I must have the worst luck in the world

[fatjoez 3]

Cause I've been looking for a car for too long & still haven't found one

I've been eyeing a 2003 330ci facelift and already done AA check on it and everything,

but the dealer is just being a real wanker

I told him I'd be in friday to pick it up and didn't go, it was raining like nuts

He rang me today and said what's the deal are you gonna get it or what

I told him yeah couldn't come yesterday & he's like ok can you bring a deposit today

I said no he said ok I'll put it back on the market then & if you come get it you get it

The thing that gets me is, he's a dealer,

and the WOF on the car is over 6 months old, so legally be needs to get a new wof before he can sell it

And yet he's talking to me as if the car is ready to go & tellin me

'yeah I've already serviced the brakepads' etc which is what the AA inspection picked up as needing doing

And yet, no new WOF

Just get a real sense of dodginess from the guy as if he's trying to rush the sale through...

[RvT 9]

He's a car salesman and only puts food on his table at home when he makes a sale. If your job depended on you completing a sale, you too would be trying to get a sale before the customer shops elsewhere ...

One observation is that no one would get a WOF for a car when no deposit has been handed over. A new warrant is meant to be issued with a car sale and has to be less than 1 month old. If I was the dealer, I wouldn't get a WOF until the $ came in or it is like throwing $ away if the sale falls through or the buyer walks last minute.

Good luck with the purchase and focus on the fact that if it is the right car and you are happy, buy it as you will never have to see the dealer again.

[briancol 3]

This dealer is doing what any other dealer would do, and I know because I am a dealer.

Obviously you haven't paid him any deposit yet, but you expect him to spend money on the car.

Life's a two way street. You have shown absolutely NO commitment to this car or the dealer, yet you expect the dealer to spend money on the car. Getting an AA check is not a commitment, in fact it is gross stupidity. AA inspectors know nothing about beemers, and if you wanted a prepurchase report done you should have gone to a proper BMW service center.

You have admitted not keeping your appointment with the dealer on Friday, in fact I bet you didn't even have the decency to phone him and tell him you wouldn't be in, so I don't blame him for for phoning you and threatening to put it back on the yard for sale.

Now stop being a whinging wanker, if you really want this car then get down to the dealer and show him some commitment on your part, give him a decent deposit, at least 10-15%, and you will find that the dealer is really a reasonable person and will do the things he has promised to do.

[martyyn 2]

So you said you would buy it and didnt show, not even the decency to give him a phone call to explain why?

I wouldnt be treating you too kindly if you did that to me either.

[hybrid 1043]

An AA insepction wont pick up much. I would say get it taken to glenn @ Botany motor works for a proper pre-purchase inspection before you buy it.

Things to look out for. Open up the bonnet and have a look at the chassis rails, have they been bent or replaced? Check the radiator .. is it brand new? or can you see if the fan is a bit broken ? common signs its been in a frontal.

For e46's the things that go wrong are:

* Gearbox, reverse gear drum failure. (messy and expensive gearbox rebuild) get mecahnical insurance

* GM5 failure (central locking stops working on hot days)

* Cooling system failure, radiator, sensors and water pump get crusty (go brown and fail)

* Rear sub frame failure. Subframe can tear itself from the unibody. (only a problem on seriously lowered cars or very rough treatment)

Those are the main bad ones that your AA report wont pick up.

[Guest FrantiC]

He's a car salesman and only puts food on his table at home when he makes a sale. If your job depended on you completing a sale, you too would be trying to get a sale before the customer shops elsewhere ...

One observation is that no one would get a WOF for a car when no deposit has been handed over. A new warrant is meant to be issued with a car sale and has to be less than 1 month old. If I was the dealer, I wouldn't get a WOF until the $ came in or it is like throwing $ away if the sale falls through or the buyer walks last minute.

Good luck with the purchase and focus on the fact that if it is the right car and you are happy, buy it as you will never have to see the dealer again.

Unless things start falling off

But yeah you can understand how desperate some of the guys are to make sales. Ask him if you make a deposit, will he get the WOF..

[briancol 3]

Unless things start falling off

But yeah you can understand how desperate some of the guys are to make sales. Ask him if you make a deposit, will he get the WOF..

This is not a case of a desperate salesman, it is a case of a person going into a car yard, saying he is going to buy a certian car, then failing to keep his appointments and the promises he made.

We have a lot of people like this in the car industry. They come into the yard, rabbit on about what they are going to buy, make all sorts of promises and that's the last you see of them.

If you want a dealer to make a commitment and start spending money on a car, the the purchaser also has to make a commitment and pay the dealer a deposit at the very least.

Edited February 21, 2009 by C0SM0S

[M325is 0]

Apart from this guy not making a phone call on a crappy day, which is pretty poor, you are being way too harsh on him. He did the right thing to get the AA to check this car, its not stupid, it might not be what you would get from a BMW service shop but its better then nothing. I don't think this guy is a winging wanker, that's a personal attack. THE BUYER IS ALWAYS RIGHT This is not a case of getting a quote on a repair, not going back and not calling. This is a case of a genuine buyer expecting quality customer service as he's just about to fork out the dealers next 20 dinners for his family.

[kingkarl 136]

You're right, i think you are the most unlucky person in the world.

[pjay 8]

Fatjoe is nothing more than a bloke that cant make his mind up.

search here

Do a search

edit - my link failed

Edited February 22, 2009 by Pjay

[cruizer 0]

you stuffed the car salesman around!! in saying that ,who cares really,they are lying thieves,hate dealing with the smarmy pricks

[Guest Simon*]

you stuffed the car salesman around!! in saying that ,who cares really,they are lying thieves,hate dealing with the smarmy pricks

Oh dear

Read before posting bud. Look above, our valued member COSMOS is a car salesman by trade. Unless you know him and feel qualified to call him names please think twice.

Thanks

[1rotty 40]

Oh dear

Read before posting bud. Look above, our valued member COSMOS is a car salesman by trade. Unless you know him and feel qualified to call him names please think twice.

Thanks

+1

I have a number of friends in the trade & I dont have thieves as friends.

[Braeden320 0]

you stuffed the car salesman around!! in saying that ,who cares really,they are lying thieves,hate dealing with the smarmy pricks

Never had anything put good experiences with car salesman.

Infact i prefer to buy off dealers now as i trust them more than anybody selling a car privatly.

But then you should expect to get treated like sh*t with an attidude like that!

[bmpower 3]

Just to add my 2c, i am also in this industry and it is hard enough for people to have trust in us without people attacking what we do. I don't attack what you do?!

Yes we need to sell to make more money, and it is the same with any sales job. You get paid on performance. I have never forced anyone into a sale, and if you asked everyone of the people i have sold to they would all say they were happy with their purchase. Whether it was a $6k car or a $50k one.

I'm the first to admit there are some idiots in this industry, but we aren't all like that. And at the end of the day most people buy from someone they like. We already have a bad enough name, why do you need to make it worse?!

I have had alot of people break appointments with me, and it is annoying. Why is it not a big deal if you don't meet an appointment with a salesman, but it is if you break one with someone else?

The company i work for will not take a vehicle of the yard unless there is a deposit - it happens too often that someone says they will buy it, then decides they don't want it - and in the meantime you had someone that would of bought it but couldn't because it was off the market, and when it goes back on they've bought somewhere else! Also we get a new WOF done once we have the deposit, because it is a commitment to buy the car.

I for one would only buy from a dealer unless the car had a minimal value - you have the consumers guarantess act on your side etc and have comeback. Private is 'as is, where is' buyer beware.

If you want commitment from a dealer, show some from your sude by putting a deposit down.

If you don't like him, buy from someone else or another company. If i don't like someone i won't buy form them, simple.

This is not a personal attack on 'fatjoe', just my 2c on the subject. I wish 'fatjoe' all the best with your purchase.

[laadeelaa 0]

I've got a lot of respect for some car salesmen. Not the easiest job. (Harder than telemarketing, because you have to sell to the sellers face!). A majority of them have to walk around all day in suit pants and neatly ironed cotton shirts, (my friends who telemarket sit around in Pjs ha). Plus the car salesman has to work, faking his over enthusiastic attitude, knowing a large percentage of customers are just looking, not buying. Since trademe came out, I bet you car salesmen have felt the bite.

Fatjoe - if you don't get the bema, there are plenty more out there, and there will most likely be one slightly better than the one you want!

Good luck.

[huff3r 347]

If i actually bought cars expensive enough for a dealer to bother with, i wouldn't buy them any other way. I just don't trust trademe anymore, and i like the way if you want to look at a car, it will be at their yard available for viewing 9-5, monday to friday (saturday and sunday even at most places!)

I definitely have respect for them, i looked at trying out a career like this but decided i care too much about what people think to work in such an untrusted industry... and my parents said i was too smart to just sell stuff...

[crazyarab 6]

I definitely have respect for them, i looked at trying out a career like this but decided i care too much about what people think to work in such an untrusted industry... and my parents said i was too smart to just sell stuff...

LOL

I think it's a bit harsh to suggest that car salesman don't have to be smart...

If you look at all the successful car salesman out there you will find them to be extremely intelligent!

There is a whole lot more involved in running a successful dealership than slapping on some dress pants and brushing your teeth in the morning.

In my books, being a successful car dealer would be a dream job. Just look at the owner of Indy cars (Drives a Lambo), Rick Armstrong (Drives a Ferrari) and the list goes on...

I have huge respect for car dealers that make it, it must be such a hard market to compete in as it's so damn saturated.

[rasumadu 0]

[bmpower - they using 2c coins in NZ now??] lol...fatjoe you really have to understand that no-one is intentionally having a go at you but the fact of the matter is, if that's the whole story you haven't done yourself any favours, and if it isn't the whole story then you still haven't done yourself any favours and should explain it better. no-one knows what the "true" circumstances are between the dealer and yourself. a car dealership is there to sell cars, correct? standard car dealership 101, in no way shape or form are they obligated to you without a solid commitment, a simple verbal exchange does not count for much in a car yard, rather if you have made promises then it is a character trait for you to live up to...it's just the same as if the dealership had said they would hold the car for you indefinitely...a few people say don't trust a car salesman but in actual fact have you the buyer given them a reason to trust you?

honestly think this is a tiny experience in your life and can easily be solved with a trip down to the dealership and an apology if need be, all in all i do hope you find a car that you are happy with.

Edited February 23, 2009 by rasumadu

[fatjoez 3]

This is not a case of a desperate salesman, it is a case of a person going into a car yard, saying he is going to buy a certian car, then failing to keep his appointments and the promises he made.

We have a lot of people like this in the car industry. They come into the yard, rabbit on about what they are going to buy, make all sorts of promises and that's the last you see of them.

If you want a dealer to make a commitment and start spending money on a car, the the purchaser also has to make a commitment and pay the dealer a deposit at the very least.

We never had an appointment

I went to the dealership on thursday to check with the dealer if the finance was sorted yet

He was not there at the time, I rang him & he told me the finance was getting cleared that day

& asked if I was keen on the car

I said yes I was quite keen and would most likely be in sometime the next day day assuming it was all clear & assuming the WOF/brake discs/pads(which needed immediate changing) were sorted & he said "yeah we've already changed those and it's READY TO GO"

For COSM0S and those thinking I wasted the dealers time,

1. the dealer is open every day of the week especially on a friday,

he did NOTHING out of the ordinary even if he was anticipating me or anyone coming to get the car

2. The Car did not & still does not, have a new warrant of fitness so had I actually gone along on the day I would have refused to make the purchase and hand over the cheque anyway until the car had a WOF which no doubt would have taken another day at least

http://www.carjam.co.nz/car/?plate=bsr983

Friday was pouring in rain, and citybound traffic was literally bumper to bumper from albany

so I had no intention of going in to pick it up

Saturday he called me and left me a message with the funniest attitude I have experienced in a while

His message

"Hey its So & So from So & So Cars, I've just come into the dealership on my day off

and I see the car is still here you haven't picked it up whats the story let me know"

I was laughing too hard to be offended because the guy was talking like I owed him something

Didn't have credit at the time so I just texted him a response & said hey mate sorry I couldn't make it in yesterday, will likely be in this week but I've checked online & the WOF hasn't been renewed, I thought you said it was ready to go? Can you let me know, thanks

He didn't reply to my text message

Sunday he called me again and said hey mate and literally spoke as if he hadn't read my text message

The conversation...

Hey so & so here, whats the story with the car you didnt come to pick it up. I said yeah sorry I couldn't make it in that day. Before I could even finish my breath he went on the attack. He said, well I'm starting to wonder here mate are you gonna buy the car or not how long am I supposed to wait I've got other people I want to show the car to. I said. yeah I am. He said well can you bring a deposit today, I already had plans for the day and so said no I can't sorry, and he goes ok then i'm going to put it back on the market and show it to people and if you get it you get it. I said ok thats fine and he hung up.

Later that day around 4pm I was at a friends house & we went down to the local video store & noticed the exact BMW [bSR983] parked outside the local pub where the dealer was having a laugh & a drink with his pals

A++ Customer Service

Would deal with again

Edited March 2, 2009 by fatjoe

[jjs 64]

Boohoo... why should we care? If you wanted the car badly enough you would have been more proactive - end of story.

I was a car dealer a few years ago. I loved it and found it to be great fun and also a great opportunity to develop your negotiation and communication skills. Yes, there are a lot of muppets in the industry but on the whole, dealers are no different to you and I - they are just out to make a crust.

[fatjoez 3]

Boohoo... why should we care? If you wanted the car badly enough you would have been more proactive - end of story.

I was a car dealer a few years ago. I loved it and found it to be great fun and also a great opportunity to develop your negotiation and communication skills. Yes, there are a lot of muppets in the industry but on the whole, dealers are no different to you and I - they are just out to make a crust.

why you crying? & who asked anyone to care? Wanted the car been more proactive?

What are you on? I didn't miss out on the car I decided not to buy it. lol @ misinterpretations x2

Was just giving the full details for COSM0S who was trying to act tough

& rasumadu who suggested I post it

Cheers

Edited March 2, 2009 by fatjoe

[martyyn 2]

End of.