How Toyota lost a sale

underlay_guru

Whilst shopping, i've never ever felt the need to ask staff permission to wheel their shopping trolley to my car boot!

Wig

Anihilator wrote: »

They arent mutually exclusive.
The OP picked up an umbrella, he was simply asked where he was going with it as he didnt ask.

Its hardly poor customer service or crime of the century.

I think it was a perfectly reasonable assumption to make that the brolly stack was there for customers to use whilst looking at cars. If this isn't the case the dealership needs to put a sign saying "not for public use - if you require a brolly please ask at reception". Just to clarify - why they need to put a sign if this is not the case.....because it's a normal assumption that a customer would make, that they are there for customer use!

B&Q have brolly stacks for customer use, and no sign saying they are for customers use, it's just a logical assumption that customers will make. Of course they don't provide enough of them but that is another issue.

The Toyota dealership in question needs to provide more brollies and a sign saying "please use a brolly whilst looking at the cars & return it when you're finished thank you".

All could have been avoided if he had shown some manners and asked if it was ok to use one.

What's the big deal anyway? He wasn't leaving the premises with it, he was just strolling around the forecourt looking at cars for sale !!!!!!!

reevsy

Anihilator wrote: »

So you picked up there property without asking and wondered why they asked you about it?

Whether you thought they were customers or not is irrelevent, you, should have asked. For all you know they belonged to other customers

Tbh I think you overreacted.

All they did is ask why you picked up property not belonging to you without asking.

I bet each one that goes missing comes out of the garages profits

Idiot. Are you for real?

ahillsy

Anihilator wrote: »

So you picked up there property without asking and wondered why they asked you about it?

Whether you thought they were customers or not is irrelevent, you, should have asked. For all you know they belonged to other customers

Tbh I think you overreacted.

All they did is ask why you picked up property not belonging to you without asking.

I bet each one that goes missing comes out of the garages profits

Facepalm.

Would you go to the chip shop and ask for permission before you take a wooden fork from the counter? No (actually, don't answer that....)

Even if he did think someone had just walked off with the umbrella and had no intention of returning it, at the very least, as soon as he saw the OP (who he knew was there looking for a car) he shouldn't have said anything about it.

It's ridiculous. This is a high value item, and getting funny about an umbrella (that is a standard thing for car dealerships to have for customers) is Customer Service-suicide. Proved by the fact that they lost a sale.

onejontwo

They have them in garden centres etc. and I for one wouldn't hesitate to use one and I have never been questioned. The main reason they are there is for the potential buyers.

Cool_Username

It's a pretty strange reaction - one can only assume that they've had problems with umbrellas being stolen and some of their staff have adopted a rather extreme approach to the situation!

That said I don't think I'd walk away from the right car because of an incident like this - yes the man in question behaved pretty irrationally but you get people like that in all walks of life, even customer-service orientated places like a car showroom.

1jim

Im with the op on this, the sales guy was well ott, I would be tempted to write/email the principal of the dealership and copy in toyota customer services, wont make any difference to you but might make the dealership look again at its customer service training

pitkin2020

ahillsy wrote: »

Facepalm.

I think this is what you were trying to say lol

Kilty_2

Anihilator wrote: »

So you picked up there property without asking and wondered why they asked you about it?

Whether you thought they were customers or not is irrelevent, you, should have asked. For all you know they belonged to other customers

Tbh I think you overreacted.

All they did is ask why you picked up property not belonging to you without asking.

I bet each one that goes missing comes out of the garages profits

Let me guess - another member that frequents this board who is affiliated with the motor trade and thinks said trade can do no wrong and should never be challenged when it does?

underlay_guru wrote: »

Anyone who works in a high value retail sales environment such as cars should have been taught that the customer is king, and to treat any visitor to their premises as a valued customer of the future.

I agree wholeheartedly yet so many who work in the motor trade especially (yes I'm sure there are many wnakers within other high value trades) think the sun shines out of where it shouldn't and that they can do no wrong.

Having recently bought a complete lemon from a car dealer yet fought for my rights regardless of what those in the trade on here say my rights actually are, and won, I'm much more sceptical of the motor trade than I once was.

Also having found a far better dealer - an example of as near to honest of a motor trader as I can find, I guess there are some decent people out there.

OP - I'm glad you walked when you did and you were right to.

Those who are saying theyd rather have a good deal over good customer service I hope you never have trouble with your car. I've just paid £1000 more for a car from a dealer with good customer service over a bunch of cowboys.

Inactive

Who, in their right mind, even looks at buying cars in the rain?.:)