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Refused test drive
Had a very strange experience today at a main Ford dealer and wondered if it was normal. Previously bought cars from independent dealers or privately.
We drove an hour to this dealership, after speaking to the guy on the phone. So he knew that we were serious about the car, but it isn't the only one that we're going to look at.
When we got there we looked at the car and it seemed fine, but obviously you want to test drive a car before considering buying it. This is when the problems began. Bear in mind the car is on at £3990, so not the most expensive car you could buy, and as it's second hand, there is even more reason to want to test drive it as there's no long term warranty.
He skirted around the issue saying that it's not really their policy to let anyone test drive the car until they've decided that they want to buy it. We have another few cars to consider, but if we'd driven that and liked it, then we'd have just gone with it there and then and I specifically told him that we would make a decision today.
He said that the problem is that a customer might like a few cars and can't take them all out and what happens if they have an accident or get it dirty :rotfl: I asked if he wasn't insured for accidents and surely they can clean the cars. He also said that he has to be careful with the cars because they're not cheap. I said 'it's under £4k and people test drive new cars which are a lot more expensive.'
He didn't seem to want to actually say 'no you can't go out in it' and was rambling on for ages so I said 'lets just cut through all this, can we take it out?' and he said no, not if there are other cars we're going to look at. He also repeatedly told me that I already know how it drives. I drive a Focus and this is C-Max. 'It drives the same, just a bit higher' It's a petrol and mine's a diesel, and it's not going to drive exactly the same and I also just want to make sure it drives well. We were also considering trading our car in, so I made the point of asking him if he'd want to test drive our car! He said he would, but they are experts and therefore know what to look for and we can simply trust him, as a franchised dealer, that the car is fine.
Earlier on he'd said that he wasn't into high pressure selling - if making someone agree to take a car before test driving it and insisting that they consider no other cars is not high pressure selling I don't know what it. He also within 5 minutes attempted to sell us an extended warranty before we'd even looked in the car and told us all about 'if cars are cheap then you have to ask yourself why and most other cars from 'two bit back street dealers will have chips and marks on them.'
All seemed very odd to me and a complete waste of time. We would have probably bought it, providing it did drive well. What reasons would someone have for not wanting to let us test drive it? Everything I've read online about buying a used car says to walk away if a company won't allow a test drive.
We drove an hour to this dealership, after speaking to the guy on the phone. So he knew that we were serious about the car, but it isn't the only one that we're going to look at.
When we got there we looked at the car and it seemed fine, but obviously you want to test drive a car before considering buying it. This is when the problems began. Bear in mind the car is on at £3990, so not the most expensive car you could buy, and as it's second hand, there is even more reason to want to test drive it as there's no long term warranty.
He skirted around the issue saying that it's not really their policy to let anyone test drive the car until they've decided that they want to buy it. We have another few cars to consider, but if we'd driven that and liked it, then we'd have just gone with it there and then and I specifically told him that we would make a decision today.
He said that the problem is that a customer might like a few cars and can't take them all out and what happens if they have an accident or get it dirty :rotfl: I asked if he wasn't insured for accidents and surely they can clean the cars. He also said that he has to be careful with the cars because they're not cheap. I said 'it's under £4k and people test drive new cars which are a lot more expensive.'
He didn't seem to want to actually say 'no you can't go out in it' and was rambling on for ages so I said 'lets just cut through all this, can we take it out?' and he said no, not if there are other cars we're going to look at. He also repeatedly told me that I already know how it drives. I drive a Focus and this is C-Max. 'It drives the same, just a bit higher' It's a petrol and mine's a diesel, and it's not going to drive exactly the same and I also just want to make sure it drives well. We were also considering trading our car in, so I made the point of asking him if he'd want to test drive our car! He said he would, but they are experts and therefore know what to look for and we can simply trust him, as a franchised dealer, that the car is fine.
Earlier on he'd said that he wasn't into high pressure selling - if making someone agree to take a car before test driving it and insisting that they consider no other cars is not high pressure selling I don't know what it. He also within 5 minutes attempted to sell us an extended warranty before we'd even looked in the car and told us all about 'if cars are cheap then you have to ask yourself why and most other cars from 'two bit back street dealers will have chips and marks on them.'
All seemed very odd to me and a complete waste of time. We would have probably bought it, providing it did drive well. What reasons would someone have for not wanting to let us test drive it? Everything I've read online about buying a used car says to walk away if a company won't allow a test drive.
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Comments
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Probably has a problem that they need to repair.0
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he was hiding something, dont let it get to you, walk away0
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Its the holiday season - staffing levels are low - maybe there was no-one spare to accompany you - I don't know if this is a possibility but it is certainly why a lot of dealers try not to do Sunday test drives0
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Simple answer........"Not interested...BYE!":A:dance:1+1+1=1:dance::A
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Definitely hiding something.
I would have walked as soon as he started waffling on.make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
and we will never, ever return.0 -
Never heard so much rubbish in all my life. :rotfl:
He was so hiding something.
Regardless of the car, I'd not be doing business with someone I couldn't trust to be honest with me.Herman - MP for all!
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Salesman of the year. I don't think you need anyone to tell you to walk away and never go back to that place.0
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I've had salesmen say that I can only test drive a car if I place an order first. The joy of driving up in the same car frrom a different dealer because he's an arris hole.The man without a signature.0
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Thanks everyone I didn't go without telling him what I thought of him after wasting time doing a 2hr round trip, but you're right; we didn't want to do business with him afterwards.
It just made me wonder though if this was usual in a franchised place, but I guess not. He was completely jumped up and patronising and I know it shouldn't rile me, but it did. Pregnancy hormones don't help!0
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