Please excuse the following rant, but I needed to let off steam after being messed around by a branch of a major chain of Ford dealers in the North West.
My new co. car is a Mondeo IV estate. It's at the dealers, valeted and ready to go. I go to the dealer on Weds last to sign the contract hire docs and give a cheque for the first 3 months rental. I do this with the salesman AND the dealer sales manager.
"It'll all be ready on Friday," says the dealer salesman.
Come 3pm Friday (yesterday), I've not heard from the dealer. I call them.
"There's a problem," they say.
"The finance company will not accept faxed documents, they have to have the originals before they can release payment.
"Also, we need your insurance certificate to tax the car," they add.
I reply: "First, you don't need my insurance details, the contract hire company taxes the car, not me, you need THEIR insurance details."
I then call the contract hire company, and they assure me that they only need the original docs once I have taken possession of the car -- i.e. when the deal is actually concluded.
So I call the dealer with these details. Silence. Then "Oh, I see, I didn't know that."
Can anyone tell me why a salesman AND the dealer manager, in a major dealership in a large town, haven't a clue how to process contract hire forms? And what's more, never thought to ring the finance company to ask?
As a result I've got an extra £150 worth of accessories, so I shouldn't grumble.
But I like grumbling :-)
Some editing to avoid identifying the finance company, even in the disguised way the poster managed
Edited by Pugugly {P} on 16/02/2008 at 10:01
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These people are often not true salesmen. They don't earn their living from selling. In a huge number of cases the cars sell themselves, or are sold subliminally by manufacturers' advertising, as status symbols, by customer habit and custom.
These guys are simply order processors. The manufacturer tells them how to price their merchandise, even the discounts to offer. A little black book published monthly tells them how much to pay for stock and how much to ask for it. The retailing sites are strategically selected to draw passing attention. Salesmen do not choose the local advertising outlets. The customer does all the research and tells the order processor which model he has selected.
If all they do is process orders why aren't they more efficient at it? Well it doesn't require the creme de la creme does it?
Where is the selling in that? ie Where is the market research, peer group comparison, quantification of supply and demand? Mention any of these to many "salesmen" and they're likely to laugh in your face, often in a rather threatening manner. Diners on the gravy train do not welcome dislodgement.
A salesman earns his living by surviving in an open market place. An order processor is cocooned by an array of closed practices which have evolved to protect the motor manufacturers (on which we largely based socio-economic policy for the second half of the 20th century) at the expense of consumers.
Similar protection is now being sought in intellectual property rights now that it is perceived that digitalisation will continue to be the big ticket for the forseeable future.
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Never tried to earn a living 'selling'cars then?
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Craig, i don't have a company car, i buy my own, but we are all customers one way or another.
Probably i look at things a little differently as i'm looking more at future dealings with the dealership presumably, in this case.
I'm of the opinion that if a dealer and i include all their staff here, can't be bothered to make the purchase of a car a pleasurable and comfortable experience by employing competent people, then sure as hell they'll be as much use as a chocolate teapot if the thing goes wrong.
I use this formula with virtually all dealings, as well as cars.
As SWMBO says, they are all smiles and lovely till they've got your dosh, and if they can't get that bit right....
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I think the wrong terminology has been used in the title.
This isn't selling, it's order processing admin. They might be great salespeople for all we know, but the admin should be done in the background by staff who are familiar with the necessary requirements.
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It's not just dealers who don't understand procedures - we must have all encountered mechanics who appear to know little more about cars than your average motorist! (the mechanics at my local garage are pretty good - I'm not talking about them!)
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And what about those who cannot tell you if golf clubs can fit across the boot, or whether the boot is larger than XYZ rival manufacturers car?
I always wonder what they do all day, while we study car mags for them with pen and paper to hand.
I loved asking in August 2006 a Subaru dealer about their new diesel and he said there were no plans for one. I suggested he ought to change jobs since they'd sell no cars in 3 years time without one, which caused his face to tighten somewhat.
Now we know they've been working on it for 9 years!
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I always wonder what they do all day, while we study car mags for them with pen and paper to hand.
Echoes my sentiments exactly. I mean, how difficult is it to keep up with these things? If I were ever to change careers & become attached to car selling in any way, I'd be researching every nuance of the cars - not torture for me as I'm interested. I can only think that many people in the trade aren't really interested in cars & can't be bothered even using the endless hours they must fritter away between prospects walking into the showroom, in genning-up on things.
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My experience is that car salesmen often have an aura of indifference, either feigned or intentional. Went to Trade Sales of Slough, and as soon as I mentioned that I needed to sell my old car, the salesman walked away, and refused to help me. He then just stood still and ignored me. As a result I went elsewhere, and he lost a sale. Odd given their good reputation. But other places I tried were just as unhelpful. I guess they must have a lot of time wasters. I am told many dealers do not care much for private sales, and focus on fleet purchasers rather than small fry.
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Twenty years ago I was buying the occasional new Mercedes, at a German main dealer, at a time when they were really good cars and didn't need much 'selling'. However, the salesman was a walking encyclopedia of the models, specs, trim, paint colours and everything else relevant to the choice of a car. Smartly dressed, early 50's and knew his job and the model range inside out. This is what one needs - information from a person not a brochure!
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 19/02/2008 at 16:39
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Twenty years ago I was buying the occasional new Mercedes at a German main dealer
That may well still be true in Germany. UK MB dealers used to be like that too, until MB canned most of them 6? years ago and brought in the big dealer groups and glass palace showrooms.
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