another voice mail. Early afternoon still no callback.

Decided that if they did not want my business I will go find a different model truck. Walked into one selling GMC's (first dealership I hit going north on 6). As we were walking in my wife noticed a two seat sports car. Long story short, I drove out with a truck and my wife drove out with her little two seat'er.

If the Honda guy would have called me back he would have sold a Honda truck and most likely the two seat sports car Honda sells.

Never did get a callback.

 

[rl96ss]

I love the car buying process too. Helps to have good credit or buy cash. Upgraded my old Tacoma this week and got darn good deal.

 

[grasshopperglock]

My turn. I pressed the buttons on the Dodge website. 5 mins later the emails are showing up.


I'm gonna order the car. My first offer is $200 over invoice. Let the fishing begin.

 

[F350-6]

I like my small town dealer (the next town over since we don't have one). I can walk in and tell him what I'm looking for, including going over the order sheet option by option for a custom order, and walk out with a written offer for the sales price in hand 30 minutes later. When I buy a vehicle, it doesn't take more than 30 minutes to get the paperwork done and drive off.

It's a small family business. The guy that sells you the car also does the finance paperwork. No waiting for a finance guy, no extra upsell worthless stuff BS. Just a, we treat you right so please buy from us again attitude.

 

[TexasBrandon]

Ordered cars should only be bought at invoice, any car should only be bought at invoice if you are an informed and well versed buyer. Let someone else's dumbass eat the markup. It never sat on the lot and you have to, by regulations, order through a dealer unless it's Tesla. Anything more than invoice for a car you specifically got an order for isn't acceptable.

 

[Brains]

I always buy the car at the price I give them, or I don't. It's that simple. "I will buy this specific unit at this price. If that's agreeable to you, it's a sale. If not, I won't take up any more of your time."

Works nearly every time, and for the ones it doesn't, there's another dealer willing to move a unit off the lot. Best deal was when Pontiac went under, and I bought a brand new G8 GT for the holding cost. Drove it for 2 years, and made money on the trade-in.

 

[Younggun]

I enjoy the game sometimes.


I've gone in, told what monthly payment o would accept, and waited.

They come back with a higher number, I say no.

They go off again, come back with a lower number still over what I said I would pay. I say no.

Rinse and repeat. If I have nothing else to do I don't mind one bit wasting their time since they are willing to waste mine. They should just come out and say "sorry, can't get there" or "ok, we'll make it work".


I don't go in to a dealership unless I have time to waste. If it happens its on them.


Sent from my HAL 9000