Why do car lots answer emails by telling you to call them instead?
- Thread starter Whammo
- Start date
This is a business decision and I believe is a product of an old and dying way of doing business. "Getting you in the dealership" is an archaic model and just isn't going to work when the younger crowd is now your majority crowd. Their normal communication with another human is by electronic means. And then you add the current "elephant in the room" (that you can't talk about here) and I'd say it's a majority of buyers these day would prefer as minimum amount of human interaction as possible.
I had two local dealerships with the vehicle I wanted. One did the "C'mon down!" pitch and the other took six emails for us to close the deal. Now I probably wouldn't have had to ever go to that dealership as they'd just deliver the car to me.
Some places think it's 2020. Some think it's 1980.
I had two local dealerships with the vehicle I wanted. One did the "C'mon down!" pitch and the other took six emails for us to close the deal. Now I probably wouldn't have had to ever go to that dealership as they'd just deliver the car to me.
Some places think it's 2020. Some think it's 1980.
Of all the slimy toyota dealers within 100 miles, only one figured that my looking for a price on truecar.com meant they should send me an actual price. They saw me in person, they had my phone number, and when a car in my color came in I finalized the deal over email. (Car had $750 worth of pinstripes and door guards I got for free.) They wanted and pursued my business but also had the social intelligence to back off.
This dealer is in serious danger of losing its Toyota franchise... it made the newspapers... so I guess they don't fit the mold.
This dealer is in serious danger of losing its Toyota franchise... it made the newspapers... so I guess they don't fit the mold.
This.
I've been doing this for years. Used to do it via phone before email became the standard.
You find out real quick the people who value customer service and the people who are just going to try to roll over you.
Even those dealerships that facilitate electronic communication, about 30% of them still want a phone #, and they won't hesitate to use it.
I found this out straight off. they would respond via computer, then want to use the phone to further work people.
I had several try this, even after saying in the email that all communication is to be done electronically, and that phone calls will not be accepted.
This last time, I was working with a dealership in Indiana and was about ready to pull the trigger when the salesperson for no apparent reason went gnarly and got a case of red rump. The beauty of this strategy was that I did not have to find a way to extricate myself from the dealership, all I had to do was electronically disengage. Which, I did.
The beauty of this method is that it allows one to expand their horizons, price a larger # of sellers than would be physically possible, find the best price, and have it confirmed in writing.
You won't be surprised to learn that after he said he will only go forward on the phone I lost all interest in that business. It's a shame. All I wanted to know was the condition of various components of the car and if the title was clean 
It's about power and control. They can read you, hope you get distracted by the shiny, just want to get the thing done on their turf.
Kinda like "Home Field Advantage"
If you do it all on-line, you probably don't have a desktop with a browser tab open to another dealership or a credit union, and so on.
They want to isolate you from the herd.
And probably a few other clichés apply here.
Kinda like "Home Field Advantage"
If you do it all on-line, you probably don't have a desktop with a browser tab open to another dealership or a credit union, and so on.
They want to isolate you from the herd.
And probably a few other clichés apply here.
I was laughing so hard at an email that I received from a dealership I bought a car from a decade or so ago.. Guess they were cold-calling.. But the email sounded like some "bro-mance" how he cared for my well being.. um.. ok, we're not getting a room buddy! lol.. creepy to say the least! got deleted..
Because they don't want your business. I had one refuse to give me any info unless I set foot in the dealership. I asked them did they want my business or not. Never got a reply.
To be fair, I cannot imagine the number of additional tire kickers and time wasters who can now just fire off an e-mail...
That's their challenge, to sift the wheat from the chaff and figure out which are legit and which are just looking for a number.
If they know they cannot give a number that won't be beat when you shop it around, they are smart to not give you a number.
Cannot blame them for wanting you to play the game on their terms. After all, you want them to play it on yours.
Each party gets to choose if they want to engage based on the terms offered.
If they don't want to play your way,most times, there are plenty of others who do.
That's their challenge, to sift the wheat from the chaff and figure out which are legit and which are just looking for a number.
If they know they cannot give a number that won't be beat when you shop it around, they are smart to not give you a number.
Cannot blame them for wanting you to play the game on their terms. After all, you want them to play it on yours.
Each party gets to choose if they want to engage based on the terms offered.
If they don't want to play your way,most times, there are plenty of others who do.
What else do they have to do all day? The dealerships I see have 6 or more salesmen standing out in front of the building doing nothing all day, just hoping someone will come in. I don't know who would walk up to a dealer with that image but that's how it is at many of them. If they can't even give me a price on email, much less tell me if the title is clean, see ya!
I'm actually quite satisfied with my local Nissan dealership. They offer a text service and although I really never had issues with them from day 1 I lost all hearing just 2 yrs. ago. They respect that in every way possible and are glad to handle any communication via text/email. I will say there's one part of their program that gets a bit annoying and I think it's on the part of a sales manager, not the dealership in general. Once my car was at the point of being 3 yrs old (halfway paid for) I'd get occasional mailed flyers wanting to give me 'the best trade-in price' on a new Nissan today... I understand the logic that many people want something new now/then, just not for me. Since it has been paid off I get mail quite often listing the options I can get right now and that my car is in 'high demand' for my area. Yeah, OK, lmao on that one! That sales manager has sent me messages/voicemail (I can read those) offering trade value just because I was there for an oil change. I've even emailed him directly telling him I have absolutely no intention of letting the car go and it's nice being PAID for. I even get mail from the new local Kia dealership wanting to 'buy back' the Nissan they supposedly sold me. That's really lame as I've never stepped foot into a Kia establishment. Surely some car lots/dealerships have serious issues, but some can be quite tolerable to do business with.
Same on both accounts with my local Nissan dealer. They've got a whole office full of folks who stare at computer screens and answer web inquiries, texts, etc.
Regardless, what I usually do is call, text or email the sales manager directly to get the ball rolling. The deal goes through him/her and they then pass me to a sales person for the paperwork and delivery.
The calls, mailers, emails, etc at the 3yr point can be annoying. "We REALLY need your trade", "We can't get enough of what you have", "You'd be surprised at what you might get as a trade-in allowance". I generally buy my cars at a year old, so the bombardment starts after about 24 months.
If that dealer had more than $30.00 in the cost of that "$750.00 worth of pinstripes and door guards" you got for "free" he should go out of business!
They operate closed-loop on a segment that determines buying power based on monthly payment which allows for loans that they know will never be paid off. At some point the buyer stops paying, which is mostly interest (profit) and the “asset” is repo’d and repurposed to the next buyer.
If they sold you the vehicle for cash they would lose their sustained revenue base.
If they sold you the vehicle for cash they would lose their sustained revenue base.
excellent thread here. im in a semi mood to replace my cpo 2013 passat with another cpo something. what turns me off is non responsiveness to my polite email inquiries asking for emailed cpo reconditioning & inspection reports. after no responsive email replies i finally called one cadillac dealership about an attractive cpo xt5. an eager young-sounding customer rep said that he personally cannot share any info, he cannot put me through to anyone who has that information to send to me and i can talk with an actual salesman only if i come in. “mister jones doesn’t do calls or emails.” no thanks. i can guess about the work climate at that place.
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4WD
$50 site donor 2024
I used to start looking on a Sunday … decide what we liked … then show up during the week and “get noticed”
At the Jeep dealership (June) I could of jumped on hoods and cricket’s …after 20 minutes outside, I started to roam the show room. Nada. Finally walked up to the lady at the help desk.
In the end, I did not like the dealership at all … but love the Jeep.
local, three generation, family owned dealership according to its website. i “love it” (not) when i hear the advertising tagline, ”we treat you like family.” uh i would rather be treated like a valued customer whose patronage and hard earned dollars must be earned with care and respect. i can get all the leeching, arrogance and forgotten promises with a halfbaked smile that i need from a few relatives.
