Customers put off by pushy salesman

[munners]

From news.com.au

Car buyers are put off by rude salesmen, RACQ survey reveals

New car buyers are being driven away by pushy car salesmen and bad customer service.

A survey of car dealers has uncovered a raft of customer complaints such as vehicles taking up to four months to be delivered, problems with accessories, and customers being pressured into accepting another vehicle because the wrong one was ordered.

The RACQ survey found just over one in four customers (27 per cent) indicated they needed to return their car for follow-up fitment of dealer added accessories, warranty related faults or to have a concern checked.

However, the RACQ survey also found 85 per cent of first-time customers to a dealership said they would buy again from the same dealer while 95 per cent of repeat customers said they would return.

Motor Trades Association of Australia spokesman Colin Duckworth said pushy car sales people were “dinosaurs on the way out''.

“The average dealer principal these days goes out of their way to keep customers,'' he said.

“They really don't make a lot of money out of selling a car - bugger all. Their main profit centres are finance and insurance, and the ongoing service of the vehicle.

“I don't deny that there are the odd ones that are pushy and try to upsell customers but I wonder how much of that comes from the suppliers who instruct them to push customers into higher-spec vehicles.

“They would rather dealers sold their floor stock than raise an order for a special vehicle.''

RACQ spokesman Steve Spalding said respondents' comments about car dealership staff included that they were rude, far too pushy and too busy, lacked interest once the contract was signed and didn't care whether I bought there or not".

Others said the manager was “quite unethical'' and the purchasing process was “generally unpleasant''.

Mr Spalding said the survey showed that dealers had improved their customer satisfaction ratings, but still had a lot of work to do.

“Overall, dealers generally met buyer's expectations in how well they performed although they need to improve their performance in responding to customer's enquiries and reduce their tendency to pressure the customer when dealing with them,'' he said.

“Customers rated the dealer's showroom and facilities well above their expectations which is a positive reflection of the high standard typically found in a new-car dealership.

“Dealers could also work to lift their performance in how they communicate with their customers and follow up by ensuring they do as promised.

“If dealers lose the confidence of a customer shortly after purchase they are potentially missing out on that customer's business for ongoing servicing work, which can amount to several hundred dollars a year. Worse still, that customer will tell others about their bad experience,'' he said.

The survey also found 90 per cent of customers were happy with “most of the major'' brands of vehicle, ranging from 87 per cent for Ford owners to 91.5 per cent for Hyundai owners.

Carsguide resident mechanic Graham Smith said the worst habit of sales staff was upselling with items such as rust and paint protection, extended warranties and unnecessary servicing.

“Customers assume that what the dealer sells them is a factory product, but clearly paint protection and aftermarket LPG systems are not.

“Extended warranties also don't come from the factory but from an insurance company.

“Buyers need to be a bit more smart and understand what warranties cover.

“The first mistake people make is believing the guy on the other side of the desk is their mate and things will be ok and they will look after them when things go wrong.''

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/car-...#ixzz1fyenssLa

Munners