[Sephiroth]

Originally Posted by SLV335I

You should only talk to one sales person unless you had a problem with them.

+1. Just go online and look at their inventory, no point wasting time at the dealership unless you are trying to make an offer.

[fatjoez]

absolutely. I totally understand that he might think that, though at the end of the day, if you have any decent customer service experience you don't turn around and say what he said.

re: looking online, their inventory isn't completely online which is why I'm sort of forced to deal with them lol

all in all I'm not fussed. I find it amusing now if anything

[Ti335]

I have to agree with a salesperson in this case. You sound like a spoiled little brat (buying your BMW with mom and dad's money, no doubt) who thinks that the world revolves around him. Well guess what - just because you are a paying customer doesn't mean you are entitled to act like a total douche. If the Toyota dealership is desperate enough to deal with your BS, maybe you should get one of their cars (just don't whine when your guess pedal gets stuck).

The way you acted is totally unprofessional and disrespectful to the salesmen at the BMW dealership. Salesmen earn commissions. When a salesman spends an hour helping you out, it's an hour that he could have spent with someone else. Unless you are unhappy with the way you were treated by a particular salesman, the right thing to do is to come back and deal with that same person. And you do it by calling and scheduling an appointment ahead of time.

If you want to be treated with respect, you have to treat others with respect as well. And this includes salesmen, who are people trying to make a living - not your servants, as you seem to believe.

[Add1ct]

i agree with the OP, this is a bunch of shit. at least here in LA we have the luxury of like 20 BMW dealers so if they so much as blink at you wrong you can be out the door and on to the next dealer

[MVF4Rrider]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

I guess the cars on the lot are just for decoration.

There's probably not many of them. It's mainly only in the US where dealers have decent stock. That's because most American consumers want instant gratification and don't even think to order. Elsewhere it's more common to always order and in those markets there are few packages...most everything is an option extra. How many cars available for purchase do you see at Euler BMW? Probably none. Most are there on loan for consumers to place orders.

[MVF4Rrider]

Originally Posted by Add1ct

i agree with the OP, this is a bunch of shit. at least here in LA we have the luxury of like 20 BMW dealers so if they so much as blink at you wrong you can be out the door and on to the next dealer

What applies to US dealers typically doesn't elsewhere. Ever lived overseas?

[Add1ct]

no i havent, but yes I do know that in europe especially you just order the car you want

[quality_sound]

the OP already said the salesmen at this dealership are hourly, not commissioned.

Originally Posted by Ti335

I have to agree with a salesperson in this case. You sound like a spoiled little brat (buying your BMW with mom and dad's money, no doubt) who thinks that the world revolves around him. Well guess what - just because you are a paying customer doesn't mean you are entitled to act like a total douche. If the Toyota dealership is desperate enough to deal with your BS, maybe you should get one of their cars (just don't whine when your guess pedal gets stuck).

The way you acted is totally unprofessional and disrespectful to the salesmen at the BMW dealership. Salesmen earn commissions. When a salesman spends an hour helping you out, it's an hour that he could have spent with someone else. Unless you are unhappy with the way you were treated by a particular salesman, the right thing to do is to come back and deal with that same person. And you do it by calling and scheduling an appointment ahead of time.

If you want to be treated with respect, you have to treat others with respect as well. And this includes salesmen, who are people trying to make a living - not your servants, as you seem to believe.

[fatjoez]

Originally Posted by MVF4Rrider

What applies to US dealers typically doesn't elsewhere. Ever lived overseas?

lol so what you're saying is...
Decent customer service is an american thing?

And re: the guy telling me I was being a douche
I have no idea where you're coming from.
Didn't know it was a crime to show up at the dealership un-announced lol

[Ti335]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

the OP already said the salesmen at this dealership are hourly, not commissioned.

If that's true, these salesmen undoubtedly have monthly targets that they have to meet. No one's going to pay a car salesman to just hang out at the dealership. They are expected to generate sales.

[nemex12]

Originally Posted by Ti335

If that's true, these salesmen undoubtedly have monthly targets that they have to meet. No one's going to pay a car salesman to just hang out at the dealership. They are expected to generate sales.

and in order to do so, they have to show some respect to the customer, i dont know if this forum is full of sales reps but the truth is, they have to be polite and help the customer, i think that the sales rep didnt have any training because they arent just selling dvds at a table on the streets, they are carrying a brand on their shoulders and bmw isnt about almighty sales reps that customers must try to convince in order for them to sell cars. they are no doctors, they are salesmen and they get paid for convincing people to buy cars.
by the way last time i checked you can get into a dealership, look around and ask a lot of questions even if you arent going to buy anything

this is how cars are sold, not trying to tell people "buy or leave because my time is expensive".if people went into a dealership knowing exactly what are they going to buy, life would be easier, as we wouldnt need sales reps no more. i dont know how this kind of people got to be in a job which requires to be good with people so much. i guess the guy calling people douches and brats would be a very good sales rep at that dealership and would sell hundreds of cars within a week lol he may just point a gun at every guy that crosses the front door and would call it a day

[BMW F22]

I'm not sure exactly how it works in New Zealand but here's why the CA might have been pissed off: when a CA first ups a customer, that customer is his/hers. If they make a sale then the CA would get all the commission. If the CA is busy and the customer is "passed off" to another CA they would each get half. Now if the customer meets up with a few other CA's, only the first and last CA's would get the commission. I understand that in this case it was hourly. However, to help a customer and not get anything in the end because he/she has spent time with a bunch of other CA's, it's understandable that they were upset.

The rule of thumb is: don't waste your own time and don't waste others' time. It doesn't matter if it's 5, 10, or 50 minutes. During that time spent helping you they could have made a sale to someone else. So don't take it personally. The thing is that some people ARE tire kickers yet they somehow end up convincing themselves that they are ready to buy and it was because of the CA's (whom didn't want to waste anyone's time) that they ended up not buying a vehicle.

OP- I'm not directing it toward you personally. I'm just saying things in general. What I would have done if I wanted to do a stock check is to call up the CA and ask him. If he's busy then leave a message for him and he will call you back with all the options available for you. That way it's easier on everyone.

[py0413]

if they work in a system as we have here(Vancouver/Canada) the 2nd & 3rd sales won't get paid anything if a deal is done. Or they have to split the commission into 3 which for a 1er they probably get paid $90/person.

[King Size]

fatjoez, I can't recall all the points you brought up in this thread, but here are some others for you to consider:

- if buying a car is important to you then you should be prepared to put in the time - 50 minutes with three reps is hardly a long time. If your not prepared to invest the time don't expect the dealer to give you much either.
- If your sales person is busy you can't just expect him to drop everything the moment you walk in the door. What if he/she is dealing with another customer?
- Are you looking for a new or second hand car? if second hand, your choice will be limited to available inventory.
- If you want a new car there and then, then you will have to be prepared to take from their existing inventory. if you want something specific then discuss what you want with them and they will order it for you.
- My guess is that less than 200 1 series were sold in NZ last year - this would equate to approximately 0.39 cars per dealer per week. This small turnover is reflected in their stock holdings.

Overall I would hardly say you've had a run of bad luck though....

[Robben@ltbmw]

Like everyone else who said here.. its not really that they have bad customer service. just bad communication.

My friend is the general manager of a BMW dealership here and I know pretty well how they run. Yes they get paid by hourly AND commission. (i'm not sure if United States and New Zealand are different though). If you spoke with one sales representative, you should be respectful to that sales representative and stick with him because if you go to another representative, they would have to split the commission. No wonder by the third time you went, the representative don't want to help you because they would have to split it three ways. Even though you are buying the car, you should have the decency to wait 30min at least or CALL the representative before you go.

Standing at the sales representative view, they have every right to question you. If you REALLY wanted the car, you should've put down a deposit first and then think about it. Even if you don't want the car later on, your deposit could've gone to another car with that dealership. They are not fortune teller and can't tell if you are really going there to buy a car or just wasting their time. You should really think for other people too rather than think that 'oh, i'm the one with the money so everyone and everything have to work the way I want it to.'

[UAxDEATH(NYC)]

Well if i got it right - the sales man - is the person that suppose to help you to choice the car you want, otherwise if we all knew what exactly we want, we wouldn't need a dealerships, we would be ordering them online.....am i right or not ?

My story was close to OP, i came to Brooklyn BMW dealership (on 4th ave) first time, and i already knew that i want a X6, they had an demo, and first person who came to me, ask me "how he can help me". So i said i want X6, we where around X6 and i was looking at the sticker ($86k). So i asked him if i can have a test drive, next his questions was "are you sure you can buy this car ???" I mean WTF!!!!! What kind of question is that ?? He made his question out of my look, i`m a small guy, i`m looking like a teenager. But what kind of shit is that ?? Do i have to have a rolex on my hands, or very expensive dress to "SHOW HIM THAT I CAN AFFORD THIS CAR"??? So i told him, yes i can afford lets appraise my hummer, so we did spent 2 hours of doing it, and ONLY after that we took a test drive. So when we came back, i said that i changed my mind and i don't want this car - yes i was a jerk in a purpose. In a week later i came to dealership, saw him busy with other customer, so i picked up another salesman and made a deal with him. You`ll ask me WHY I DID ???? Be cause we cant be judged based on our dress, or colour of skin or race, or age. Am i not right ?

[ptack]

Originally Posted by ArmyBimmerDude

He wants everyone at the dealership to bend over backwards for him, so he can continually waste their time.

You're obviously not in sales because this is why the money walks out the door. Now that said, the OP should have been given a business card by the first salesperson and he should have used that to call ahead. Not to make an appointment that's convenient to them, but to let them know he's coming and that he expects someone to work with him. If they don't want to deal with him, he should go elsewhere.

I strongly suspect that BMW would not condone the attitude of the sales department at this dealership. If they want to sell cars they need to bend over backwards, but that's where BMW's greatest weakness has always been.

[fatjoez]

Originally Posted by nemex12

...
by the way last time i checked you can get into a dealership, look around and ask a lot of questions even if you arent going to buy anything

this is how cars are sold, not trying to tell people "buy or leave because my time is expensive"....

nice commercial. real nice. thats how it should be

Originally Posted by UAxDEATH(NYC)

So i told him, yes i can afford lets appraise my hummer, so we did spent 2 hours of doing it, and ONLY after that we took a test drive. So when we came back, i said that i changed my mind and i don't want this car - yes i was a jerk in a purpose. In a week later i came to dealership, saw him busy with other customer, so i picked up another salesman and made a deal with him. You`ll ask me WHY I DID ???? Be cause we cant be judged based on our dress, or colour of skin or race, or age. Am i not right ?

LOL

[Ti335]

Originally Posted by nemex12

and in order to do so, they have to show some respect to the customer, i dont know if this forum is full of sales reps but the truth is, they have to be polite and help the customer, i think that the sales rep didnt have any training because they arent just selling dvds at a table on the streets, they are carrying a brand on their shoulders and bmw isnt about almighty sales reps that customers must try to convince in order for them to sell cars. they are no doctors, they are salesmen and they get paid for convincing people to buy cars.

I am not a sales rep nor am I making excuses for them. What I'm saying is that respect is a two way street. If you want to be treated with respect, you have to be respectful as well. And wasting someone's time and costing him his honestly earned commission simply because you are too dumb/lazy to call ahead and schedule an appointment is plain disrespectful. The other salesperson was quite correct in telling this guy to deal with the guy he was speaking to previously - sales people are not supposed to poach clients from each other.

Originally Posted by nemex12

by the way last time i checked you can get into a dealership, look around and ask a lot of questions even if you arent going to buy anything

this is how cars are sold, not trying to tell people "buy or leave because my time is expensive".

What are you talking about? No one told him to buy or leave. He was merely asked to conduct his dealings with one salesman.

[Sniz]

Originally Posted by UAxDEATH(NYC)

Well if i got it right - the sales man - is the person that suppose to help you to choice the car you want, otherwise if we all knew what exactly we want, we wouldn't need a dealerships, we would be ordering them online.....am i right or not ?

My story was close to OP, i came to Brooklyn BMW dealership (on 4th ave) first time, and i already knew that i want a X6, they had an demo, and first person who came to me, ask me "how he can help me". So i said i want X6, we where around X6 and i was looking at the sticker ($86k). So i asked him if i can have a test drive, next his questions was "are you sure you can buy this car ???" I mean WTF!!!!! What kind of question is that ?? He made his question out of my look, i`m a small guy, i`m looking like a teenager. But what kind of shit is that ?? Do i have to have a rolex on my hands, or very expensive dress to "SHOW HIM THAT I CAN AFFORD THIS CAR"??? So i told him, yes i can afford lets appraise my hummer, so we did spent 2 hours of doing it, and ONLY after that we took a test drive. So when we came back, i said that i changed my mind and i don't want this car - yes i was a jerk in a purpose. In a week later i came to dealership, saw him busy with other customer, so i picked up another salesman and made a deal with him. You`ll ask me WHY I DID ???? Be cause we cant be judged based on our dress, or colour of skin or race, or age. Am i not right ?

I would have asked you the same question though probably a little better. I sell homes, so one of the 1st things I do when I meet a new potential buyer is talk about their financing situation BEFORE I show them a house. I'm not interested in wasting my time or yours. Its business, you were looking at a very expensive car and wanted to test drive it. Not rocket science.

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by Ti335

I am not a sales rep nor am I making excuses for them. What I'm saying is that respect is a two way street. If you want to be treated with respect, you have to be respectful as well. And wasting someone's time and costing him his honestly earned commission simply because you are too dumb/lazy to call ahead and schedule an appointment is plain disrespectful. The other salesperson was quite correct in telling this guy to deal with the guy he was speaking to previously - sales people are not supposed to poach clients from each other.

Why is auto sales the only retail profession where the sales people think their time is more valuable than the customer's? Seriously, I can't think of any other indusrty where the consumer thinks they have to call ahead. At the end of the day the salesperson is there to vend a product, plain and simple. I'm NOT going arrange my day to suit them for the priveledge of spending my money.

I've been in commisioned retail before and I've NEVER asked a customer to call ahead. I also never had an issue spending time with a customer who wasn't ready to buy. And the reason? It's called cultivating the relationship. By the time the customer is ready to buy not only will they come seek you out, and wait if you're tied up, but they'll refer everyone they know to you. It ends up benefitting the salesmen and the customer.

Some of you people have a lot to learn about customer service. Don't let the dealers brain wash you into thinking you owe them anything. They need you, not the other way around.

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by Sniz

I would have asked you the same question though probably a little better. I sell homes, so one of the 1st things I do when I meet a new potential buyer is talk about their financing situation BEFORE I show them a house. I'm not interested in wasting my time or yours. Its business, you were looking at a very expensive car and wanted to test drive it. Not rocket science.

I learned a loooooooong time ago that someone's appearance means squat when it comes to their buying power.

I will say your approach is a hell of a lot more tactful though. Discussing finances is a LOT different than just blurting out "Can you even afford this?" Simply asking someone their price range is a good way to do it, it's what I did. Maybe I'm too trusting but I always took people at their work on that. If when it was time to pay they couldn't well, shit happens. More often than not though, it worked out just fine.