OK I literally just got kidnapped.....

[NFLDERS]

I think their theory on this is that the more time you have invested the more likely you are to buy today.

Some posters on this site have mentioned their ploys on salesman that are basically the same thing. Get there an hour before closing and keep the salesman there for hours.

Of course when a customer does it it's a great tactic, when a salesman does it, it's sleazy.

Will keep the hour before closing in mind.

 

[bushdianee]

I've never bee held hostage but with my last car a GM at a dealership tried to talk me into committing insurance fraud! I'd had some hail damage and he was trying to give me a really low trade in for it. When he found out I'd never claimed the hail damage he tried to talk me into filing a claim then use that money on a down payment on a car from him. wouldn't listen when I told him that I'd changed insurance companies since the damage. He just kept saying they'd never know. I ended up leaving, going to a different dealer and brand of car (they are very similar). The 2nd dealer gave me a decent trade in and a car with lower payments. He was, or at least acted horrified when I had told him about the 1st guy, even called in his GM who ended up giving me some extra little "freebies".

 

[Princess_Nikki]

The point of saying literally is so that you know it's NOT a figure of speech, or exaggeration. When you use it the EXACT opposite of the way you're supposed to it completely loses its meaning.

"I died laughing" is a figure of speech. You did not literally die laughing. "I was there forever" is already an exaggeration. If you said "I was literally there forever" it completely defeats the purpose of using the word literally.

On the other hand, if you said "I was at the car dealership for like five hours yesterday" we might think you were exaggerating but if you said "I was at the car dealership for literally five hours yesterday" we know you were actually there for five hours. Correct usage.

WOW. Someone is LITERALLY the speech police. I need a drink after reading this person's posts. LITERALLY.

Sorry to hear of your crazy car dealership experience, Aviator!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

So what I want to know is:

What kind of car did you test?
Did you like it?
How WAS the offer on your trade?

 

[phorsenuf]

So what I want to know is:

What kind of car did you test?
Did you like it?
How WAS the offer on your trade?

And were you late getting back to work?

 

[Praying Colonel]

And were you literally late returning to work?

(ducking, running)

 

[ashley0139]

WOW. Someone is LITERALLY the speech police. I need a drink after reading this person's posts. LITERALLY.

Sorry to hear of your crazy car dealership experience, Aviator!

While you may literally need a drink, I am not literally the speech police. Wish I were though, that would be a cool job!

 

[NHdisneylover]

While you may literally need a drink, I am not literally the speech police. Wish I were though, that would be a cool job!

Wouldn't it be?!

 

[jdb in AZ]

I know a couple who did a test-drive on a van and the salesman said they kept it too long so they were forced to buy it. Yeah, right. Unfortunately, the couple believed the salesman and ended up with a van they didn't want.

Meanwhile, it's nice to have friends in the business who will find you the car you want, and watch your back too.

 

[RNMOM]

This happened to us many years ago. We had two hungry youngsters and after more than an hour we let them loose inside the dealership. They had a lot of fun playing with all the sets of keys on the easel. They had them all mixed up. I figured it was payback.

 

[DunfyP]

I haven't faced any such forced sale tactics till now but if I did, I would probably lose it on the spot.

 

[stasijane]

I'm pretty sure I would have taken out my phone and called the police right in front of the person.

Bet he would have gave your keys back then. Although if some person had touched my keys to start with I would have cut off at least three fingers.

 

[sasywtch]

I lived in another state for a few years with my now ex husband. We went car shopping for me. I have always worked, always paid my own car payment. We get out at a dealership and the salesman tells my ex, the good little woman can sit right there and then he gets my husband on a golf cart and they take off to look at cars. I grabbed my good little kids (teenagers) and drove off. My ex is running behind my car to get in LOL

We go to another dealer, start looking and a salesman comes up. I told him the car was for me, I'm buying and he says "no problem, I'm from Los Angeles". The mentality in that small town was hard for me.

 

[sam_gordon]

I went car shopping back in May. Some comments...

1) If I'm under time pressure, I'm not giving them the keys to my car, period. They can get the VIN number and odometer. They can call me with their offer or I'll come back.
2) If they refused to give me my keys back, I would call the police about stolen property, not kidnapping. Nothing is keeping you from walking off the lot.
3) I agree with tvguy. Carmax was more expensive than other lots.

 

[topolino]

I'm pretty sure I would have taken out my phone and called the police right in front of the person.

Bet he would have gave your keys back then. Although if some person had touched my keys to start with I would have cut off at least three fingers.

Literally?

 

[pioneer89]

I lived in another state for a few years with my now ex husband. We went car shopping for me. I have always worked, always paid my own car payment. We get out at a dealership and the salesman tells my ex, the good little woman can sit right there and then he gets my husband on a golf cart and they take off to look at cars. I grabbed my good little kids (teenagers) and drove off. My ex is running behind my car to get in LOL

We go to another dealer, start looking and a salesman comes up. I told him the car was for me, I'm buying and he says "no problem, I'm from Los Angeles". The mentality in that small town was hard for me.

I will second your experience with smaller-town dealers. About 9 years ago my wife and I were buying a mini-van. We had a good price from the 'city' dealer about an hour away, but wanted to buy local. The dealer had the same van, same package, just different color, and when we told him we would buy the van at the other dealer's price that night, he said we were lying, and we could never get the van for that price. I literally set a new land-speed record getting out of the place.

Best buying experience: I needed a new truck, and was looking a left-over models from the previous year. I found one I liked, and left for a few days to cool off, then returned to give them a 'low-ball' offer. The truck had a new discounted price in the front window, $2000 less than what I was going to offer.

 

[Pooh2]

....at a car dealership. Aww righty then, that was a new experience, what a unique sales tactic, kidnapping. We aren't going to let you leave. The salesman was nice enough but the most pushy bully tactic salesmanager or whatever he was, not sure. He literally would not give me my keys back. I told him several times I was in a hurry, just on my lunch break, I could come back later to evaluate my trade in. But I literally had to go and grab my keys. He kept saying, please just a second, we are trying to find you the best deal possible yada yada. Yeah dude I gotta go. I can not believe any owner or general manager would not have gotten wind of this guys techniques. If this has happened to me, I'm sure its happened to many others. Do these morons not realize that bully tactics are the WORST sales tactics there are? What an idiot. This happen to anyone else?

This very thing happened to us when we shopped for our first car together when we were newlyweds (29 years ago). The salesmanager was huge like a bar bouncer and told us we would get the keys back when he was ready to give them back after we sat through more sales bullying! We were very young and intimidated but threatened to call the cops and he finally THREW the keys at my husband! Cannot believe they are still using this technique!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I've had good and bad luck with small town dealers. Best was the guy who tossed my wife the keys for a test drive while he finished up with another customer - he didn't even have our names yet. When we ordered our car, they didn't take a down payment or ask us to sign anything. Said when the car came in, they'd call and if we still wanted it, they'd honor the price. Said if we changed our minds, no sweat. They'd just put it on the lot. We bought it.

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Yes. I consider it more kidnapping of my car than me. We called the cops. Next car dealership I wouldn't discuss a thing til I had my keys back in hand (plus I brought my spare)

That was exactly my suggestion...call the police. I also will not discuss unless I have my keys and I told the salesman that if he wanted to make a sale with me he would give me the keys IMMEDIATELY after he looked at the car or I would not buy it no matter how good the deal. Go in laying down the law to them and stick your guns.

Once I went to a dealer and he left us sitting ....I went into the office where he was shooting the breeze with his boss and I demanded the keys. He said he was just trying to get me a good price. I told him that was BS and that I coudl get the car for a lower price at another dealer and if he did not want me screaming in the showroom he would just give me the keys and get it over with! He did. What an idiot!

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Yes. I consider it more kidnapping of my car than me. We called the cops. Next car dealership I wouldn't discuss a thing til I had my keys back in hand (plus I brought my spare)

That was exactly my suggestion...call the police. I also will not discuss unless I have my keys and I told the salesman that if he wanted to make a sale with me he would give me the keys IMMEDIATELY after he looked at the car or I would not buy it no matter how good the deal. Go in laying down the law to them and stick your guns.