It was me this time

[notthecook]

We went to have a hitch installed on our 2002 Jeep. When I called to make the appointment with MeDrag, they had the part, I set up the appointment and that was it.

Yesterday, we get there, Jeep goes in and installation starts. After a while, salesman comes out and says "They're having a little trouble getting the bolts back in because of the rust. It this was a 2012, this wouldn't be happening. I just looked at my husband with raised eyebrows and didn't say anything.

(My husband is a mechanic, he gave me an eye roll, penetrating oil helps)

Time passes, salesman comes back out. "It took a little longer than expected because of the rust. That doesn't happen with new vehicles". That time, I got up and walked out. Really, it was best.

Finally, it's out. We're at the register ready to pay and AGAIN he makes a comment about the year of the vehicle. "If it was a 2012, it wouldn't have had all the rust". I had had it by then and said "I'm sorry. If I would've known it was going to be that hard, I would've picked up a 2012 on the way in" and walked away.

Now, I live in PA. I drive a 2011 vehicle. If you look underneath it, I am sure there's rust there, it just goes with the territory. I get that it's harder when a vehicle is older, but three freaking times he had to point out I wasn't driving a 2012, and he wasn't even working on it.

[LillFilly]

Meh, if you were driving a 2012, it probably wouldn't have LASTED 10 years! Cars nowadays you know.

I hate pushy people.

[Draper Mel]

Maybe he needs another line of work. As an auto mechanic, it's virtually guaranteed that he'll have to work on cars that are more than 6 months old once in a while.

[Merriweather]

Like you drive an older vehicle just to make it hard on the service department, yeah. If a person is driving an older vehicle (BTW, I am myself) than either they can't afford a brand new car, are ok with the old car and prefer to spend the cost of a new car on something else, or simply love that particular car. Either way, if they dont' come to the service department to be sold a new car.

I'd have had to make a comment (I have a problem keeping my mouth shut). Something like "oh, thanks for the heads up, I plan to get a new vehicle next month, glad to know that "your company" doesn't consider it's older cars as worth having, guess now I'll go with "competitor" who makes a point of how long their cars last, they don't seem to expect a person to replace a car instead of servicing it".

Or maybe a "Oh, so sorry, I seem to have come to the wrong place. Isn't this the service department, where they work on previously purchased cars? Did I accidently stumble into the sales department by mistake?"

[Arcus]

I would have a hard time not asking the salesman "So are you telling me that you sell cars that rust out in a year and that I should replace the one I have with a new one that will just rust out again in another year?" just to see how fast he tries to change his story.

I don't like pushy salesmen.

[Maria]

Wow, I kind of wonder if they got their wires crossed and were expecting a real quick task on a 2012 model or something, but still. You handled it with far more class than I did, though, when I received similar remarks once at a family reunion. The general point was that I'd wasted money by buying used instead of new -- an argument that makes sense when you know this relative is the very embodiment of "slimy used car salesman". My response? "If you're offering to buy it for me then I accept, but if you're just trying to tell me I should squander my money on a fancy car instead of rent and food, then you can..." aaand that was where it degenerated into things not to say at a family reunion. (But the story does have a happy ending -- I've never been invited to another family event!)

[notthecook]

What gets me is he wasn't even working on it!

We have a new car (well, it's a year old) and our 02 Grand Cherokee. The GC works for us, it's 4wd, it's four door (I have a two seater) to drag the parents around in and it's paid for. I guarantee my 2011 has some rust under it, it's PA, we have snow, snow = salt.

If you are going to have a "We install hitches" sign on your kiosk outside, keep your damn mouth shut about what they are being installed on.

And Marla, I understand this "why did you buy blah blah blah". I hear it monthly from an aunt. I am not an adult because I bought a two seater. Adults buy responsible cars.

Until you are making the payment on it, shut up about what I drive. At least you didn't buy something that you couldn't afford.

[Kogarashi]

MeDrag guy would've hated our Jeep, then. It's also a Grand Cherokee, but it's a '95, and yes, we're still using it. Suck it up and finish installing the hitch already.

[Food Lady]

I think it's wiser to buy used, since cars depreciate so rapidly.

[Gizmo]

I had a similar reaction when we were moving house. the job had been spec'd up with the knowledge that there were a lot of smaller boxes than normal due to some of our stuff being heavy pewter ornaments (yes, myth and magic) and a lot of CDs, books etc.

Well at one point of the afternoon I stepped outside to hear one of the movers on the phone to his girlfriend telling her that "Its loads of little stupid boxes". I just raised one eyebrow as I walked past him and he got off the phone. Most of those boxes would have been too heavy if they'd been larger!

[Jay 2K Winger]

Them: "If this were a 2012 model, this wouldn't be happening."
Me: "Yeah, well it's not a 2012 model, now is it?"

Seriously, suggestive selling much?