went to my local Pontiac dealer over weekend

[slngsht]

You'd think they'll be bending over backwards trying to sell you a car these days.

 

Looked at a G8. Nice looking car, nice fit and finish, 420 hp for 40K sticker (I'm sure it can be had for much less).

 

The sales guy was a moron. kept talking about how the panels are formed using water... that you can see it in their shape LOL.

 

Then - this is the best part - "we can't let you test drive the GXP" which is the 6 speed top performance model. You can drive one of the autos. Oh, and we are out of dealer tags right now, so you can only drive it around the parking lot.

 

What a bunch of idiots. Not much love loss for seeing the GM dealers go.

[Kitcat]

When I was in the market last fall for a high end performance car, I called some Cadillac dealers locally and asked about testing a CTS-V (556 hp). They made it clear that I would have to pay a sizable dealer "markup" if I bought one. Also no test drive could be promised.

 

So, instead of luring me into a Cadillac showroom for the first time in my life, they made it easy to go elsewhere. I bought a BMW M3. They were dealing on price and basically had interest free loans. And they acted like they were glad to see me, instead of the buzz-off attitude at Cadillac.

 

Whither GM?

[slngsht]

Mine was King Pontiac Buick GMC Saturn. At least the name will be shorter soon

[xflow7]

It is amazing how incompetent alot of these salespeople are. My girlfriend is casually in the market for a new car. Not quite a year ago, she decided she liked how the Nissa Altima Coupe looked so we went to look at and drive one.

 

After hanging around a car on the lot for several minutes a salesman came and greeted us. He proceeded to tell us how they couldn't move these cars at all and that Nissan just kept shipping them to the dealer. Not that I'm complaining, but what kind of salesman openly volunteers that they can't move the car you're interested in?

 

We asked a few questions about equipment and he couldn't answer anything. Didn't even know which engine was in the car we were looking at.

 

Then, on the test drive, Jude asks him what he would highlight as far as differences/discriminators from Accord, Camry. Here's what he said (no shit):

 

"Well, this car has a completely different engine which is designed by Nissan, instead of a Honda or Toyota engine."

 

WTF? I have no idea if he was an idiot or if he thought my girlfriend with degrees from Harvard and Cornell was an idiot, but I couldn't believe it. Jude and I still laugh about that guy.

 

Sorry, that was a long post (and not GM related), but this thread highlights a special kind of incompetence.

[slomove]

I have seen this over and over.

 

There are a *few* somewhat competent folks who know what they talk about but they are just, well, *few*.

 

Otherwise this profession seems to attract a bunch of losers who are too dumb to even flip a burger or sweep a warehouse floor. Or maybe the turnover is so high that they never learn to tell the alternator from a spark plug.

 

I have had one surprisingly good experience when I bought a Honda Accord last year. I requested a quote through one of the Internet car sites, got offers from 4 local Honda dealers with one of them way better than the others (and everybody we visited and haggled with). We went there, were not bothered by the morons, signed the contract left a check and were out in an hour.

 

Gert

[athens7]

I like to think that my company is populated by some of the *few*, but you folks would have to be the judges of that-come visit us, or find us on the web:

http://www.athenscars4less.com

The average car salesperson today makes the same income they did 20 years ago. Think about how willing you would be to choose a field where the inflation adjusted wage has dropped 50% in the last 2 decades. Over-dealering by the manufacturers, the internet, and the disclosure of our cost structures unmatched in ANY other industry has driven the profit out of the new car business. The average dealership loses money on every new car, after floorplan interest, advertising, and commissions. We sell new cars to acquire trade ins and establish service relationships. The average new car dealership had a net profit of 1% of sales in 2008 (a razor thin margin). Much of the current problem in the retail industry today can be attributed to years of poor practices by both the manufacturer and the dealer body. Our cost structures would not be so readily available were there not a market for such information-nobody cares how much mark up is in their iPhone, because the price is consistant from outlet to outlet and the consumer sees fair value in the purchase price. Years of questionable practices by dealerships regarding the pricing of hard to find vehicles, coupled with shoddy products offered by many manufacturers, topped off by government regulations that increase vehicle cost while reducing reliability and limiting consumer choice (I will gladly provide specific examples if anyone is really interested) have resulted in a belief in many customers that they are being ripped off, even when they are buying a quality product at or below the dealer's cost to procure it. Not surprisingly, it can be tough to find good people to work in such an environment. I pay my people well, provide better benefits than many of my competitors, and support and pay for their continuing education. Accordingly, we have little turnover and a knowledgeable staff, and many repeat and referral customers. Consumers have much control over the future of our industry; if car buyers refuse to be jerked around by dealerships practicing dishonest sales tactics and buy from professional organizations, even if it costs $200-500 more (on a $30,000 purchase, only a 1.6% higher price), the professional stores will thrive, and the dubious ones will fail. This is particularly important in large markets, where high populations lead to a "buy, die, or get out of town" mentality on the part of some retailers. Just my $.02

[Flibbie]

Brad, I agree with many points you make. However, I believe many sorry dealers survive on the growing population theory. There is a new graduating class every year of new drivers in the market. Just ripe for the picking. Those dealers don't need return business to stay active. Jim

[slomove]

I like to think that my company is populated by some of the *few*..........

 

Good for you! I apologize if my comments sounded a bit harsh and I did not even intend to demean the poor folks who are forced to work for next to nothing and generally without much training.

 

But it is anyway annoying for a customer to deal with them like Mazda started the thread. Similar situation in other areas of technology sales (computer and electronics). Few people want to pay for the services of a professional sales force and so we probably should not complain about the result.

 

Gert

[athens7]

Jim, unfortunately history has proven you right, especially in larger metro markets; however, one of the benefits of cyclical capitalism is that recessions cull ineffecient and poorly operated businesses. Bill Heard Chevrolet was the biggest Chevrolet dealer in the US, at one time responsible for 10% of Chevrolet registrations nationwide. His business practices were reprehensible, to the point that the Florida Attorney General's office had a full time staffer assigned just to his Florida stores. At the time of his group's bakruptcy, he was being sued by the Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs for $50 million in a deceptive advertising case. GM lauded this man as one of their best dealers (because he moved the metal, never mind the methods), and consumers continued to buy from him, in spite of appalling treatment, to save a few bucks or because they just had come to expect to be treated that way. When the recession hit, he couldn't manage to maintain his business model, or his lifestyle, on the smaller volumes and declared bankruptcy (I understand one could get a good deal on his $17 million lakefront home). No business that serves the public can survive if people refuse to spend their money to be treated badly/dishonestly.