SHOCKER ALERT! 001 is in the market for ANOTHER vehicle.
I know, please compose yourselves, take a deep breath and hang in there with me...Kidding!
If you've followed me over the years you know I have a problem. An addiction to autos! In the past 17+ years at Auto Spies I've bought/leased approximately 25-30 personal vehicles for myself and family.
I've been fortunate with our success and the fact that I'm pretty damn good at sniffing out amazing deals. I have friends still talking about the S-Class lease deals we featured in the early 2000's for $599.00 per month! Yes, for a $75,000 car. Like many deals I've uncovered, how could you say no to that?
But no matter how many cars I buy and how many years past I cannot help but wonder with some of the salespeople i come across, HOW ON EARTH THESE DEALERS EVER SELL CARS?!
Case in point this weekend...I just sold my 2017 Ford F-150 Limited to a close friend and was shopping for a crazy deal on a remaining 2018 F-150.
So I started calling around and explained the deal i got on the last one (it was insane...) so I wouldn't waste much time because I knew most dealers wouldn't sell for that price because in order to do that type of a deal, they had to go into their hidden dealer incentive cash and pass that on to me.
First of all if you just cold call into a dealership i cannot believe how little they know about their products and current inventory. And then, even after explaining the deal I was looking for and wasting a few hours waiting for call backs, it was clear that no one I spoke to actually listened to me nor would I ever get a deal done without speaking directly to a GM.
And I'm amazed the system they employ of having you speak to someone who you THINK can help, not waste your time and make something happen quickly is a complete pipe dream. Even in 2018!
But then you realize the first person is only there to get you contact info into their database so they can make you go mad with emails, texts, further worthless calls, etc. THEN, an hour later someone totally different calls and you realize that first call was a COMPLETE waste of time because you need to re-explain everything to the new person.
Then after that wasted session (20-30 min) they say they'll call you back having NO idea what is on the ground and you wait AGAIN.
An hour later you then get a call saying this is the INTERNET MANAGER and he quotes you a price that's 10k more than the deal I was looking for and 10k more than I paid for the EXACT truck a year earlier.
When you say no thank you they sound bewildered and ask why. BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T LISTEN, YOU WASTED HOURS OF MY TIME AND YOUR PRICE QUOTE IS $10K HIGHER THAN WHAT I PAID LAST TIME FOR THE SAME VEHICLE! LOL!! They hang up and you think it's over but it's not.
The sales manager calls back two hours later asking why I didn't buy and if he can sweeten deal by $500. Uh, NO, you're still $9500 away!
I then re-explain the deal and he says no way they could ever do that because that deal is less than what the owner will allow. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU JUST HAVE THE FIRST GUY TELL ME NO WAY THIS COULD HAPPEN AND THANKS FOR CALLING THE DEALERSHIP?!
Ok, thank you, see you later.
But it's STILL not over...Two days later, the original guy calls back asking if I going to buy their car after having NO conversation with the other two sales people. And having NO clue what they said or offered.
Which now leads me to the million dollar question again...With people like this and a completely disconnect system HOW ON EARTH DO THEY EVER CLOSE DEALS?
Spies, tell us your experiences and chime into the conversation...
Oh and if there are any Ford Dealers with a 2018 F-150 Supercrew 4x4 King Ranch 157" for the right price ($17k off) email feedback@autospies.com