It's Not a Museum

[bainsidhe]

I agree about the internet thing, I scoured the web when I was looking for ideas of where to start my search and what to look for. I've been to places where I was basically window shopping (no intention to buy in the near future) and had salespeople breathing down my neck. Not fun. In those cases I was always polite, but had to keep repeating "no thanks" every three minutes. *shrugs* That said, I mostly had a positive experience when I was actually car shopping. With one glaring exception, the salespeople were professional and helped be get a good baseline on what to look for. The glaring exception ignored me, letting me take a test drive and then walked away when I asked to discuss negotiating a price. "We don't negotiate on imports" he said, then walked away. He made the decision easy, so perhaps I should be grateful.

I ultimately went with Hertz. That's right, the car rental place. No fuss, no muss, and no negotiating (it's even listed on their website ). That made shopping simple and the guy walked me all through the purchase. I bought more car than I intended to (don't we all ), but I really liked the car and even more, I really liked the salesman.

I give credit to anybody working a sales job nowadays, it isn't easy. You have to anticipate the mood and intent of each customer and balance it against getting a sale. Some customers require an extra push (and handholding) while others greatly resent it. More power to you.

[Sonoma]

Like the others, I've had some good experience with car sales, and I've had some negatives. The good ones, I've bought the car. The bad ones, I'll go out of my way to avoid that salesperson (or dealership in one case).

Most recently, I had just purchased my current vehicle about 2 months earlier. I had it in my nearby dealer for some routine work. It was a beautiful day, so I decided to walk around on the lot, rather than waiting in the dark, windowless waiting area. I had just purchased a Ford Ranger, so I was curious to see their new Rangers on the sales lot. A salesperson approached me, and I let her know that I was just enjoying the sunshine while getting my truck serviced. She was one of the most aggressive individuals, insisting that we take a test drive in the brand new truck, wanting me to come in & talk to the sales manager when I refused the test drive. I kept repeating that I had just bought a truck, and was choosing to bring it to their facility for service. There was no reason for me to be buying a new vehicle when I had just made my first payment on the one I had. I've been back there for service since, but I have kept that salesperson's card, so I know who to avoid if she's still there when I go to purchase my next truck.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

The thing is, the OP didn't seem to be ranting about the fact that people will sometimes say "No, we're just looking", but the fact that (and I have seen this myself when I was in retail) some people get annoyed, rude, nasty, and in one case verbally abusive.

I don't like the high-pressure sales tactic. So when a salesman comes to me, I'll politely tell him that when I'm ready I'll contact him and go on my way. I'll only get nasty if the salesman doesn't back down. Then I'll sternly inform him that his tactics are off-putting and I'll leave the store/car lot/etc.

I agree that there are people who when approached with a polite "Can I help you find anything today" will respond with "bother me again and I'll rip out your soul and use it to wipe my ass."

Those are the people I used to kick out of my store and tell them never to return.

[SongsOfDragons]

I have my first car. Bought it at the beginning of last month. Me and my dad (he was buying, as it was his gift to me) negotiated over email for weeks, and when we actually went to go and find the car we'd hunted down and speared on Autotrader website, he went all scary - my dad knows how to deal with salesmen, just a perfect balance of aloofness and purchasing!! I hope to take lessons from him, 'cause I ended up with a beautiful 2001 dark blue Ford KA as-seen for £1600!! I love my dad.

[Shangri-laschild]

Heres the thing about competative sales, if you talk to someone, unless you get a minimum name/number from them and can log it into the contact management system, other sales people can take over.

Also, to clarify: I never accuded people here of calling me an ass, it was a customer who said "just looking" and i said "Great, what are you looking at maybe i can help you narrow it down" to which he replied "Im looking at vehicles asshole, now go away"

He definitely could have reacted better. One thing to keep in mind is that while you may not be trying to shove a car down their throats, they've probably dealt with other salesmen who have. When I was looking for a car this last time, I went to the dealership my parents have always gone to. The regular salesman was out of town and the guy who showed us around instead made me want to run for the hills. After driving a Neon in the snow and getting stuck in stuff that should have caused no problem, and having not anywhere near enough storage room, I wanted a small SUV...which somehow equalled out to the guy leading me to a bunch of compact cars. No one would tell me when the other guy would be back from vacation and with no way to know how long it would be, I went elsewhere. Poor guy called me later and said he heard I came by and I told him the whole thing including about how they kept claiming I didn't have to wait and that he'd get the commission (but he wasn't there for any of it so I have a hard time believing that one) and that they used that line to not say when he'd be back.

Unfortunetly, the bad ones make it harder for the good ones (as with most places) and so a lot of people are more wary of all salesmen. Dunno if it would help or not, but maybe try lines like "is there any general type you're looking for so that I can direct you to the correct area of the lot" or introducing yourself, and then giving them a card and saying that if they need anything just to ask for you. I don't know about other people, but if you are just hanging out in the area so long as it's not standing two cars over and staring, I don't know that I'd think of it as hovering. It sucks that everyone doesn't do this, but if a salesman seemed nice, I'll make a point to find him when I do need help. Dunno if any of that helps or not. And again, it does suck that he went off on you like that...

[Enjis]

I brought my car in to the dealership for service one day, and like a poster above, went into the showroom to look at newer models.
A saleslady approached me and asked me if I was interested in a new car. I told her why I was there, and she went on to praise the car I had, and to say that she'd love to buy it back from me when I was ready to get a new one. She was super friendly and not pushy at all. I would go buy a car from her in a minute.
Going to a car dealership is super stressful, especially for women, who sadly get taken advantage of far too often.
Getting a salesperson who is honest, fair, and not pushy is a blessing.

[Ashaela]

I think people have come to expect a very pushy and relentless sales attack when they go to a car dealership; from previous personal experience and/or stereotypical experiences of their friends.

When I decided I wanted to buy a new car, I started researching and test-driving about 6 months before I knew I'd be ready; had a list of comparable cars and a general idea what I wanted and how much I was expecting to pay. I was up front with every salesman I talked to and told them straight out what my timeline was.

I only had two bad experiences, out of the nine or so dealerships I stopped at; one was not the salesman's fault, but his manager's. The salesman was obviously new and very, very friendly, but the manager decided that he wasn't doing enough to push me into a purchase, ignored my repeated statement about intending to buy in 6 months and started badgering me about "what will it take to get your decision today?" I finally just told him "If I'm making a decision today, my answer is no." In this kind of situation, I can completely understand an angry / profanity-laden response from some people.

The other bad experience was at the opposite end of the spectrum; a sales team of two at a San Marcos dealership that could not have been more apathetic and disinterested in anything I asked them if they'd studied for it in college. I was so frustrated with the whole thing that my boyfriend (now husband) and I left there and drove directly to the same brand dealership in Austin, where we were helped to another test drive of the same car by a salesman who was wonderful, gave off a very cool aging hippie/retired roadie vibe and was by far the best I encountered during the whole thing.

[Magpie]

Stereotypes aside, the worst my mom got when looking at minivans was when the idiot salesmen would try to help her take the back seat out/down when she was testing how hard it was to do that. Aside from the fact that that completely defeats the purpose of testing, if she needs your help it's obviously a poorly designed car.

We had problems with a mattress salesperson once though. Actually followed us out of the store making lower offers. My dad actually took him up on it, because it was so low. I'm so glad my sister was still young enough that my parents still tried not to fight in front of us after that one... (not that I blame her for being ticked).

[Hobbs]

When I say "just looking" what I really mean is "Go away and leave me be." If I need help, I'll ask, hua?

[Automan Empire]

Oooh, I totally hate automotive lookie-loos, OP, and I don't even work at a car lot!

I own a repair shop specializing in a higher-end european make. It is common for people waiting for repairs to start walking around the lot, peering into other customers' vehicles. In some cases they will open the door and get in! Or worse, casually lean or sit on the paintwork. One guy even lifted his small kids one by one to sit on the hood of MY truck!

This is something where I do not even feign a veneer of kindness. "Please wait in the waiting room or the park, no peering into other peoples' vehicles!" Oh, well I'm just looking. People tend to be hurt and sucky about it, even when I point out that I would do the same if a stranger was peering into their car while in my care. Only about 30% of people "get it" at all. Asking "how much" about a vehicle that is in no way offered for sale is out of line.

The ones who SIT on other peoples' cars are worse! I have enough problems with customers accusing us of scratching the paint, without non-employees using others' vehicles as a chair, leaning post, table to write on or dump/sort purse, that kind of thing. I am stern to the end, and for those who keep insisting they have done no wrong, I invite them to do that with cars parked along the street by the shop, as the local residents will likely SHOOT them!

[WizardStan]

Car salesman have a great deal of my sympathy. There are only two items I can think of that people regularly expect that the price is really just a suggestion, and that haggling is basically required: houses and cars.
When buying a house, you're dealing with another person, someone who lived in this house. You accept that they think it's worth more, they accept that you want to pay as little as possible, you meet somewhere in the middle.
When buying a car, you aren't buying from another person, you're buying from a faceless corporation, and the salesman takes the brunt of that. There is no give, only take. You want it for the lowest price you can get, period, and will go somewhere else until you get what you want. Most people don't realize (or don't consider) that every dollar you take off the price of the car is a dollar that comes out of the salesman's pay (or so, there's wiggle room). When you consider that they can make more by selling volume, and that an hour with a client becomes a waste if they walk away, it's no wonder they're so competitive, even if they only make $50 on the commission.
Computers used to be the same way. 20 years ago, back when computron sales were commission based, if you were shopping for one of them fancy new thinky boxes, you could haggle, convince the salesman to throw in some extras, drop the price a couple hundred. Now, if you walk into a computer store, and try to buy a $2000 laptop for $1500, you end up on this site

[Sunsetsky]

I had a good experience gone bad about a month ago. I went to a dealership to talk to someone about showing me around to look at cars. I wasn't ready to get a car right away but I was hoping to get one in the next month or two. The first guy I spoke with was nice. He was patient and listened to me while I told him what I was looking for. Something ended up coming up and he had to run off so an older guy took over for him. He was pushy. He told me to come back the next day at 12:30 and they would sell me a car. He wouldn't listen to me when I told him I couldn't get a car THAT soon. So they sent me on my way. Next day at 11:30, the saleswoman (who was taking over for the other two guys) called me a total of four times in half an hour. Then the next day the second guy called me at WORK. I told them that something came up and I was unable to get a car as soon as I thought.

After that I just swore that I would look cars up online and go peek at them after the dealership closed. I understand that salespeople have to make a living too but I hate being pushed around like that. It was too bad that the first guy who helped me got dragged away. I wouldn't mind purchasing a car from him.

[Pimento]

Yeah people think car salesmen make $1000-3000 per car, the crooked ones can, a certain import company i know you can make 4-5000 on a deal.

Not Hondas lol. Honda wont allow huge markups. In fact, we need to provide them work orders for acessories over $500. On the best deal possible ($52,000 pilot) i make $900 IF theres no haggling.

Average comission for me is sitting around $200 per vehicle, at 10-15 vehicles a month. If you cionsider that the average customer takes 4 days to a week to close...its almost minimum wage. Mind you there are some bonuses in the business office for me, so i do ok, but looky-lous and the grinders can piss off lol im here 10-14 hours a day trying to keep food on the table, i dont have time to wate, and yes, unattended customers make us get yelled at, because to most managers a deal starts at "Just looking.

Just like people who hate calls from sales men. The average call schedule for any contact management system in vehicle sales is such: Call right after they leave, call after 1 day, 3 days, 5 days then weekly for 2 weeks then every 2 weeks for a month, then every month after that. Most sales people are required to do it regardless of personal opinion. So cut your sales guys a break, and even if youre just looking, walk and chat to us, think about how easy your job was if everyone assumed you were a jerk, and before hagglign us down to nothing, ask yourself if youd work for $5 less an hour than you make now.

Or if you grind me down on a price, dont expect me to go the extra mile for you :P

The guy who i made $50 on a used civic got his keys tossed to him and thats it.

The lady who paid full on a used SUV got her car covered in balloons for her daughter and the scratch she got a day after getting it polished out :P

[r2cagle]

Thanks Pimento. I'm going to show this to my hubby... we're going to be needing a new vehicle in the next 8 months, and hubby LOVES to haggle. It just irritates the crap outa me. I prefer to tell you my price range, my needs, my wants, and let you find me my car. Even after the agreed upon price, my husband still wants to haggle -- grr-- . Maybe this will make him think twice about finding the 'greatest deal in the world'. Just pay the frikin' asking price, so we can get out of here!!

[Primer]

When I decided I wanted to buy a new car, I started researching and test-driving about 6 months before I knew I'd be ready;

I only had two bad experiences, one was not the salesman's fault, but his manager's. the manager ignored my repeated statement about intending to buy in 6 months and started badgering me about "what will it take to get your decision today?" I finally just told him "If I'm making a decision today, my answer is no."

The other bad experience was at the opposite end of the spectrum; a sales team of two at a San Marcos dealership that could not have been more apathetic and disinterested in anything I asked them. I was so frustrated that I left there and drove directly to the same brand dealership in Austin.

Ashaela, I just have to ask...was one of the bad experiences at Nissan in San Marcos? They have pissed me off so badly, that I will never own another Nissan.

Pimento, I wish you were down here in my neck of the woods. I will be in the market for a new (to me) medium to large SUV in about a month, and I'm hoping to get some good (honest) advice. I'm even willing to pay sticker price, if I find something I really like. All I really require is something less than 5 years old, with a towing package, 4-wheel drive, and halfway decent hi-way gas mileage (17+mpg).

I dread starting the search at the local dealers.