To expect care salesmen to be interested when you want to buy a car?

[higgle]

Well, in fairness, mainly the Audi ones. Last weekend DH decided to have a look around all the contenders with a view to changing our main car. This meant a trip to the Ford, Honda and Audi dealers locally. Ford dealer had lovely sales man who I wanted to adopt. Honda Salesman was competent and friendly. Off to the local Audi garage where we parked lovely not very old car outside and sat in, looked at and tried to find brochures for a new Audi. 4 salesmen sat around doing absoloutely nothing for the duration of our visit and not one said hello or tried to assist us.

I'd worn my special car viewing outfit too!

DH decided to go alone to another Audi dealer yesterday, 15 miles away, where for a second time he was totally ignored by all the showrom staff. We have decided not to buy an Audi as they seem to be telling us we are not Audi people. AIBU to have expected some attention?

[janji]

Dh and I went to a ford garage many years ago to purchase two top of the range Ghia X mondeos (am aware this ages me). We were in our early twenties and dressed fairly casually as it was a Sunday afternoon. Cue a condescending old bat who couldn't have been less interested and to add insult to injury, looked at us pityingly and in very slow speech said " you do realise these are very expensive cars?"
To which dh swiftly quoted the spec, price, in and outs etc before triumphantly telling her she'd just missed out on selling £50,000 worth of cars!
Her face was priceless!

[RuckAndRoll]

Although it's really annoying, if you want the car it's worth sticking it out as you never have to deal with that person again.

We had a trainee salesman when we went to the Kia garage, he was great, answered all our questions, wasn't pushy etc. When we went for a test drive another person took us out who sat in the back ignored us, lit up a cigarette (and sulked when we asked him to stop as we were hoping to buy that specific car), then slept for the rest of the test drive.

When we went in to pay, we asked to speak to the manager and specifically said the first guy was to get the commission as the other guy was totally useless and almost lost them the sale. Guy #2 was not impressed at that!

[foslady]

Thank God it's not just me this happens to. Spent £5k on a new to me car last year which for me is a LOT. Found a particular v low milage car in a car supermarket + dealership type place an hours treak away. Not only was the head salesman an arse at the initial meeting, but also when I rang to check all was in order to pick up on the day as I'd had to ask for lift to get there (told yes but they had prepared a damn thing ) and on pick up. (Still wonder if this was because I am a single female who didn't bring the obligatory male in tow....)
Got my kama moment though when the Head Office rang up to ask me about my experience..........

[Pendeen]

I had my dad's old Alfa Romeo for several years before eventually being in the position of being able to buy (well lease actually) a new car. Several friends and their Dhs have - and love - Audis so I went along to the 'local' dealer (you know who you are)! About 40 minutes drive.

Showroom was almost empty and to be fair a salesman came over fairly quickly but everything went downhill from the moment he opened his condescending mouth. Assumed I was just a dippy little female who knew nothing about cars and when I started asking some searching questions revealed his ignorance and blustered.

Finally topped of the 'experience' by chatting me up and got very scratchy when I wouldn't give him my phone number!

I should have known better...

Went to the Alfa Romeo dealer who was very helpful and treated me as an equal. I ended up buying my lovely 159! :)

[SconeInSixtySeconds]

Quick hijack, but how is your 159 Pendeen? I am looking to replace my car and have been drooling over Alfas for a loooong time!

[MrsFogi]

We had the same experience in two Audi dealerships - DH had decided we were going to buy an Audi but as we were made to feel like lepers in both dealerships we bought a Merc instead. We're now about to change that car and guess what? We won't even be visiting Audi.

[MrsMangelFanciedPaulRobinson]

The Audi garage in my home town used to be owned by a local 'business family' that thought they were the bees knees and that the world should bow and scrape to them. Perhaps Audi only allow people with that attitude to sell their cars?

[DupontetDupond]

If you're buying new, and if you know what you want, go to an online broker who will source one for you. The car still comes from an Audi dealer, and you pay the dealer directly, it's just that you can get a guaranteed discount, often 10% or more off the list price. Saves haggling and hassle, and you can sit in your dressing gown while you do it.

If buying second hand, loads of research online is key so that you can work out a good price for the car you're looking to buy. I then do all the work on the phone playing one dealer off another to agree a price over the phone and secure the car with a (refundable) few hundred on a credit card. I find the phone much easier, salespeople have to work harder as they know you can hang up any time - and you save yourself endless (often fruitless) trips to dealerships.

My last car came from a dealership 150 miles from home!!

[TheCunnyFunt]

The same kind of thing happened to my PILs on Monday, they were in the Tefal shop trying to buy an iron, the shop assistant was "assisting" them, told MIL she should try and fix her old iron before buying a new one and then just walked off!

IME you either get excellent salesmen, or really shit ones.

[ginmakesitallok]

Reminds me of when my old boss went to look for a new BMW, wearing her old jeans and looking a bit of a mess. Salesman was really off with her. Apparently she just pointed at a convertible, said I'll have one of those in red, but I'll have it from him, and pointed at another salesman. She was a bit of a bitch though

[Sirzy]

Did you ask them to help?

I much prefer it when places leave you to look and wait for you to approach them. Salesmen pouncing as soon as you walk in is a surefire way to put me off

[PigletJohn]

by chance, I went to a car dealer today.

Walked in, said to the person nearest the door "I'm looking for a "

person said "you've come to the right place! just a moment please" and took me to a salesman

I sat down and said to him "I'm looking for a (model, year range), must be non-smoker's car, must be petrol not diesel, I strongly prefer (engine), have a mild preference for (variant), I don't like bright colours, I like dark or silver. I want to get one by the end of the month, preferably within two weeks"

He went through his branch stock, and group stock, and had no opportunity to ignore me or to mould me to what he wanted to sell (he had a go at selling me what he had on the forecourt and coming in tomorrow, but I said, no, that one isn't a (engine) and the other isn't a (model) or (my year range). I also mentioned I'd be trying (two nearby towns which also have main dealers for this car) if I couldn't find the right one locally.

It's all true.

I like to think he has to treat me as a no-nonsense buyer. I also like to think he knows that if he can provide what I'm looking for (but not otherwise) he can make a quick deal. Perhaps they get a lot of windowlickers.

[YellowTulips]

Depends on the salesperson and the ethos of the dealership more than the manufacturer.

Had some really crappy service from "high end" car dealers but also from those service the less expensive market.

DH and I just bought 2 new cars (long story why both needed replacing) - I got great service from one branch (Newcastle) and shitty snotty "it's a privilege to buy our cars service" from Leeds - hence a trip North.

DH is still getting so so (at best) service from his chosen dealer locally (different car to mine) and I would have gone elsewhere - but that's his call.

After years of dealers answering MY questions about MY car to my DH I just don't take any crap from car salespeople.

[gallifrey]

we were welcomed like long lost family at the Audi garage but totally ignored at the VW garage! So we got an A4

[PigletJohn]

sorry I might need mine

[Fleecyslippers]

I had this at the Ford Dealership. Totally disinterested salesman, sneered slightly when I asked about fuel consumption, gap insurance etc. I suspect it was because I was a member of the fairer sex

So I went next door and bought a brand new VW

[Trigglesx]

I had this happen to me at a Toyota dealership in the states. When I went to a nearby Ford dealership and bought my brand new Ford, I sent a letter to the management of the Toyota dealership telling them thanks for having inattentive sales staff, as I love my brand new Ford.

[amigababy]

when we reserved a particular VW we wanted to test drive, we turned up on time, waited absolutely ages and were eventually told the boss 's wife had borrowed it to go somewhere that weekend and would we like to test a completely different model instead?

we also specified the things we were looking for, and for each thing the salesman told us why we were wrong and why we should look at what he said instead!

[YellowTulips]

It is sexist no doubt - 2 experiences:

1. Picking up new car a few years ago. "Your DH is a lucky man having that to drive. Bet he's gutted he couldn't pick up himself!" - needless to say it was my car...
   

1. Getting MOT for said car above. Arranged to wait whilst it was being done (supposedly 1-1.5hrs). Dealership not busy. About an hour in noticed Service Guy wandering around muttering "were is he? Thought he was waiting". 30 mins later same guy come back to the waiting area and speaks to a colleague "must have buggered off. I could have taken my break early. Thought this was a wait job. Can you tell Mr Yellow when he bothers to show up I have gone for lunch and he can wait for me?". Yep, my car again. I piped up "I hope you checked the car better than you did the paperwork - you might have noticed that MRS Yellow who owns the car has been said here for you all the time".

[Callmecordelia]

DH used to be in the motor trade, and was top salesman in the country for his brand one year (a luxury one).

He did it by never, ever ignoring anyone. He didn't judge by appearances, he took every phone call that his colleagues ignored because they were too 'busy', and qualified every sale so that people got what they wanted. Oh, and he is a maths genius, and could work out exactly how much discount he could offer and still make a profit on a deal in milliseconds.

Life was pretty good for those years - the rewards were great, and the commission schemes generous. I understand that it isn't quite like that now, and he got out a while back. Now earns half what he did in that super year.

And you know what? One of the things I really don't miss is people thinking everyone in the motor trade are dicks. They aren't - just most of them are .