I had some damage to the siding on my house, and had to get some bids from some contractors. They gave me prices, and I picked the lowest one. When I gave the bad news to the other guys, they said, “I’ll talk to my manager to see if I can go that low.” At that point the deal was done. I’d signed with the low-price guy.
I know how this game is played. They want to negotiate. I don’t. I don’t want to keep going back and playing one bid off another. I’ll do that professionally, if I have to, but not personally.
Still, I should have told them up front that I wasn’t going to play that game.
“Give me the best price you can live with, because you’re not getting a second swing at this work.”
I couldn’t agree more. I said the same thing to salesman the last time I was in the market to buy a car. He must have thought I was kidding. He started playing the “I have to ask my manager” game and wouldn’t come down to the price I wanted…I left. The same day I went to another dealer, they gave me the right price and I made a purchase. A few days later the first salesman sent me a message requesting we speak again. In response, I sent him a gracious “thank you” for reaching out and a picture of my new car.
Last new car purchase I made was Thanksgiving 2017. I wanted to buy a 2017 CRV…they were trying to clear them out. I found a great deal 50 miles away and then emailed my local Honda dealer to ask if he could match the deal otherwise I’d drive the 50 miles. My usual Honda dealer offered $500 or a $1,000 under the other dealer and I went that day to sign papers.
I use that same dealer for all maintenance. They are just honest…I think. One time I had to use another dealer because my battery went out and there was a monster traffic jam that I didn’t think I could get to my regular dealer before closing. Went to this other dealer and they tried to tell me “cabin filter is dirty, it needs to be replaced.” Told them, not today. My vehicle needed an oil change soon. When service light went on two weeks later, took it to my usual Honda dealer. They then explained the service after it was done. I asked, “does it need to have the cabin filter replaced?” “No, it’s ok now.” Hmmm…. Another 6 months, took it to the dealer and asked about cabin filter. “No, it’s ok.” So, the other dealer tried to rook me. I still get offers from them since I got on their mailing list when I used them. I immediately throw those offers in the trash. I won’t go there again. Heck, if my car needed to get towed and they were the closest dealer, I still wouldn’t use them. They are dead to me.
A cabin filter for a CR-V is $20 at your neighborhood auto parts store and is nearsighted old lady level of difficulty to replace. You can tell when it needs to be replaced because it looks dirty. I’m really happy with my Honda dealer but I’m not paying dealer labor rates for that.
Unfortunately, that’s an all too familiar experience. If something like that happens to me, I might post this on the company’s website… https://youtu.be/OWwOJlOI1nU
Sending the photo of the car was a brilliant move.
I was hoping it would reinforce the point and he’d take heed with the next customer…especially since it was the exact same car he missed the sale on.