Thursday, June 3, 2010

A Little Consideration Please

So, you are in the market to purchase a car and like any good consumer you do your homework, have reams of printed prices and accessories that you would like to add to said car and you are loaded for bear.  Like any good comparison shopper you visit at least two "stores" that have the product that you want and you compare what each place will offer you.  You "talk" to at least two sales persons along with their managers and you weigh each offer carefully before making a decision on which vehicle to purchase.

Now the flip side of that purchase.  To begin with most consumers have the thought that the price of the car that is listed is just a suggestion and not what is needed for that dealership to keep the car on the lot, and keep it in running order.  There is also the misconception that salespeople will make an enormous amount of money on your purchase and giving up 5 hours of their day is worth the moola he/she will make.  Of course these people are also to be there at your beck and call and are not to have a life outside of the dealership.  It's no problem when a consumer comes in at 8:50PM and wants to make a deal even if the dealership does close at 9PM and the sales staff has only been there 12 hours already, because these people have no life and no family to go home to.  Let us also not forget that each salesperson is out to "take you" for everything he/she can...it's not like the MSRP or Kelly Blue Book can possibly give the consumer any idea of what the car is worth and the salesperson can "slip in" extra costs that will make them more money, like say taxes on the purchase.  A favorite of any salesperson is the consumer who feels that he/she should pay bargain basement prices for a brand new car because as we all know there are so many hidden costs that make the car not really worth the price the dealership is asking, and oh yeah the salesperson has no right to make any money on that car even if he/she has patiently spent way too many hours on a person who actually deserves to be thrown out on their behinds.

Don't you think that a little consideration should be made that car salespeople are humans too?  They work long hours for much less money than you think and they must plaster on a smile for the nastiest and demanding of the human race, and yes also the nicest and most cooperative too.  Of course I say buyer beware, but don't you think that it should also be buyer be nice?

1 comment:

  1. Nice alternative view you posted here. Sales people in the car business do not make the big bucks. I have a friend who is a salesman and he is a good one too. In a good year he is lucky to make 50K. For the long hours they spend on test drives and demonstrations of the cars I will choose to stay in my office. But I will make sure to be a lot nicer to them on my next visit. After all any good consumer who does 5 minutes of research can tell if they are getting a fair deal. How can we as consumers pay little to no profit and get mad when that dealership goes out of business?

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