car sales not important in this dealership...

Bulmers

Been looking for a car for the last month or so, and the experience i have had with one particular dealership i think is laughable, to the point where they have turned me off buying the car from them, as a consequence i went to a much more professional dealer, had a good experience with the sales guy and bought a car, bit of a long rant ahead...!

Anyway just thought i'd share this on boards. I was initially interested in a 07 1.8T S Line A4, noticed add on carzone, car was down as "in stock today" ( which i have since learend means anything from sold a month ago to arriving in a month!!). I went to the dealership, 3 weeks ago today with two cars on their site i was interested in, met the sales guy, lets call him John and asked about the cars i was interested in, so off we went to look for the car, wasn't in main showroom, checked the roof, i looked on one side, he looked on the other....ok understand these things can happen, no sign of the cars, then checked service area across the road, one was there, no sign of the other, fair enough so i said i can come back next week and would like to test drive, John said no problem, he'd have them out and ready.

I couldn't make it next Sat as i was away with work and held up due to airport radar problem in dublin so was stuck in UK until Sat, called and left him a message Fri to let him know wouldn't be there, heard nothing back. I turned up to the dealership on Monday lunch time to see if the cars were out, they weren't. I asked for John, no one knew where he was, so started explaining to another sales girl what i was here for, again we went on the hunt for these cars, checked the roof...again....., not there, and then over to the service area. 1.8T was there, had not been prepped for showroom so was good to see it before it was cleaned up etc, was happy with what i seen so asked could i take it for a test drive, was told no, could i come back Tuesday, i couldn't make it so I said i'd return Friday, was told car would be ready.

Called John on the Thurs to confirm, left message, no call back, so assumed all was ok. Landed in yday at lunch, no sign of car, no one seemed to know anything, John was off on Friday...(might have been nice to have been told and someone else maybe cover, as most other people working do)....spoke to receptionist (eventually after she got off a personal phonecall..) and she said she would leave a note for John, i said i will come back in today (Sat) at 11am, i really liked the car when i seen it previous Monday so wanted to take it for a drive, i was getting a bit annoyed at this stage but thought i'd see it sat morning.

Call off John this morning, his first comment was "you sound a bit hungover mate, rough one last nite???"...i was thinking WTF, i'm by no means a prude but i think that was very unprofessional, anyway. Told him i was out looking at another car, which i was. So he said he'd go and "dig the car out", again, i was a bit suprised by this. So there i am going across the M50, phone rings, sales guy "car is blocked in by 15 cars in the service area., cant get it out.."..

Got p*ssed off now as i need to get a car and was doing all the chasing on this one aswell, cause i liked it. So explained to him i had other cars to see today coz i need to get one soon and i wanted to talk price. I've driven these before anyway so it wasn't a question of seeing if the car suited, also i had given it a good check myself from the 1st time i seen it so was happy with the condition.

Gave him my offer, told him i want to buy today, have the money, what could he do, to which he replied, " what time suits you monday to come in to have a look?????" I said i dont know as i may have to go away with work and wont know, asked him again on price and he said i'm not talking price on the phone, ok fair enough but he was doing zero to keep my interest. I also said to him i'd been out 3 times to see this car, to which he replied quiet offensively " well it's not my fault i wasn't here is it??"...

Told him i had few other motors to look at today and he said he'd call me back this evening. Anyway, went to see another car, sound sales guy, no BS, good deal, car bought.

I know above is a bit of a rant but to be honest that performance by that sales guy is rubbish, i work customer facing in different area and if i mucked my customer around like that, i'd be out the door. I'd expect this from a back street Arthur Daly type but not a main reputable Audi/Merc/Mazda dealership, i couldn't believe it to be honest.

Also the guys knowledge of cars wasn't great, mine isn't great but from reading boards and t'internet etc i have an idea, another great comment from the sales guy just came to me there, one of the Audis i was looking at had no e/ws in the back, i made a comment about that i'd prefer e/ws in back, to which he replied, "you dont drive a car from the back"!!!...took it with a pinch of salt at the time but little bit smart comment for someone trying to sell a car.

You read alot of comments on this site about cars not selling etc and sales people getting let go and buyers market but i think this story just takes the p*ss altogether...i wouldn't mind, the place is over flowing with cars, i prob would have bought it aswell, but got myself a nice 07 BMW320d ES instead!!

Have spoken to few people about this today and they said should ring a manager in there about it and let them know what happened, end of the day, had 30k to spend on car, cash deal and they let it walk out, after it came back 3 times!!

Anan1

All that, and you won't even tell us what dealership??

omb0wyn5ehpij9

After the first time you went back and they messed up, I wouldn't have gone near them again. If that is how they are selling the car, imagine how they would be if there was a problem on the car after you bought it!

Steve

Fair play for persisting so long - I wouldn't have bothered.

It's so frustrating when you have cash in your pocket and are willing to buy to be given the run around like that.

Just take pleasure in the thought that you gave his potential commission to someone who actually deserved it.

bazz26

I too would not have bothered after the first pointless trip. So if you bought from them would you really want to deal with these amatures if you had a warranty issue?

The way the second hand market is at the moment it will not be long before that clown will be collecting the dole.

Bulmers

was genuinely interested in the car, i dont buy cars that often either (comp car last 8 yrs), so was an easy sale for him, fact i came back 3 times (like a fool looking back on it!!) should have given him an incling, but did like the Audi, but switched to a BMW in the end.

without naming directly but it wouldn't be too far from the Belgard Road...;)

Bulmers

bazz26 wrote: »

So if you bought from them would you really want to deal with these amatures if you had a warranty issue?

true enough but was a main dealership and car was still under manufacturers warranty so suppose felt protected by that

Feelgood

If you were in the market for that sort of car you should have went to the UK!!.

Irish dealerships are laughable full stop. Dropped my 320D in for a service in a very reputable BMW dealership about 4 weeks ago and got the usual done. Asked the service advisor if the brake pads / shoes were ok when I was picking it up, to which he replied yeah they are fine, they were checked and all.

6 days later the light is up on the dash to tell me the brake pads are gone. So I called them up and asked them if they had Stevie Wonder working as a mechanic for them...

Service across the board in garages around the country is a joke. The garage I bought my car from in the UK had a full fry up, tea and toast ready for me when I collected it from them as they knew I had a long drive to Holyhead and to top it off they guy threw in a Garmin Sat Nav for nothing as a lucky penny....

Why would anyone ever buy a car over here??

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Feelgood wrote: »

Service across the board in garages around the country is a joke. The garage I bought my car from in the UK had a full fry up, tea and toast ready for me when I collected it from them as they knew I had a long drive to Holyhead and to top it off they guy threw in a Garmin Sat Nav for nothing as a lucky penny....

Why would anyone ever buy a car over here??

That is very impressive!

copacetic

The worrying thing is that I bet no-one is even slightly surprised at that level of service, it's about the standard.

mikewest

The worrying thing is that I bet no-one is even slightly surprised at that level of service, it's about the standard.

Not for long more methinks

Anan1

Bulmers wrote: »

without naming directly but it wouldn't be too far from the Belgard Road...;)

Out of interest, just how badly would Belgard Motors have to treat you before you were willing to name them?:D

omb0wyn5ehpij9

copacetic wrote: »

The worrying thing is that I bet no-one is even slightly surprised at that level of service, it's about the standard.

Agreed. I wasn't suprised in the slightest at all when i read the OP's story!

Jimbo

The reason dealerships are overflowing with second hand cars is because people are importing from the UK. You'd think dealers here would get the idea and pull up their socks abit

RobAMerc

I rang a guy about a car last week - sales guy was away so the lad took my number and said sales would ring back.

Never heard from them again. What an ignorant shower of cnuts that they wouldn't even make a call to a lad about a car worth 45k !

Another guy today told me he wanted 25k plus mine for a 44k car - I said your only offering me 19k ? he said no I am offering you 20k ???
Are all their customers that thick they can't add ?

Should have known - have been to ***** motors in Castleknock 3 times, looking for friends as well as myself and have never left feeling anything other than insulted.

I said it before and I will say it again - alot of them really do deserve to go down the tubes over the next few years.

Bulmers

BrynW wrote: »

Agreed. I wasn't suprised in the slightest at all when i read the OP's story!

i haven't had much exp with dealerships as have not had to buy a car for last 8 yrs but it would make u think how many sales a dealership does lose down to bad sales people, anyway i suppose the way things are now, the weak links in the chain will be found out..

On the other hand, went to the BMW garage and no complaints, very good sales guy, very professional and courteous, opening doors etc, small things but they count and are text book sales techniques, guys who work in my place who have sales of 200-300k of product a week instill this into the junior guys, open the door for the client, smile, get them coffee etc...i got dragged around twice looking for the car...

Anan1 wrote:

Out of interest, just how badly would Belgard Motors have to treat you before you were willing to name them?!

You said it, not me I said "near Belgard road"..:rolleyes:

mickdw

You should have gone to Audichris. He seems helpful and interested in the cars and customers at least.

MarkN

Bulmers wrote: »

You said it, not me I said "near Belgard road"..:rolleyes:

Bulmers chill out, there's nothing wrong with naming the dealer.

I feel your frustration however, Belgard are idiots. My last car, an S3 same spec and colour in their showroom, ready to buy, found exact same car in Cork, Belgard asked me when I would like to buy.. I said if you can match Cork no problem, they couldn't.

Some woman in Fosters told me there was an embargo on their S3 (!!!) .. again, they lost the 60k.

There's plenty of terrible VAG dealers out there but there's a handful of good ones too.

copacetic

I got my car in Belgard after bad experiences in two other south Dublin dealers, this was 2 years ago. Guy I bought off has left, not helpful at all during recent contact. However other dealers are no better.

Not sure it varies from brand to brand too much either, had similar experiences to OP with phone calls and emails not being returned by BMW dealer also. Was in with them, discussed ballparks and they were to come back to me with confirmed offers. Never did.
Called twice and emailed once and still nothing 2 months later. Will never darken their door again. From asking around most people I know have had similar experiences.

Don't like to see anyone lose their jobs but won't lose any sleep over car dealers based on experience of how they do their jobs.

JHMEG

Feelgood wrote: »

The garage I bought my car from in the UK had a full fry up, tea and toast ready for me when I collected it from them as they knew I had a long drive to Holyhead and to top it off they guy threw in a Garmin Sat Nav for nothing as a lucky penny....

You do know that someone had to pay for all that, and that someone was you.

Anan1

MarkN wrote: »

Bulmers chill out, there's nothing wrong with naming the dealer.

I'd go further and say that i'd have no sympathy for someone who, having been treated badly, is still unwilling to name the dealer. Without a name it's not a warning to others, just whining.

spanner_head

MarkN wrote: »

There's plenty of terrible VAG dealers out there but there's a handful of good ones too.

Any chance you could name the good ones?

I thinking about a possible VW buy later this year.

Vertakill

Similar funny story happened with me.

Brought my car into a, let's say, very big Nissan dealer for an estimate on a repair on the bodywork.

After the receptionist (who was very helpful) got hold of the engineer (took approx 20 mins of sitting waiting) - he eventually came out to look at the car.

Has a look around the car and is assessing the damage. Opens the boot.. pulls it down a little to look at the badge/name on the back and, as I have my car debadged and with just a Z instead of the Nissan badge, he goes to me...

"What car is this by the way?"

I sort of laughed hearing this and replied,
"Erm... it's a 350z.."

Engineer looks at back of car - steps back a little - looks at me and says,
"Ohhhhhh, like one of the cars in the Fast and the Furious!"

At this point I didn't know whether to just walk away or burst into laughter.
Needless to say I didn't go near them for the repair.

MarkN

spanner_head wrote: »

Any chance you could name the good ones?

I thinking about a possible VW buy later this year.

Grange Motors - ask for Mark Kane in VW.

Newmarket Motors, Cork are good too.

I found service at Bradys good but I've never even been in their showroom.

JHMEG

Vertakill wrote: »

Brought my car into a, let's say, very big Nissan dealer for an estimate on a repair on the bodywork.

Would that have been EP Mooney by any chance? I don't normally go near dealers for anything ever, but the wife's car has to have the stamps in the book (they're also Honda now), and I brought it there to be serviced. I'd say I found them reasonably good.

kevteljeur

I bought my Opel Astra a year ago from Owain Drought, in Roscrea (I'm based in Dublin, but the car looked good for the price). They got it NCTed for me, and then brought it to the door a few days later, even put for petrol in it for me so I could get driving. The buying process did involve a haggle, and a small wait since the dealer himself wasn't there when I first arrived, but all in all I thought it was great. Ringing around Dublin I heard classics such as "The previous owner was the dealer's wife, it's in great nick" and "It's out today, I lent it to a mate because his in for repairs, and he has to pick up the kids, it'll be back tomorrow".

If you have to work hard to buy something because the seller's a tool, it's not worth your dignity - sorry to read the OP's story.

Bulmers

Anan1 wrote: »

I'd go further and say that i'd have no sympathy for someone who, having been treated badly, is still unwilling to name the dealer. Without a name it's not a warning to others, just whining.

sorry, i used the wrong icon on that comment to Anan1, ..just thought i would post an experience i had on here in a dealership for comment.

It was Belgard Mtrs i was dealing with, just thought i wasn't allowed mention names on boards.ie.

Not looking for sympathy or whining either...just sharing my experience....:o

cant wait for my 320 though..:D

Feelgood

JHMEG wrote: »

You do know that someone had to pay for all that, and that someone was you.

Yep I do, though it still worked out around 8k cheaper than the exact equivilant car in any Irish garage.

Was trying to highlight the level of service in comparison to the Irish market. I think everyone has a story similar to the op's at this stage, which is a joke.

Seth Brundle

Bulmers wrote: »

sorry, i used the wrong icon on that comment to Anan1, ..just thought i would post an experience i had on here in a dealership for comment.

It was Belgard Mtrs i was dealing with, just thought i wasn't allowed mention names on boards.ie.

Not looking for sympathy or whining either...just sharing my experience....:o

cant wait for my 320 though..:D

Naming isn't allowed when libel is involved - I'm not sure it is in this situation.
However, I would get in contact with the dealer principal/manager. This dick is obviously a liability to the company!

L-M

kbannon wrote: »

This dick is obviously a liability to the company!

+1

Maybe if it happened once with him, but the fact the he acted like this on more than a few occasions i would complain. Just advise if u are calling, don't ring up and start shouting and roaring, ur opinion won't be heard.

DublinConsumer

<snip>

Eoin

DublinConsumer - I have snipped your post. Start a new thread if you want (this one is over a year old), but you must keep it factual and not use any potentially libellous language.