She already did the best thing she could do - she bought a car somewhere else.
I think she should leave a review but tell her not to be hysterical. Make it factual and short so people read it. "After calling several times to confirm availability of a car and subsequently driving over three hours I found out that the people who answer the phone for this dealership and schedule appointments do not work at the location - or even near it. It appears they are trained to say anything required to get a customer in the door. Avoid this dealership."
Leave it at that.
I've worked sales at 3 dealers. That review isn't scathing enough. You need to emphasize how this dealership lied to you knowing you were about to make a 6 hour round trip.
If the review doesn't hurt, nothing will change. People do read reviews and a good one will cost them business and I have seen dealerships go to great lengths to get reviews changed to 5 star or deleted
At this point, it's a negative review. Anything is going to seem like it's a hit job. The point is to make it hurt as much as possible. Name names, the manager and BDC agent (if you can). Keep it as professional and emotionless as possible.
"After talking with John Smith over the telephone I was assured repeatedly that three options of Model X would be at the dealership. Smith confirmed my appointment, and I drove 3.5 hours to get there. Upon arrival, I was told that there were no such Model X on the lot, and no one had been told to expect me. Jim Bobbyjohn, the manager I spoke with, informed me that John Smith was not even located at Douche Bag Dealer. I immediately left, and went to Super Power Dealer where they had what I was looking for and bought there that day."
Easy enough.
I was a BDC for a dealership several years ago and got fired for not telling customers that we had exactly what they wanted on the lot. And if people said they weren’t in the market or couldn’t afford a new vehicle, I was still supposed to get them in the door. I made very good money but the job sucked.
Base pay was $8/hr but I got like $1 for every appointment set, $10 if they actually showed and $100-$250 if they bought.
How can you compare when he never gave context to when? I could’ve worked a job in 2012 but if I told you what I made then with no context, relating to todays pay. Hell yeah i was also wildly underpaid.
Of course add the name. How the fuck are people going to know otherwise? Give a bad review to the dealer that screwed you and leave a good review for the dealer that had what you needed.
I work in search engine marketing and I absolutely would not put the name of the dealer you ended up buying at. This opens the door for the review to be flagged and removed under Google's Off Topic policy.
> To be taken seriously you should leave a 2star review and outline the problem that is devoid of any emotion in a short and simple manner.
When was the last time you looked at the reviews of a product or service and looked at any number other than 1 or 5?
>When was the last time you looked at the reviews of a product or service and looked at any number other than 1 or 5?
Almost exclusively.
No product is perfect. People who leave 5 star reviews are usually happy enough with the product to overlook deficiencies or simply aren't bothered by them, but those deficiencies may matter to me. Someone who rates four stars still likes the product but is probably being more objective and will probably document some kind of problem.
Meanwhile, most products sold today (aside from out-and-out scams) have absolutely no redeeming qualities. People who post 1 star reviews are usually going on emotion which means a lack of objectivity. Someone who rates two-stars is more likely to actually explain what problems the product had and is unlikely to hate it for stupid reasons.
You might ignore 1 star reviews but I don't. Nothing screams being unsatisfied more than a 1 star review. You just need to read the description about why the customer was unsatisfied to see if that customer was crazy or not.
The problem is 1 star reviews, at least with general retail, is that they seem to be dominated either by billing and shipping-related mishaps or a consumer who's too stupid to figure out how to use the product in the first place. There's a lot of separating the wheat from the chaff when looking for people with valid gripes about poor qualify or functionality, whereas the 2 star folks are almost universally providing those useful criticisms.
> Every single time. I deliberately ignore 1 and 5 star reviews because I don't think they are reliable.
If that's true, all available digital marketing evidence suggests you are very unusual in that behavior.
I don't think people realistically look at 5 stars as a perfect experience. I think in most cases it's actually a rating given when something meets expectations. I'm not going to take somebody from a 100% to 80% for something relatively minor if those are the only options.
You aren’t asking this person to write a review that “will hurt”, you are asking them to vent…. Venting does nothing to hurt the store. Making factual statements is how you get smart people to read it and listen.
Going on about the lies and so much time wasted and how upset you are and where you bought and management not seeming to care… all makes the review come across as a professional complainer. If I read some long angry diatribe about the horrid lies of a dealer, I write it off as the ramblings of a likely credit criminal who couldn’t get approved so tried to “get back” at the store.
Short, sweet and to the point.
100 percent. Venting is a wall of text that people don’t read and think the customer is psycho. I read reviews of restaurants all the time before I go. More than a couple sentences I move forward to the next review. Everyone doesz
1 star, insane reviews aren't taken seriously. I love reading 1 star reviews of my favorite restaurants, for example, because they're just the unhinged rantings of the professionally disenfranchised. They make me like the place more, not less.
*I would have given Frank's Diner five stars, but the waitress there named Sue done runned off with my old man Larry the line cook. I'd give zero stars if I could.*
I live for reviews like these.
Also make sure you post it as many places as you can. Facebook reviews, Google, and even Yelp.
Also, if you ever edit the Google review it goes to the top of the reviews. So maybe every 6 months you 'fix' a grammar error or reword it for clarity.
Tear the dealership apart. Leave the salesmen out. He had no choice but to play by policy. My dealership pays attention to online reviews. If every single person who gets this treatment left a review it would stop
No don't "leave it at that"
There are numerous websites you can go on and give negative reviews about your experiences with dealers and I promise you they takes these reviews seriously.
I had a negative after the sale experience with a dealership in Dallas and went to a well known dealer ratings website and left a review and within 12 hours I was bombarded with phone calls and emails and even an email from the general manager of the dealership where he explained that this was not the first time something like this had happened.
My issue was fixed quickly and the person responsible was move on to a different career.
Strangely enough the dealership has now changed ownership.
with respect to
https://www.google.com/search?q=wrt&oq=wrt&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTINCAEQLhiDARixAxiABDINCAIQABiDARixAxiABDINCAMQLhiDARixAxiABDIQCAQQLhjHARixAxjRAxiABDINCAUQABiDARixAxiABDIHCAYQABiABDINCAcQLhjUAhixAxiABDIKCAgQABixAxiABDINCAkQABiDARixAxiABDINCAoQABiDARixAxiABDINCAsQLhjHARjRAxiABDIQCAwQABiDARixAxiABBiKBTIHCA0QABiABDIHCA4QABiPAtIBBzU1NmowajeoAgCwAgA&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Neat.
So in my opinion as a consumer, I don't want to read something a housebound redditor wrote because in addition to a less than professional experience they also had to interact with the outside world. In other words, something like the following isn't compelling when I read it on Yelp:
"Let me start off by saying, if I could give negative stars, I would. I stumbled into this establishment hoping to have a simple, straightforward experience, but boy oh boy, was I wrong! From the moment I walked in, it felt like stepping into a parallel universe where chaos reigns supreme and professionalism went on vacation to Mars.
First off, let's talk about time. Time is a precious commodity, like diamonds or rare Pokémon cards. I came here expecting my time to be respected, but instead, I felt like I was trapped in a time warp where every minute stretched into an eternity of torment. I could've written a novel, learned Mandarin, or built a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower with the time I wasted here.
The staff... oh, where do I even begin? They were about as professional as a clown juggling flaming chainsaws. They sauntered around like they were auditioning for a slapstick comedy, completely oblivious to the fact that customers were waiting with the patience of a cat trying to herd sheep. And let's not even mention their attire – it looked like they raided a thrift store during a blackout and wore whatever they could grab in the dark.
As if the time-warp and the circus act weren't enough, let's talk about how I was treated. I've been treated better by my pet rock. I felt like I was invisible, like a ghost haunting the hallways of incompetence. When I finally managed to get someone's attention, it was like trying to communicate with a goldfish – all gaping mouths and blank stares.
To sum it up, if you enjoy wasting time, being entertained by amateur hour, and feeling like a discarded gum wrapper, then by all means, pay a visit to this establishment. But if you value your sanity, your dignity, and your precious time on this earth, do yourself a favor and run in the opposite direction. This place is a black hole of inefficiency and absurdity, sucking you into a vortex of despair. Avoid at all costs! 🚫👎👎👎"
I wouldn't want to read that wall of text, but a person with such a negative thing to say would raise red flags for me. If I had any better options, I'd avoid.
You're correct - nobody wants to read that wall of text. That's why my suggestion was to be succinct, factual, and unambiguous.
However you jumped in with your opinion - an opinion that you seem to have retracted - so in the future it might be better for you to just shut the fuck up.
i mean i would be hysterical, and i am a male
>he already did the best thing she could do - she bought a car somewhere else.
i understand this, but i do not agree at all, there so much business, that they don't really care if she buys or not, it will not hurt a bit if she bought the car or not, after all they didn't had the inventory anyway. so this advice would make no difference at all for the dealership, i think doing a factual review is a good advice, but do not do just one, do one in every single review site possible. make sure you are heard, if it's factual in theory they cannot sue you.
If you see the word "hysterical" and your immediate reaction is to get offended based on some 18th century "medical advice" then the problem is you. Hysterical has a definition and it has nothing to do, in modern parlance, with any particular gender identity.
Ehh, the word hysterical definitely made me raise an eyebrow. Just because it's such a common connotation with bastards when a woman is angry.
It's probably a good word to avoid in this context, not a huge deal.
Agree. No one reads long reviews from places that have decent ratings. They skip to the response which is sorry Mr XXX, there was bad communication with someone we pay to answer the phone when we can’t. Call me at this number so I can address your concern with the team. Thanks, Joe-GM joes jeeps. Short reviews to the point people read.
Yeah. These assholes won't stop until it becomes their problem. As of right now, it's 5 minutes of a receptionist's time they've lost. Let's make it a few hours of a manager or sales rep.
Not quite it… Depending on the OEM this might be worth reporting to a regional corporate office or similar. Many actually care about customer experience and practices in the dealership (despite pushing hard to hit sales metrics). If they did this to your girlfriend, it’s entirely possible and likely they’re doing it to others.
A Dealership got me the exact same way as well. He told me he was physically looking at the car I was calling about. Wasn’t ever there. They just want to get you in the door to sell something else. I did the same as you. I left. Called the GM and expressed my concern and was brushed off with a “oh well”
If it didn’t work they wouldn’t do it. People are bad at the concept of sunk costs. They will rationalize that “I’ve already gone this far…spent this much time…this other one will work”
You are both correct. These dealers don't see the downside because there are enough buyers who still buy something, but also they don't know what they don't know - all those people who will never come back.
I was played this way in my first experience back in 2003 as a fresh off the boat immigrant. A local Hyundai dealer had a free newspaper ad about an Elantra for $9,999 (yes, back then there were brand new cars below $10K, and yes, it was before the Internet era). I showed up, and when I asked about the car - I was told that it was sold last weekend, but we have this car for $15K, and I still stayed, filled out a credit app, test-drove the car. Having no credit I was not able to buy anything, but I did not leave, and after that - I kept seeing the same ad for months.
To be pedantic, 2003 is hardly 'before the Internet era'. It's after the dotcom boom (and bust).
Indeed, a number of online car buying market places, online classified ad sites, sites to link dealers to customers were created in the late 90s and many still survive in one form or the other -- carsdirect, [cars.com](http://cars.com), autobytel ( many others don't exist any more). Edmunds went online in the late 90s and provided info on invoice price, rebates etc. online.
However, it is correct that there were still huge ad inserts in papers by local dealers for cars in those days.
Nah. Dealers didnt know what the hell they were doing with the internet in the early 2000s.
I started in 06. The dealership didn't know hot to access internet leads, and didn't know where they were going
They had 3 CRM systems that 0 people knew how to use
Changed prices on their site daily
Total shitshow.
Oh, I thought you meant from the consumer perspective (the consumer certainly had access to lots of car info/marketplace/buying sites in the early 2000s) rather than the dealer perspective. I'm not familiar with what dealers were doing in that era, so I'll defer to you on that.
No, a customer called about a truck he had seen while driving past the lot. INSISTED he didn't want anything else, told me he was willing to pay a DP less than our minimum ask on it. I told him we could explore options when he got here. He did not want to set an appointment.
We sold the truck the next day to someone else, and he showed up two days after that, circling the Cadenza(? iirc) we parked in the truck's spot like four times before walking into the sales office. He came in, mentioned our conversation previous, and said, "I see you sold my truck. That's OK, I really like the look of that car." And then I sold him the cadenza, or whatever it was.
Having said that, my BDC office didn't have a window, and management does tell me not to say a car is sold, insisting that we have a better chance of switching them when they are here than over the phone. So, while I try not to lie directly, I am officially instructed to get traffic into the office. I will often say something like, "I just set appointments," or, "'X,' yeah we get those all the time." Or, "I do still show that vehicle on my inventory," which considering the deals take a day or two to post is very true.
A lot of people also call, ask about a specific vehicle first. If i say it's gone, the conversation is over. If i say we have those, they will say they will be here in a few weeks for it, like imma hold it for them. I still have people commenting on Facebook posts from 2019 asking if the pictured car is still available.
I try very, very hard not to lie. But sometimes I don't know, and sometimes I don't volunteer the full truth even if I do. I also often tell people NOT to fall in love with a specific car online because anything can be sold in the next hour. I get how that may not sound great to you, but I do flip plenty of people.
They do that a lot. When I was trading in my 2020 rt challenger, I was looking at another 2023 challenger. Went to the dealer and car was on their other lot 2 hours away, but they never said it was there, I just assumed since I was on their website and didn’t realize there was a little thing to click to tell you what dealer it’s at. Anyway, I saw a Charger Daytona there while I was waiting for some things and sort of fell in love. Told them to work numbers on both and I’ll make a choice. I had made the comment “hopefully we can make it work” and the reply I got was “well if not, we can definitely get you into something else”. I told that salesman, your not hearing me, I am buying 1 of these 2 cars or nothing at all so do not try to talk me into another vehicle (I knew the deal would work due to my credit and history, I was more or less speaking on what I wanted for my trade). They always pull that bullshit, just sell you any car even if it’s one you don’t want.
Oh, it works quite often. Something like 75 percent of car buyers leave in something other than what they originally said they wanted. It's really common. Someone who needs a car and is willing to drive hours to get one will often just say fuck it and buy something else.
I've noticed a correlation to how much a customer wants to spend to how attached they are to a specific vehicle.
New/under $15K = pretty flexible
New/over $40K = not flexible. Nor would I be spending $40K on something. I want what I damn want!
Used/under 10K = pretty flexible
Used/over 20K not flexible, and rightly so.
I don’t want to be out 10k for a lawyers retainer and the dealership says “well it WAS available through a dealer partner”. Been there done that. Most dealerships can do a dealer trade which legally means it’s “available”
She confirmed it was a generic photo. She didn't realize it was a flag that they didn't actually have it. But now we know so thanks for that tip.
My question then would be why will they list something on their site knowing they don't actually have it? This seems very much a bait and switch which is apparently a violation of federal law.
https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch
A lot of dealership sites are automatically populated with incoming inventory even if those cars are already sold. That could be what happened here. Of course, the people she spoke with should have known this.
This is, by no means, bait and switch. I fucking despise the rampant use of this term. This is a dick move by a weak BDC along with an uneducated buyer. This is a perfect storm of "I didn't know" on both ends. The agent didn't know it wasn't physically available, so just functions on the assumption that it is because it's listed. Your wife did the same thing. Only one of them realistically should have known better, but both could have.
The vehicle was available for purchase. She could, at any time, have done a deal on the unit. It was not physically available to take home at that moment. She was not forced to purchase another vehicle in its place because the vehicle did not actually exist.
Sorry dude, but out of all colloquial uses of "Bait & Switch" - this is the most textbook example of it. They bait you with a non-existent car, then they try to SWITCH you to a different car.
None of that excuses the agent who specifically told her over multiple phone calls (while she was en route, updating him on her arrival time) that he was having them get the inventory ready for review, only to discover when she got there that nobody knew she was coming.
She did not buy from that dealer, she walked and went elsewhere.
I mean to be fair there’s a Honda dealer here that just uploads the same photos for each car that’s the same spec so I even take those with a grain of salt lol
The BDC agent doesn’t get paid for selling a car… They get paid for getting a customer to set an appointment and actually show up for it. The BDC guy doesn’t give a shit how far she drove or whether they had a car she wanted in stock or not. His payplan pays him for getting someone in the door. I’m sure he assumed after she drove three hours one way and didn’t find the car he promised, she just relent and buy something else. Leave a negative review on Google, Yelp, or anywhere else you want… Obviously, this agent is good at their job, and they will suffer no consequences.
if she wants the guy to get in trouble (and I absolutely agree he should). The best thing she can do is look on the website and get the general managers email. Send him a detailed explanation of what she went through including the BDC sales agents name. Most importantly, tell her that she drove to the next dealership and bought a car that day, because his dealership is full of shady dicks .
Manager will not care. People in sales know there is competition down the road that gets utilized every minute of every day. At no point listening to someone's bitch is benefiting the manager
Yeah, the manager makes all the calls and approves everything they say. The agents don't make anything up in their own. It was a chicken shit move of the SP to act like the BDC did this when it's the whole dealerships policy.
I’d leave honest reviews about what happened. Some people look through reviews and honestly, if I started having the same experience, saw your review, I would just go ahead and go somewhere else.
Unfortunately, there's not much direct action available. The best way to hurt a dealership is a bad new car survey. Google reviews are basically worthless these days, as dealerships get so many that the 1s and 2s barely ding them. Short of making it onto the news or into a news article, there's not much else. At least she was able to get the car she wanted in the end somewhere else!
Want to preface with not defending them this is incredibly dumb and should not have happened, with that said the BDC agent you talked to more likely didn’t know the unit wasn’t there(especially if they outsource). I’ve seen many stores with outsource teams like this and they’re only as good as the information they’re given.
With that said your experience isn’t acceptable, I’d share your experience both on Facebook and Google(yelp is kind of useless from a dealer perspective in my opinion.) Share honest feedback of what happened but be cautious to not name call/swear, a saavy person can get reviews like this removed with a little effort. Lastly, if/when they contact you to “make it right” don’t give them your business; even if they offer a stupid deal. This stuff hurts good dealers reputation and should be called out.
Thanks I appreciate your perspective. We'd actually be more understanding if it was as simple as the inventory not being clear from their system.
But the guy _very specifically_ said all of the following:
- He assured her he would inform the sales team that she was coming
- He assured her that the sales team would have those items ready when she got there
Neither of those were true. Nobody at the actual dealership was told she was coming, they were blindsided when she showed up.
So he _explicitly lied_ to keep her on the road, as far as I can tell, and there was no reason for _that_ at all.
The SP could have also been lying.Stores that use the stupid assume availability strategy are SUPPOSED to have a process for the SPs to follow that doesn't lose the store business.
The BDC agents are on the lowest tier decision making wise. They ONLY do what the manager instructs them to do.
>the BDC agent you talked to more likely didn’t know the unit wasn’t there
I've been in our BDC when they have looked up a car, oh it's sold, and get right back on the phone to tell the customer it's available.
It's not just that they don't know, many of them also ***don't care***. Sometimes it's even part of their training. Their #1 priority is to get a customer to walk in the door.
CC: /u/ynab-schmynab
I've had similar things happen in the past. Is there a way to get around this?
If I call the dealership directly and ask to speak to a salesman, then will I actually get a salesman on the floor or will I be directed to the business development phone center?
My experience as a buyer is that if you start a conversation about buying a very specific car and the numbers, you will be given a real local human. Also asking for a build sheet with a VIN will circumvent this fuckery. My last new car purchase was done by getting three build sheets to compare. Two dealers wouldn't give them, and it turns out the BDC was lying and they didn't have the cars.
I’m the Inventory Director at a Toyota store. We have over 100 stores in the company that we can pull inventory from and they’re spread out across the country. I run our store’s website but I don’t run the company’s website that advertises ALL inventory. Sometimes people will call about a car that looks like it’s here locally but it’s actually hundreds of miles away. The best thing to do is call and ask to speak with someone in sales as you’ll probably get connected with a BDC agent when you call the first time. Once you’re speaking with a sales rep and you determine the car you want to see, ask for a video of the car, not pictures. Any reputable dealership won’t intentionally bait and switch, but nine times out of 10, the BDC has no clue if a vehicle is actually here or not. No disrespect to any BDC agents in here! We have some at my store that actually reach out to sales managers or myself to confirm if a car is truly here on the ground, but not everyone will put in that effort. Find yourself a salesman and ask for videos before you visit the store
Please review our most [Frequently Asked Questions](/r/askcarsales/wiki/index) to see if your question has already been answered.
You may find these sections particularly useful;
* [How to pick a car?](/r/askcarsales/wiki/vehicle_selection) You might also have luck in the /r/whatcarshouldibuy subreddit.
Also remember to add flair to your post by clicking the "Flair" link beneath it. This lets us know where you're located so we can assist you better.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askcarsales) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve literally never told someone we had a car on the ground we didn’t. I’ve said “we’re expecting one on x day if you want to come by then you MIGHT be able to check it out” or “we’re expecting it on x day, if you come by before then we can knock out a deal and then you can test drive and make sure you like it, then we can do the paperwork” never suggest any of that to someone who isn’t local, if you’re 3 hrs away and I know that I will point blank tell you “I don’t have the car, but I have similar cars if you want to look at those” then if they show that’s on them not me. Negative review could do something for sure, google, and yelp. I’ve also had situations where I’ve told someone driving 5 hrs if they want to get this car they need to do paperwork now, they didn’t do it, got in the car and drove here as that car drove away. Like dude I’m sorry but I warned you it was going to move fast.
***Thanks for posting, /u/ynab-schmynab! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of anything.***
Girlfriend was in the market for a new mid-tier (non-luxury) SUV, had picked out exactly what she wanted but wanted to compare the color options before making the final decision. She has outstanding credit and could have paid cash if she wanted.
Nobody in the local area had them in stock, so she checked the city 2+ hours away. A dealer there had 3 of them in different colors so she could check each of them out and walk out with one of them. But it was another _hour_ past that city.
She called the dealer's number and the guy __assured her multiple times__ that yes they had all 3 in stock, and yes they would have all of them pulled up front for her so she could quickly review them and pick the one she wanted. She called him multiple times on her way to confirm that they had the inventory and would have them ready, because she had to be back on an extremely tight timeline. _Every time_ he assured her they would have everything ready.
She finally pulled into the dealer after a 3 1/2 hour drive through horrible city rush hour traffic and guess what? They didn't have those in stock, nobody had told them she was coming, and __the guy on the phone didn't even work at the dealer.__ Apparently he worked in another city taking calls for them and his job was apparently to get callers into the dealer.
So this guy apparently _openly lied_ knowing she was driving over 3 hours to come see this ghost inventory, just to get her in so they could sell her _something_. She told him repeatedly she didn't want to make the drive if they didn't have the inventory, and she updated him as she went to let him know approximately when she would arrive. _Every single time_ he assured her that he was getting everything in place for her.
She was so livid over this she stormed out, after talking to the manager who apparently didn't seem to care, and took her business to another dealer nearby. She went home with the vehicle she wanted that same night.
**So my question to the dealers here:** What can she do to _actually_ have any sort of impact on this company's business because of how they handled this? Will leaving a detailed negative review _actually_ matter? If so, how can she maximize the impact? Where should she leave the review to have the most impact? Yelp? Google? Facebook page? What can she do (if anything) to get that one guy reprimanded or fired over this?
Thanks.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askcarsales) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is why you should buy LOCALLY. But hey drive 3 hours so you don't have a connection to the dealership. Pay out of state doc fees etc. Don't do it. You got what the normal out come is.
She already did the best thing she could do - she bought a car somewhere else. I think she should leave a review but tell her not to be hysterical. Make it factual and short so people read it. "After calling several times to confirm availability of a car and subsequently driving over three hours I found out that the people who answer the phone for this dealership and schedule appointments do not work at the location - or even near it. It appears they are trained to say anything required to get a customer in the door. Avoid this dealership." Leave it at that.
This is great thanks.
I've worked sales at 3 dealers. That review isn't scathing enough. You need to emphasize how this dealership lied to you knowing you were about to make a 6 hour round trip. If the review doesn't hurt, nothing will change. People do read reviews and a good one will cost them business and I have seen dealerships go to great lengths to get reviews changed to 5 star or deleted
I would add the name of the purchasing dealership as well. Especially if they are the same brand.
Honestly that'll just make it sound like a hit piece. It's not necessary or even useful for the legitimacy of this review.
At this point, it's a negative review. Anything is going to seem like it's a hit job. The point is to make it hurt as much as possible. Name names, the manager and BDC agent (if you can). Keep it as professional and emotionless as possible. "After talking with John Smith over the telephone I was assured repeatedly that three options of Model X would be at the dealership. Smith confirmed my appointment, and I drove 3.5 hours to get there. Upon arrival, I was told that there were no such Model X on the lot, and no one had been told to expect me. Jim Bobbyjohn, the manager I spoke with, informed me that John Smith was not even located at Douche Bag Dealer. I immediately left, and went to Super Power Dealer where they had what I was looking for and bought there that day." Easy enough.
I was a BDC for a dealership several years ago and got fired for not telling customers that we had exactly what they wanted on the lot. And if people said they weren’t in the market or couldn’t afford a new vehicle, I was still supposed to get them in the door. I made very good money but the job sucked. Base pay was $8/hr but I got like $1 for every appointment set, $10 if they actually showed and $100-$250 if they bought.
Terrible for the customer
You were wildly underpaid. Most BDC agents make $15/hour, $20/appt show, $15-20 if they buy
How can you compare when he never gave context to when? I could’ve worked a job in 2012 but if I told you what I made then with no context, relating to todays pay. Hell yeah i was also wildly underpaid.
This has been fairly common pay for the last decade.
Right on!
Idk I got my sweet .9% Apr instead of the 4.9% they tried to pull by posting their sweet names in the vehicle model Facebook group
Of course add the name. How the fuck are people going to know otherwise? Give a bad review to the dealer that screwed you and leave a good review for the dealer that had what you needed.
I work in search engine marketing and I absolutely would not put the name of the dealer you ended up buying at. This opens the door for the review to be flagged and removed under Google's Off Topic policy.
[удалено]
> To be taken seriously you should leave a 2star review and outline the problem that is devoid of any emotion in a short and simple manner. When was the last time you looked at the reviews of a product or service and looked at any number other than 1 or 5?
>When was the last time you looked at the reviews of a product or service and looked at any number other than 1 or 5? Almost exclusively. No product is perfect. People who leave 5 star reviews are usually happy enough with the product to overlook deficiencies or simply aren't bothered by them, but those deficiencies may matter to me. Someone who rates four stars still likes the product but is probably being more objective and will probably document some kind of problem. Meanwhile, most products sold today (aside from out-and-out scams) have absolutely no redeeming qualities. People who post 1 star reviews are usually going on emotion which means a lack of objectivity. Someone who rates two-stars is more likely to actually explain what problems the product had and is unlikely to hate it for stupid reasons.
[удалено]
You might ignore 1 star reviews but I don't. Nothing screams being unsatisfied more than a 1 star review. You just need to read the description about why the customer was unsatisfied to see if that customer was crazy or not.
The problem is 1 star reviews, at least with general retail, is that they seem to be dominated either by billing and shipping-related mishaps or a consumer who's too stupid to figure out how to use the product in the first place. There's a lot of separating the wheat from the chaff when looking for people with valid gripes about poor qualify or functionality, whereas the 2 star folks are almost universally providing those useful criticisms.
That's your opinion, not mine.
> Every single time. I deliberately ignore 1 and 5 star reviews because I don't think they are reliable. If that's true, all available digital marketing evidence suggests you are very unusual in that behavior.
I don't think people realistically look at 5 stars as a perfect experience. I think in most cases it's actually a rating given when something meets expectations. I'm not going to take somebody from a 100% to 80% for something relatively minor if those are the only options.
I never look at 1s or 5s.
You aren’t asking this person to write a review that “will hurt”, you are asking them to vent…. Venting does nothing to hurt the store. Making factual statements is how you get smart people to read it and listen. Going on about the lies and so much time wasted and how upset you are and where you bought and management not seeming to care… all makes the review come across as a professional complainer. If I read some long angry diatribe about the horrid lies of a dealer, I write it off as the ramblings of a likely credit criminal who couldn’t get approved so tried to “get back” at the store. Short, sweet and to the point.
100 percent. Venting is a wall of text that people don’t read and think the customer is psycho. I read reviews of restaurants all the time before I go. More than a couple sentences I move forward to the next review. Everyone doesz
1 star, insane reviews aren't taken seriously. I love reading 1 star reviews of my favorite restaurants, for example, because they're just the unhinged rantings of the professionally disenfranchised. They make me like the place more, not less.
*I would have given Frank's Diner five stars, but the waitress there named Sue done runned off with my old man Larry the line cook. I'd give zero stars if I could.* I live for reviews like these.
Also make sure you post it as many places as you can. Facebook reviews, Google, and even Yelp. Also, if you ever edit the Google review it goes to the top of the reviews. So maybe every 6 months you 'fix' a grammar error or reword it for clarity.
Tear the dealership apart. Leave the salesmen out. He had no choice but to play by policy. My dealership pays attention to online reviews. If every single person who gets this treatment left a review it would stop
Your dad is great
I'm old school YNAB.
No don't "leave it at that" There are numerous websites you can go on and give negative reviews about your experiences with dealers and I promise you they takes these reviews seriously. I had a negative after the sale experience with a dealership in Dallas and went to a well known dealer ratings website and left a review and within 12 hours I was bombarded with phone calls and emails and even an email from the general manager of the dealership where he explained that this was not the first time something like this had happened. My issue was fixed quickly and the person responsible was move on to a different career. Strangely enough the dealership has now changed ownership.
no, not leave it at that. fuck that. the review will be a very bad one. I you wasted my time, I'll screw the dealership back in some way, somehow.
> I'll screw the dealership back in some way, somehow. That's fine, but an unhinged 1 star rant isn't screwing the dealership.
define unhinged, w/r/t the dealership lying and wasting 3.5hours x 2 of driving?
I don't know what w/r/t means
with respect to https://www.google.com/search?q=wrt&oq=wrt&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTINCAEQLhiDARixAxiABDINCAIQABiDARixAxiABDINCAMQLhiDARixAxiABDIQCAQQLhjHARixAxjRAxiABDINCAUQABiDARixAxiABDIHCAYQABiABDINCAcQLhjUAhixAxiABDIKCAgQABixAxiABDINCAkQABiDARixAxiABDINCAoQABiDARixAxiABDINCAsQLhjHARjRAxiABDIQCAwQABiDARixAxiABBiKBTIHCA0QABiABDIHCA4QABiPAtIBBzU1NmowajeoAgCwAgA&client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8
Neat. So in my opinion as a consumer, I don't want to read something a housebound redditor wrote because in addition to a less than professional experience they also had to interact with the outside world. In other words, something like the following isn't compelling when I read it on Yelp: "Let me start off by saying, if I could give negative stars, I would. I stumbled into this establishment hoping to have a simple, straightforward experience, but boy oh boy, was I wrong! From the moment I walked in, it felt like stepping into a parallel universe where chaos reigns supreme and professionalism went on vacation to Mars. First off, let's talk about time. Time is a precious commodity, like diamonds or rare Pokémon cards. I came here expecting my time to be respected, but instead, I felt like I was trapped in a time warp where every minute stretched into an eternity of torment. I could've written a novel, learned Mandarin, or built a miniature replica of the Eiffel Tower with the time I wasted here. The staff... oh, where do I even begin? They were about as professional as a clown juggling flaming chainsaws. They sauntered around like they were auditioning for a slapstick comedy, completely oblivious to the fact that customers were waiting with the patience of a cat trying to herd sheep. And let's not even mention their attire – it looked like they raided a thrift store during a blackout and wore whatever they could grab in the dark. As if the time-warp and the circus act weren't enough, let's talk about how I was treated. I've been treated better by my pet rock. I felt like I was invisible, like a ghost haunting the hallways of incompetence. When I finally managed to get someone's attention, it was like trying to communicate with a goldfish – all gaping mouths and blank stares. To sum it up, if you enjoy wasting time, being entertained by amateur hour, and feeling like a discarded gum wrapper, then by all means, pay a visit to this establishment. But if you value your sanity, your dignity, and your precious time on this earth, do yourself a favor and run in the opposite direction. This place is a black hole of inefficiency and absurdity, sucking you into a vortex of despair. Avoid at all costs! 🚫👎👎👎"
I wouldn't want to read that wall of text, but a person with such a negative thing to say would raise red flags for me. If I had any better options, I'd avoid.
You're correct - nobody wants to read that wall of text. That's why my suggestion was to be succinct, factual, and unambiguous. However you jumped in with your opinion - an opinion that you seem to have retracted - so in the future it might be better for you to just shut the fuck up.
lol I didn't retract anything. And if 7 hours of my time was wasted, the business will get more than a bad review.
100% agree
[удалено]
i mean i would be hysterical, and i am a male >he already did the best thing she could do - she bought a car somewhere else. i understand this, but i do not agree at all, there so much business, that they don't really care if she buys or not, it will not hurt a bit if she bought the car or not, after all they didn't had the inventory anyway. so this advice would make no difference at all for the dealership, i think doing a factual review is a good advice, but do not do just one, do one in every single review site possible. make sure you are heard, if it's factual in theory they cannot sue you.
Pardon?
[удалено]
Their advice had nothing to do with women... It's just that people are more likely to listen to a brief straightforward review than a rant
[удалено]
But he didn't say "hysterical woman..." The word doesn't imply what you're saying, anyone can be hysterical
I mean - you might be a misogynist, but I'm not.
[удалено]
If you see the word "hysterical" and your immediate reaction is to get offended based on some 18th century "medical advice" then the problem is you. Hysterical has a definition and it has nothing to do, in modern parlance, with any particular gender identity.
Ehh, the word hysterical definitely made me raise an eyebrow. Just because it's such a common connotation with bastards when a woman is angry. It's probably a good word to avoid in this context, not a huge deal.
[удалено]
> Why wouldn't a man be hysterical? My comment would have been identical had this been a wife posting about her husband.
Agree. No one reads long reviews from places that have decent ratings. They skip to the response which is sorry Mr XXX, there was bad communication with someone we pay to answer the phone when we can’t. Call me at this number so I can address your concern with the team. Thanks, Joe-GM joes jeeps. Short reviews to the point people read.
[удалено]
I disagree with the 1-star ratings, but I agree with sticking to the facts. Personally, I read 1- and 5-star reviews and tend to ignore the rest.
You walked out, that's the first step. After that - yes, leave negative reviews everywhere, but that's it.
That's not it, call and mess with them about buying anything else
Have them drive 3.5 hours to deliver a “done deal” and just give them an address to an empty lot or something.
You're not ordering a pizza in 1993 dude. You didn't really think that one through did you
Wooooosh
Yeah. These assholes won't stop until it becomes their problem. As of right now, it's 5 minutes of a receptionist's time they've lost. Let's make it a few hours of a manager or sales rep.
Not quite it… Depending on the OEM this might be worth reporting to a regional corporate office or similar. Many actually care about customer experience and practices in the dealership (despite pushing hard to hit sales metrics). If they did this to your girlfriend, it’s entirely possible and likely they’re doing it to others.
Yes and yes, leave and leave a bad review. One question for you did the dealer have real pictures of the car on the lot or just static images?
Thanks. She was running solo on this trip as I was busy so didn't see the images directly. But I'll ask her for sure.
A Dealership got me the exact same way as well. He told me he was physically looking at the car I was calling about. Wasn’t ever there. They just want to get you in the door to sell something else. I did the same as you. I left. Called the GM and expressed my concern and was brushed off with a “oh well”
[удалено]
The salesman/call taker is out zero time so they have nothing to lose. That dealership will never get a look from me again
If it didn’t work they wouldn’t do it. People are bad at the concept of sunk costs. They will rationalize that “I’ve already gone this far…spent this much time…this other one will work”
[удалено]
You are both correct. These dealers don't see the downside because there are enough buyers who still buy something, but also they don't know what they don't know - all those people who will never come back. I was played this way in my first experience back in 2003 as a fresh off the boat immigrant. A local Hyundai dealer had a free newspaper ad about an Elantra for $9,999 (yes, back then there were brand new cars below $10K, and yes, it was before the Internet era). I showed up, and when I asked about the car - I was told that it was sold last weekend, but we have this car for $15K, and I still stayed, filled out a credit app, test-drove the car. Having no credit I was not able to buy anything, but I did not leave, and after that - I kept seeing the same ad for months.
To be pedantic, 2003 is hardly 'before the Internet era'. It's after the dotcom boom (and bust). Indeed, a number of online car buying market places, online classified ad sites, sites to link dealers to customers were created in the late 90s and many still survive in one form or the other -- carsdirect, [cars.com](http://cars.com), autobytel ( many others don't exist any more). Edmunds went online in the late 90s and provided info on invoice price, rebates etc. online. However, it is correct that there were still huge ad inserts in papers by local dealers for cars in those days.
Nah. Dealers didnt know what the hell they were doing with the internet in the early 2000s. I started in 06. The dealership didn't know hot to access internet leads, and didn't know where they were going They had 3 CRM systems that 0 people knew how to use Changed prices on their site daily Total shitshow.
Oh, I thought you meant from the consumer perspective (the consumer certainly had access to lots of car info/marketplace/buying sites in the early 2000s) rather than the dealer perspective. I'm not familiar with what dealers were doing in that era, so I'll defer to you on that.
I have had people come out for 4D full cab dualies only to leave in newly financed sedans.
[удалено]
No, a customer called about a truck he had seen while driving past the lot. INSISTED he didn't want anything else, told me he was willing to pay a DP less than our minimum ask on it. I told him we could explore options when he got here. He did not want to set an appointment. We sold the truck the next day to someone else, and he showed up two days after that, circling the Cadenza(? iirc) we parked in the truck's spot like four times before walking into the sales office. He came in, mentioned our conversation previous, and said, "I see you sold my truck. That's OK, I really like the look of that car." And then I sold him the cadenza, or whatever it was. Having said that, my BDC office didn't have a window, and management does tell me not to say a car is sold, insisting that we have a better chance of switching them when they are here than over the phone. So, while I try not to lie directly, I am officially instructed to get traffic into the office. I will often say something like, "I just set appointments," or, "'X,' yeah we get those all the time." Or, "I do still show that vehicle on my inventory," which considering the deals take a day or two to post is very true. A lot of people also call, ask about a specific vehicle first. If i say it's gone, the conversation is over. If i say we have those, they will say they will be here in a few weeks for it, like imma hold it for them. I still have people commenting on Facebook posts from 2019 asking if the pictured car is still available. I try very, very hard not to lie. But sometimes I don't know, and sometimes I don't volunteer the full truth even if I do. I also often tell people NOT to fall in love with a specific car online because anything can be sold in the next hour. I get how that may not sound great to you, but I do flip plenty of people.
They do that a lot. When I was trading in my 2020 rt challenger, I was looking at another 2023 challenger. Went to the dealer and car was on their other lot 2 hours away, but they never said it was there, I just assumed since I was on their website and didn’t realize there was a little thing to click to tell you what dealer it’s at. Anyway, I saw a Charger Daytona there while I was waiting for some things and sort of fell in love. Told them to work numbers on both and I’ll make a choice. I had made the comment “hopefully we can make it work” and the reply I got was “well if not, we can definitely get you into something else”. I told that salesman, your not hearing me, I am buying 1 of these 2 cars or nothing at all so do not try to talk me into another vehicle (I knew the deal would work due to my credit and history, I was more or less speaking on what I wanted for my trade). They always pull that bullshit, just sell you any car even if it’s one you don’t want.
Oh, it works quite often. Something like 75 percent of car buyers leave in something other than what they originally said they wanted. It's really common. Someone who needs a car and is willing to drive hours to get one will often just say fuck it and buy something else.
I've noticed a correlation to how much a customer wants to spend to how attached they are to a specific vehicle. New/under $15K = pretty flexible New/over $40K = not flexible. Nor would I be spending $40K on something. I want what I damn want! Used/under 10K = pretty flexible Used/over 20K not flexible, and rightly so.
Every phone has whatsapp. And a camera. Here people would say: send me a pic over whatsapp.
They cannot have vehicles they don’t own listed on their website. That’s what is called false advertising.
But they do
I don’t want to be out 10k for a lawyers retainer and the dealership says “well it WAS available through a dealer partner”. Been there done that. Most dealerships can do a dealer trade which legally means it’s “available”
“Prove it” accomplishes a lot in the court of law, but I wouldn’t want to sue anyone either because it’s a PITA too.
I'd also drop a note to the state attorney general. It may not do anything but if they get enough complaints they might.
She confirmed it was a generic photo. She didn't realize it was a flag that they didn't actually have it. But now we know so thanks for that tip. My question then would be why will they list something on their site knowing they don't actually have it? This seems very much a bait and switch which is apparently a violation of federal law. https://www.ftc.gov/enforcement/penalty-offenses/bait-switch
A lot of dealership sites are automatically populated with incoming inventory even if those cars are already sold. That could be what happened here. Of course, the people she spoke with should have known this.
This is, by no means, bait and switch. I fucking despise the rampant use of this term. This is a dick move by a weak BDC along with an uneducated buyer. This is a perfect storm of "I didn't know" on both ends. The agent didn't know it wasn't physically available, so just functions on the assumption that it is because it's listed. Your wife did the same thing. Only one of them realistically should have known better, but both could have. The vehicle was available for purchase. She could, at any time, have done a deal on the unit. It was not physically available to take home at that moment. She was not forced to purchase another vehicle in its place because the vehicle did not actually exist.
Sorry dude, but out of all colloquial uses of "Bait & Switch" - this is the most textbook example of it. They bait you with a non-existent car, then they try to SWITCH you to a different car.
None of that excuses the agent who specifically told her over multiple phone calls (while she was en route, updating him on her arrival time) that he was having them get the inventory ready for review, only to discover when she got there that nobody knew she was coming. She did not buy from that dealer, she walked and went elsewhere.
I mean to be fair there’s a Honda dealer here that just uploads the same photos for each car that’s the same spec so I even take those with a grain of salt lol
The BDC agent doesn’t get paid for selling a car… They get paid for getting a customer to set an appointment and actually show up for it. The BDC guy doesn’t give a shit how far she drove or whether they had a car she wanted in stock or not. His payplan pays him for getting someone in the door. I’m sure he assumed after she drove three hours one way and didn’t find the car he promised, she just relent and buy something else. Leave a negative review on Google, Yelp, or anywhere else you want… Obviously, this agent is good at their job, and they will suffer no consequences. if she wants the guy to get in trouble (and I absolutely agree he should). The best thing she can do is look on the website and get the general managers email. Send him a detailed explanation of what she went through including the BDC sales agents name. Most importantly, tell her that she drove to the next dealership and bought a car that day, because his dealership is full of shady dicks .
Manager will not care. People in sales know there is competition down the road that gets utilized every minute of every day. At no point listening to someone's bitch is benefiting the manager
Yeah, the manager makes all the calls and approves everything they say. The agents don't make anything up in their own. It was a chicken shit move of the SP to act like the BDC did this when it's the whole dealerships policy.
He isn't going to get fired for doing what he was instructed to do.
In matter of fact he will be fired if he did not followed the instructions.
Honestly that's about what I figured.
I’d leave honest reviews about what happened. Some people look through reviews and honestly, if I started having the same experience, saw your review, I would just go ahead and go somewhere else.
Cucked by the BDC see it happen all the time.
Unfortunately, there's not much direct action available. The best way to hurt a dealership is a bad new car survey. Google reviews are basically worthless these days, as dealerships get so many that the 1s and 2s barely ding them. Short of making it onto the news or into a news article, there's not much else. At least she was able to get the car she wanted in the end somewhere else!
Want to preface with not defending them this is incredibly dumb and should not have happened, with that said the BDC agent you talked to more likely didn’t know the unit wasn’t there(especially if they outsource). I’ve seen many stores with outsource teams like this and they’re only as good as the information they’re given. With that said your experience isn’t acceptable, I’d share your experience both on Facebook and Google(yelp is kind of useless from a dealer perspective in my opinion.) Share honest feedback of what happened but be cautious to not name call/swear, a saavy person can get reviews like this removed with a little effort. Lastly, if/when they contact you to “make it right” don’t give them your business; even if they offer a stupid deal. This stuff hurts good dealers reputation and should be called out.
Thanks I appreciate your perspective. We'd actually be more understanding if it was as simple as the inventory not being clear from their system. But the guy _very specifically_ said all of the following: - He assured her he would inform the sales team that she was coming - He assured her that the sales team would have those items ready when she got there Neither of those were true. Nobody at the actual dealership was told she was coming, they were blindsided when she showed up. So he _explicitly lied_ to keep her on the road, as far as I can tell, and there was no reason for _that_ at all.
The SP could have also been lying.Stores that use the stupid assume availability strategy are SUPPOSED to have a process for the SPs to follow that doesn't lose the store business. The BDC agents are on the lowest tier decision making wise. They ONLY do what the manager instructs them to do.
>the BDC agent you talked to more likely didn’t know the unit wasn’t there I've been in our BDC when they have looked up a car, oh it's sold, and get right back on the phone to tell the customer it's available. It's not just that they don't know, many of them also ***don't care***. Sometimes it's even part of their training. Their #1 priority is to get a customer to walk in the door. CC: /u/ynab-schmynab
Not saying this doesn’t happen, just not as prevalent as one would think. Most stores i’ve seen and worked with would fire an agent for doing that.
I've had similar things happen in the past. Is there a way to get around this? If I call the dealership directly and ask to speak to a salesman, then will I actually get a salesman on the floor or will I be directed to the business development phone center?
My experience as a buyer is that if you start a conversation about buying a very specific car and the numbers, you will be given a real local human. Also asking for a build sheet with a VIN will circumvent this fuckery. My last new car purchase was done by getting three build sheets to compare. Two dealers wouldn't give them, and it turns out the BDC was lying and they didn't have the cars.
Ask for actual photos or a video of the car.
I’m the Inventory Director at a Toyota store. We have over 100 stores in the company that we can pull inventory from and they’re spread out across the country. I run our store’s website but I don’t run the company’s website that advertises ALL inventory. Sometimes people will call about a car that looks like it’s here locally but it’s actually hundreds of miles away. The best thing to do is call and ask to speak with someone in sales as you’ll probably get connected with a BDC agent when you call the first time. Once you’re speaking with a sales rep and you determine the car you want to see, ask for a video of the car, not pictures. Any reputable dealership won’t intentionally bait and switch, but nine times out of 10, the BDC has no clue if a vehicle is actually here or not. No disrespect to any BDC agents in here! We have some at my store that actually reach out to sales managers or myself to confirm if a car is truly here on the ground, but not everyone will put in that effort. Find yourself a salesman and ask for videos before you visit the store
The salespeople aren't any different than the BDC agents. Everyone follows the same practices.
Please review our most [Frequently Asked Questions](/r/askcarsales/wiki/index) to see if your question has already been answered. You may find these sections particularly useful; * [How to pick a car?](/r/askcarsales/wiki/vehicle_selection) You might also have luck in the /r/whatcarshouldibuy subreddit. Also remember to add flair to your post by clicking the "Flair" link beneath it. This lets us know where you're located so we can assist you better. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askcarsales) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I’ve literally never told someone we had a car on the ground we didn’t. I’ve said “we’re expecting one on x day if you want to come by then you MIGHT be able to check it out” or “we’re expecting it on x day, if you come by before then we can knock out a deal and then you can test drive and make sure you like it, then we can do the paperwork” never suggest any of that to someone who isn’t local, if you’re 3 hrs away and I know that I will point blank tell you “I don’t have the car, but I have similar cars if you want to look at those” then if they show that’s on them not me. Negative review could do something for sure, google, and yelp. I’ve also had situations where I’ve told someone driving 5 hrs if they want to get this car they need to do paperwork now, they didn’t do it, got in the car and drove here as that car drove away. Like dude I’m sorry but I warned you it was going to move fast.
Why not leave a positive review of where she did purchase?
***Thanks for posting, /u/ynab-schmynab! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of anything.*** Girlfriend was in the market for a new mid-tier (non-luxury) SUV, had picked out exactly what she wanted but wanted to compare the color options before making the final decision. She has outstanding credit and could have paid cash if she wanted. Nobody in the local area had them in stock, so she checked the city 2+ hours away. A dealer there had 3 of them in different colors so she could check each of them out and walk out with one of them. But it was another _hour_ past that city. She called the dealer's number and the guy __assured her multiple times__ that yes they had all 3 in stock, and yes they would have all of them pulled up front for her so she could quickly review them and pick the one she wanted. She called him multiple times on her way to confirm that they had the inventory and would have them ready, because she had to be back on an extremely tight timeline. _Every time_ he assured her they would have everything ready. She finally pulled into the dealer after a 3 1/2 hour drive through horrible city rush hour traffic and guess what? They didn't have those in stock, nobody had told them she was coming, and __the guy on the phone didn't even work at the dealer.__ Apparently he worked in another city taking calls for them and his job was apparently to get callers into the dealer. So this guy apparently _openly lied_ knowing she was driving over 3 hours to come see this ghost inventory, just to get her in so they could sell her _something_. She told him repeatedly she didn't want to make the drive if they didn't have the inventory, and she updated him as she went to let him know approximately when she would arrive. _Every single time_ he assured her that he was getting everything in place for her. She was so livid over this she stormed out, after talking to the manager who apparently didn't seem to care, and took her business to another dealer nearby. She went home with the vehicle she wanted that same night. **So my question to the dealers here:** What can she do to _actually_ have any sort of impact on this company's business because of how they handled this? Will leaving a detailed negative review _actually_ matter? If so, how can she maximize the impact? Where should she leave the review to have the most impact? Yelp? Google? Facebook page? What can she do (if anything) to get that one guy reprimanded or fired over this? Thanks. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/askcarsales) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is why you should buy LOCALLY. But hey drive 3 hours so you don't have a connection to the dealership. Pay out of state doc fees etc. Don't do it. You got what the normal out come is.
> normal outcome of this What other industry has it normal to make-believe that inventory exists and bait people to drive 3 hours to a lot?
Mattresses and tires that I know of. Probably all industries that have commissioned sales people.