blip

<RANT MODE>

I stupidly thought that when I was finally in a position to buy my first Impreza, and actually walk into a Subaru dealership with money to spend that the sales guys might welcome my business. You know that it would be an enjoyable experience to actually be able to buy the car that I had wanted for so long. Wrong!

Went to a dealer in Yeovil today, had previously called to say I wanted a nice long test drive in the new WRX and for someone to 'sell' me the car and show me what it could do. Took me an hour to get there so was itching to get behind the wheel.

Anyway the sales guy took me on the most pathetic little test route imaginable, I barely got out of second anywhere, got stuck behind tractors/coffin dodgers/etc the whole way (couldn't overtake as I didn't know the roads). Blokey was totally apathetic the whole time, just not interested. Only talking to me if I asked him something. Real nice atmosphere in the car!

After 5 minutes we were back at the dealers so I asked if we could carry on a bit further - no reply. I did anyway but because I don't know Yeovil and he stopped directing me we ended up in town traffic heading for the centre. Eventually I got f***ed off with it and looped back to the dealers.

Got out and he asked me how it was, so I told him exactly what I thought of his 'couldn't give a f*** whether you buy it or not' attitude. He was a bit taken aback. We even had a little 'audience' of other smirking sales staff as I 'explained' my disappointment at his attitude and the cr*p test drive. But he really couldn't give a t*ss so I walked. I'd rather give my money to someone who actually wants it.

I'm clearly deluding myself that I should get any enthusiasm from someone that I am about to give 20 grand of my hard-earned to. I think I've had more enthusiasm from the checkout girls in the supermarket tbh when I spend a fiver!

Customer service in this country really sucks.

</RANT MODE>

Believe it or not I'm not someone who likes to complain and cause a fuss, but this just jacked me off.

SWRTWannabe

If it's the Subaru dealership who used to be based at Wincanton, then I had the opposite experience with them.

In 1999 I bought a brand new Impreza Sport from them - even though I lived in Nottingham at the time (the dealership were far better than the one in Nottingham). I can't comment on their servicing, but their help and assistance in arranging the purchase was excellent.

At the start of last year, I was looking at changing, and as we were in Somerset again, I called them to see if they could do me a test drive. Despite being the Christmas / New Year break, they obliged, letting me do a decent length test drive on a variety of roads (and speeds).

In the end, the Tavia won over the Scoob, so I went no further, but would have been happy to use them.

wacky.banana

Blip,

Email me using my profile. Might be able to help.

Josh L

Sadly you get dealers like that within every franchise.

In my experience, you get fewer Subaru dealers like that. There are plenty of others who will be more than happy to assist you, not to mention take your money.

Phoning around might even get you a better deal anyway.

Josh

Scratch

iTrader: (1)

I bought my first (and so far only scooby) from Listers in Worcester about 14 months ago (which isn't too far from you) and found that the salesman, although not "all knowing" showed a genuine enthusiasm for the brand and was actually interested in talking to me about the car etc.

Not had this experience with any car I'd had previously from a main dealer, so it was a refreshing change.

Also had a couple of minor problems after purchase which they were most helpful in sorting out without complaints or any sort of jobsworth attitude or any of that cr@p.

Again a refreshing change.

By comparison the test drive I'd sone the previous week at one of my local dealers (in Cambridge) was the opposite, it's not that the guy wasn't keen but he just didn't know anything about the car or the brand and was just spouting salesmans speil that totalt put me off due to it's factual inaccuracy and total rubbish.

chrisp

I know its not a Subaru but my local Ford dealer chucked me the keys to a new Focus and said test drive it and bring it back . Must have had it for an hour or so on my own no problems.

superdon

showells in lye gave me their WRX for 2 hours....just me and my girlfriend

The_Lizard

When I bought my Escort in 1988, I also shopped a Subaru Justy. I decided it was too small (and that was before half the passenger vehicles sold here were trucks) and I bought the Ford.

The salesman was younger than me, with fashionable mousse in his hair, and complaining about how he had to get up that morning. He knew almost nothing about the car.

A week later, with the new Escort in the driveway, he called me to ask if I was still interested in the Justy. I told him he had lost his opportunity.

Strange to think back, if I had more money then I could have gotten one of the 3-door coupes they still had. And I think they still offered BRATs then, too.

LordLuthor

Phone Sparshatts of Botley Southampton, ask for James,

he game us the keys to STi7 for 2 hours no problem.

Aftercare is ****e though, but sales is great.

john banks

"Sales people have been killed during test drives"

So have customers by salesmen. One of the GPs who worked at a surgery quite close to mine was wiped out during a test drive

DocJock

Sparshatts aftercare is like everyone elses.
Good for some, not so good for others.

Personally, it is the best aftercare I have ever had in 25 years of car ownership.

Shark

Perhaps I should add more detail. I work in the service department and was once asked by sales to take a guy on a test drive in a 98MY Sport. He drove me on our standard 8 mile route. It starts with a lovely 1mile straight leading upto a crest of a hill with a blind left hander.

The ***** decides to overtake the car in front way to close to the crest - result - he dives back in two seconds before he kills me, himself and the on coming car driver. I told him to pull over and drove back to the garage.

After that, having close links to the management I ban all overtaking on test drives and told the sales guys to stick to the route the other way round - safer IMO given the roads.

Put yourself in the passenger seat of a high performance car with a stranger and tell me I'm wrong.

In the height of test drives as far as we where concerned in 98/99 we did circa 10 to 15 a Saturday in the demo Turbo, often using my own car. You should see how some of these ****** drive

The attitude of the dealer however I will not comment on

David

pbee

Hey scratch, your in my old neck of the woods, I grew up in St Neots moved to Cambridge a couple of years ago. I have had a couple of tests drives at the local dealership in Cambridge, and they just dont want to sell the car unless you just walk in a nd pay for it. I think they must be used to when the cars sold themseleves and they didnt have to do any leg work for sales. I took my business elsewhere i have actually imported my my03 wrx but im still waiting for it :-(. I will not be talking to said cambridge dealership probably try the dealer in baldock.

pjhsid

For a 126 mile journey you could always drive to Bell & Colvill, West Horsley.
Arrange a test drive before hand with Nito. Excellent saleman, he's got a passion! There are plenty of nice roads around there to try it out. And Nito driving you out the showroom is great fun too.
Excellent aftercare aswell.

Chins

Whilst I feel some sypmpathy, when you decide to sell cars, then test drives go with the job and you know it. Start selling performance cars and the risks increase, esp when 20-30yr olds can afford them. Test driving a performance car like the Impreza and not being allowed to take a route that allows overtaking manovers is poor. How can a person that about to spend 20 odd grand get a feel for the car. If the garage is so worried about their salespersons personal safety give the guy the keys and let him out on his own. Many dealerships are amazed at the inability of someone to buy a car at the end of the drive. Maybe like our poster has experienced, if you dont get to boot it, you wont get hooked.

Sure some people get killed on test drives by idiots, which I feel for all those involved, but its goes with the job. I travel Europe a lot and have to take Taxi's. You want to talk about risking your life in a car 60-70mph overtaking on cobbled streets -5 outside in a car whos shocks went 100,000 miles before.
I dont get the chance to ask questions of my driver before I put my life in his hands, dont get to check the cars roadworthyness. Cant even tell them to slow down as I dont speak Hungarian, Polish or whatever. BUT I do it for the love of my company, and my bank account

One of the main issues here is the fact the dealerships employ some very poor salespeople. From what I see their training, ability to read customers is very poor. In general in most dealerships I only tend to find one really good saleperson. Chances of success increase in my experience if its a more upmarket brand - but there are a few ***** out there.

Being in sales, when I find a good saleperson, they usually do well out of me as I appreciate a good sale. Saying that most of them think I'm a mad **** myself

Please dont take it wrong. Life is a very precious thing. But some jobs carry more risks than others. I think I was safer in the military than in sales

Jonathan

MGJohn

Any salesman worth a light will be able to quickly sense a genuine potential buyer with a fair degree of certainty. Remember, it's the genuine ones that pay the salary, commission whatever, NOT the Boss! Not always possible but a simple approach and one or two lightweight questions can help reach a fairly accurate assessment about anyone entering the showroom.

It's well over 40 years since I bought my first car and back then, if you didn't appear to possess sufficient funds to participate, you were not taken seriously. Their loss ... on several occasions back then and since and have said as much, as indeed did 'blip'; Well done ... needed to be said and will benefit all involved rather than just saying nothing and voting with your feet.

Shopping around for the best deal on a new MGZS recently found me in a local showroom surrounded by a surfeit of shiny new Imprezas whilst talking MGs ... plenty of time, long test drive and nothing too much trouble ... well impressed! Trouble was, got similar treatment from another MG-R dealership less than ten miles away. These people knew me from previous sales and tossed the keys of their ZS demonstrator to me with no indication of any time limit. See you later. The whole family had a drive as we all will use the car at times. So, yes, in "Profits before people, safety and service" often so very typical of the UK during the past two decades, good service isn't always easy to find. It should be ... but, it is there and when you find it, say so ....a little praise, thanks even goes a long way and people remember that to the benefit of us all.

I then had a small problem, who gets the sale ... both dealerships did their best ... so, spin a coin because I work near one, and live near the other ...

Chins

MGJOHN

Totally agree with your post. The other day I went to a joint Audi/VW dealer. Was thinking of getting another RS4 instead of the R32. Salesman said I would need to order the car before I got a test drive. Nearly asked for the Dealer Principal !!. A few qualifying questions would easily of seen a) I had the cash, and b) I was serious

On leaving I spotted an R32 in the VW side. Looked like their own car. Went in to ask how the person that got to drive home felt about the car. Told them I was getting one from another local dealer. Two minutes later I had the keys and a young saleman along to accompany me. I made a point of writing a letter praising them for good PR. They will certainly get a call when I buy my next VW.

Jonathan

blip

Agree with a lot that has been said here. At the end of the day I had (I felt) clearly signalled my intent as a serious buyer during two previous phone calls and one 'fly-by' visit to said dealer. I had even said on the phone:

'I'd like someone to take me out initially and show me what the car can really do before having a good drive myself'

- as I'm conscious that coming from a non-turbo FWD car I'm never going to get properly dialled-in to the car in ten minutes to fully explore it's performance envelope (especially with a nervous salesman sat next to me). I explained I had an hours drive to get there and the guy was mega-helpful - 'Oh yes sir, ask for me personally and I'll sort it out'. Yeah, well that attitude evaporated when I got there for sure.

When it came to me complaining at cr*p attitude/test drive he even denied it was him I spoke to on the phone!!!

Ultimately the truth is I wouldn't need much persuasion to do the deal on the spot, but I just have that niggling 5% doubt that I need to overcome over whether the performance/cost of ownership ratio between my current car and a new WRX is worth the step up. Surely that is natural as I have never owned an Impreza before.

I told the guy there is only so much you can learn about a car from magazine reviews/the internet/staring through a window. I need to know that it truly lives up to the hype on the road.

He (robot-fashion): 'Well that was our designated test-route sir' and 'you were just unlucky with the traffic'.

Me: 'So you can't deviate from that route then?'.

Him: 'Er, yes'!

Me: 'So why didn't you take me along some other roads?'

Him: 'Well there aren't many good roads around here' (dealers is on edge of Yeovil 2 mins from open Somerset countryside!!!

Me: 'Well I didn't come here to drive a f***ing Impreza in town traffic!'

Him: 'Oh, I thought you'd want to try it in traffic because you mentioned that the WRX's ability to cosset as well as thrill appealed to you'!!!!!!!!!

It was near this point that I gave up and walked (for the sake of my blood-pressure).

Thing is I would even take my bank statement into a dealers and show that I can buy the car in cash on the spot if I thought the guy would actually take me seriously as a potential buyer.

I'm more than aware that the guy in the passenger seat is going to be a bit nervous but I'm 34 and drive with my head not my pr*ck these days. I just wanted to be able to boot it through the gears and feel what it's like on a few quick bends. That's it. Not much to ask when you're buying a performance car surely.

Josh L

You shouldn't have to pursuade a dealer to take your money, and you certainly shouldn't have to take in a bank statement. If I had to do that I'd be driving around in a 20 year old metro!

Unfortunately with dealers, as in any walk of life, there are good 'uns and bad 'uns. Find a good 'un, and they'll be helpful, let you take the car for a reasonable drive, maybe even on your own and try to sell you the car.

A good salesman won't be rude until AFTER he's got the money

Josh

wacky.banana

Josh L,

How true.

dave_gt

I once had the pleasure of going into a BMW dealership to enquire about buying a 328i convertible. In my school uniform. Remarkably the salesman took me totally serious after an initial widening of the eyes. When we test drove it he filled it up with petrol and gave me the keys for the entire day. We ended up with one and it does go to show how salesmen should not jump to too many early conclusions.

I've also had some good experiences with my local Ferrari dealer. I cant even begin to afford one, yet. I've been in twice just to have a quick look inside and ask about servicing and general ownership issues. I spoke to the same person on both occasions who was both polite and informative. He knew I was not considering buying one at least for a fair few years but still treated me with respect and so if he's still there if/when I can get one he will certainly get my business.

Leslie

Blip

My sympathies are with you, there is no excuse for a salesman to treat you in such a manner even if he had no indication that you were seriously interested in buying eventually. If nothing else he could have at least exhibited some kind of good manners during your test drive etc. This kind of attitude seems to be all too prevalent in this country, especially in shops.

I would be sorely tempted to write a personal letter to the manager of the dealership and complain positively about your experience. I would also leave him in no doubt that he has lost the sale which was definitely on in the first place. If we just let this sort of behaviour go by without complaint it will only get worse of course. It may make you feel better over this to reflect on the fact that the guy was not doing the job he is paid for.

Les

storm555

I had similar experience when I bought my MY01 WRX. I work in London and the dealer I spoke to in North London and met wasn't really intereseted at all in me or my part exchange (Clio 172). I bought my car from FR Pullyen in York when I was up in the area visiting my sister.They have been excellentand recently gave me an STi7 for a morning to test drive. The London dealer rang me a few weeks later and wasn't happy I had gone elsewhere. Customer Service and the right attitude is the key to a sale!

fdpxfunix

Blip

I'll second 'pjhsid' comment on page 1 about Bell & Colvill in West Horsley.

I bought my MY99 in September 2001. The salesman allowed me a long test drive, including twisty bits, hills, dual carriage way and even a bit of car park driving ... I had to know how it handles in a car park

The guy started off by telling me he'd just moved from VW to Subaru so as he could drive these cars on a daily basis. He was quite happy for me to do what ever I wanted (within reason) during the test drive and was very enthusiastic for the brand.

When we got back to the dealership I asked to be left alone with the car to give it the once over. Took me about 45 mins to check things over, during which time I was never bothered by the salesman.

I bought the Scoob in the end and was very happy with service I'd recieved.

Just sounds to me like you got the wrong salesman at the wrong time.

J.

Hoppy

I wanted to try a PPP Impreza and phoned Prodrive. They said Listers of Worcester had a demonstrator. Phoned Listers, booked a day and when I turned up they just handed me the keys.

After an hour and a half, they phoned me "Everything okay?" By which they actually meant, are you in a ditch I told them I'd be about another hour. "No problem, Sir."

I ordered the PPP and Prodrive suspension on the spot. Funny thing is, I'd decided to get the PPP less than two minutes after leaving the garage

Richard.

ian_sadler

I've said it before but a good salesman makes all the difference (I would say that as sales manager ). I walked in my local Subaru dealer just to see what the fuss was about and had delivered a few days later my Terzo

Great attitude, took two different cars out cos I couldn't make up my mind and I was dressed in jeans & a rugby top.

Well done Mark & Simon

Ian

Beech Boy

BLIP

I am so sorry that you have had poor service from your local subaru agent.

If it would help you forget about this, i would personally be delighted to bring our WRX III down from Nottingham, to your house, so you could drive it on YOUR local roads, at a time to suit you!
Please dont tar us all with the same brush, and this isnt just a way of scoring points over anyone else. I am happy to do this for anyone who is seriously looking at a Subaru, and cant get any local satisfaction!!(from their dealer.)

Please either mail me or give me a ring on 0115-9882958.

Cheers

Gavin...

mattstant

take up gavins offer you can be sure its serious.

went in to beechdale derby for a test drive in a MY03 last week and although I am known there and our company has an account i was given the keys and set off for a good hours test drive on my own.
I picked up the misses and my 7 week old baby for a run out to check the suspension (vital point in selling this to the misses)
and had a good blast on familiar roads.
Order is now imminent

Top dealers all round IMHO

dsclaimer :- i am in no why financially connected or related to any member of staff at Beechdale

ps give us a fiver Gavin

StickyMicky

do u think u would get a better responce from the dealer if u pulled up to the dealers in an older scooby???

Mungo

pjhsid - you sure that the after service is good from B&C? Have you experienced any other Subaru dealers? My own experience of them was very different...

Regarding the Yeovil dealership, I bought my MY99 from them new. The salesman I dealt with was a young guy who wasn't allowed to drive the car himself, was accompanied me and the wife on a good long test drive. However, when we got back to the garage his boss tried to muscle in on teh sale. He was a smarmy middle-aged bloke who seemed to think he knew it all, and p!ssed us both off they nearly lost the sale. Fortunately he just about grasped this and let his younger colleague finish off with us.