The V8 Owners Forum -

What is it with dealerships nowadays... I've been looking to change my main car, but it's as if, unless you walk in waving your cheque book under their noses and demand to pay a deposit, at whatever price the dealer fancies, they're not interested.

I've had 4 dealers promise to ring me back with the financial figures after I've visited their showrooms, and all of them simply haven't bothered. I mean, it's not as if someone will drive several miles out of their way, arrange a test drive, discuss requirements and specification, and not actually be remotely interested in buying anything.... is it?

Sure, the punter may also be looking at other vehicles, but a good salesperson shouldn't worry about that. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of the old sales spiel, but come on, they could at least try and put a bit of effort in.

Maybe they have got so much cash coming in, they simply don't have time to bother with someone who is also considering a competitors offering... even if you have phoned them, visited them and subsequently emailed them, to discuss the vehicle...

Oh come on, wake up and smell the coffee.
This is the U.K. and you expect service, you`ll be wanting good manners next.
The dealerships will soon come back begging once the interest rates go up.
As a rule of thumb I ignore all comments that state a `phone call will be forthcoming they rarely do.
What you have found is now the `norm` expect nothing more but a lot less.

dont waste your time emailing anyone in the motortrade - you need to pick the phone up.

Send a fax to the CEO.

I went to an Audi dealer to buy a 3 month old S8. They coudln't find the keys, then when they finally got them, there was only 15 miles of petrol in it. He went to find some petrol but came back without any saying that we would have to go on a short test drive. He took my licence to copy it and forgot to retrieve it from the photocopier, then two miles into the test drive I got to an open road, eased my foot down and it rocketed up to 22mph. The restrictor was still on which limited the speed to 22.

I drove back at 22mph and was instructed to park in front of the workshop doors, expecting them to plug it in and turn the restrictor off, but no. He asked if I would like to reschedule for later in the week, but when I told him that the round trip was 158 miles he went inside the works. When he came out after about half an hour, he told me that I would have to come back if I wanted a test drive. He then asked if I was interested in buying the car.

I went elsewhere.

lol, sounds about right.

I went to Land Rover in Northampton when the Disco Sport was fairly new out. I wanted a test drive, arranged one with the guy for the next week, then, when I turned up, he told me one of the sales guys had gone out in the car and it wasn't available and could I come back another time.

I told him I lived about a 1 hour round trip away, that this had been arranged, I had driven over specially for this test drive and what were they playing at allowing staff to use the demo cars when they were already booked out to customers. He went off to see "the manager" and came back, told me he could give me a 24 hour test drive, that he'd drop the car off for me but he'd need to arrange it so it would probably be tomorrow or the next day...

Needless to say, the car never materialised and I never bought a car off LR Northampton. I went to Leicester instead (although I didn't buy the Disco Sport in the end anyway, I bought another XF)

Moral of the story? That LR Northampton, and it would seem, most other dealers, couldn't give a flying f*** about customers.

I suppose they get a lot of time wasters. But that doesn't help when you're genuine.