getting car quotes via email negotiation

[CKN]

I have found the dealers I have purchased cars from make absolutely no effort to keep in touch with me after purchase. I have been trying to get the dealership that sold me my current vehicle to send me the prorated refund for my GAP Insurance. I paid the car off early and am due a prorated refund per state law. The GAP Insurance company sent me the paperwork needed by the dealership to process the refund. The dealership has been working on it for over a year. I finally spoke to my sales guy, who had no recollection of who I was. I explained who I was, and what was needed, and there has been no communication since then. The General Manager of the dealership was able to get the sales rep to call me, however we are back to square one again. Not very impressive.

I have also had car dealers literally not know who I was mere weeks after buying a car. I will go in for service, wander out on the sales floor, and have the rep that sold me my car approach me and ask if I was in the market for a new car. I will explain that I just bought my car from them a few weeks prior and they act like they have no idea.

Most dealer's don't care about long-term relationships. They want the immediate sale and then you are out of sight, out of mind.

I was in Industrial Sales for my entire career. Long term relationships were CRUCIAL for success. My experience mirrors yours-car dealerships could care less once you roll off their lot with your new/used car.

 

[dishdude]

Unless you're a fleet buyer for a company, they don't care.

 

[SeaJay]

Of the dozen or so emails I've sent to dealers, I've never once had them answer any question I asked. Never. Any question. At all.

It's basically resulted in me banning every dealer I've ever emailed.

I wonder if that's what their intention was?

Their intention is to get you into the dealership to sell you a car. I suspect they have found that only a small % of folks they respond to via email ever show up and they would rather spend their time on other selling activities that in their mind are a better use of their time

 

[JHZR2]

I bought my BMW via email. Was from a dealer a good 55 or so miles away, not the four or more within a 20 mile radius, but so it goes. An aspiring salesman made a deal. No complaints.

We did well on our odyssey too, but it was by accident that we found an untouched prior year van to get a super deal.

Dealerships know their statistics on sales of you actually go in. Nothing wrong with going in. Just don’t be a statistic unless they do and give you what you want.