Mystery Shopping Thread 25 *PLEASE READ THE OP FIRST**PLEASE NO CLIENT NAMES OR FEES

skivenov

mysterious_girl wrote: »

They're not even seeing the car I drive in with as I always park it down the road out of sight. My current car is only 2 years old so it would look strange to be looking for a new one already. But then again, if they do spot it and do a check, it's in my husbands name and I say that I'm using his car while he commutes to London for work every week by train (true, but he actually drives).

Don't overcomplicate matters. 2 years old is perfectly plausible "your lease is up this year", so you're starting to look for what to have next.

If you're going to walk in, park in the dealership next door if they're a different dealer group, and walk through the yard from there, you're shopping around.

What you drive about in doesn't necessarily define what you've got in the bank. I know a couple of millionaires as friends. Most of the time, one knocks about in a 15 year old Audi A6, the other has an L-reg discovery. When you're working people out, don't just look at the shoes they wear, how well they walk in them tells you a lot more.

shell_belle

mysterious_girl wrote: »

I think I've just really lost my confidence with these visits. Especially after not doing them for four years and then coming across a smug sperm on my first visit.

I don't know what to do. I'm thinking, if these dealerships don't call me (as expected) I might just abort the whole thing. Like you say, for 2 visits it's a pittance.

It says on the script if you need to visit again and it's not the provider of the visits then you don't have to revisit the same salesperson...do a bit of research in the vehicle and find another salesperson. And drive your car in, as long as it's not an old banger alarm bells won't go off and people end their pcp after two years if circumstances change...hope that helps!

mysterious_girl

skivenov wrote: »

Don't overcomplicate matters. 2 years old is perfectly plausible "your lease is up this year", so you're starting to look for what to have next.
If you're going to walk in, park in the dealership next door if they're a different dealer group, and walk through the yard from there, you're shopping around.

I did that at one of the visits yesterday, but only because I couldn't find the entrance to the one I was supposed to go to.

weeg

I'm not doing any of these ones - because of the two visit thing. More hassle than they're worth.

I had one last year - high end (so I borrowed my mum's high end but elderly car). They had the exact spec I had been told to ask for, but with one minor extra sitting on the forecourt. I could not give them a reason to sell me a worse car for more money and a 4 month wait. So I didn't get paid.

In terms of driving in, I used to have signage on my car so always explained it as 'the office pool car' and said I drove something better. And my sister has always, coincidentally, bought this exact car 3 months ago and I've driven it. I often follow that up with 'that's the only reason this car is even on my radar - I was really planning on buying a ...' A preference for another brand often helps negotiate a lower price, I find.

mysterious_girl

Another thing is, they won't give me a written quote. They come out of the office with the printouts, hand them to me to look at and then snatch them back saying I can't have them. Why not!? So how am I going to go home and discuss figures with my husband? They say I can copy them down and hand me a pen.

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards not continuing with it. I doubt I'd get paid for it anyway so I'd just be wasting my time making a second trip.

skivenov

To be fair, it sounds like either you got rumbled or they were on a high alert for competitor visits.

A friend of mine used to work for a dealership, and they always got a copy of the email forwarded to them by someone (not me) when pricing visits were coming up from one company, so they knew what vehicle the shopper would be looking for and the dates they may come in.

Big_Graeme

I used to work in the hotel business where price checking occurred on a very regular basis, we just used to ask for the prices we needed on the understanding that when it was their turn they got the prices without any issues.

I can't be chewed with the games and the ream of reasons you won't get paid.

skivenov

Three reports left to type. An hour after I last thought I had three reports left to type

whitelabel

mysterious_girl wrote: »

Another thing is, they won't give me a written quote. They come out of the office with the printouts, hand them to me to look at and then snatch them back saying I can't have them. Why not!? So how am I going to go home and discuss figures with my husband? They say I can copy them down and hand me a pen.

The more I think about it, the more I'm leaning towards not continuing with it. I doubt I'd get paid for it anyway so I'd just be wasting my time making a second trip.

FSA is a lot of it.
Even on some no price negotiation, high end cust service style visits I've done, they won't hand me it as it doesn't have Apr s or full terms and condit ions on, so they're not allowed to give as a formal quote.
Ask to take a photo on your phone or if they can email a quote to you to review
Or as I've done in the past, took a photo anyhow when they've gone back in to the manager to get a lower price.

naarestrup

Haha! I just noticed I did all of my route yesterday a day early :-O

Luckily none of the visits were locked into being completed on any particular day of the week, so all were changed with no problem...

First time I've done that.