Our experience of T Wall Ford started yesterday when my wife and I decided to go to the forecourt to view a Ford Focus advertised on auto trader.
All the bells and whistles, 7500 miles and for sale on the forecourt.
We arrive and when greeted by the salesman enquire about the individual car, since we can't find it on the lot.
He told us that was "Barry's car" and that he'd gone home for the day. He offered to get it back for us, but taken aback by the idea that the forecourt car was being used we suggested that might be a "bit of fuss" which was met with and the salesman just said "ok".
Later we use the form on AutoTrader to see what we could get for part exchange, and enquire with the garage that if that car is in or a similar car comes in to let us know.
We get a call back from the salesman letting us know what time Barry will be around that we can come and look at the car, so we agree 10am the next morning that we'll come back to look at the car.
We arrive on site at 10am as agreed, to be met with an empty (of people) forecourt. We look around the car from the outside and wait for anyone to appear. Nobody does.
We wander into the showroom after standing on the forecourt for 10 minutes to meet our salesman.
He comes out with us to look around the car.
There is little to no interaction between the salesman and my wife whilst she is looking around, not pointing out features or benefits of this model.
He offered my wife a test drive which helped us to solidify the desire to buy this car. In the car on the test drive my wife and I discussed going back to specifically buy this car.
We arrived back at the garage ready to negotiate the sale of the car, because part of buying a car is the art of doing a deal, feeling like you're getting a good buy.
We discussed the part ex, which had previously been valued at 3600 on AutoTrader and he went away to do the sums.
He came back offering 3300 for our part ex and the price of the car as advertised (which now sports 1000 miles more than advertised, since the staff are still driving the car) went from £16495 to over £18000 with all the additions of gap insurance, admin fee, extended warranty.
This put us over our budget and was a little unexpected.
The salesman went away and removed these additional charges, except the admin fee and sharpened his pencil on the trade in price which was now offering £3500, still lower than the guide trade price for essentially a very nice 1 lady owner car.
So, at this point we're still not feeling like getting a "deal" and the whole situation of trying to buy a car that Barry is continuing to drive seems odd, we're on the fence. Still in an effort to seal the deal and feel like we were getting something, we suggest that perhaps a service plan thrown in so we know we'll be looked after for longer than the manufacturer warranty which runs out in 8 months, to be met with blank stares and suggestions of 0% interest on service plans.
The salesman, who seemed a little uncomfortable with the idea of trying to negotiate a deal fetches his manager.
The manager was confrontational and frankly rude. "What were you expecting when you came here today" was his expression in a tone which could have cut the plexi glass shielding between us.
To be honest, if you read this, we were expecting to buy a car. Not be told half way through the deal that Barry had since gone home in the very car We were trying to strike a deal on.
Absolutely horrendous experience, and not the way one wishes to be treated or spoken to when buying the second most expensive item one is likely to buy after a house.
What was supposed to be an exciting experience of buying a new car soon turned into both my wife and I feeling like second rate citizens or tyre kickers. I can assure you we were not, we were just on the fence about buying it which was an opportunity for you to sell us a car. However all you have done is turned us away from T wall and away from the Ford Brand.
TL:DR
Crappy salesman, rude and antagonistic manager, treated like an inconvenience instead of valued customer. read more
