Another LDS Experience Gone Sour

[mxracer19]

Thats my point. I bought something different. I saved $300 by doing this. I could not find a price lower on the transplate, which is why had I bought the TP I wouldve done it through this LDS.

Amended - Thank you much Mack50.

-Matt

 

[shark.byte.usa]

If I spent a couple of hours at a BMW dealership talking with a salesman who was giving me technical information, advice, and stories, and took the time to go out on a test drive with me, then I went down the road to the next dealership where the salesmen don't know anything and bought my new 530xi because the price on the window was lower, I would be disgusted with myself and I would certainly expect the salesman to give me the cold shoulder if I went back later for something else.

You took advantage of the services they offer for free up front and went behind their backs and bought the item online at a discount without even giving them a shot at the sale. The extra money they charge for the item is to pay for the knowledgeable staff, pool, and storefront. You basically told them their time, their store, their knowledge, and their pool are worth nothing whatsoever to you.

I have to say I completely disagree with you! "Took the time to go out on a test drive"? That's their job, and it is a FREE service you should take advantage of. As for being disgusted with yourself, when I make a major purchase (as this kid did, a $300-$600 purchase sounds major to him), my mindset is not about being cool or mindful of the poor salesman's feelings, it's his job to close the sale, answer questions etc, if he's spent anytime on the job, he should know the story going in, When are you planning on making your purchasing decision, do you have a trade-in, how much are you putting down? These questions give them a sense of where you are at. Same could be said for the salesLADY at this LDS, she could have asked this young man when he was planning on making his decision, been very nice and showed him his options answered his questions, told him to come back when he was ready and take them into the pool then before making his final decision and tried to close the sale then. It's her and the LDS's fault he went elsewhere, she showed all her cards upfront.

As for going behing their back, this isn't a relationship. There's no cheating involved, he took advantage (as he should) of the FREE services offered. It's not like he ran out of the store and signed on to eBay, and even if he had Oh Well, they didn't close the sale, who's fault is that. As for giving them a shot at the sale, I don't know about this LDS, but mine, or the one I got certified through should I say, has a no haggling policy.

Personally, even if I did feel bad about the poor ole' car salesman, I'd forget all about him when I got my first payment for my nice new BMW 530xi and it was a couple hundred dollars less each month....Now what was that guys name again?? F@*& IT!! (vrooommmmmmmm!!!!)

 

[Bibendum]

I don't care how much time a salesperson spends with someone on a sale; if they later find out the person bought elsewhere, for whatever reason, they as the salesperson have absolutely NO right to get angry, yell, or be rude toward a customer. If you offer pool try-outs as a service, then it's just that, a service. It's not a way of creating an obligation. If you don't want people using your pool and buying elsewhere, then don't let people use the pool to try out gear. Plain and simple, the reality of running a businees is that customers have NO OBLIGATION to purchase from you.

What the sale person should have realized, was that the +/- $300 saved on the back plate most likely would have been spent on additional gear bought AT THE STORE. She completely blew that possibility, and the possibility for all future sales to that family, and most likely their friends. Businesses need to realize that word travels fast among family and friends, especially if it's about poor or rude service.

If you want to be angry because you spent time with a customer and in the end didn't get the sale, then do it after the customer leaves. Nothing loses business faster than treating people, who are there to spend their hard earned money, badly.

 

[jonnythan]

I don't care how much time a salesperson spends with someone on a sale; if they later find out the person bought elsewhere, for whatever reason, they as the salesperson have absolutely NO right to get angry, yell, or be rude toward a customer. If you offer pool try-outs as a service, then it's just that, a service. It's not a way of creating an obligation. If you don't want people using your pool and buying elsewhere, then don't let people use the pool to try out gear. Plain and simple, the reality of running a businees is that customers have NO OBLIGATION to purchase from you.

And they have no obligation to expend any more effort on you.

They would no doubt be happy to ring up the sale if mxracer took an item to the counter, but mxracer has made it clear to the staff that he does not value their time or experience.

 

[vladimir]

If you offer pool try-outs as a service, then it's just that, a service. It's not a way of creating an obligation.

Nobody is in the free service business. The pool try-out is offered to create an obligation. You wouldn't walk out of a restaurant without tipping for the free service, because the obligation is implicit in the deal. I think this LDS deserves the courtesy of a chance to price match, at least.

 

[taylode]

I like to support my LDS; however, if I tried something and then got cold feet prior to purchasing it and found it somewhere else for $300 less I'd buy it some where else. We're not talking about 5 or 10% but over 50%. I don't know many people that are that frivolous with there money. I certainly am not!

Dennis

 

[DaFireMedic]

And they have no obligation to expend any more effort on you.

They would no doubt be happy to ring up the sale if mxracer took an item to the counter, but mxracer has made it clear to the staff that he does not value their time or experience.

No, what the shop did was totally wrong. They showed MXRacer the BC to try to make a sale, and it didn't happen. This it what happens in sales. You are under no obligation to buy every piece of your equipment from them just because they let you try it out. If you run your customers out of the store simply because they can't afford something at a particular time, you won't stay in business. They may not be under any real obligation to spend anymore effort on him, but they would if they cared about their reputation, not to mention their customer.

MXRacer and his Dad were buying stuff, and plenty of it. They were also spending good money training at this shop. It was obvious at this point that they had chosen this shop as their LDS. Just because they couldnt convince him to buy an expensive BC after letting him try it was no excuse for their behavior.

LDS's are a dime a dozen (at least along both coasts), and if a particular shop can't show at least some basic respect for their customers, the customer will go someplace where they will. I know I would (and did).

That being said, I believe one should support their LDS (good ones anyway).

 

[D_B]

The guys that are hounding him should take a breath ... He did not buy the same thing that was demonstrated in the pool , for all we know they don't even cary it.

The LDS over-reacted to a somewhat aggravating circumstance

DB

 

[shark.byte.usa]

Nobody is in the free service business. The pool try-out is offered to create an obligation. You wouldn't walk out of a restaurant without tipping for the free service, because the obligation is implicit in the deal. I think this LDS deserves the courtesy of a chance to price match, at least.

Create an obligation? Wrong! it's a sales tool, essentially it's a FREE service, especially if used incorrectly. You take a test drive, are you obligated to buy the car? from that dealership?. You take a FREE sample at the grocery store, your obligated to buy a box of the product? NO!. Tipping/Gratuity is entirely different. Price matching, I'll agree with this, but what if they don't, it creates an uneasy feeling in itself. Do you think this saleswoman would have felt any different if they had the exact same product and couldn't match the price, she still would have been a B!$%^ about it. IMHO

 

[vladimir]

You take a test drive, are you obligated to buy the car? from that dealership

The test drive analogy is a good one. I would give the dealership the opportunity to price match.

Price matching, I'll agree with this, but what if they don't, it creates an uneasy feeling in itself. Do you think this saleswoman would have felt any different if they had the exact same product and couldn't match the price, she still would have been a B!$%^ about it. IMHO

You are probably right--it might be awkward.

For me, the important distinction is intent. I wouldn't use the LDS's pool to test equipment I fully intended to buy elsewhere. Since mxracer did intend to buy there, he should have a clear conscience.