why don't car dealers negotiate over phone?

flyingscotno1

missile wrote: »

I guess they prefer to have you in the showroom where they can dazzle you with their sales technique.

Sometimes they are wary of who they are talking to- it may not necessarily be a genuine buyer!

Inactive

flyingscotno1 wrote: »

Sometimes they are wary of who they are talking to- it may not necessarily be a genuine buyer!

That implies that all car dealers are genuine.:eek::rotfl:

roddydogs

All you've got to do is find a dealer whos customer parking bays are not full of their own cars!

Lemonade_Pockets

Only to the dealer, this site is about the interest of consumers, not car dealers.

Granted but this was the question:

Simple q - why are car dealers so unwilling to negotiate over the phone, or give a fixed price?

And this is the answer, whether we like it or not:

Secondly to try and get some commitment. If they give out prices over the phone all that happens is people run about knocking them down against each other and its counter productive.

It is a generalisation and there will always be those that are different but thats about the long and short of it.

Inactive

Fine if those dealers are happy to turn away potential business, it is little wonder that so many are folding with that kind of attitude.

Dr.Shoe_2

The main reason is because if you enter their premises and sign a deal then there is no cooling off period. If they sell over the phone or come to your home then you get to shop around after the deal is done because you can cancel leaving them with a car with options that would be hard to sell to anyone else.

Personally I'd prefer to see what I were buying. There is no substitute for a personal viewing and a test drive and I think I'd pay a couple of hundred pounds more to know that I had a salesman I could call on if I had a problem and that he'd sort it for me.

You will not get that from a broker.

dada44

yes, I intend to see all cars I buy.

But occasionally some dealers might have a car I like, but have priced it so ridiculously high, compared to other similar condition, same make cars. Obviously they cannot sell at this price, so I would rather get a phone quote before going to see them.

petrolhead69

I`ve had some success by phoning and saying along the lines of i`m looking for this kind of car but I only have x to spend, before I drive 150 miles to view this car would you accept that for it cos otherwise theres no point in me coming down? That usually starts the ball rolling for price negotiation but it only works if your not trading in. I usually sell my cars privately so no problems there

mikey72

anewman wrote: »

If they see you in person they can try weigh you up. If you really do want to buy the car they can keep the price up. If they're desperate for a sale they might bring the price down if persuaded. This is one of the reasons you should use the online brokers to search around for the best prices! They can really try and persuade you into buying in person as well which they can't over the phone.

I remember on a radio phone-in a car dealer was moaning about people test driving his cars and then going onto the internet to buy instead. He obviously can't get the hint that he needs to be competitive and can't just expect people to buy at any price. He probably also doesn't have a clue how the internet brokers work. No doubt the money went to another dealer with a smallish fee to the brokers. Two happy companies making money, one car dealer unwilling to adapt to market conditions - which will win!? Only one way to find out! FIIIGGGHHHTT!!!!!

So when he goes to the wall, who does the warranty, and where's the next test drive?
I'd rather pay a few quid more as well, see the car, and be on good terms if I get a problem.

harveybobbles

dada44 wrote: »

Simple q - why are car dealers so unwilling to negotiate over the phone, or give a fixed price?

Whats the point in negotiationg if you cant see the car !!!!!!? At least if you've seen the car you cay !!!!! like "oh well it needs a tyre and them stone chips and thism that an the other...2