10 Most Annoying Things Car Dealers Do

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Last week we posted a list of the ten most annoying things a car buyer can do. But car dealers are sometimes do some pretty annoying things to. Here’s a list of the 10 most annoying, gathered from my various visits.

10. Car salesmen answer their cell phones while showing cars: Car salesman, wouldn’t you be mortified if your Best Buy sales associate answered a call right in the middle of showing you a TV? So why do you do it?

9. Car salesmen don’t know if a used car is in stock when I call: Your dealership went through all the trouble of posting an ad and taking a bunch of pictures, yet you don’t seem to know if the car is there without physically checking for yourself. Please be prepared.

8. Car dealers who love their fine print: Do you think I’ll see an ad for $49/month and NOT look for the catch in the small print? And let’s say I don’t notice it – do you think I’ll be happy about it when you finally tell me?

7. Car salesmen who show me a car with a dead battery: Really? Do you honestly think I want a car with a dead battery? This tells me that the car has been there forever or that you simply don’t check them that well. Neither reason seems very good to me.

6. Car salesmen who tell me my car will be ready in 30 minutes, but nothing happens after those 30 minutes. I know things can happen, but if you can’t meet your commitment, please tell me. I actually might have other things to do besides spend two hours in your waiting room during an oil change and multi-point inspection.

5. Car dealers who block social media sites on my Wi-Fi: Let me get this straight: Letting my social circles know that I’m at your dealership isn’t good for you? Rethink this.

4. Car salesmen who get upset when I throw a number at them: You asked me to come inside and put together a deal. You then asked me what I’d like to pay. I give you a number. You then act insulted. If you are easily offended, do yourself a favor: Stop asking people what they want to pay.

3. Car dealers who make me wait forever to see the Finance Manager: If I must wait an hour to see the finance guy, maybe you need a second finance guy.

2. Car dealers who send me spam email for the rest of my life: Yes, I filled out a quote request for a new car six months ago. I didn’t buy a car from you, yet you still send me weekly promotional emails telling me about your used car inventory reduction sale-a-thon – even after I’ve tried to unsubscribe. Could you fail any harder?

1. Car salesmen who tell me on the phone to come in and work it out: Listen, I wouldn’t be calling you if I wanted to go into the store to work out the deal particulars. I don’t want to battle traffic only to hear what you could have told me on the phone.

How about you? In your experience, what are the most memorably annoying things car dealers have done?

  • http://www.tomsforeign.com/ Dan Tole

    How about not being able to answer important questions about the car?  If they are less knowledgeable than you, it’s a problem. 

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  • Anonymous

    Or how about salesmen who work at dealership that specialize in selling many brands, insists that they have used model you want and then hard sells their “specialty”

  • Alex Marinov

    When a dealers offers you a used car and you are looking for new, especially when the used car is priced so close to new. When placing a special order and having to wait 2 month the salesman doesn’t want to negotiate the price until the car comes in. 

  • Anonymous

    Those are all great concerns – that’s why it’s best to have settled on a price and an exact car (VIN and everything) before going to the dealership. Easier for the dealer and the buyer. 

  • david

    Here’s a good one.  I visited a car dealer, identified a vehicle of interest, obtained their quote, left with the understanding my wife and I will discuss and get back to them.  The salesman phoned the next day to inquire how I was doing and whether I had any questions.  I told him no, that the only thing we needed to do was agree on price.  He told me he is unable to discuss price over the phone, that this must be done in person at the dealership.  I laughed; told him to have the sale manager phone me if he wants to sell the car.  If you suggest a consumer should travel back and forth to a dealer to negotiate, you’re insulting them.

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_3AMIUZ4NFYH442F6DOK2U7GT6E Ben

      david, I understand where you are coming from.  However if negotiating over the phone resulted in sales more often than not then dealers would be doing it.  2% of people who leave without buying result in a sale, and 98% do not.  Its more of a commitment issue. A customer in front of you is more commited than on phone so a manager is more likely to give more if needed.

  • Alex

    I dislike the dealer’s self-righteous fury when you tell them you got a better deal from another one, and won’t be signing on with them.