Dealers not helping their industry.

spadder

I’m looking for a Volvo s40 for the Mrs, found a nice 07 diesel in the UK, with VRT I should land it for around €13500 - €14000.


Trying to be patriotic, I’d said I’ll try to give the Irish dealers my business.
Phoned around a few similar models on Carzone listed between €17k and €19k. I told them straight what I was doing, asked them if they would match my UK price ( I don’t mind paying a bit extra for warranty etc)

All said no deal, one guy gave me a lecture saying he has overheads, showrooms etc to run. I asked him “so I’m paying extra for your premises”. one private sale guy said he will get back to me with his best price.


WTF is with these guys?

Drummerboy08

Why would they possibly take a loss of 3/4/5k to make you happy?

Anan1

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Why would they possibly take a loss of 3/4/5k to make you happy?

The OP can get the car cheaper anyway, the real question is whether the dealers can get more for their car than the OP offered. They clearly think the answer is yes, time will tell I suppose.

fletch

Similar story with servicing. Rang up two main dealers to get a quote for timing belt. Came in at €625-€725 each. Main dealer up the north will do it for €370! Big saving there.

Drummerboy08

I think they would. I got 12000 in the trade for a 06 S40 this week, o should get 14+ in the trade for a 07. Retail that, maybe 15, or a bit more?

Might not get their asking price, but thats to be expected. Personally, if someone phoned me offering around 13k on a 17-18k car, i'd simply hang up the phone. Its known as timewasting, and its extremely unreasonable to think you'd get a 5k discount on a used car.

Par72

spadder wrote: »

I’m looking for a Volvo s40 for the Mrs, found a nice 07 diesel in the UK, with VRT I should land it for around €13500 - €14000.


Trying to be patriotic, I’d said I’ll try to give the Irish dealers my business.
Phoned around a few similar models on Carzone listed between €17k and €19k. I told them straight what I was doing, asked them if they would match my UK price ( I don’t mind paying a bit extra for warranty etc)

All said no deal, one guy gave me a lecture saying he has overheads, showrooms etc to run. I asked him “so I’m paying extra for your premises”. one private sale guy said he will get back to me with his best price.


WTF is with these guys?

When you say land it, are you including the cost and inconvenience associated with getting the car from the UK? I would expect the dealers to give you some sort of a reduction but I wouldn't expect them to match your price.

Guy:Incognito

When your tradeing in a car at some stage, if the garage said "but I'm matching the UK trade in price" , would you be happy getting a few grand less on it?

L-M

Stekelly wrote: »

When your tradeing in a car at some stage, if the garage said "but I'm matching the UK trade in price" , would you be happy getting a few grand less on it?

Oh to be able to thank more than once.

Johnny Utah

Stekelly wrote: »

When your tradeing in a car at some stage, if the garage said "but I'm matching the UK trade in price" , would you be happy getting a few grand less on it?

That's precisley what some dealers are doing at the moment. They can't have it both ways!

Owen

Exactly Stekelly, Customers in Ireland want the UK price on the car they're buying, but want the old inflated Irish price for their part ex.

spadder

Par72 wrote: »

When you say land it, are you including the cost and inconvenience associated with getting the car from the UK? I would expect the dealers to give you some sort of a reduction but I wouldn't expect them to match your price.

Yeah, I incluled ferries, vrt, RAC/Hpi check etc. I know it's an inconvenience but for a saving of €3-4k its worth it. I’ll get the car and let the Mrs do the paperwork.
I'll wait and see what the private sale guy says.

I don't give a sh1te about the dealers, it's simple economics, I have €14k to spend, I want the best value for my hard earned cash. I tried to offer them my business and I was laughed off the phone.

I have my own business, if someone makes me an offer on a product or machine, I'll take it or try to negotiate a better price, but I’ll do it politely.
Iv'e sold close to cost price if I needed the cash urgently, rather than have it sit there depreciating.
The Property and car industry are full of obnoxious gits who feel they are owed a living.

Fcuk 'em, I'll go to the UK in future. They seemed insulted that someone would make them an offer.

Drummerboy08

spadder wrote: »

.
close to cost price

14k on a 17-18k car is no where near cost price. No where near it.

Would you sell your product to a person at a 10-20% loss?

Speedy007

ned78 wrote: »

Exactly Stekelly, Customers in Ireland want the UK price on the car they're buying, but want the old inflated Irish price for their part ex.

+1

Anan1

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

14k on a 17-18k car is no where near cost price. No where near it.

Would you sell your product to a person at a 10-20% loss?

What the car cost the dealer is completely irrelevant, what he can get for it is all that matters.

challengemaster

Well tbh, I really can't see them selling anything like that. The way figures are for this year so far already, and couple that with the population finally copping on that shopping outside of IRE is better for the pocket....

Honestly, with the amount of cars that are lying around the place now, I'd be happy to be selling a car if I was a dealer.

spadder

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

14k on a 17-18k car is no where near cost price. No where near it.

Would you sell your product to a person at a 10-20% loss?

No, but I wouldn't bite a persons head off for asking, but would you pay 20-30% more for anything if you didn't have to?

L-M

spadder wrote: »

No, but I wouldn't bite a persons head off for asking, but would you pay 20-30% more for anything if you didn't have to?

LOL!!! Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of people are. Every day...

Edit: I'm talking about the "anything", not cars...

Owen

spadder wrote: »

would you pay 20-30% more for anything if you didn't have to?

Well, if you're in business yourself, whatever your selling will be subject to customers travelling across the water to get your products cheaper too. Not a nice feeling, and Dealers (The ordinary sales people who have had no control over the market prices for the past few years, and are now damn close to unemployment through no fault of their own) are just getting emotionally charged because of it.

No one's saying you should pay the Irish price but see it from both sides of the fence. If you're in business yourself, you should be able to see past the sales person's response, and see the state of the trade as a whole.

keane2097

Lads I don't know why the OP is getting so much abuse. He's not trying to pull a fast one on anybody or force anybody into a dodgy deal. He has the car he wants for a price he's happy with in the UK and he gave dealers in Ireland the courtesy of giving them the oppertunity to match that or at least make them a counter-offer.

He went to the trouble of ringing up dealers to give them a fair shot at his business and they were impolite and ungrateful. It's not the first similar story I've heard.

Bad form dealers imo.

spadder

ned78 wrote: »

Well, if you're in business yourself, whatever your selling will be subject to customers travelling across the water to get your products cheaper too. Not a nice feeling, and Dealers (The ordinary sales people who have had no control over the market prices for the past few years, and are now damn close to unemployment through no fault of their own) are just getting emotionally charged because of it.

No one's saying you should pay the Irish price but see it from both sides of the fence. If you're in business yourself, you should be able to see past the sales person's response, and see the state of the trade as a whole.

I do see the state of the trade, that's why I said I would try to give it my business. The trade abruptly told me to feck off, now maybe there are some nice (smart) guys out there who can actually deal with a customer but I didn't talk to any today.
The dealers have had it good for so long that they have lost the art of negotiating and manners.

Vim Fuego

Yes, the industry guys in this forum often jump to the conclusion that customers are all arseholes in their communications with dealers.

I love the way people started on with the 'would you like UK trade-in prices too?' when it was never even mentioned and obviously isn't a factor in this transaction.

Fair play OP, you gave it a shot at spending locally but like property, people have their head in the clouds and are stubbornly hanging on to their prices.

GiftGrub100

Sorry to hear about your experience, it really does seem you are getting an excellent deal from the UK on the car, I wish we could get a 07 car on the lot for that sort of money however if the car is a S40 1.6D SE which is 31,750 new that gives a depreciation of 8,500 per year which is high, and if it's the 2.0D SE that's nearly 10,000 per year depreciation for the first two years.

I know that people are always talking about the motor trade ripping people off over the last few years but in the old days people could change S40's for an average of 5,000-6,000 per year and due to the collapse of sterling that change will now be 8,000-10,000 per year, as people are valuing the Irish second hand against used UK cars while we have to pay Irish prices for new cars.

The motor trade has a lot of adjusting to do but in many cases the dealers can't sell at that sort of a loss on what is traditionally a good selling car. There is no excuse for treating any customers with contempt though and I would hope most dealers would try and get you to buy something else like a 06 with good spec or any other options they have available.

I have looked at the UK Volvo site and most 07 S40's are £12,000 Sterling + VRT of €5,000 which I think works out at around €18,500 registered + travel costs. Is there a reason the car you have found is well priced ?

DubTony

Stekelly wrote: »

When your tradeing in a car at some stage, if the garage said "but I'm matching the UK trade in price"

and when it goes out on sale in the dealership will it be sold with the UK selling price or the Irish selling price on the windscreen?

spadder

It has milage 45K done and is not the high spec model, i suppose the RAC/hpi will tell the tale.

-Chris-

spadder wrote: »

I’m looking for a Volvo s40 for the Mrs, found a nice 07 diesel in the UK, with VRT I should land it for around €13500 - €14000.


Trying to be patriotic, I’d said I’ll try to give the Irish dealers my business.
Phoned around a few similar models on Carzone listed between €17k and €19k. I told them straight what I was doing, asked them if they would match my UK price ( I don’t mind paying a bit extra for warranty etc)

Hi OP,

The deal is pretty much done and the decision made, so hopefully you don't mind sharing some info with us - if only to help me negotiate better when I'm given this scenario by a customer:

What was your bottom line price? Would you only deal if they agreed to sell you their cars for €14k? Would you have met them half way? Would you have paid €14.5k or €15k in order to keep your business local?

Did you only deal with them on the phone, or did you visit any businesses in person?

Are there any benefits in buying the car in the UK other than price - additional warranty etc.? Are you buying privately or from a dealer?

How do the Irish cars' specs and mileage compare to the car you're buying? How "low" is the spec on the UK car?

spadder wrote: »

All said no deal, one guy gave me a lecture saying he has overheads, showrooms etc to run. I asked him “so I’m paying extra for your premises”.

Do you not think it's reasonable that you'd be charged extra to buy from a dealer (presumably Volvo dealers)? They've made a significant investment in premises, stock and staff to present their cars in the best light, the overheads involved will naturally impact the price of their stock. How much extra is a reasonable premium for a dealer to charge over a private seller?

spadder wrote: »

WTF is with these guys?

spadder wrote: »

I don't give a sh1te about the dealers

spadder wrote: »

I tried to offer them my business and I was laughed off the phone.

spadder wrote: »

I'll take it or try to negotiate a better price, but I’ll do it politely.

spadder wrote: »

The Property and car industry are full of obnoxious gits who feel they are owed a living.

spadder wrote: »

Fcuk 'em, I'll go to the UK in future.

spadder wrote: »

They seemed insulted that someone would make them an offer.

spadder wrote: »

No, but I wouldn't bite a persons head off for asking

spadder wrote: »

The trade abruptly told me to feck off

spadder wrote: »

maybe there are some nice (smart) guys out there...but I didn't talk to any today.

spadder wrote: »

The dealers have had it good for so long that they have lost the art of negotiating and manners.

Separately from the questions above, can you give more detail on your conversations with the salespeople? From the language used in the quotes above it sounds like you were treated very poorly.

DubTony

AudiChris wrote: »

Separately from the questions above, can you give more detail on your conversations with the salespeople? From the language used in the quotes above it sounds like you were treated very poorly.

LOL. You really don't care whether he answers that or not, do you?

Anan1

AudiChris wrote: »

Do you not think it's reasonable that you'd be charged extra to buy from a dealer (presumably Volvo dealers)? They've made a significant investment in premises, stock and staff to present their cars in the best light, the overheads involved will naturally impact the price of their stock. How much extra is a reasonable premium for a dealer to charge over a private seller?

I would pay no more for premises, stock and staff. I would pay a premium for good service, convenience, and a warranty, though.

spadder

Anan1 wrote: »

I would pay no more for premises, stock and staff. I would pay a premium for good service, convenience, and a warranty, though.

Yes, as Anan says, Why would I feel I have to contribute to the upkeep of your premises?

I bought vans off my local mechanic before, he's a nice guy, works out of a shed and stands over what he sells, he fixes stuff for me all the time and I never had a jaw dropping invoice from him.

Kersh

If we have to get our heads around the fact our cars are not worth what we paid for them(or what we think they are worth now), then dealers better wise up to it too.

-Chris-

Anan1 wrote: »

I would pay no more for premises, stock and staff. I would pay a premium for good service, convenience, and a warranty, though.

spadder wrote: »

Yes, as Anan says, Why would I feel I have to contribute to the upkeep of your premises?

I bought vans off my local mechanic before, he's a nice guy, works out of a shed and stands over what he sells, he fixes stuff for me all the time and I never had a jaw dropping invoice from him.

Fair point(s), service is far more important than premises. You can't polish a turd.
I guess my question to the OP in essence was, if the car, the staff knowledge & professionalism, the service etc. were the all equal - what premium would he put on buying from a top-notch premises and what premium would he put on buying Irish?

AudiChris wrote: »

Hi OP,

The deal is pretty much done and the decision made, so hopefully you don't mind sharing some info with us - if only to help me negotiate better when I'm given this scenario by a customer:

What was your bottom line price? Would you only deal if they agreed to sell you their cars for €14k? Would you have met them half way? Would you have paid €14.5k or €15k in order to keep your business local?

Did you only deal with them on the phone, or did you visit any businesses in person?

Are there any benefits in buying the car in the UK other than price - additional warranty etc.? Are you buying privately or from a dealer?

How do the Irish cars' specs and mileage compare to the car you're buying? How "low" is the spec on the UK car?

I'd seriously love to hear the answer to these questions.

unkel

Anan1 wrote: »

What the car cost the dealer is completely irrelevant, what he can get for it is all that matters.

Exactly. How much a car "stands" them is a concept the Irish dealer will have to get out of their thick head if they want to stand a chance of coming out of this ok. No offense meant to any dealer, but I am concerned. It just doesn't work like this anymore. Sticking your head in the sand is not gonna solve the problem.

spadder

AudiChris wrote: »

Fair point(s), service is far more important than premises. You can't polish a turd.
I guess my question to the OP in essence was, if the car, the staff knowledge & professionalism, the service etc. were the all equal - what premium would he put on buying from a top-notch premises and what premium would he put on buying Irish?




I'd seriously love to hear the answer to these questions.

Deal is not done yet, car has to be checked, might yet do a deal with a pivate guy in Ireland.

As i said if my local guy had a similar car I would buy it from him, I send the Mrs down for the car and I'd settle up with him up to +€1500. ( he really only does commercials though)

As for top notch premises with an all glass showrooms with sales staff in hugo boss suits- good luck with all that:D

I Bought a van once from renault, van broke down one day on a job due to some engine management sh1te , needed it back on the road asap. rang the big garage with glass showroom and big service bay. They said I could book it in, in two weeks!!!
That turned me off main dealers altogether.

Stevie Dakota

There is another factor here that is overlooked, and that is the 3 year warranty with most cars in the UK. 2 years manufacturer and 1 year dealer which is also honoured here in my experience. So even if an Irish dealer can get close on price, they are at a disadvantage with the warranty, and for me that will keep me going abroad every time. IF distributers/dealers here offered the same warranty conditions it would certainly make me re-consider.

pred racer

AudiChris wrote: »

Fair point(s), service is far more important than premises. You can't polish a turd.
I guess my question to the OP in essence was, if the car, the staff knowledge & professionalism, the service etc. were the all equal - what premium would he put on buying from a top-notch premises and what premium would he put on buying Irish?




I'd seriously love to hear the answer to these questions.

Fair play Chris. Someone in the trade who is asking the questions all dealers should be asking.

Maybe a seperate thread is in order??

For myself, if I was buying that level of car (14k odd) I think i would be happy to pay 15-15.5k to a garage here just to have a bit of warranty and to not have to travel etc.

lafors

I think the OP is right on this one.
He picked a car, knows how much he can get it from the UK, then goes to Irish dealers to see what they can do.

If he's going in on a car valued at 17k+ and asking for it for 14k, I would expect (with the current state of the industry) for the "salesman"...not order taker anymore...to say to him, well I can't do it for 14k, but I'll see whats the best I can do it for, then negotiation starts.
But from the OP's comments so far it doesn't seem this happened.
Maybe if the OP answers Chris's questions we might know for definite.

As for the dealers/salesmen on here, surely with the slow sales, you have to be factoring in the high depreciation when dealing in the present market?
You could have a lot of cars unsold for a long time, so would it not be better to clear these cars, possibly take a loss on some, then get the profits on cars you are getting in on trade in (at UK prices, as you say!) or even bring them in from the UK yourselves. The longer you hold onto them the less you'll get...obvious really.

spadder

lafors wrote: »

I think the OP is right on this one.
He picked a car, knows how much he can get it from the UK, then goes to Irish dealers to see what they can do.

If he's going in on a car valued at 17k+ and asking for it for 14k, I would expect (with the current state of the industry) for the "salesman"...not order taker anymore...to say to him, well I can't do it for 14k, but I'll see whats the best I can do it for, then negotiation starts.
But from the OP's comments so far it doesn't seem this happened.
Maybe if the OP answers Chris's questions we might know for definite.

As for the dealers/salesmen on here, surely with the slow sales, you have to be factoring in the high depreciation when dealing in the present market?
You could have a lot of cars unsold for a long time, so would it not be better to clear these cars, possibly take a loss on some, then get the profits on cars you are getting in on trade in (at UK prices, as you say!) or even bring them in from the UK yourselves. The longer you hold onto them the less you'll get...obvious really.

Sorry lads, Im a bit distracted, so jumping in and out of posts.
yep, i do feel I was undersold today by the car industry.
If I were the dealer here's what I would have said:

Sorry spadder, can't do it for 14k how about €xxx?

can't do that price, what about 2or 3 free services

Can't do that car, what about this one?

I see you have a few vans, would you consider us for service if we gave you such a deal.

Could we service and valet your 2nd car if you buy this?

weekend away? car tax? blowjob?:D

Dealers have to learn to "Deal"

-Chris-

pred racer wrote: »

Fair play Chris. Someone in the trade who is asking the questions all dealers should be asking.

Maybe a seperate thread is in order??

For myself, if I was buying that level of car (14k odd) I think i would be happy to pay 15-15.5k to a garage here just to have a bit of warranty and to not have to travel etc.

lafors wrote: »

I think the OP is right on this one.
He picked a car, knows how much he can get it from the UK, then goes to Irish dealers to see what they can do.

If he's going in on a car valued at 17k+ and asking for it for 14k, I would expect (with the current state of the industry) for the "salesman"...not order taker anymore...to say to him, well I can't do it for 14k, but I'll see whats the best I can do it for, then negotiation starts.
But from the OP's comments so far it doesn't seem this happened.
Maybe if the OP answers Chris's questions we might know for definite.

Thanks. Usually you get more honest answers on the anonymous internet than you do in a showroom, I was wondering what the thought process behind the purchasing decision looked like.
I was surprised at the seemingly "no, we're just not doing it, sod off!" responses the OP is alluding to.

lafors wrote: »

As for the dealers/salesmen on here, surely with the slow sales, you have to be factoring in the high depreciation when dealing in the present market?
You could have a lot of cars unsold for a long time, so would it not be better to clear these cars, possibly take a loss on some, then get the profits on cars you are getting in on trade in (at UK prices, as you say!) or even bring them in from the UK yourselves. The longer you hold onto them the less you'll get...obvious really.

Our Used Car Manager (also an owner of the garage) sets the prices, the sales staff just try and sell the cars within the pricing parameters he's set.

If a car is proving particularly hard to sell, or if the car is getting quite a lot of interest but at a lower price point than it's currently set at, the salespeople will let the boss know and he'll decide whether he wants to re-price it and take the loss or hold his ground.
Trust me, if salespeople could get the dealer to instantly reprice the stock and let them sell every unit in stock, they'd be over the moon.
The reality is that 60-80% of used cars sold in dealers recently have sold at a loss, and the boss is keeping the price as high as possible while still letting them sell, trying to minimise the losses his business is experiencing.

But I'm way OT now, let's get back to the import vs Irish conversation!

-Chris-

spadder wrote: »

Sorry lads, Im a bit distracted, so jumping in and out of posts.
yep, i do feel I was undersold today by the car industry.
If I were the dealer here's what I would have said:

Sorry spadder, can't do it for 14k how about €xxx?

can't do that price, what about 2or 3 free services

Can't do that car, what about this one?

I see you have a few vans, would you consider us for service if we gave you such a deal.

Could we service and valet your 2nd car if you buy this?

weekend away? car tax? blowjob?:D

Dealers have to learn to "Deal"

Yes, that's what you would have preferred them to say, but you still haven't told us what they actually said...

spadder

AudiChris wrote: »

Yes, that's what you would have preferred them to say, but you still haven't told us what they actually said...

I rang several today,
as I said earlier, one guy gave me a lecture on his running costs,

another garage, a girl took my details "logged my call" put me on hold and then through to the sales dept who bluntly told me no way.

i do remember the last guy telling me he'd get €17+ no problem for whatever model he was selling.


There you go, I'm not out to rip anyone off, I just have a budget and I want to get the best car possible.

Maybe a bit of Monty Python might explain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA

L-M

Last time some one rang me in your position OP, i took the loss and took what they offered. (Was in comparison to another dealership, but it's the same principals). Some dealers will, some won't.

leeroybrown

I can understand dealers being reluctant to take below market value for a car but in quite a lot of case dealers seem to be willing to put up an unrealistic sticker price and then refuse to discount to a reasonable level. I've seen some price reductions recently but with no one buying, economic uncertainty, unemployment rising steadily and a new UK reg plate next month they're not doing enough. In fairness, it's not just dealers, as there are plenty of prospective private sales that will take a 25% price drop to go through.

I'm in the market myself at the moment and am willing to pay a reasonable price for a car with an Irish dealer warranty but I'd rather sit on my cash than pay what some are asking for.

-Chris-

spadder wrote: »

I rang several today,
as I said earlier, one guy gave me a lecture on his running costs,

another garage, a girl took my details "logged my call" put me on hold and then through to the sales dept who bluntly told me no way.

i do remember the last guy telling me he'd get €17+ no problem for whatever model he was selling.


There you go, I'm not out to rip anyone off, I just have a budget and I want to get the best car possible.

Maybe a bit of Monty Python might explain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA

I'm sorry, but how does...

one salesperson taking the time to explain to you his justification for his higher price
another dealer taking your details (a pretty professional practice) before a salesperson gives you a definitive "no"
and
another salesperson being happy with their pricing structure and having confidence that they'd sell their car at the price they want for it

...equate to:

spadder wrote: »

WTF is with these guys?

spadder wrote: »

I don't give a sh1te about the dealers

spadder wrote: »

I tried to offer them my business and I was laughed off the phone.

spadder wrote: »

I'll take it or try to negotiate a better price, but I’ll do it politely.

spadder wrote: »

The Property and car industry are full of obnoxious gits who feel they are owed a living.

spadder wrote: »

Fcuk 'em, I'll go to the UK in future.

spadder wrote: »

They seemed insulted that someone would make them an offer.

spadder wrote: »

No, but I wouldn't bite a persons head off for asking

spadder wrote: »

The trade abruptly told me to feck off

spadder wrote: »

maybe there are some nice (smart) guys out there...but I didn't talk to any today.

spadder wrote: »

The dealers have had it good for so long that they have lost the art of negotiating and manners.

spadder

AudiChris wrote: »

I'm sorry, but how does...

one salesperson taking the time to explain to you his justification for his higher price
another dealer taking your details (a pretty professional practice) before a salesperson gives you a definitive "no"
and
another salesperson being happy with their pricing structure and having confidence that they'd sell their car at the price they want for it

...equate to:

Chris, your using alot of my quotes out of the context they were posted,
regardless, I don't owe the car industry anything, in the same way, nobody is going to bail my business out, it's up to me to diversify and try to ride this out. I don't whinge on the phone to my customers when they push me with cheap imports from the USA or China.

At the end of the day, am I suppose to be happy paying €3k+ over the odds to a dealer that could be bust by the end of the year so I can get a warranty?

pred racer

AudiChris wrote: »

I'm sorry, but how does...

one salesperson taking the time to explain to you his justification for his higher price
another dealer taking your details (a pretty professional practice) before a salesperson gives you a definitive "no"
and
another salesperson being happy with their pricing structure and having confidence that they'd sell their car at the price they want for it

...equate to:

I think you're trying to justify your own poin of view here.

There is a big difference between Audichris "I'm sorry sir there is no way we could let it go for that price"

and Idiotdealer "no bloody way mate, you must be having a laugh"

Audichris " With my overheads I cant afford to let that car go for that money"

Idiotdealer " do you not realise that i have bills to pay, freeloading scum like you make me sick"

and finally

AudiChris "I believe that that car is well priced and that you are being unrealistic"

Idiotdealer "ah sur somebody will buy it, now shag off and leave me alone"

now obviously these are extremes but do you see how different the experience could have been and still end up as the op's post.

-Chris-

pred racer wrote: »

I think you're trying to justify your own poin of view here.

There is a big difference between Audichris "I'm sorry sir there is no way we could let it go for that price"

and Idiotdealer "no bloody way mate, you must be having a laugh"

Audichris " With my overheads I cant afford to let that car go for that money"

Idiotdealer " do you not realise that i have bills to pay, freeloading scum like you make me sick"

and finally

AudiChris "I believe that that car is well priced and that you are being unrealistic"

Idiotdealer "ah sur somebody will buy it, now shag off and leave me alone"

now obviously these are extremes but do you see how different the experience could have been and still end up as the op's post.

But that's exactly my point!
If OP said "I was talking to a salesperson today. I offered him €5k below his advertised price. He said he felt that was unreasonable, but thanked me for my call"
or said "I was talking to a salesperson today. I offered him €5k below his advertised price. He told me to stop wasting his time and said he hoped I got herpes",
he'd get two very different reactions from me. One is reasonable, the other is unacceptable and unprofessional.

At the moment I'm just playing devil's advocate and trying to tease out the exact facts of the situation so that I can commit with an "I don't think you're being fair, OP" or a "that's disgraceful, you should write a letter to the ombudsman" response (or any shade in between ).

So far I've asked for details of the conversations that resulted in such negative language from the OP - no response.
I've also asked how the selected UK car measures up in spec compared to the advertised Irish cars - no response.
I've even asked if the UK sale is dealer or private and am still unenlightened.

I realise I'm being slightly unfair in my quoting of the OP, but I am highlighting the language they're using to show a very obvious and definite anti-"irish main dealer" sentiment.

I'm also not meaning to be defensive, if a dealer gives crap service or jerks someone around they should be named and shamed, but if you want to come onto a public form and use such unambiguous language and damn an entire industry, you'd better be able to back it up with better facts than we're currently seeing from the OP.

My €0.02...

Mr.Boots

I have to agree with op,
Irish dealers in general are just so so so bad.
I accept that my car is woth feck all and i will take the hit......but most dealers seem to be living in never never land.....where their stock dosnt depreciate....at all!
I could give multiple examples of this over the last few weeks but its something (most) of us allready know.
When are they going to realise they arnt selling cars (most people have 90% made up their mind when they enter the showroom)...they are selling customer service, the sooner they realise this the sooner the irish car market wil recover.

-Chris-

spadder wrote: »

Chris, your using alot of my quotes out of the context they were posted,

Apologies if you feel that Spadder, as above, I'm trying to highlight your language rather than the detail of your individual posts.

spadder wrote: »

regardless, I don't owe the car industry anything, in the same way, nobody is going to bail my business out, it's up to me to diversify and try to ride this out. I don't whinge on the phone to my customers when they push me with cheap imports from the USA or China.

But again, I don't know who winged, who screamed and who professionally told you "no".

spadder wrote: »

At the end of the day, am I suppose to be happy paying €3k+ over the odds to a dealer that could be bust by the end of the year so I can get a warranty?

Nope, you're happy paying +€1,500 above UK prices for good, local service. It's a pity the dealers couldn't meet you in the middle.

As for being bust by the end of the year, that's true of any business at the moment.
(I don't know your personal circumstances but...) I'm sure the same could be said by your bank when you go looking for the money to pay for the car, or when your business goes looking for an extension to your overdraft facilities etc.
The same could be said for your bank itself...
If we all stopped dealing with companies because they could possibly go bust soon, we'd find ourselves in a very bad place very quickly.

seasam

I'd imagine that dealers are going to have to take a loss on some cars is bad enough but the fact they then have to pay 21.5% VAT on that loss also is probably a reason they are reluctant to drop the prices. Offering somebody 3,000 less than they are asking on a 17,000 asking price is not realistic either IMO where do you go from there ? ?

Preset No.3

This kind of debate has been going on for a while and its a bit tired. Have a bit of pitty for the dealers etc etc. EH.....no! Back when times were good, getting a salesman to call you back was a minor miracle in itself. The same salesman had no real interest in you if you were only spending 10k on a car. He wanted the big sale and the big commision. The sale was one thing, the after sales was another, again no interest!! Hi, Id like to buy a car, ok sir, you will have delivery in 4-6 months!!!

Car salesmen, dealers and the car companies have nobody to blame but themselves. You didnt respect the customer during the boom, how do you expect us to respect you now?

unkel

Preset No.3 wrote: »

This kind of debate has been going on for a while and its a bit tired. Have a bit of pitty for the dealers etc etc. EH.....no! Back when times were good, getting a salesman to call you back was a minor miracle in itself. The same salesman had no real interest in you if you were only spending 10k on a car. He wanted the big sale and the big commision. The sale was one thing, the after sales was another, again no interest!! Hi, Id like to buy a car, ok sir, you will have delivery in 4-6 months!!!

Car salesmen, dealers and the car companies have nobody to blame but themselves. You didnt respect the customer during the boom, how do you expect us to respect you now?

Yeah and that argument has become a bit tiresome too. The car industry is in trouble now and we should commend professionals like AudiChris for not sticking their head in the sand, but rather be pro-active and for trying to find ways to improve the business

challengemaster

unkel wrote: »

Yeah and that argument has become a bit tiresome too. The car industry is in trouble now and we should commend professionals like AudiChris for not sticking their head in the sand, but rather be pro-active and for trying to find ways to improve the business

But so far all he's done is try find ways to try justify both his own viewpoint and current prices.... That's hardly finding ways to improve the business - all you have to do is read a little and you'll see the main thing people aren't happy about is the current price of stock.