Call someone a used car salesman and it is unlikely to be a compliment. A stereotype emerges of a shifty character flashing crocodile smiles and fake assurances, happy to say anything to get you to buy. A seemingly charming veneer which only lasts to the point of sale after. In short an Arthur Daley.
Thank goodness the world has moved on and we now have modern dealerships, their transparency as clear as their showroom windows, sales people who have had training in customer care, offering a complete pampering package to smooth the experience of parting with large sums of money.
Or are we still back in those dark ages with the dodgy aspect glossed over with cafetieres and croissants?
I am a Lexus driver. I have had four Lexus vehicles back to back, and sometimes overlapping, in the last 12 years. I have never doubted my brand loyalty until recently. When I have, horror of horrors, tried to buy another Lexus.
This week I have agreed to buy three different cars, up to the point of deposit, only to then find that either the car had been sold in the internal Lexus auction whilst we agreed on accessories (beware Wednesday morning buyers), the car was still in use by it’s current owners and wasn’t due in for more than a month – and even then wasn’t definite, or was a completely different colour from the one described. (What shade does Brechin Slate suggest to you? Grey? Wrong. Duck egg blue).
I wouldn’t mind but it is so difficult to find out what is available, given that the Lexus used car website is full of cars that have already been sold or aren’t available for weeks if not months. Or that prices and levels of service vary so much from one dealership to another. Used cars are on average 6% cheaper outside London so shopping around is a good idea. But shop around on customer service as well as on price, as where one salesperson can offer free delivery anywhere in the country another would ask you to collect the car with barely enough juice in it to get to the nearest garage. And don’t get me started on accessories. Or the accuracy of model specification given by salespeople. This of course depends on the model they want you to buy.
Life would be so simple if I could just go to the nearest Lexus dealership and they find the car for me without charging me a premium for being a committed customer. If prices were consistent across the land as they are in supermarkets. If customer care felt like care.
I told my local Lexus salesman that I wasn’t happy with his service after he misled me on several cars. His response? “I don’t want to sell you a car anyway”. Forgive me for thinking this was his job.
