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Automotive Editorials | Friday, May 09, 2008 | |
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 This is a tale for women buying cars and, maybe -- just maybe, for the men and possibly some women out there who sell cars or own dealerships. I want to share my most recent car buying experience with you knowing that there is a better way, where the Internet promises to provide a different and more equal atmosphere for others who have shared my experience. A little over a year ago, my ten-year old Prelude, my first new car, decided that it had had enough or I had had enough with repairing it. Since I bought a house the year before that was nearly forty miles from my office in Albany, New York, I needed reliable transportation. I needed a new car. As a proper car buyer should, I checked out -- on the Internet, of course, what I could expect to receive for my old car in trade, how much money I had for a down payment, the amount of my monthly bills and how much I was comfortable paying monthly. Based on this analysis, I figured that I could afford the type of car I wanted. Since I was attracted to a particular car in a particular color, I lost some of my bargaining edge, but still had the advantage of the end-of-the-model-year sales and a special two-day only, new car loan rate from my credit union, plus a substantial down payment. I was a bonafide prospect for any dealer who had the kind of car I wanted, or so I thought. The weekend before the start of the loan "sale," I visited all of the dealerships in the Albany area which carry the make of car I wanted. The first place I stopped was a high-end dealership where I purchased my previous car after nearly begging the salesman to take my order. This time, I went in and after looking around the showroom for about five minutes, I was finally greeted by a salesman. He looked to be in his late fifties or early sixties. I told him what I wanted. He had someone look at my car. I took a drive in a similar model, which had too much horsepower for my heavy foot and too much leather for my wallet. With that, the salesman suggested that I purchase the low-end sedan of that make, instead of the sporty one I wanted. He told me he did not have the car I wanted on the lot and about how much trouble it would be to find one. It was pouring rain outside, when I hit the second dealership. I told the salesman what I wanted and about my time frame. He said he would try to find the car I wanted and would get back to me the next day. He did not. In fact, he called three days after the "sale" was over and became angry because I had purchased the car elsewhere. He expected me to accept the wrong color car after the special interest rate was no longer available. In a totally (to my mind) unethical move, the salesman even tried to offer me a "better" deal, since I had not yet taken possession of the car I had arranged to purchase. In fact, he offered to sell me the car for $50 less than the dealership I had selected! What a deal. The salesman at the third dealership pointed to the weather and said they were going to close soon. They had the model of car I wanted, in the right color, but it was a standard transmission. He did not even offer to search out another one with an automatic. The next day, I went to the final dealership and came across a salesman who was willing to find the car I wanted. He did this the next day. I went back to negotiate what I could and I got a price that was not great, but was reasonable and within my means. I got stiffed a bit on the trade-in as well. But, I was happy to be purchasing a brand spanking new car. Clearly, I cannot say with certainty that I was basically ignored at the first dealerships because I am a woman, though it certainly looks that way, doesn't it? I can say that I have spent much of my career as a management expert and I know that the sort of behavior I have described is destructive to the bottom line. Any one of these dealers could have gotten my business. It turned out that there is a simple mechanism for tracking down specific cars, such as the one I wanted, so it was not difficult to do. Moreover, I had a pre-approved loan with perfect credit. This makes me wonder how many automobile sales are being lost in this way? If I were dealer and knew this was happening, I would be giving some serious thought to training my sales personnel in order to maximize my profits and I would see to it that they made use of what they learned. If I were a salesperson, I would, at the very least, reflect on my own behavior and assumptions and make any necessary corrections. In such cases there needs to be a change and the Internet offers me the opportunity to level the playing field. Although still in it's development stages, the Internet allows us to seek out what we want and when we want it. There will come a day when people such as myself will be able to visit the virtual showrooms of all the local dealerships. Dealers will be encouraged to provide answers to questions, and if they don't people will go elsewhere, especially since elsewhere will only be a URL away. Competition will become more so a matter of customer service and professionalism instead of price and location. I only wish such a tool would have been available to me when I started my quest. I would have saved myself a lot of time and aggravation and sent a clear message to the old-world style of salesmanship that their time is numbered provided that they continue to conduct business the way they have. As for me, I am tempted to make my future car purchases directly over the Internet, where no one needs to know my gender, or from a dealer that focuses on customer service. I also understand that "no dicker" pricing claims to pay more attention to customers by diverting sales pressure away from commission and stressing customer satisfaction in it's place. Why should buying a car be any different from buying a toaster, you walk in, inspect the merchandise and leave with the toaster in hand. Like everyone else, I have worked hard for my money. When I am spending it, I expect to be treated fairly and well. |
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