A few days ago, I received a phone call from a friend of a friend who was about to purchase a new car. I’m always more than happy to help out anyone who is about to jump in the shark tank and try to come out alive, with a new car in tow.
What struck me most about the caller was his fear of getting tangled in some type of web where there would be no possibility of getting out alive from.
The story: He was looking for a specifically coloured 2012 vehicle. As production for the 2013 has long since begun, sourcing the car was going to require a little work. He contacted three different dealers of the same make and got an equal number of diverse answers. The responses varied from “Forget about it, there are none;” “I might be able to find one;” to “Come on down, I’ve got one.” Who to believe?
The person got the two dealers who said they could find one (the dealer who stated they had one couldn’t actually find it…) to work for him, and this is why I got the phone call. Both dealers required deposits for a car they weren’t even sure they could deliver. I instructed the person to clearly indicate in writing that the deposits were refundable should the dealers not be able to deliver the desired car within a specified time.
Unfortunately, I do not know how the story ends, but I could not help but think that dealers deal with their reputation as crooks, manipulators, liars, swindlers, and more every day and they don’t seem to mind. How is it that someone -- or some people -- can sleep at night knowing that this is how they are perceived by the general public?
This is but one small example of the horror stories I’ve heard of or witnessed on a few occasions that starred dealerships, their staff and their product.
Why don’t they do anything about it? Is it because there's a sucker born every minute, and that there is too much money to be made?
The sad part is that this will likely never change, and the situation is identical in so many types of businesses.
What struck me most about the caller was his fear of getting tangled in some type of web where there would be no possibility of getting out alive from.
The story: He was looking for a specifically coloured 2012 vehicle. As production for the 2013 has long since begun, sourcing the car was going to require a little work. He contacted three different dealers of the same make and got an equal number of diverse answers. The responses varied from “Forget about it, there are none;” “I might be able to find one;” to “Come on down, I’ve got one.” Who to believe?
The person got the two dealers who said they could find one (the dealer who stated they had one couldn’t actually find it…) to work for him, and this is why I got the phone call. Both dealers required deposits for a car they weren’t even sure they could deliver. I instructed the person to clearly indicate in writing that the deposits were refundable should the dealers not be able to deliver the desired car within a specified time.
Unfortunately, I do not know how the story ends, but I could not help but think that dealers deal with their reputation as crooks, manipulators, liars, swindlers, and more every day and they don’t seem to mind. How is it that someone -- or some people -- can sleep at night knowing that this is how they are perceived by the general public?
This is but one small example of the horror stories I’ve heard of or witnessed on a few occasions that starred dealerships, their staff and their product.
Why don’t they do anything about it? Is it because there's a sucker born every minute, and that there is too much money to be made?
The sad part is that this will likely never change, and the situation is identical in so many types of businesses.
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