I appreciate marketing, especially if done well. And it’s no secret that customer service holds a special place in my heart. I’ll pay more just for good customer service. Sales.. well, it does go hand in hand with each, but it can be frustrating.
As we all know, automobile salespeople are the whores of the sales world. They go overboard, like aged drama queens without an appreciative audience; when loosed upon a prospective customer, all bets are off. It’s As the Nissan Turns or One Chrysler to Live.
They play variations of good cop/bad cop, claim their dog is dying and do anything to try to identify with you.
When you manage to finally escape the lot, exhausted in both mind and body, they call. When you arrive home there are messages on your machine, filled with false bravado and congratulations; you win! We’ll do the price you want, options you want, just come on back! Don’t fall for it, by the way… it’s just Act II in their strange passion play.
But we’re used to it, right? Grown accustomed to their customs and all that.
Turns out that being so desensitized helps not at all with boat salespeople. They’re a different breed, almost along the lines of order takers. Oh, they’re an affable lot; they’ll smile and shake your hand and talk with you about the model that melts your heart… but don’t sit by the phone waiting for a call. Don’t bother to check your email, because even though they promised to send that information, they won’t. They keep important things to themselves, like manufacturer incentives, loan rates and actual prices.
The high school boyfriends of salespeople, they forgot about you the moment someone with a larger wallet walked through the door.
Is it reverse psychology? Does their aloof behavior make us want to buy even more, just to ‘show them’? I’ll tell you what it makes me want to do: walk away and go to the next dealership.
I’d like a nice medium between fawning and indifference, with a heaping side of information, please.
He did finally call but still no price after one week
Not him, the other one…
manager?
Not yet.
I hate all of that stupid car salesman runaround. It is passive-aggressive bullshit at it’s worst. That is why I am in love, Love, LOVE with CarMax.
I’ve purchased four cars from them over the past 13 years (two for me and two for former spouse)… Each transaction took less than two hours from start to finish, including the test drives and the trade-ins.
When I purchased my Jeep, I kept my Rodeo because it was paid for, and I wanted to use it for hauling stuff around. When I finally decided to sell it, I sold it to CarMax outright. They gave me a great price, about $500 more than I thought they would.
Sigh…. CarMax…. Lurve.
I’ve not dealt with them but I’ve heard good things from other people, too. Enough that if I need a new car, I’ll head there first!
Thanks for the review; always love hearing about a good product or service!
Hey, check out Jana’s Chagall coaster set! Love these!
Email me your address and I’ll send you a set on the house…
They’re on their way! Enjoy!!
Thanks, Jana!!
Hope you included a return address…
But of course!
You don’t understand. Boat people are BETTER than you. It’s not aloof so much as it is bored superiority.
I suspected as much.
Doesn’t matter, though. I’m starting to think repairing the old one is a better idea than buying new.
If only we could live on one… Yes, I am jealous…
If you lived here I’d hook you up with a really good boat guy.
Thank you!
So happy we don’t have to really deal with car salesman. We go in, they give us the Ford employee price, we pay and leave with car. No haggling at all, yea for us!!!!!!!
Lease is up at the end of the month, I will go in, tell him what I want, he finds it, gives lease price, we pay 1st month and leave with car.
Wow!!! That is awesome…!