...shame the dealer ruined it though.

After putting my £500 in November, i finally got to drive a 500 today. Loved the car (1.3 diesel). I rang the dealer 8 days ago to say me and the wife would be over today. Also reminded him on Wednesday and phoned an hour and a half ahead today just to make sure i could see someone and have a drive.

We get there, salesman is occupied. So we wait....and wait and wait. Grab someone else and say all we want is to drive one etc etc. The we wait again.

Salesman finishes, but proceeds to speak to a customer that came in AFTER us, and then we find out he's taken them out in the car i was due to test drive!

Before he did this he just about spared 30 seconds to say, jokingly,' i'm gonna palm you off to one of my colleagues if thats ok'.

Then we waited another 10-15 mins before being spoken to again, by which time i let rip and let my feelings well known to the MD. He said he'd give me some free mats! Woopee! Sod the mats, how about some service??

Its a 50 mile round trip to the deaker for us so its hardly local. All we wanted was a drive to see what we thought.

It felt so much like 'we've got your money so were not really that interested any more, new business = more commission'. I told them this too.

What annoys me even more is that theyve barely had to lift a finger sales wise. I went to them knowing what i wanted (and knowing more than them), they didnt have to sell anything to me.

I'm now very tempted to find out if its feasible to transfer to another dealer (including my deposit). I know the car is popular and people will want to drive it, and that the salesmen will be very busy - but dealers knew how much fiat advertised this car so deal with it!!! And i didnt even need anyones time, just a drive in a car i've already ordered!!1

Rant over, but i'm still mad at them.

Car was great, very happy with that side of things!

we transfered out order from one dealer to another, took a bit of doing (ie: the salesman was a cock, and it took the very nice MDs PA to sort it all out), but was worth the effort as the mrs was then able to get exactly what she wanted including a salesman that didnt act like a smug know-it-all-actually-knows ****-all

and yes the being ignored thing is what prompted me to walk out of a toyota dealership, we were looking at a yaris about the same time as the panda, more expensive, less service....no i won't stand for it thanks....

and as for the lack of knowledge, yes i know you're a salesman, but product knowledge is everything, i hate it when they are constantly refering to a sheaf of papers, or the brochure, they should already have a very good working knowledge of the car, and in this models case, the hype is going to generate footfall, people who have read up on what's coming, which means the person on the sales floor has to be on the ball. if like the service manager at one dealership you don't like the product..leave

dont forget these salesmen get less than £4.50 an hour, so getting a sale off the new customer could be the only way he can feed his kids this week, cant really blame him for wanting to get the new sale sorted first

dave said:

dont forget these salesmen get less than £4.50 an hour, so getting a sale off the new customer could be the only way he can feed his kids this week, cant really blame him for wanting to get the new sale sorted first

Click to expand...

don't give a ****....you don't like the pay, work check out at tescos, you make an appointment...keep it, you make a promise of service, deliver.

Yep - go elsewhere - thats unacceptable

but girl on desk probably made the appointment on the guys busiest selling day. if he already bought the car shouldnt after sales be sorting the test drive, girl should have made the appointment with them

dave said:

but girl on desk probably made the appointment on the guys busiest selling day. if he already bought the car shouldnt after sales be sorting the test drive, girl should have made the appointment with them

Click to expand...

i made the appt with the sales guy himeslf, gave him 8 days notice and 3 calls within a week mentioning it each time.

When i phoned ahead today, the guy on the phone said "i'll make sure he's free for when you arrive"

What a stupid thing to say! I also havent had any written order, and had to virtually beg for a reciept for the £500! Mines a week 5 build so its getting close without any written order.

dave said:

if he already bought the car shouldnt after sales be sorting the test drive

Click to expand...

Aftersales is Parts and Service, so no.

A sale isn't complete until the customer has taken delivery, so test drives (be they before or after an order is placed) are down to Sales Dept (and more specifically, the person being paid the commission for selling the car).

MrH said:

Mines a week 5 build so its getting close without any written order.

Click to expand...

Week 5 starts tomorrow, so let's hope they've ordered the right car!

Mr H is right in what he says, there is NO excuse for treating fair and polite customers badly, ESPECIALLY when you only make £4.50...If you live on a breadline wage like that then you make certain you know EVERYTHING about the product which will help to feed the kids. Frankly not to do so is to tempt fate.

Other day I went to my local dealer to order my 500 and spent 3 hours working through exactly what I wanted, ok the guy was new so he was clueless, but I even knew the order numbers for the optional extras from memory and had to correct many of his written and typed number errors and pricing calculations which I was reading as he made them from across the table.

And still I persevered and was pleasant, and patient, mainly because I want my product delivered but also because I WANT to trust these people....

They just seem to make it SOOOO difficult...

BTW I put my £500 deposit down on Thursday morning....haven't heard anything since....:shakehead:

dave said:

dont forget these salesmen get less than £4.50 an hour

Click to expand...

Plus commission.

The basic salary is just for turning up.

Assuming they typically work a 50 hour week, an average Sales Exec should earn around £10 per hour, with the good ones earning £15-£20 per hour.

Plus a fully-expensed company car.

dave said:

dont forget these salesmen get less than £4.50 an hour, so getting a sale off the new customer could be the only way he can feed his kids this week, cant really blame him for wanting to get the new sale sorted first

Click to expand...

National minimum wage is £5.50 assuming you are over 18. Not that the wage is any excuse for bad service, but if its below the minimum wage then why work there?

Sorry for being blunt but having been treated like this today its just how i'm feeling.

Although I should add that my sales guy was very pleasant and it was obvious he was using his full attention all morning. I guess he was still learning the ropes, and I don't mind that.

Just fingers crossed that the car will be delivered with all the correct bits...and that the after sales attitude is as good as the pre..

Sorry to hear that about your guy MrH, sounds like a nightmare.

Ahh, MrH has been to Simonstone.................

those mats prob cost them £6-8 !

Scrogg said:

Plus commission.

The basic salary is just for turning up.

Assuming they typically work a 50 hour week, an average Sales Exec should earn around £10 per hour, with the good ones earning £15-£20 per hour.

Plus a fully-expensed company car.

Click to expand...

salesmen pay for car themselves (£160-220 month)...also;

https://www.fiatforum.com/500/131184-do-salesmen-know-what-they-talking-about.html

MrH said:

What a stupid thing to say! I also havent had any written order, and had to virtually beg for a reciept for the £500! Mines a week 5 build so its getting close without any written order.

Click to expand...

Had the same problem with them myself MrH!!!!

I ended up insisting that they write a letter to me detailing the order in full.

Apparently, giving the customer an order in "not something we do normally"!!!!!

I'd ring the & insist that they run through the order on the phone & don't take no for an answer.

Yeah, me too - didn't get a receipt for the deposit or an order form. Got both on asking. Changed the order, paid a larger deposit- no order form or receipt. Again, much bothering produced a receipt but no amended order form. Now I've got a date for delivery, I managed to get confirmation of spec via e-mail. To be honest, I'm not bothered - Que Sera Sera. My history with cars sucks (not Fiat I should stress - no previous involvement with them) so anything above sucky level of service is a winner. And believe me - this is far from sucky service compared to what is possible!

odd, maybe thames do things differently then, when we ordered up the panda, mrs was given a folder with the order a ton of other stuff with it, same when she was getting a quote for a 100hp

if you put money down, get a quote, there has to be paperwork, simple.

Oh No! Not him again. Yep, me again. All the comments made are valid, both pros & cons. I spent several years on the other side of the fence, selling Opel, then Vauxhall , Ford and finally Lancia. As a car enthusiast first and a salesman second, I tried to help people get the best for their money. Having people take an hour of my (honest) time then go away and come back again for a bit more off, then go away and come back again etc. At the end of the day, they will go where the best closer is and the cheapest deal is. Even if they deliberately come back to your dealership and deal with a different salesman knowing you're on a day off. In that case they will even come back and see you after buying the car from someone else if they have a problem and take up the time you should be spending trying to earn a living because they can't get any help from service and the guy they bought from can't be arsed. One lady was in tears as the salesman she bought from just lit up a fag and blew smoke at her as she poured out her heart over the problems she had and couldn't get help for. Any prizes for guessing who she then asked to help? Yes, you got that right. And I did. Did she buy her next car form me? No. Dealing with enthusiasts gave me a buzz, but not the general public. While at Lancia, I suggested they should try and sell them like executive cars. Get rid of the desks, get some easy chairs, a coffee table and a percolator. They tried it for 3 months then went back to the old way. My product knowledge was 1st class, everywhere I went. Only the enthusiasts valued it. The general members of the public couldn't give a s**t. In my view, the behaviour of the car buying public is what shapes the attitudes and behaviour of car sales people. They aren't born cynical with a care-less attitude, they just develop it after prolonged exposure to the buyers. My way of buying a car nowadays, is to find a dealer I like, then buy from them. Find a service dept. I like, then deal with them. Unfortunately, the only FIAT dealer I have really liked was Priory at Urmston in Manchester and they've gone out of business. C'est la vie.
Yours, without a trace of cynicism, The (couldn't give a toss) Beard

I have been fortunate enough to have had experiance with several dealers of different brands.

Of all the brands I have delt with three stand out as remarkable, Honda, Mini and Aston Martin, all of the others have been average at best.

Baerius said:

Other day I went to my local dealer to order my 500 and spent 3 hours working through exactly what I wanted, ok the guy was new so he was clueless, but I even knew the order numbers for the optional extras from memory and had to correct many of his written and typed number errors and pricing calculations which I was reading as he made them from across the table.

Click to expand...

Going with the rookie means 2 things. Yes he will make more mistakes and won't be as polished as your maybe expecting and the other is you can be certain he is trying his best to do it right for you.

Give him a call and explain what you are expecting of him. Better he hears what the customer expects him to do for them than from a battle weary salesman tell him for you.

MrH said:

National minimum wage is £5.50 assuming you are over 18. Not that the wage is any excuse for bad service, but if its below the minimum wage then why work there?

Sorry for being blunt but having been treated like this today its just how i'm feeling.

Click to expand...

£2.84 is my basic wage for January just worked it out. No free car for me either it comes off my wage.

The Beard I think you have managed to explain the other side of the coin for the few salesmen there are who are enthusiasts, not that it will make any difference to some peoples opinions of us.
We are all lying cheating cnuts who only want to try steal your Part Ex and huckle you out of a lot of money.

But at the same time that is all besides the point.

Mr H I don't know exactly what happened when you were at your dealer. But your salesman won't have his commission for your car yet. He won't get it until the pay after your car has been delivered to you, and as you can still cancel or move your order elsewhere there is no guarantee he will get the commission. So I doubt he deliberatly didn't care what happened to you.

I'm just trying to point out that it's not always as simple as being at your desk 5 minutes before an appointment and having a cup of coffee sitting waiting on the customer turning up at the time agreed.

But on the flip side maybe he is just an arse. I don't know.