I have talked a friend into buying his dream car - a Maserati and am taking him up to Woodbridge this week to start the process. Can anyone recommend any of the sale people that are there? Don
Years ago Marco showed me a lovely 328GTS For $57,000. A good friend of mine bought a 2102 maserati Grandsport from him last summer. Only said fine things about the whole shopping experience. Fine people to deal with. Tell your friend to enjoy his new purchase! Cheers! Terry Jones Ottawa, canada
Make sure you're going in there dressing the part and probably holding a cheque. I stopped in there one day after golf and wasn't given the time of day. After that, I went to the McLaren dealer and chatted with the salesman for about 20 minutes, he gave me a bunch of brochures and sales info. I'm not in any shape currently to buy a Ferrari but maybe soon, but I would still like to be treated like I exist.
I have always been treated very well there, before I was an owner, (also did not buy my car from them). KEVIN
To close things out. I contacted Helen who put me onto the GM as she was not going to be there that day. We rolled up in my F360 dressed somewhat casual. Old guys who have money don't have to dress the part - fact of life. Nino, (GM) was very patient and spent some time with us discussing and showing us the various models. He took us down to show us the used stock as well. There were several things which I wished would have followed me home. In the end, my friend deferred ordering as he wants to se the new QuatroPorte. But like Satan, I will be there prodding him when he returns from Europe in the fall. Thanks to all who responded. And Marco, I'm sorry we did not connect. Another time.
Why should an admitted time waster such as yourself be given the time of day? It's not a Honda/Chevy/Ford dealership. The cars sell themselves. The staff is merely there to handle the paperwork. Get off your high horse, if these people spent all day chit chatting and catering to dreamers they would go bust. Being let inside should be enough acknowledgement of your existence. The customer IS not always right.
A few months back when I was in a Porsche dealership, some kid rode his bike in and one of the sales guys spent about 10 minutes with the kid, chit chatting and showing him the cars. Was that sales guy wasting his time? I guess if his only goal was to sell a car, right now on the spot, then yes. IMO, when you're dealing with a high end dealership, there is something to be said about sharing the excitement of the brand, and of helping to breed a new generation of gear heads. So many of my son's friends just couldn't care less about cars. It's all about gaming now, and that's sad to see. FWIW, I have always been treated well at FoO.
Nonsense. Enthusiasts make up a vital component of a marque's mystique, and the attitude/comportment from the sales staff you condone has no place in any dealership, Ferrari or otherwise. This elitist viewpoint is thankfully in my experience an untrue stereotype. I can in fact remember visiting FoO many years ago and being treated with an immense amount of dignity and respect by the staff, and I was certainly NOT a potential client at that time. There is of course always the possibility of meeting a cantankerous or pretentious sales person anywhere. One can encounter poor customer service anywhere; it's not limited to Ferrari dealerships.
+1. +1.. and also argues the comment from SLOWv8. That Porsche salesman can spend everyday chatting with the 15 year old kids and daydreamers who walk in... but when Mr Big comes in and buys the $350,000 dollar GT2 from another salesperson, guess who's getting the fat commision cheque at the end of the month? The dealership is a place of work and business, not a hang-out or social club. Maybe the sales guy can chat on a Monday or Tuesday, not at the end of the week when things are busy. Some good opinions thrown around here today...There was that article a few months back about the magazine writer who did a huge blow-up article on FOO... was published all over the net criticizing the sales guys there. Alot of feedback ensued. The fact is that "business is business" and there needs to be a good blend of service, respect and money in order to make a good sales experience. Everyone has their own opinion and stories about this...it is an old topic which never really gets "old".
In the case of the kid, maybe you are dealing with a future customer, but it's unlikely you will get a sale from him in the near future (unless he perhaps has a lot of pull with mom/dad and they are looking for a new vehicle. If you are in sales and choose to ignore him because you know it is unlikely to lead to a sale, I would not be able to argue with that. However, there is no way you can distinguish the 25 year dreamer from the 25 year dot com guy who has $300K in cash to blow. The other side of the argument of course is that if you are genuinely interested in making a purchase, you will ask to see a salesperson. The amount of tire kickers vs potential buyers in a Ferrari dealership must be extremely high and I can see a salesperson getting tired of chatting with every single person that walks through the door.
FWIW I stopped in at FoO last summer wearing a plain t-shirt, an old pair of jeans and driving a 10 year old lexus; within a minute of walking through the door I had a salesman (young guy, no idea what his name was) ask me if I needed anything. He was very curteous and willing to answer any questions even after I told him I was just browsing.
Thats why they charge $15 per person to enter the Wynn dealership in Las Vegas. How would we all like it if random people came into our workplace and started chatting all day? Boss wouldn't be too happy either.
I've been in half of the dealers in the US; and Canada. In very few instances have I ever mentioned I'm an owner; and I've always been treated well. I've been given brochures, marketing materials, a license plate frame, and have had enjoyable conversations with numerous levels of people. To me, if you act nice and are respectful (and funny) it can get you a long way....if your a 'D', well then..... Kevin
How do you know that I couldn't buy every car on the floor just by looking at me? Remember, Bill Gates takes the subway to work...
Who said anything about look? FoO always has staff on hand willing to assist. Just because they didn't roll out the red carpet for you does not mean their customer service sucks. Yea "Bill" Gates you mean William Gates III? Who is a pompous elitist and egomaniac in private? And no he does not take the subway to work unless its to sharpen his image with the commoner. People are referencing the article where the ***** with the white range rover and oversized watch expected to be treated like a god because he had an old 360 modena. Give me a break. The GTA is full of these materialistic self centered nobody's who are defined by cliched and overdone brands. It's a symptom of the regions sterile and bland suburban culture. The only complaints against Ferrari of Ontario have come from Ferrari owners with old dated cars that spend most of their time being "rebuilt" or in service, these owners are bitter over the dealerships labour rates.
