Excuse my ignorance but what’s wrong with this? Isn’t that what dealers do? My very brief, and maybe insufficient, Google says that that’s not crazy out of line. People can shop around.
From what I hear from the videos on Youtube, a salesman has to only do three things:
- Get you on the lot. No negotiations on OTD via phone.
- Justify the high price, adjustments, add-ons, etc. Lower the price just enough to get you to buy because the real money when they
- Get you into the finance office where the real money is made.
It’s this bullshit that nearly every new car buyer has to encounter and deal with whenever buying from a new car dealer. I love how all their commercials show happy people eagerly shaking hands with the salesman (it’s always a man, I am not being sexist here). We all know it hardly ever goes like that - normally when you are done buying a new car you are thoroughly exhausted, hungry, and worn down, and the only saving grace for wasting a half a day or more on this endeavor is that you finally have your new car. Buying a new car at a dealership royally sucks - it’s an industry ripe for disruption, but a strong Auto Dealer’s lobby keeps things just as they are.
I know people hate Tesla but they have no more than three trims per model and the price is the price. To be fair, it can change from day to day at Elmo’s whim but there’s no haggling or bullshit. The sales staff gets a salary. No commission.
Saturn used to be that way, they were great car also, except their last couple of years when the cars were just rebadged. We still own a 2001 SC2, it runs pretty damn good for a car that old.
I managed to get free mats once in bargaining. That was about it.
My next to last car was a used Saturn from the dealer, in large part because of the no-haggling purchase system.
When that car started giving me problems, I bought a new Scion xB, again in a no-haggle deal. I did have to wave off a few things in the closing process, but I was paying cash and the guy didn’t give me much trouble.
That was the last year, 2006, that the model I bought was made; the idjits retooled it for the American market and IMO ruined it. I’m still driving my wee salsa red toaster.
I don’t think dealers do this now but when I bought cars in the 1980-1990 range a lot of dealers would just install stuff when cars came in (these were not custom ordered cars) and then add charges for $500 to give you $20 worth of pinstriping, things like that. And it’s not even that I didn’t want to pay for it, it’s that I didn’t want that shit on my car.
That’s EXACTLY what I’m talking about.
They had an internet deal (where they had ONE vehicle at that price), and it came with all sorts of stuff on it. Most was stuff I actually did want- roof racks and window tint, for example.
But it was supposed to have come with pinstripes and a trunk tray, but neither of those were actually there, yet I was charged for them. That was where it got weird- they were really adamant that I should come in and get them put on, and I was saying “No, I didn’t want them in the first place, and since you never actually installed them, I’m saying I don’t want them now and give me back my money.”
Apparently it took Honda Corporate to straighten them out, but straighten them out they did, and quickly.
And their reaction was
We don’t want to give you your money back, since our over-charge on that garbage is 90% of our profit margin on the whole car. But we’re basically honest: you are paying for the stuff, so we are obligated to actually deliver it to you. If you really want to take the car today for some reason, you’re welcome to take it, but please, please come back soon so we can install that stuff and thereby erase any contingent obligation to refund you
your moneyall our profit.
Nothing weird at all about that. Not consumer-friendly, but when have we ever expected that from a car dealer?
I’m glad Corporate chose to side with you. But they’re the ones who created this vice they gleefully stuck the dealer’s 'nads into. So they’re being two-faced jerks also. You just got to see the smiley side this time.
I’m pleasantly surprised that Honda cared enough to get involved at all. What the dealer does after the car is delivered to the dealer is pretty much up to the dealer. If the manufacturers got involved with every questionable practice of their dealers, they wouldn’t have time to do anything else.
I believe many businesses—car dealerships included—are now more inclined to “do the right thing” for customers not out of genuine benevolence or concern over losing your repeat business (which they may view as small potatoes), but because they worry you may be active on social media. A single negative post can go viral and harm their reputation far more than losing one customer ever could. That’s why, when I’m negotiating for a big-ticket item, I’ll casually mention that I work in social media—I believe it encourages them to treat me (and my concerns) more seriously.
I bought my Saturn when they went out of business and were selling everything at cost or lower. I needed a car that could be towed without a trailer of any kind, and Saturn was one of the few on the market. Got a screaming deal on my 2008 (I think was the year).
Really? Do people still think opinions and experiences expressed on social media are anything other than spam from the vested interests and their competitors? I thought we’ve gotten beyond that. There’s an entire industry that’s been crafting and fixing on-line reputations for many years now.
It’s not hard to separate the wheat from the chaff online. I don’t believe most businesses want to take the risk.
Yep. in a way. At a hotel we got a free room upgrade as ai mention I was a yelp and other reviewer. Mind you, just a little nice room, not a free room or anything, something that didnt cost them anything anyway,. Thats just an example.
The way regulations are going (down the toilet) the fear of getting caught screwing over the public will become less and less.