Timewasters

[Max Branning 149]

I have just spent the best part of 2 hours..yes 2 hours with a "customer"

This chap turned up this morning and after a very thorough examination of the car, (he brought a kneeling pad and blanket) he asked if he could see the paperwork...

He went through all old mots and service history with such detail and at the same time decided to bore me with every car he has owned since passing his test some 30 years ago and virtually every repair he has done to each car...bear with me..

He asks to go on a test drive so we are getting somewhere...He wants me to drive for at least 5 miles so he can "feel the ride" apparently this is the only way to know if there are any problems? He liked playing with all the controls while i am driving, i really appreciated the hot air blowing in my face while trying to explain how the sat nav works...He then took over as pilot and drove at about 35 mph in a 60 and i could see the queue of car building up behind me...still telling me about all the cars he has owned.

We get back to the ranch and he says is the price negotiable? 

Ok we are getting somewhere after another boring chat in the office for half an hour and a bit of to and fro with the price he finally says it...

" i have got 1 more to look at "

At least the sun is out..!

 

 

 

[jimreidvehicle 255]

Hahahaha this actually made me laugh out loud LOL!!!!!

We all get them, just imagine him actually as a customer he would have tea club all to himself! Never mind the next one will just come with his hands up , "I'll just take that, no need for a test drive!" 

[bestprice4cash 20]

Thing is do you really want to sell a car to that kind of person?  They will be back in 18 months expecting you to replace a the tyres free of charge 'under warranty'... or suing you for misrepresentation on your FSH car because said car was 1500 miles overdue a service in 2010.    

I've never been able to get my head around the ones that go over the (faultless) car with a fine tooth comb, negotiate a price and then suddenly have 1 more to look at.  I mean do they actually want to buy a car, is it just a cheap day out for them or do they have no social life whatsoever and are desperate for an hour of someone's time?  

Edited April 20, 2016 by bestprice4cash

[Jack Regan 116]

That sounds like the exact same bloke we sold a car to 3 weeks ago, he's been in 4 times since , he brought some pictures in of some of his old cars Friday and bored us to tears for an hour, he pulled up today and I kid you not and this is the first time i have done this , it was a panick reaction , i locked the office door and hid in the toilet until he fooked off.

[Tom 164]

Some customers come in look at a car for all of 5 mins no test drive  and buy, then you get the time wasters who have nothing else better to do spending ages tearing a car apart and walking away. I usually tell them Haynes motor museum is down the road if you want to just "look at cars". 

[justina3 518]

we all have them, some of them have shocked me in the past and come back and buy as the sales guy down the road wouldnt give him the light of day

[Rosemotors 31]

Hazards of the job, I'm afraid.

As a (very) small business (10 cars) I always ask them to let me know. And mostly, they do. I don't see them as time-wasters. Just boring old farts (there's plenty round here!) that help me pay my Autotrader bill.

[jamslug 91]

They are just hazards of the job. Makes me livid. 

Just had this one:

I mean come of FFS. Just cos a 6 year old car has no stone chips it doesn't mean it has been in a smack and had a full respray.... ok then, you think .... oh your leaving to go and buy a car with stone chips as at least the car hasn't been sprayed...... but it hasn't its just done 1000 miles so it hasn't actually been driven much, oh you think it's clocked, ok bye. 

[Rory RSC 596]

You can never win.

I don't so much mind spending the time with timewaster types when its quiet its just frustrating when you are trying to juggle 2 or 3 customers around as best as you can at the same time and they are clearly not in a position to buy or commit but play the charade anyway.

 

[James Bush 95]

Play the game with them and some will come back and buy one.........eventually..........we had a old guy that came in his old Corolla for years, every Thursday (market day) and then one day he popped in and asked to look at a Seat Leon FR we had, with full Cupra bodykit.......here we go again, I was chuntering away as I went to collect the keys, 20 minutes later I was taking a deposit!!

The true tmewasters are the young lad and dad I've had in today. Lads just passed his driving test and they come in looking for a Grande Punto we sold yesterday, then his dads says to him to come and look at a Fiesta we've got.....Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S Anniversary.......he pops across and obviously falls in love with it, we then have a 10 minute discussion/argument that I think the insurance on it will be more than the £1500 he'd been quoted on the Punto and it was pointless letting them testdrive it and to get insurance quotes 1st!!! I found out a couple of hours later they've bought a £750 Clio from down the road!!

Edited April 21, 2016 by James Bush

[umesh 336]

Yeap ! They're all out there ... but you never can judge , over the years the odd few I thought were tyre kickers /waters ended up buying from me , one perticular guy similar to James's story , a regular did virtually the same to me , not always easy as you think ' here we go again ..get the keys , show em the car...' !! If we didn't have these type of people we'd think the job was too easy ... wouldn't we  

[Edward Roots 1]

4 hours ago, James Bush said:

come and look at a Fiesta we've got.....Fiesta 1.6 Zetec S Anniversary

James have you got the detail of the 1.6 Zetec S Anni ? I've got a friend looking for one, although we did go and view one on Sunday so not sure if has bought that or not. But I will run this one past him.

When I worked in retail the time wasters where unbelievable, people coming in test driving used cars that don't want to change for 6 months etc. People travelling for miles to view a car, then shocked that you can't give them what parkers say their car is worth, whilst knocking £1500 of your one. It's all just swings and round about's as long as there is a good ratio of time wasters to level headed people then it's all good.   

[James Bush 95]

Edward Roots, details on the fiesta 

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201603242300682/sort/priceasc/usedcars/channel/cars/dealer/699607/page/2/dpp/james-bush-cars-brigg-dpp-699607/stock-search/true/advert-type/dealer-stock?logcode=dsp

if they are interested get them to mention you and this forum and I'll work a better deal for them  

 

[Edward Roots 1]

Thanks James, I have messaged him now. This one is slightly more expensive but the one we viewed was older with higher mileage, no proof of cambelt etc and not very clean. So this one looks better value and he will spend the difference getting the other up to scratch. 

[Max Branning 149]

why why why.....does someone drive 70 miles to view a car, test drive = love it. Offer to pay full asking price = boom

Left their wallet at home.

[Phil H 124]

I had a similar one last year, guy came 90 miles through rush hour traffic, loved it, test drove it, agreed a deal, shook on it then he said I'll just go and get my wallet from the car to leave a deposit, got in his car and drove off.

[Gavin@Rousdon 137]

Had an old chap a few years ago do this to me. He must of test drove about 4 convertibles over a 6 months period, always discussing his BMW p/x etc etc and spending a good couple of hours with him each time, felt like I was married to him at points.  Finally we agreed on a deal, think it was a BMW or Merc and he had left his wallet at home, he would phone me with a deposit as soon as he was back. Never heard from him, left messages and not a thing. This was about 10 years ago. The about 2 years ago I get a call on a SLK, customer has a BMW p/x, I notice its the same bloke, but now he just asks question upon question. The next convertible I get in the same happens. In the end I saved his number in my phone as 'Fruity Nutcake' and ingored his calls. 

[jamslug 91]

19 hours ago, Gavin@Rousdon said:

 In the end I saved his number in my phone as 'Fruity Nutcake' and ingored his calls. 

Best thing I ever did was having the land line permanently diverted to the mobile just so I can save the numbers.  

[Max Branning 149]

Things never change - Have just spent the last 3 days having an email conversation with a chap over a motor he is really interested in. Obviously does not like to talk on the phone and get all the questions over and done with in 5 minutes.

After having answered all mechanical questions, sorting out a rough price for his p/x, sending extra photos of interior and engine bay that he asked for....

He finally sends one last email " Whats your postcode so i can see where you are"

Yes Yes Yes you guessed it - i am too far away.

Do love a timewaster !

[Cornish Guy 45]

Just wet myself, having read your original post first!

[Rory RSC 596]

I managed to offend a lady who was viewing a car on site yesterday. I cheekilyasked how long she had been an MOT tester after she pointed out loads of things wrong with it that would fail an MOT ( Clean pass here, car was fine) and she got in a right huff and stormed off. 

[andymc1973 199]

1 hour ago, Rory RSC said:

I managed to offend a lady who was viewing a car on site yesterday. I cheekilyasked how long she had been an MOT tester after she pointed out loads of things wrong with it that would fail an MOT ( Clean pass here, car was fine) and she got in a right huff and stormed off. 

are you sure you hadn't outbid her at Manheim?  

[Rory RSC 596]

30 minutes ago, andymc1973 said:

are you sure you hadn't outbid her at Manheim?  

[Tony F 38]

Its 1982. I'm a 19 year old trainee salesman at a large north London dealership. I am let loose by the manager to go out for my first test drive with a customer. Customer drives for about 5 miles away from showroom, chucks a right into Holloway road, pulls over and parks up. mmm very nice, he said stroking the Mini Metro steering wheel. And with that he said, i'll let you know, then jumped out of the car and walked off. I think he just used the test drive as a lift to somewhere.

My manager properly laid into me when I got back to work. 'Where's the customer' he demanded. 'what do you mean he's gone' 'How did you lose a customer' . I tried to explain, but he had a sense of humor failure

[Rory RSC 596]

15 hours ago, Tony F said:

Its 1982. I'm a 19 year old trainee salesman at a large north London dealership. I am let loose by the manager to go out for my first test drive with a customer. Customer drives for about 5 miles away from showroom, chucks a right into Holloway road, pulls over and parks up. mmm very nice, he said stroking the Mini Metro steering wheel. And with that he said, i'll let you know, then jumped out of the car and walked off. I think he just used the test drive as a lift to somewhere.

My manager properly laid into me when I got back to work. 'Where's the customer' he demanded. 'what do you mean he's gone' 'How did you lose a customer' . I tried to explain, but he had a sense of humor failure