Just talked to the dumbest dealer

[PalmerGA]

Originally Posted by Team STILLEN

Dealerships also get A LOT of these email inquires too! I know where both sides are coming from.

And I would assume they want to get lots of inquiries, thus increasing potential for sales. Having a person who does not know the product answer the phone would immediately turn me off to that dealership.

[Mongo RS]

I would say that anyone depending on the dealer's sales staff to know everything about the car should have "sucker" tattoo'd on their forehead. Do you expect the community college freshman working at Best Buy to know everything about Ultra HDTV?

[PoorMansCamaro]

Originally Posted by Mongo RS

I would say that anyone depending on the dealer's sales staff to know everything about the car should have "sucker" tattoo'd on their forehead. Do you expect the community college freshman working at Best Buy to know everything about Ultra HDTV?

No, but I would expect the manager, like In this scenario.

[SIN R G]

Did you stop to think that the person that replied to your e-mail was a secretary and their job is to get you to call in, and they don't need to know everything about every car. Also, did you think that maybe the guy you did call was dealing with another customer and did not have time to prepare for you to call in 15 minutes? Did you really expect them to give you a trade in value for your car over the phone? It is no secret that people buying a car know more about that particular car then the salesman does. This especially goes for a car enthusiast buying a Camaro or Corvette because they know the car they are looking for like the back of their hand. Do you know how many models and trim levels Chevrolet has? The Impala has 5 trim levels, Malibu has 6 , Cruze has 8, Camaro coupe has 6 trim levels, Camaro convertible has 4 and the list goes on. Then these trim levels change every year or maybe during the year. OP, I challenge you to learn every option on every trim level. I bet you can't do it! And even if you did know all this information, if you have no sales skills it won't make a difference because you won't sell anything. I know I get frustrated at salesman at times also, but if everyone thinks it is so easy you should try selling cars for a while. Bet most of you can't do it!

[TommyTheCat]

I've never met a salesperson who knew all of the answers to the questions I had for any specific car... Not only that, we don't even know if that was a salesperson or just a receptionist, which is much more likely.
I talked to three salesmen at two different dealerships and none of them could tell me how much horsepower or torque the LFX and LS3 made, not a single number for either engine. I asked about bluetooth for music and they were wrong on that, I asked about the USB port and they were wrong on that, I asked about rear floor mats and they supposedly did not exist on any Camaro... I can keep going but you should get the point

The thing is most of us here are gearheads and we know way more than most people do on cars, especially on the cars we love and drive and read about every time you get on this forum, and that makes a lot of us expect more of others but it's actually not common knowledge.

Harsh reality of it is that most people can't tell a Camaro from a Mustang; most people don't know what a piston looks like; most people don't know how much horsepower their own car has; most people don't even know what size engine they have; about 1 out of every 5 customers I get don't even know what yet their own car is

[DRKS1D3]

Originally Posted by Gee

I agree about the receptionist. But i doubt one would ask quesitons like those and request a vin and pics. If he was talking to someone who has the word "sales" in it like an "internet sales ass" then the guy should know what hes talking about, or pass the puck. Example: Would you invest your life savings into a bank if the online sales rep you called asked you questions like "ok so you want to invest money. um like thats like when you want to make a savings account right?
You: no i want to invest my money
Rep: oh so like you want to split up your money into multiple checking and savings accounts?
Why dont you just send your social security over with some information on what youre trying to do and well be glad to help"

I know thats a little drastic but, in all honesty its the same thing. People need to remember salesmen are the face of your business/company. They should know their stuff.

Originally Posted by PoorMansCamaro

I would expect every salesperson to know a good majority of every trim of every model they sell. I mean, they work there at least 40 hours a week. they are more than likely not trying to sell a car every hour. Should show some initiative and learn what you are selling. I really don't think that's a lot to ask.

only exception is if they are a new sales person.

Originally Posted by PoorMansCamaro

That may be true about the OP, but makes no excuse for the sales person on the phone.

Originally Posted by PoorMansCamaro

No matter what the answer is, it still doesn't excuse the lack of knowledge of what they are selling. (Especially now that we know it was a sales manager.) You make it sound like it would have been ok if they talked about what his favorite cereal is, but it's ok, as long as he got the deal he wanted on the car.

Originally Posted by PalmerGA

No excuse! If I see a phone number to call for more details on a car I'm interested in, I expect the person who answers to be able to answer my questions or directly connect me to someone who can. It's listed on the internet for my convenience and (supposedly) to extend the sales potential of the dealership. If they can't provide someone who knows the product they are trying to sell... I'm not interested in talking to them.

Then that is when you ask for another sales person with a little more knowledge about the vehicle. You don't get flustered and hang up the phone. How bad do you want the car? My Dad drove from Pittsburgh to Indiana (5 hours) to buy his 2012 ZL1. He called and discussed the car, numbers, etc.. He drove there the next day and bought the car. If he would've called and got some "backroom goofball", he would've asked for another salesman. Yes, it's frustrating sometimes, I've been there. You have to be persistent. Not all salesman are car aficionados or take their job seriously for that matter. It's horrible, but that is reality.

[CamaroCracka]

I think the OP already had another line on another car. I would have bailed too and even mentioned to the other dealer I really wanted to work with that there is another car across town I'm interested in just so they realize they are not the only game in town.

Personally, I think Tesla has the right idea. Build and order on the web and they deliver. Not for everyone, but I sure would prefer it. Then again, I don't buy a lot of vehicles. I can't help modding them and then I have too much invested to get rid of them. Now there is no more room. It probably would not pay for them to change their model for consumers like me.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by zogster

So I inquired to a dealer regarding a new 2013 ZL1 (talking to a couple different dealers about new 2013 ZL1s).

I sent an email stating what I would offer for their car. They said please call us so we can discuss some details, so I give them a call.

They answer, I give them my name and said that they had asked me to call. Convo went like this:

"Ohh, you are calling about the Equinox, correct?"

"No, I'm calling about the ZL1 you have on your website that I sent the email about"

"Let me see here if I can find that, okay here we go I see your email now. Yes the car is available we have had several offers on it though" (which I know is complete BS if they have a leftover 2013).

"ok, what did you think of my offer?"

"Well the ZL1, it has 179,000 miles on it and we are selling for $49,900"

"179,000?"

"Uhh, ohh, 179, not 179,000, it is being sold as a new car still"

"OK"

"So the ZL1, it has leather/suede seats, manual transmission, sunroof, and it comes with the TURBOCHARGER"

"Ok" (trying not to laugh)

"Ok so you say here you have a 2LT. Does that have the SS V8? Or V6? It is just like the SS with the V8 right?"

"No, it has the V6"

"Oh so it is like an LT with the V6, okay. Well please send us the VIN and some pictures and we will see what we can do"

Goodness gracious, and they wonder why they haven't sold the damn car yet...

I wish I could go talk to this dealer in person with you. We'd have a good time.

[bleavens1962]

I sold cars for a few months in Tampa Fl. Not that hard to pull up the specs on what the caller or walk in customer is asking about " Mr X, Thank you for calling ABC cars, what car are you interested in ? Ok, give me a minute to get to my desk and I will pull that information up for you. I see that there are x options ranging from a to b, I can list those for you now, or I can e-mail those to you and we can go over them on the phone. Did you receive my e-mail ? Great, what are you interested in , and when do you want to come pick it up ? Thats exactly how hard it is...

[Gee]

Originally Posted by bleavens1962

I sold cars for a few months in Tampa Fl. Not that hard to pull up the specs on what the caller or walk in customer is asking about " Mr X, Thank you for calling ABC cars, what car are you interested in ? Ok, give me a minute to get to my desk and I will pull that information up for you. I see that there are x options ranging from a to b, I can list those for you now, or I can e-mail those to you and we can go over them on the phone. Did you receive my e-mail ? Great, what are you interested in , and when do you want to come pick it up ? Thats exactly how hard it is...

EXACTLY. Thank you. Now all the people here sticking up for the dealer need to chill on ragging on the OP. His complaint is reasonable. If you cant shoot 3 pointers in basketball, you pass the ball to someone who can.

This poster is spot on. And the fact that he works for a dealer and not only agrees but also advises us on exactly how a sales rep or receptionist should handle that exact call. If the person he talked to was busy, then you tell the caller that you cant give them your full attention and will call back shortly. Just proves the point more. This post is a dead horse. Its all about perspective and opinion. I agree with the OP, some dont. Oh well.

[goinggone14]

There is nothing acceptable about what this "dealer" did.

Just remember, the car you are buying costs as much as it does, in part, due to what they PAY THESE PEOPLE TO SELL THE CAR.

As an employer, would you consider this behavior the appropriate level of effort to earn that day's paycheck? The answer is no.

Could he have made an honest mistake? Sure. Car remains unsold on that error 11 out of 10 times.
Could it have been a receptionist/janitor/parts dept./service? Sure. They should have notified the general manager or salesperson immediately about a $50k car.
Should the buyer ever have to experience this and still pursue the car? No way.

Can't imagine you would accept this level of incompetence at a supermarket, home goods, or department/clothing store and not walk out over $25 let alone $50,000.

[Indydriver]

This is what the internet is for: separate the wheat from the chaff, establish a pecking order of dealers willing to deal, then invest FTF time only with those who are serious about your business. I talked to 10 dealers in my search. Only two were worth a visit.

[CamaroCracka]

Originally Posted by Indydriver

This is what the internet is for: separate the wheat from the chaff, establish a pecking order of dealers willing to deal, then invest FTF time only with those who are serious about your business. I talked to 10 dealers in my search. Only two were worth a visit.

Exactly! If the person on the phone (the manager) is an idiot, what is the quality of work done to the car in prep etc.? What else will they f up? The website and the person answering the phone are the face of the company.

If I am looking for a product or service on the web and the site is crappy with lots of broken stuff, that does not give me a good feeling. GoDaddy and others provide web design services pretty cheaply these days. It's not rocket science.

[Indydriver]

It is obvious that some Chevy dealerships do not take Internet inquiries seriously. And to be fair, I'm sure they have to sort through a lot of garbage. However, the 20% who cull the emails for the serious buyers gain an edge on their competition, I.e., they earned my business before I ever darkened their door.