[phoenix9]

No Victory or motorcycle dealership bashing here, as I have been car shopping for several days and I think I have found the worst dealership in my memory. Went into a local Dodge dealership and was met by a 20-something kid who seemed nice enough.....but he never gave me his name and he never asked what my name was. I told him what I wanted to look at and he said BEFORE we could go look at the cars we had to go into the office and sit down. Now, this ain't my first rodeo so I have a feeling where this may be heading. Well, it was worse than I thought. He pulled out flip chart with about 25 slides on it and proceeds to spend the next 15 minutes giving me the world's worst sales spiel....I have a few minutes so I let him roll. When he gets to the part about trade-ins (I can see this is going down hill) I stop him and tell him I will NOT be trading in anything. He says he understands and then spends another 5 minutes talking about.....trade-ins, and if I don't even buy a car they will buy mine from me. Fast forward and we finally get to the cars....he forgets his keys...another 5 minutes while he makes another run. This is proceeded by me asking a question and him saying "I don't really know anything about these cars." I'm losing it. I pick a car and tell him I want to take this one out as it has the engine I am considering....he can't get it to start....the manager gave him the wrong keys...turns out another guy went to lunch and took them with him. Huh?? I finally have to take control and say "look, just pick another f--k--- one and get a plate on it." Car is Ok, but nothing special....A/C is horrible (only 81 degrees today and we spend about another 10 minutes trying to get the car cool) when we get back the kid (who keeps calling me Sir b/c he doesn't know my name) asks me if I want to step in the office and "run the numbers." I reminded him that the dealership is a "No-haggle" dealership and the manufacturer has a 1.9% interest rate so "what the hell are we gonna run numbers on???" So he asks me to wait as he has to get his manager (knew this part was coming)...so out walks the manager who is maybe 24/25 years old himself (am I in oompa loompa land here?). He doesn't know my name and doesn't ask for it....I'm kinda laughing my a$$ off at this point. He wants to know why we can't make a deal today and I tell him I'm not even sure I want the damn car, and that the A/C kinda sucked....so he tells me to follow him back to the car so he can show me how to turn on the A/C....are you f!!!!! kidding me??? I had to stop him there before I actually hurt someone. I told them I would think about it and get back with them. As I hop on my bike the sales rep yells out to me "I'll check on the A/C and give you a call tonight.".....this is the same kid who doesn't know my name and I never gave him my number......

 

[Andy]

You don't want to get me started on Car Dealerships! I'm a Car Salespersons Worst Nightmare! In reference to your story, I've read that Used Car Prices are high right now. That's probably why they are pushing to buy used cars right now as if they pick them up at a bargain, they can flip them at a larger profit than they would make on a new car. But, what's with that slide show? I haven't seen that method yet. And Phoenix9, do you really need a working A/C in Arizona? C'mon, Man Up!!!

 

[phoenix9]

The Flip slides were beyond painful. Only thing missing was a pyramid scheme pitch. Still leaning very strong to the MKX.

 

[randysfishing]

I just had one of the best experiences at a Dodge dealer a few weeks ago. I just went in said I want to pay this and told them what I wanted for finance rate. They had the truck I wanted car sales man said give me 10 or 15 minutes after filling out some paper work came back in about 10 said we had deal. I was on the way home in about 1 hour after getting there.

 

[Keith Grey]

Bought my first ever brand new American car in 2009, and had both a great and a nightmarish experience with two different dealers 15 miles apart. First, let me tell you of 7 brand new vehicles, this is my first American Brand, and sorry fellas but that little donation to people who make POS vehicles will never be repeated. Spent literally 4 hours over 2 days dealing with one dealership doing test rides, and getting the price right. The maladjusted middle aged lesbian I was dealing with was uninformed, angry at men and couldn't stop petting my wife like a kitten. One more unsolicited touch and she was gonna get her equal rights,,,in three set combos! So, I thought it over and called another dealer, got them to take more than a $1K off what was a decent price, gave angry little tattoo woman one more chance to beat the new dealers price then went to the good dealer and picked it up. Of course I rode over and showed the owner's son from dealer 1 the new car and left. There is a Dodge Caliber in my yard that is the first and last American I will ever buy new.

 

[Speshees]

My Dodge dealership ridiculous story...stopped in to look at a Viper, salesguy strolls outside only half way (it was summer), and says, " too bad you cant afford that." Ok, is he trying to piss me off because he doesnt want to walk out in the heat, or is he so stupid that he thinks a girl cant possibly have any money... duh!!! I laughed at him and left.

 

[Keith Grey]

My Dodge dealership ridiculous story...stopped in to look at a Viper, salesguy strolls outside only half way (it was summer), and says, " too bad you cant afford that." Ok, is he trying to piss me off because he doesnt want to walk out in the heat, or is he so stupid that he thinks a girl cant possibly have any money... duh!!! I laughed at him and left.

"The Challenge" is a ridiculous sales technique, but it works on the 2 digit IQ crowd. Since he said, " you can't afford that" he obviously thought you could and was tempting you to prove it. If you had been a young guy with more testosterone than brains, he might have said, "You don't want that son, it's way too much HP for a new driver." OR, and I always keep this possibility open, he was STUPID or Lazy,,,,,I see that a lot in sales,,, beautiful bike btw deb KG-

 

[dsjr70]

My Dodge dealership ridiculous story...stopped in to look at a Viper, salesguy strolls outside only half way (it was summer), and says, " too bad you cant afford that." Ok, is he trying to piss me off because he doesnt want to walk out in the heat, or is he so stupid that he thinks a girl cant possibly have any money... duh!!! I laughed at him and left.

Now that is funny... I went to my local Mercedes dealer looking to buy an AMG 63 and they wouldnt let me take a test ride until then ran my credit. I told them I didnt want my credit run because I would be using Enterprise since it would be a fleet vehicle. So they refused. I guess I shouldnt have been in shorts and flip flops but heck I was at the beach all day. Ended up going to another dealer out of town and buying the car. Went back to the dealership to get my first service done and made it a point to go visit the sales guy. It was fun to see the look on his face.

 

[dsjr70]

You don't want to get me started on Car Dealerships! I'm a Car Salespersons Worst Nightmare! In reference to your story, I've read that Used Car Prices are high right now. That's probably why they are pushing to buy used cars right now as if they pick them up at a bargain, they can flip them at a larger profit than they would make on a new car. But, what's with that slide show? I haven't seen that method yet. And Phoenix9, do you really need a working A/C in Arizona? C'mon, Man Up!!!

I have been to dealers with you and you arent bad. Your problem is you know more about the car then the sales people. Now the dealer in Daytona we went to new his stuff, unfortunetely he didnt have the car you wanted.

 

[mjw930]

I've become spoiled, for the last 15 years I've had access to supplier pricing for all the major brands so car shopping is all about finding the right dealership, not the best price. The above dealership would have been off the list within 10 minutes. Sometimes I stick around in dealerships like this just to string them along and see just how far they will go before they decide they don't want me as a customer. Hell, my wife once made a Toyota salesman cry :devil2: On my last go round, purchasing a new Jeep Grand Cherokee, I was pleasantly surprised that most of the local dealers were very easy to deal with. The worst being the high volume dealerships, which is to be expected but even they were fairly competent. But I'm also like Andy, it usually know far more than the dealer about the vehicle which really pisses me off. Selling cars is their FULL TIME JOB, it's incomprehensible that the customer knows more than they do. I've walked out of many a dealership because of this. I understand that not everyone has the passion many of us do but I will NOT support ignorance. Not knowing something is OK, lying to cover up that fact and supplying incorrect information is something I will not tolerate.

 

[Andy]

I have been to dealers with you and you arent bad. Your problem is you know more about the car then the sales people. Now the dealer in Daytona we went to new his stuff, unfortunetely he didnt have the car you wanted.

Yes, that Daytona Salesman was knowledgeable. In this day and age of the Internet it's fairly easy to learn which features/functions you want on a car and using sites such as Edmunds, finding a fair price for both the car and your trade only takes a few minutes. Doing the research online, all that's needed is a test drive at the Dealer. When I buy cars, my problem is that I run hot and cold. If I'm ready to buy, I have the check in the pocket and I'm ready to buy now. When they start playing the "Manager" game, I give them one go-round and if they low-ball me, I turn cold and leave. My personal strategy is not to buy a car when you absolutely need one. This way, time is on the buyer's side. I also don't let them inspect my trade until we've agreed upon a net price for the new car. I've had some buying situations where I didn't bring the car that I was was trading until after we agreed on the price of the new car. While I would tell them the made/model/mileage/condition, and had a good idea (via Edmunds) what it was worth on trade, I didn't want them dipping into the value of my trade to play pricing games with the new car.

 

[BLININGER]

Selling cars is their FULL TIME JOB, it's incomprehensible that the customer knows more than they do. I've walked out of many a dealership because of this. I understand that not everyone has the passion many of us do but I will NOT support ignorance. Not knowing something is OK, lying to cover up that fact and supplying incorrect information is something I will not tolerate.

This is the same issue I've run into many times. I can understand if I'm at a Ford dealership and they don't know all the details on a used Chevy but I shouldn't know more about the new Fords than they do. Saddly usually I do. This was my favorite at a dealership though. I used to drive a jet black 1985 Monte Carlo. I kept it in perfect condition. I pulled up to the dealership in this car. The saleswoman met me at my car, introduced herself etc. Then we headed over to the car I was looking at about 25 yards away, a 1994 Impala SS in black. The paint was horrible, looked like it spent most of it's time on gravle roads. I mentioned this to her and her reply sealed the deal of me not even taking her serious. She said "I don't know if you know this or not but black is really hard to take care of." My cousin that was with me and I both looked back at my car and knew we were done there. If you don't know your product (which she proved in many other lies about the car she didn't) at least pay attention to your customer.

 

[mjw930]

This is the same issue I've run into many times. I can understand if I'm at a Ford dealership and they don't know all the details on a used Chevy but I shouldn't know more about the new Fords than they do. Saddly usually I do. This was my favorite at a dealership though. I used to drive a jet black 1985 Monte Carlo. I kept it in perfect condition. I pulled up to the dealership in this car. The saleswoman met me at my car, introduced herself etc. Then we headed over to the car I was looking at about 25 yards away, a 1994 Impala SS in black. The paint was horrible, looked like it spent most of it's time on gravle roads. I mentioned this to her and her reply sealed the deal of me not even taking her serious. She said "I don't know if you know this or not but black is really hard to take care of." My cousin that was with me and I both looked back at my car and knew we were done there. If you don't know your product (which she proved in many other lies about the car she didn't) at least pay attention to your customer.

My favorite was when a dealership tried to hijack my trade! When they came back with the price, including my trade it was so far off that I simply didn't want to go through the back and forth and I told them so. I asked for my keys and they refused saying I needed to talk to another manager first. That set me off. I ended up walking into the GM's office, plopped myself down in a chair and informed him my keys needed to show up within 30 seconds or I would call the police and file a stolen vehicle report. Initially he got indigent until he realized I wasn't kidding. The keys miraculously appeared and I left. 12 months later that dealership was out of business and under indictment by the state's AG. Anyone remember Bill Heard......

 

[dsjr70]

My favorite was when a dealership tried to hijack my trade! When they came back with the price, including my trade it was so far off that I simply didn't want to go through the back and forth and I told them so. I asked for my keys and they refused saying I needed to talk to another manager first. That set me off. I ended up walking into the GM's office, plopped myself down in a chair and informed him my keys needed to show up within 30 seconds or I would call the police and file a stolen vehicle report. Initially he got indigent until he realized I wasn't kidding. The keys miraculously appeared and I left. 12 months later that dealership was out of business and under indictment by the state's AG. Anyone remember Bill Heard......

Actually they did that to me in their Sanford dealership but I did call the cops and told them they were holding me against my will... The cops came and they were not happy with the management. According to the police officer I was the 3rd one that call them.

 

[mjw930]

Actually they did that to me in their Sanford dealership but I did call the cops and told them they were holding me against my will... The cops came and they were not happy with the management. According to the police officer I was the 3rd one that call them.

Yep, same dealer, same location! [link='http://www.wftv.com/money/14345068/detail.html']http://www.wftv.com/money/14345068/detail.html[/link]

 

[ammo_umb]

I've had good and bad experiances for years; it's part of buying a car. When I went car shopping with my daughter a few years ago I had the worse experiance by far. She test drove a car that she liked and I hung around to make sure they woldn't give her crap about the price. After the test drive she said she was interested so she filled out their credit check form. After about 20 minutes I asked what the results were and how much the car was; the salesperson said she would get the info right away. It was like groundhog day -- every 20 minutes for the next 3 hours I asked the same questions and got the same answer. After 3 hours I told my daughter "we're leaving, go ask for the paperwork you signed". I walked halfway out the door and waiting while she walked up to the sales manager and said "I've waited long enough, please give me my paperwork". The sales manager refused and said they would dipose of it. My daughter said "you and your salesperson can't answer how much the car is after being asked numerous times; how can I trust that you will dispose of the paperwork properly". He said "we know how to do our jobs, we can get rid of the paperwork". She said "is that my paperwork in front of you?". He said "yes" so she walked behind the counter, grabbed the paperwork, and ran it through their shredder. The sales manager threatened to call the cops because he fealt threatened by my 5'4" 90lb daughter. We waited outside for the cops to show up and even tried to waive down 2 of them; either he didn't call or they didn't think there was a problem... A month later my daughter got rear-ended by one of that dealers vehicles. One of their salesmen drove one of there used trucks to the gas station to fuel up. My daughters car stalled and he hit her. He told his manager that she rolled backwards. After some yelling and more threatening to call the cops (they didn't show up again) I called the owner. The owner agreed that a car can't roll backwards on a flat surface. Both the sales manager and the salesman were looking for new jobs soon afterwards...

 

[Toecutter]

My favorite was when a dealership tried to hijack my trade! When they came back with the price, including my trade it was so far off that I simply didn't want to go through the back and forth and I told them so. I asked for my keys and they refused saying I needed to talk to another manager first. That set me off. I ended up walking into the GM's office, plopped myself down in a chair and informed him my keys needed to show up within 30 seconds or I would call the police and file a stolen vehicle report. Initially he got indigent until he realized I wasn't kidding. The keys miraculously appeared and I left. 12 months later that dealership was out of business and under indictment by the state's AG. Anyone remember Bill Heard......

When I was a desperate 22 year recent college grad with no job prospects, I took a job as a car salesman at a Chrysler dealer in the northwest Chicago suburbs. They actually taught us this trick during training, as well as a bunch of other really sleazy methods of cheating people. I didn't last a month, I couldn't live with myself doing this scumball job. Even though it was almost 30 years ago, what I learned in that one month has made me a really savvy car buyer.

 

[Trekwolf164]

When I bought my 02 Wrangler I brought in my 97 Wrangler full of up grades. I knew the dealer had the Rear end that I wanted in black. I took the Vin # and called my ins agent had a temp card made went to my bank and had a 11500.00 check drawn for the dealership. Cleaned out the 97 put the soft top inside went in sat at a very pretty lady's desk and told her what I wanted she told me that Black could be hard to find with the Dana 44 rear but If I ordered it. I said no you don't have to order it you have one. She checked and it was not on her list so I took her out to where it was. We went in and talked trade so they looked my 97 over and said 9000. and I could strip her.I said that won't work my Jeep is worth 10000.00 so the manager is with us and I pull out the ins card Check and title for the 97 and said this is my deal we do this or I tear up the check.

 

[phoenix9]

Yep, definitely seen all those games...all the sales lines, the lying, the crooked stuff. I think this is the worst dealership I have ever seen because they were just so incredibly stupid....and bad at their jobs. There wasn't a single person in the building with an IQ in the triple digits. Whoever owns this dealership is screwed. They are gonna be under new management in the very near future.

 

[Speshees]

"The Challenge" is a ridiculous sales technique, but it works on the 2 digit IQ crowd. Since he said, " you can't afford that" he obviously thought you could and was tempting you to prove it. If you had been a young guy with more testosterone than brains, he might have said, "You don't want that son, it's way too much HP for a new driver." OR, and I always keep this possibility open, he was STUPID or Lazy,,,,,I see that a lot in sales,,, beautiful bike btw deb KG-

Didnt consider that...that makes it pretty funny thanx for the compliment on my KP. I still cant quite believe that she is mine