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Smart Shopper Purchasing Strategies - Questions & Success Stories
3884 messages, Last post on Apr 08, 2009 at 1:08 PM
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Replying to: imidazol97 (Feb 26, 2009 6:24 pm) It is a bit perverse, if you think about it, when someone calls YOU up, asks for your advice---and you give it in detail, set them all up---and they go do something else after all.
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 26, 2009 5:08 pm) Would like to know the details on price under invoice and the add-ons your friend bought. If she got a "impossible" price on the car only, she probably still did pretty well overall... even with the add-ons. i.e If she bought an extended warranty, that would come in handy and is worthwhile. The pin-striping, fabric protection, wax protection and similar add-ons would indeed be fairly worthless. The Kia dealerships in my area, under one owner, advertise very good prices(* excludes dealer add-ons). You show up and they have this crappy alarm system dealer add-on (swipe a card through a sensor to allow car to start) that adds about $1,400 to the car. It is on every stinking car on their lot. Would be worthless to me, probably cost the dealership 200 or 300 bucks installed.
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Replying to: jipster (Feb 26, 2009 7:07 pm) The problem is I feel confident if she had refused any or all of the mop and glo addons, she wouldn't have gotten the car. I recall buying a digital camera 4 years ago. I knew exactly the one I wanted. It was available through all kinds of internet sales sites and even NY city store sites at very low prices. The prices were way below the market. The reports about the vendors when I googled them on the internet were that they won't sell it to you for the advertised price. After entering your order, you get a call that there are all these things you need to buy that add to the price. I believe things like batteries (which come in the box) and strap and ... They would add on extras that were required like lens cleaning cloths and sprays--all kinds of gimmicks. If you refused those, they didn't sell you the camera. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 26, 2009 6:47 pm) You know what, you did everything right. Don't be mad. Everyone did their job, your dealership gave her a great price, next time you tell them let them know "you can lead a fish to water..." The other dealership did their job as well, your friend should have known better. I know how you feel. I have been a cpa specializing in corporate and personal taxes for over 15 years. I have a masters, I give speeches, I teach other cpa's, I can't tell you how many times I get a "friend" calling for some free advice..I get them a detailed answer. Then a few weeks later I ask them how it went, only to find out they discarded my advice because "joe" at the rotary club/bowling alley/garage said he could do it another way. Hey, let it blow over and ask her to take you out for lunch in her new car...
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Replying to: golic (Feb 26, 2009 8:26 pm) So after arranging all that and setting these mechanisms in motion, and "calling in a favor", to have it all tossed away by the friend is quite discouraging. I had a similar thing last year. With tires. I set up for someone to go to an *excellent* tire place, that gives great service, free tire repairs, courtesy car, clean shop and waiting room, good prices, telephone follow ups, superb alignment equipment, the best balancing machines.... And what does the person do? Stiffs them, and goes to Costco to save $19 a tire on an older Porsche. AND then have to get it aligned elsewhere. AND badly as it turns out. Smack me on the head, why don't you?  To bring this all back to the topic at hand----don't just shop price, you have to shop SERVICE as well. Good service is translatable into dollars. |
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 26, 2009 5:36 pm) I'd say it's all her fault. The dealership was just trying to maximize profit. I'm not excusing their unethical behavior. The customer is the one spending their money. It's their responsibility, and their responsibility only, to make sure they're not taken for a ride. Sounds like your friend had the right idea by consulting with you, but didn't follow all your advice. Hope she learned her lesson, and tells everybody about this bad dealership. 
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 27, 2009 8:00 am) You're right on the money. |
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Replying to: verdugo (Feb 27, 2009 9:35 am) Without any details from shifty, it's a bit premature to say the dealership was being unethical. How much did this lady friend pay for the car? What dealer add-ons did she buy? How much did she pay for them? Did she have a need or want for what was sold? As has been said many times, the dealership tries to sell everybody that walks in the extras. They'd be dumb not to. When I assisted my niece with her Hyundai purchase (looked at Kia), I advised her to pass on the worthless dealer add-ons. Act as if they aren't even there when considering a price. She almost bit on the worthless alarm system add-on at the Kia dealership. Was nice that she listened to ole jip. I saved her a couple thousand bucks. 
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Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 27, 2009 8:00 am) The problem with the "honest deal" is it is just that, it's neither a great deal or a poor one... just decent. The dealerships definition of what a good deal is will always be a lot more $$$ than what a consumer thinks it should be. That is probably why your friend went somewhere else. I have strong ties to two general managers at local dealerships. They think $600 over invoice is a fair and honest price for car x. I'm sure for the most part it is, as they have to look at all the overhead and expenses. But, when others are getting car x at $600 below invoice, and still getting good service, well it's a no brainer. The vast majority of the time one is better off financially going in to work their own deal, instead of a friends referral for them to be "taken care of".
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Replying to: jipster (Feb 27, 2009 11:21 am) They kept telling me I was foolish for passing up this service, that if my car was stolen this would make it sooo easy to get my car back. My retort was listen, if my car is stolen I want the check from the insurance agency I don't want the car back!! And don't even get me started on pin stripping and wheel locks! |
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