Dealership dummies depress me

[tyrobronco]

It is known. In 1968, my dad was newly married and wanting to buy a new car. Went to a Ford dealership in NJ and asked about the Mustang. Salesman just talked down to him, saying they don't come with 289 engines, no coupe, only have what you see, etc. No internet - so my dad shrugs and heads to the Dodge dealership and buys a Dodge Super Bee instead.

Had a friend recently who wanted to buy a brand new Toyota Rav-4. She goes to the dealership and battles with the salesman and is frustrated. I suggested going online and talking to 10 dealerships instead of 1. She does and gets the RAV-4 she wants for the price she wanted in about an hour.

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[nminus1]

Your post/experience is EXACTLY what I say to my friends/family.
I have NEVER found a salesman that knows even close what I know about their product. Somehow they think slick talk and friendly banter will get them though every sale.
NOPE. HOW HARD IS TO KNOW YOUR PRODUCTS!!??
If I was a salesman (god forbid I know its a tough busimess, but I swear they make it so with bullshit..) I would know EVERYTHING about every car. That is how you earn trust and repect. That and plain talk and no bullshit. I went thru 3 dealers before transferrring my reservation. Really it just came down to communication and plain talk. Eric at Kerny Mesa Ford called me back after posting here and didn;t overpromise anything, other than he will keep me in the loop. And so far he has. The others didn't even answer my emails or calls. This isn't rocket science!!! Great post!!

 

[Mattwings]

I have experienced much of what everyone else has mentioned and I am sure if you are black, Hispanic, female or any and or all of the above it multiplies the issue. That being said, my 19 year old college student son bought a new Ranger this weekend and the salesman and dealership was very good to deal with. They were fair on his trade too (he hit a deer with his 05 Dakota -and just didn’t want to put $3k of repairs into a $7k truck). I definitely helped him, but we drove in in his banged up truck, wearing work clothes, (we were at the cabin ) and the salesman was friendly, easy going and open to our questions. He didn’t know as much about the truck as we did, but he had the basics down and knew the different trim levels, options, transmission and engine details, including the “advanced” transfer case in the FX4 package. He would know enough to inform or help most customers make an informed choice. They even found him a demo with 488 miles on it that ended up giving him FX4 and a bedliner $1k cheaper than new. I also had a great salesman that recently passed away. He knew the products and was just super easy to deal with. I got to know him, he sold a crapload of vehicles a month and at one point he had an assistant he personally paid to do most of the paperwork and contact follow up. He was rare and was at the same dealer 25 years. So , bottom line, good sales people are out there, but you have to look.

 

[ademonhunter]

Are you your own Subject Matter Expert, or SME?
Do you know more about your prospective product than the sales associate?
Its like going to the auto parts store and telling the kid behind the counter to move over and you will find the thing yourself.
Shouldnt dealerships should have employees learn the product they are going to sell.
Why should I have to explain to the associate that I am buying the Bronco, not the Bronco Sport, not an Escape/Explorer/Expedition either.
Why doesnt anyone but the customer know that Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outerbanks, Badlands, Wild Trak are trim levels, and not other vehicles.
I had an email correspondence where I had to explain all this with screen shots.
Am I the asshole for going full Karen on these morons?

I stopped by the dealership last week to see if there were any updates on the window for placing my order...”a” salesman ( mine was apparently off that day) pulled up the Ford website then looked at me and said “it looks like they’ll be available late Spring”. I said thanks, got up and left before I said something I’d regret.

 

[nvabill]

Are you your own Subject Matter Expert, or SME?
Do you know more about your prospective product than the sales associate?
Its like going to the auto parts store and telling the kid behind the counter to move over and you will find the thing yourself.
Shouldnt dealerships should have employees learn the product they are going to sell.
Why should I have to explain to the associate that I am buying the Bronco, not the Bronco Sport, not an Escape/Explorer/Expedition either.
Why doesnt anyone but the customer know that Base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, Outerbanks, Badlands, Wild Trak are trim levels, and not other vehicles.
I had an email correspondence where I had to explain all this with screen shots.
Am I the asshole for going full Karen on these morons?

I'm right there with you, it gets old going to talk to a sales person and they never seem to know as much as you!

 

[JMV123]

After purchasing over 15 new vehicles I can tell you the stupid-O- meter for salesmen is pegged. Mostly complete incompetence and these people are at the front lines of selling cars and trucks. (Hey Ford and others are you listening?). Best advice is to really do your homework and talk directly to the Sales Mgr. I don’t have time for the running game to ask permission from the manager about pricing. Go to the top for best results!

 

[JB93]

It’s what they pay...or don’t pay these transactional stewards or whatever you want to say they are. In addition, the hours suck and it’s a grimy industry that mostly deserves its reputation. Professional salespeople with good communication skills and who truly care about their customers have much better employment options.

 

[Tonka Bronka]

Hey guys. I'm black. And I don't really know if thats influenced my experiences at dealerships but I certainly suspect it.
Everytime I've stepped into a Ford dealership, nobody has greeted me

The first time. The sales men actually hot potato'ed me between them on who would take me. That left quite the impression. It burned, can't lie. I was there to try and negotiate a deal with the new Bronco. This was at the Ford in Conshohocken Pennsylvania. And yes I will gladly call them out in the interest that they improve.

The second time was this past weekend. I went to koch ford in Bethlehem... straight to their counter. Nobody was at the counter but their sales people saw me for sure. Nobody came to greet me until I called their number and finally someone came over.

I'm so grateful that as we transition to an online world more and more, I can score awesome deals like I have with brewster Ford in long Island. They don't know me from Adam or Joseph and served me with respect. I hate to throw the race card but I can only imagine that with pale skin and straight hair, I'd get real customer service like I'm used to when I deal with online customer agents

It’s really probably not your color my friend. My local dealer didn’t want to sell me a Bronco either and I’m a white guy who used to ram jam with the sales manager way back in our younger days. Going to Stephens for my CG BD 4D soft top Squatch!

 

[Tonka Bronka]

It’s really probably not your color my friend. My local dealer didn’t want to sell me a Bronco either and I’m a white guy who used to ram jam with the sales manager way back in our younger days. Going to Stephens for my CG BD 4D soft top Squatch!

I am typically not like this but when I get my new rig from Stephens, I’m wheeling it straight to my local dealers lot to see if they have have those neato Ford valve stem caps and then not buy them and leave!

 

[Raptor.Tremor.Bronco]

This is me on a whole new level, I know 10x more than any ford salesmen I've dealt with. When I went to place the order on my tremor over a year ago they didn't even know it existed! I showed them the info about it on fords website and they didn't even believe me. They just came off like a bunch of assholes.

 

[The_Phew]

A given sales associate at your dealer probably nets half the hourly wage as your friendly local Walmart cashier, so set your expectations accordingly.

 

[Ride Em Bronco]

I remember in 2008 when I started talking to dealerships about ordering the new Mustang "Bullitt", I found a dealership that actually had one to see. I was referred to a salesman that was the "expert" on this car. Needless to say I left and went to another dealership to buy the car - after he kept calling it the "Billet".

 

[Chuck_Ruck]

It’s really probably not your color my friend.

As white folks, you and I dont have a clue what @Vigor goes through on a regular basis. Shitty service at the dealership or not, after a lifetime of dealing with racism, I'm certain he knows when he's been judged.

 

[Pittguy]

The salesman i always used was great,retired now. Very professional in every way. Sorry more didn't step into his shoes

 

[ronstar]

At first, I reserved at the local dealer where I bought my current F-150. My salesman has retired since I bought the truck. First email from the dealer after my Bronco res asked me to come in and finish the order - back in July. Had a few emails from them that made no sense. I've since transferred to a different dealer.

Didn't stop the first dealer from emailing last week telling me that the new Escapes are in. Like I would buy an Escape instead of a Bronco.