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New car "agressive sales" strategy. Is this normal?


maurici

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Well. I´m coming from here:

Finally decided to buy the aforementioned Beemer from the "BMW" used car scheme, being an approved car has 12 months BMW warranty and you are being sold the car from the main sales team rather than the "used cars" team.

 

The lady was really helpful with me, and while I was doing the test drive, she has told me that she would run some numbers about the package they offer with a new car that would be applicable to this car too, and also the finance possibilities.

 

Told her beforehand, "don´t bother, I´m covered I want the car, and is the only product I want from you". (I haven´t even tried to knock off the price). Car was spot on, for my standards could have been in the "new" showroom, and I would have believed it, therefore I have decided to go for it.

 

When I´ve said that, she has come back with the sales director, offering me the finance again, and 2k worth in package deals for covering refurbed wheels and tyres, and stone chips.

My answer has been, "don’t lose your time, I´m in the automotive trade and none of what you are offering me is even half appealing. The only product I want from you it’s the car".

 

From here, everything is gone south.

 

He has asked me if I own a house, I told him yes, I do. Asked me then... "I imagine you have it mortgaged, why won’t you do the same with the car? "

-"Yeah, sorry mate, I own the house outright and I did it that way since the beginning. Please, don’t lose your time, I want the car, period".

 

Then he started with Gap covers for the finance.

"Because if you crash, We will cover the gap between the value of the car and the insurance value."

"Yes thanks I don´t want it."

"Why not?"

"Because I don’t want it."

"Do you have insurance in the house?"

"Yes I do."

"Then you have the contents insured, why don’t insure the gap in the car."

"Because I don´t want it."

"Is due the price? I can take a look for it for you..."

"Yeah sorry, the starting price is 2000 quid, don´t think you will go to ZERO so just let me pay the deposit and tell me when to collect the car."

"Do you know the average claim content in a house is about 1000 quid only... why wouldn´t you insure the car?"

"Well mate, sorry, I do have insured individual items worth about the same of the car, and a claim on the contents of my house will buy this car several times, so, sorry still not a good example."

 

Then he is questioned my lifestyle on buying things outright, and being poorly covered.

 

I had to end the conversation asking him to leave, as he was risking the sale of the car.

 

I felt really bad from an stranger asking me personal questions that I shouldn’t have to answer (and I regret doing it but I´ve tried to be polite at the moment), questioning my choices, and then my lifestyle.

 

He is been polite and calm all the time, but the nature of the questions and the conversation was completely OUT OF ORDER.

Especially when I told him after hearing their offers that the only product I was bothered about was THE CAR! And If it wasn´t because I really wanted the car, I would have walked away from the dealership after the second personal and totally unappropriated question.

 

The worst of it is that he is appointed another half an hour when I´m back on Tuesday to collect the car to discuss several alternatives, and I DONT REALLY WANT TO. This stupid interview is building up on me during the day and now I´m infuriated to have answered some very personal questions that I shouldn’t discuss with strangers, so more than likely on Tuesday I´ll just tell him to **** OFF, give me the car straight away.

Is it that normal?

Of course, I´ll be asked by BMW UK how the service was as a part of the package and I will share my views about the aforementioned individual, but... again, Is that normal? Is that the way the current salespeople try to sell product to the average population making them feel like garbage so you end buying to feel beeter or what?

 

I would appreciate your views about this on the matter. I´ve never bought a new car in my life, and is the first time I will own a road car worth more than a couple of grands... I´m interest to know if that is the normal business nowadays, and if so, how no-one has punched a salesperson in the face before.

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Not normal. Just say you don't want any and sign their form to say you have been offered and declined ... takes 2 minutes.  I think there is some FCA crap about some of the insurance.  No need to give any reason or have any discussion.  They are on commission and hard sell nothing more 

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The reality is that there is not as much profit in the actual car sale as there used to be so they try, desperately, to get you on finance as they get a kick back from the finance company. They also get commission for gap insurance and things like the paint protection they buy in for £30 or £40 and try and sell to to you for hundreds.  

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Same thing happened to us @ Mazda  Bolton just wouldn't take no for an answer , in the end we were about to walk away when he just gave us the finance deal with no extras .

Tony 

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@maurici Blue Bell or Knights? They are all sooo commissioned based, which forces them to play such dirty tricks!

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Similar experience on my recent BMW purchase, extended warranties, protective 'special' covering of leather and a bit of polish, finance etc, etc.

 

That wasn't a main dealer and the car was a couple of years old.

 

I just paid a deposit after agreeing the trade in and said i would return a week later to collect.

 

In fact i cancelled the extended warranty 3 days before collection, as it was just so full of exemptions (a quick google is well worth doing!) that it really wasn't worth the paper it was written on!

 

Pleased with the car, but the buying experience was not so clever.

Andy

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1 hour ago, IanK (Bagpuss) said:

@maurici Blue Bell or Knights? They are all sooo commissioned based, which forces them to play such dirty tricks!

 

None of the above... Stratstone if I'm right

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I bought a 6 month old Skoda a year or two ago, from a main Skoda dealer. It was ex-Skoda UK management fleet, and I didn't have such hassle. Personally, I'd tell them not to bother, and go to another main dealer. Not sure about BMW, but most of the main dealer networks have a scheme whereby you can go to any dealer and buy one of their low mileage warrantied vehicles regardless of where the vehicle is based. They'll do a dealer swap, and get the vehicle of your choice moved to where you want the deal to be done. 

For slightly older vehicles, I've used Available Car Dot Com, and again no such high pressure nonsense.

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It is down to the commission based package the sales people get. I am always clear, give me the best offer, they get one chance then I walk.

 

Last car we bought was a mini cooper, did that sales man did his bit and then sales manager came out to show him how it was done. The guy was like co co the clown and wasn't interested in listening. As I got up to walk away he was now looking stupid and only the intervention of the Dealer Principle stopped me walking.

 

I understand they have a job but the sales courses seem to suggest if the person isn't sold something then the sales person is useless and that makes them desperate.

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Must admit all the new purchases for new cars have been for company use and have always been made with finance of some sort as it was beneficial tax wise. However most of the sales guys earn considerably more commission for add on elements than for the car sale itself, my friend works for a car supermarket and he admits that the basic car commission would be barely livable.

I always sorted out the finance, insurance etc. before going to the saleroom as most times the rates were much better than they could offer, very rarely they were able to beat my quotes only due to special incentives given by the car maker "to move metal". 

The biggest scam was the "scrappage offers" which did not even cover the discounts available by the same salesperson who could not see the stupidity of it.

Most of these deals are set up for people who are desperate to follow a life style they can hardly afford and are sucked into the hype - boomerang finance an ideal example.

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I went around a lot of dealerships of different manufacturers before my 125d purchase. Unfortunately there are many dealerships like that, the worst I had was Seat Blackburn where the obnoxious salesman wanted to agree potential finance deals before I could look at any cars! Even though I said I wouldn't be financing.

The best was BMW Bowker Blackburn, they were brilliant prior and following purchase and I didn't even buy from them! But they are still a family run group, and it felt a nicer environment just walking through the door before even talking to anyone.

Salesman at BMW Stafford was non pushy and pleasant. He told me there were several add on packages he had to offer, but didn't oversell them accepting immediately when I said I wasn't interested. All the Sales director did was ask if I was happy with everything.

The new car salesman at Bowker told me that unfortunate most 'salesmen' at the large group dealerships have very high targets but don't even have to sell as most customers go in wanting a car and just pay the monthly finance. They don't care if the car loses 18k in 2 years.

 

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Unfortunately the large franchised dealers have huge overheads to cover...  To remain competitive on the list price of cars, they have to prop up their profits with the the "add ons".

They're now making their money through commissions on extended warranties, special paint protection, gap insurance and even the finance itself.

The Banks used to do this with loans and credit cards... Anyone remember PPI?! 

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They dont sell cars anymore , they sell Finance , much more profitable , especially if the buyer defaults on repayment 

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6 hours ago, pistonbroke said:

They dont sell cars anymore , they sell Finance , much more profitable , especially if the buyer defaults on repayment 

 

There is not 1 statement in that sentence that is correct.

 

What do we sell if not cars?  Fresh air?

What if you don't want finance?  Fine.  Unless it's a car supermarket trying to flog silly high rates, 90% of the time there's no back door money there anyway.

If you're clever, buying on a PCP more often than not saves you more money than paying cash anyway and the dealerships not guaranteed any commission either.

So why wouldn't you?

 

Your last statement amazes and infuriates me.  If a buyer defaults its got absolutly nothing to do with a dealership.  The finance company deal with it, the dealership may never even find out if their finance rep never tells them.  Why on earth would a garage get a kick back if somebody falls on hard times and sadly comes unstuck?  

 

Yes there are some awful salespeople out there, as there is in any profession, iv met those idiots on sales courses and would not employ one.  I also meet them flogging sofas in dfs and electronics in john lewis.

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When I bought our X3 2 years ago I actually had to sign papers saying I didn't want gap insurance, paint coating, alloy wheel insurance etc. That was after they'd tried to sell it all to me at least twice. Doesn't sound as aggressive as your experience but I did find it a bit strange

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