Dealing with rude salesman

Been in banking/corporate-customer service for 26 years....the rude ones don't last long, period!

I always put myself in the customer's shoes and treat them like I would like to be treated.

 

I recall buying my first Mercedes (all cash deal) when I graduated from college. I had shoulder length hair, a beard and wore jeans to the dealer. The manager wouldn't let me test drive the car. So, I went to another dealer 35 miles away, and every four years or so I'd buy a new Benz and take it to my local dealer for service for service to rub it in the sales manager's face. I wound up buying eight cars from the other dealer who treated me well.

BTW, this has to be the rudest dealer on the planet.

WARNING - NSFW - EXTREMELY OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE

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Note to Mod: please delete the post if this is pushing the limit.

 

i walked into the Ferrari dealer in Hinsdale IL. ready to buy one of the 512trs they had..one black and one white. First the salesman wanted to make sure i new it was "an old Ferrari" and secondly he just walked off, literally, to follow my wife who was bored as hell but noticed a Maser and said "oh that's a cute car"... he walked off to follow HER while im standing there with my mouth open standing next to the TR!!!! i almost screamed "you idiot, she couldn't care less about cars!!!!" but i just laughed while he got all excited at her enthusiasm which died in an instant once he explained the paddle shift. Ha, never seen a woman jump out of a car so fast. Good luck Jackwagon.

 

My dad taught me the lesson of a lifetime with rude or lazy salesmen. Back in the 80s his dream was to own a black Jaguar XJS with 12 cylinders. He researched the car like crazy and noticed the dealership by our house had one on the floor. One Monday afternoon we went there with him fully intending to buy it there. My dad, while pretty successful, would dress in jeans and sneakers most of the time. When we walked into the dealership the car was sitting right in front of us just waiting for him. Unfortunately none of the 5 salesmen sitting at their desks ever got up to speak with us. We stayed there about 15 minutes and my dad finally had enough and we walked out. He drove straight to another Jag dealer about 15 miles away. When we walked in they had the same color combo and a salesman that greeted us at the door. Ten minutes later my father was signing the paperwork on that car. Two days later I went with him to pick it up, not knowing what his intentions were for afterward. We drove directly back to the original dealer, parked right in front of the showroom entrance and walked in. At that point my dad asked to speak with the sales manager and he went into great detail about his experience there from a few days before. By the time we left the sales manager was practically screaming at his staff and my dad was walking back to his new car smiling ear to ear.

 

Ignore the rude and lazy. No need to waste your energy feeling slighted. It's their loss not yours.

Back in 1995 I just moved to Hong Kong. Saw a 911 Turbo advertised on local paper by main Porsche dealer. Went to look Sat afternoon with money burning a hole in my pocket, but car was not there yet. OK my fault for not calling first. No problem, left my name and number to salesman. Never got a call back. Don't think he was profiling me as I arrived in my BMW850i and was dressed appropriately. Salesman was just lazy and didn't do any followup.

After one week of waiting, I thought to myself if this is the kind of customer service before the sale then I'd rather get something else. Hmmm.... and what's that nice big yellow Ferrari signage near the runway every time I travel through Kai Tak airport? So I ordered a new 355B instead, and subsequently bought multiple cars from the same salesman over the years. It turned out well for me, because I know I enjoyed the 355 a lot more than I would have enjoyed the 911.

 

You, sir are the exception.

While the salesman in question was probably right to assume he wouldn't be writing an order that day he did himself, his employer, the brand and the industry in general a disservice by dismissing this young fellow in such a rude manner. If he thinks embarrassing the kid will bring his dad in to buy he truly is a dumb ass. Stereotypes exist for a reason, guys like this make it that much harder for those who aren't schmucks.

 

Class defined!

 

My Grandfather , a very successful cigar merchant said "never pre-judge a customer".

 

Young or old,
Rich or not
Formal or casual
Black, brown, or white
Sales people should treat everyone the same, with courteous and respect.
Heck they treated Justin Bieber like a king when he was just a teen at the dealership.

 

I'd say get over it. Some people will treat you well and others won't. You seem hung up about this situation. Let it go and focus on something more positive. Best of luck.

 

+1

Plus, I never understand why people get bent out of shape that salesmen aren't fawning all over them. Do your research at home, go to your dealer when you're ready to buy. If no one's paying attention, maybe it's because you didn't ask for attention. Is it so hard to say, "Hi, I'd like to buy that car over there"? I'm sure they won't ignore you then.

I get that you may want to see different colors, options, etc, etc... you can do that while you're working out the deal and you've notified someone that you're ready to buy.

I'm not saying that salespeople should treat a person rudely -- there's never any excuse for anyone to do that. But to get bent out of shape that a salesperson isn't hanging on your shoulder the minute you walk on the lot is silly. Once you express interest, of course, the tune should change.

 

I will never forget the story my brother told me of when he used to work at a Toyota dealership back in the 90's. He said a guy came in (my brother was not working that day) wearing cargo shorts, flip-flops, and a wife beater (t-shirt for my European friends) and started looking around. 3 salesman were on the floor and not one bothered to ask him if he needed help. He goes up to one and starts asking questions and the guy basically ignores him so the customer leaves. 3 hours later, the same customer comes back in and asks to speak to the sales manager. He then proceeds to show the sales manager his paperwork for 17 brand-new Avalons that he leased for his employees.

Bottom line: There is no excuse for treating someone you just met rudely. That just shows a lack of class and character.

 

Late to the thread, but i already know exactly which dealership this is. My guess is somewhere in Nassau county in the vicinity of a home depot and 7-11

Same situation,my father, my brother and i were looking at the 3 series and 7 series. After walking around for 30 minutes "sleepys" female cousin came over. Not a single dollar off each car, and that was a 3 car deal. Went to MB and got 2 E class and a CL550 for the same price they wanted for 2 3 series and a 7. BMW manager called back and asked, my father said we went to mercedes, they paid attention.

The local Ferrari dealer was so much more receptive it amazed me. A 430 and a 911 later, I would buy any car again from them.

 

At least you got a call back.......

 

I agree with you to a point, however I don't think I should have to beg for help.
Salesman have to wait their turn. I don't know if it is still run that way, but I had a friend that was a salesman and he told me that they have to take turns. Once they speak to a customer, the customer is theirs and the next guy that walks through the door belongs to the next salesman in the round. If a salesman sizes you up and thinks that you are wasting his time, he will try to avoid having to talk to you so he doesn't lose his round.
I understand that these guys are just trying to earn a living, but don't they realize that it will even out in the long run?

 

Exactly. If you hang around looking like a tire kicker in shabby clothes expect to be ignored. Take the bull by the horns, but be warned that not all car salesmen are mental giants.

Last time I bought a new car I walked into the nearest dealership, told the salesman I was NOT going to buy a car that day, but I did want his card and a sales brochure to study. I told him I was evaluating 5 similar brands and I promised him if and when I return, I would ask for him.

I did just that a few days later and asked for a test drive after explaining I was NOT going to buy a car that day until I also test drove two other similar brands. I promised that if and when I return in a few days it would be to purchase a car.

Two days later I decided on that vehicle and met with the salesman to tell him if we could come to terms I would immediately buy that car for cash. I was astounded when he told me he couldn't sell the car that day because the car manager was not in. I said call him or get the truck manager to close the deal or call the owner (my next door neighbor). He insisted I would have to come back the next day at which point I told him he could either sell me the car now or I would never come back. He said he couldn't sell a car without his manager and (for some reason) didn't want to bother him at home. So I drove right down the street, asked "Who's up next" when I saw a cluster of salesmen shooting the breeze, and bought the exact same car from competing dealership in less than 20 minutes.

When I purchased my Ferrari it was pre-owned; therefore, the buying procedure was slightly different. Nevertheless, by making it clear what I wanted, what I expected, and how I wanted to proceed through the purchasing process, both the dealer and I understood each other and the process was completely satisfactory.

Car salesmen are an odd lot, or at least some of them are. If you have a certain experience or desired result in mind when you walk into a dealership, then don't just stand there and hope a salesmen will give you the treatment you think you deserve and when whine about it when you are disappointed. Take control of your life and make things happen in your favor. It isn't hard, you certainly don't have to be pushy or rude (in fact, being polite is nearly always best), and you'll be a lot happier in the long run.

 

I forgot to add an important detail to my Porsche buying story. When I walked in, there weren't any salesman in sight anywhere. I HAD to wait for them to come by, there was nobody that I could have approached if I wanted to. They were apparently all in the back room. The first guy that walked out is the one that peered over, then turned away as if we were invisible. For me to get his attention, I would have had to yell across the dealership like a fool. The second guy came out of the back and reluctantly approached (but was very nice, and got the sale).

 

Ever consider that maybe that's why YOU are the one Buying, and they are the one selling (Not to sound elitist because I have respect and show respect for all people from all walks of life (you get the point), but how many sales people do you think drive a Ferrari, etc., to and from work dailey?) There is probably a good reason You are the buyer.

So just brush-it-off and don't let it influence your desire to own any particular car. You run into folks with different dispositions in all professions, just don't let them influence your outlook.

 

you're a 100% wrong. this "kid" is the resident car expert in the family and will have a major influence over what cars/brands his dad will consider and eventually buy. If the son comes away from the interaction with a positive impression, the salesman has created an instant ally in selling his dad a car. ****ty salespeople "qualify" customers, basically look for excuses why they haven't couldn't, or didn't sell. Good salespeople just sell...

 

I first met the owner of this garage (owns: Ferrari GTO, Enzo, Aston DBR1, ERA, Alfa P3, Ford GT40, etc.) at a car show. I was just standing talking to an unassuming guy who was wearing a worn out polo shirt, worn jeans, and shoes. Just totally average by appearance, and then he lets me know he owns the ERA and Ford GT40 I was admiring. He is pictured below, but unless you know him and his collection, you probably can't pic him out.
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After reading through all of the comments in this thread it just reaffirms to me why I always excelled at sales. I started out selling bicycles at age 16 and shop at the same store. The owner always puts his arm around me and tells his staff that I was his best salesman. I sold cell phones when they first came out and was the best salesman they had. I got a job selling Toyota's when I was twenty and didn't look old enough to even have a drivers licence.

I remember we had this giant tent sale where all of the around 10 Toyota dealerships in my area sold at. I ran around wearing a suit with runners and at the end of the sale I sold more cars than anyone there. I still have the award that they gave me for that. Ended up making a million or two a year in sales in my last official job as an investment banker.

People that work at selling Ferrari's are not really salesmen they are just sales order writers. They don't actually sell the cars anyway. It is not like a guy selling Accord's where they have customers considering a Camry and they are the ones that sell them on the Accord instead. I rarely run into a salesman in any industry. Just a bunch of sales order writers with very little personality or ability.

 

I'm going to guess at the guy that is holding the Coke can.
Did I win?

 

Being a young guy who loved cars I've met many rude salespeople but some nice ones as well. I'd complain the dealership and then move on. Write a bad review on google. Sorry but I don't care if you're five or fifty there's no reason to be rude.

 

Wow at that guy's garage. He has awesome taste!