Cringe experience during car pickup at the dealer

[NervoS]

Well, first of all, I’m accepting congratulations: today I became the owner of a brand-new 2024 X3MC! Yay! That thing is a beast!

But the day was ruined by the finance manager at the dealership. In another topic on this board, I asked about 'all surface protection' and 'PPF paint protection' that my dealer offered for an additional several thousand dollars. I talked to my SA, who was cool—no pushing or anything. I told him I was going to investigate, ask around, and decide whether I wanted it or not. This forum is a great source of information, and I’m super grateful to everyone here who shares their knowledge. You’re awesome, guys and gals!

Anyway, after doing my homework and calling some local shops, I decided not to buy those packages from the dealer. Again, my SA was super cool with that; he just said, "OK, no problem!" I thought we were finished with it, but little did I know. Once I got into the hands of the finance manager, I got a lot of pressure to reconsider my decision. To save time, I immediately said I wasn’t interested, but that didn’t stop the manager. She started talking about the warranty and asked if I had read the reviews on their website. And this is where I made a "mistake": I expressed my doubts about those reviews and mentioned that I usually don’t fully trust reviews published on a vendor’s site. That triggered her—she said she was personally offended by my accusations (whaaat?), that she has been 17 years in this business, bla-bla-bla.... that she wanted to leave, and that I’d have to talk to someone else from then on. I honestly wasn’t prepared for that.

Yeah, I’m a very straightforward person and usually say what I’m thinking (and I’ve been hit by this multiple times in my life! And at almost 50 years old, I still haven’t learned much, it seems like!). I apologized, said it wasn’t personal, it’s just based on my past experiences, but yeah, my mistake for extrapolating... bla-bla-bla. She stayed, but her face was... uhmm... I can’t describe it—very sour. We finished the transaction in complete silence, broken only by "sign here" and "initial there," and that was it. After we were done—no goodbye, no thanks, no handshake—nothing. My SA was befuddled by the incident and tried to smooth things over with jokes, and I’m grateful to him. But like I said, the experience was ruined for no reason.

Either way, whatever! The car is great, I love it (and scare of it a bit!).
Here are some images. As a pleasant surprise - I found rubber mats in the trunk! Thanks, SA, we didn't even talk about it!

[Grease23]

So she missed out on her little bonus for upselling and that made her a sourpuss. Oh well. Anybody with a brain knows to take online reviews with a grain of salt.

Congratulations!

PS: She did that because (I'd bet) it has worked for her in the past. Make the customer feel guilty so they give in.

[ash_schwin]

Congrats on the new ride! You are one lucky man to have the finance lady STFU during the rest of the transaction and saved yourself more headaches. I can't remember a single time where a finance guy at the dealership wouldn't stop selling me on random sh1t when I was ready to just sign the papers, wire the funds, and get the keys to my car.

[Snave01]

that's unfortunate that it ruined your new car experience but also it sounds like she either has other things going on in her life or she's unbalanced.

[Kaizer84]

Originally Posted by Snave01

that's unfortunate that it ruined your new car experience but also it sounds like she either has other things going on in her life or she's unbalanced.

Absolutely, sounds completely unhinged. Some really strange people out there…

[BMWCCA1]

It's not unusual for the Finance "stars" of the dealership to do anything to keep their averages up. Sometimes this can mean they offer you something for free, then change the selling price to cover that item and short the salesperson. Trust me. It happens. They may also find (especially in cash customers) that they can use the opportunity to put the deal in the name of another manager to avoid showing a "blank" on their record. Happens quite often. There's nothing more deceitful or duplicitous at a dealership than the finance transaction. Even being warned about it won't necessarily prevent something from happening behind the scenes that you don't know anything about. You may have "purchased" something cheap like Key Protection without knowing about it until you check your paperwork. The prices may not have changed but believe me the finance manager got some benefit out of it.

[IanH]

I've seen it both ways.

One finance manager who didnt even bring up additional packages, about 80% of the way through I stopped the conversation and made sure to thank him for being so straightforward and not trying to add that on.

In an audi I bought I had to painstakingly discuss every additonal package and why I didnt want it at lenght. Probably 40 minutes of conversations ending in no thank you. Then we got to the wheel and tire package... I said right away: if you can get the price to $600 I will do it (the price of one new wheel) this guy made me go back and forth with him in $100 increments from 2400 down to 600.... like WTF?

Time wasters and shysters are plentiful. Really goes back to the GM of the dealer, some of them would delight in hearing you complain while others might set the finance office straight. Theres a lot of turnover in the industry and people move between different dealer cultures all the time.

[ZL9M2]

Why would one even need to talk to the "finance person" if they are not financing? Just another touch point to try to sell you shit. You called it and her reaction confirmed it.

[No one]

Originally Posted by NervoS

Once I got into the hands of the finance manager, I got a lot of pressure to reconsider my decision. To save time, I immediately said I wasn’t interested, but that didn’t stop the manager. She started talking about the warranty and asked if I had read the reviews on their website. And this is where I made a "mistake": I expressed my doubts about those reviews and mentioned that I usually don’t fully trust reviews published on a vendor’s site. That triggered her—she said she was personally offended by my accusations (whaaat?), that she has been 17 years in this business, bla-bla-bla.... that she wanted to leave, and that I’d have to talk to someone else from then on. I honestly wasn’t prepared for that.

I've just had a similar experience with an SA. Now I choose to use another (far less convenient) service until/unless they apologize (I did provide feedback as they asked) and convince me I still can entrust my car to those, which is unlikely.

In my opinion (and I do stand by it ) going personal about business is totally unprofessional. Besides, as you pay them and not the other way around, they must try to make a positive impression on you to earn that money. "A gloomy person shouldn't open a shop." (Chinese saying?) You don't pay to please them, do you?

It does look like it was a trick of hers actually. Stupid, dirty and unacceptable. Leave a review on their site!

On MTV, many years ago (last century? ) I briefly noticed a series episode about some fancy resort. A waiter demanded (more) tip from a customer, explaining her "circumstances", all the shit. The manager fired her saying: "You made the worst of mistakes: you made a customer feel uncomfortable!". That's it.

Originally Posted by NervoS

After we were done—no goodbye, no thanks, no handshake—nothing.

Just by the way, in case not everybody knows it: a man must never offer a handshake to a woman. That's not polite! It's totally up to the lady to decide if she wants to shake your hand and offer that herself only if she chooses, she never must. This might be an old school, though.

Originally Posted by BMWCCA1

Sometimes this can mean they offer you something for free, then change the selling price to cover that item and short the salesperson.

Dirty salespeople use some "gypsy" tricks to befuddle the customer ("It's free. No, it's free if you buy that. No, it's free if you buy a lot of that and some of this...") and once he/she loses control (failing to accommodate that complex "offer" in the brain) they try to fuck.

[Hadden14]

Honestly, if you otherwise had a good experience at the dealership, it may be worth contacting BMW USA. Let them know that your purchase was soured by her actions and that you would hesitate to buy another car from that location and will not recommend it to other potential buyers. You could even give a shoutout to the SA who made you feel better about the whole thing.

I know Mercedes takes such reports very seriously.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by Grease23

So she missed out on her little bonus for upselling and that made her a sourpuss. Oh well. Anybody with a brain knows to take online reviews with a grain of salt.

Congratulations!

PS: She did that because (I'd bet) it has worked for her in the past. Make the customer feel guilty so they give in.

Exactly right. Everything a car salesman (and the finance guy/gal is a car salesman/woman they just dress better than the sales staff) tells you is to get you buy the car as soon as possible and pay as much for it as possible.

A counter response is when one gets that kind of response/behavior is to offer an apology then excuse yourself and get up and walk out of the dealership.

[Littlecoupe]

My sour experience with my delivery spans two days.

The week prior, the car arrived and I needed to sign papers (they couldn't release it that same day). Upon signing papers, I found they increased the payment for reasons of "the residual took a change for the worse between ordering and delivery." I reminded them and offered a copy of our signed ordering agreement that the payments would remain static to what we agreed to when I ordered the car. They did fix it, but that was after I had to demand they fix the price to what we agreed upon.

On delivery day, I called to book a specific time, and of course when I arrived on time, the SA was already busy with someone else, so I waited. And waited. And waited. Then when the SA was able to meet, I found out the car was still in the underground garage, nobody retrieved it. So I waited some more. Finally was able to take delivery at least an hour after the time we booked.

I wouldn't have been so annoyed by the delivery if it weren't for the fact I took delivery of my F22 in 2020, and that was a standout experience. No issues with pricing and negotiation, and the car was staged in one of their 3 special delivery bays, ready before I got there. The SA from that prior sale went over ALL the car details with me, and answered and and all questions. It was a really great experience.

The difference between the two experiences was 3 years, plus the dealership was bought by the local car conglomerate. Not sure how much that plays into it.

On the plus side, the all weather floor mats and CTEK charger were found in the trunk when I arrived home, and I explicitly said I don't need them and I'm not willing to pay for them. Good price. Also, the VIN etching I refused, that's done too. Not my fault they don't listen.

[DrVenture]

Only one rule when talking to a sales/finance person - Never explain yourself or answer questions with anything but yes/no. Period!

Like with the legal system, anything you say can/will be used against you.

[wizardofOz]

The customer is always right, so that means you.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by NervoS

But the day was ruined by the finance manager at the dealership. In another topic on this board,

Once I got into the hands of the finance manager, I got a lot of pressure to reconsider my decision. To save time, I immediately said I wasn’t interested, but that didn’t stop the manager. She started talking about the warranty and asked if I had read the reviews on their website. And this is where I made a "mistake": I expressed my doubts about those reviews and mentioned that I usually don’t fully trust reviews published on a vendor’s site. That triggered her—she said she was personally offended by my accusations (whaaat?), that she has been 17 years in this business, bla-bla-bla.... that she wanted to leave, and that I’d have to talk to someone else from then on. I honestly wasn’t prepared for that.

Yeah, I’m a very straightforward person and usually say what I’m thinking (and I’ve been hit by this multiple times in my life! And at almost 50 years old, I still haven’t learned much, it seems like!). I apologized, said it wasn’t personal, it’s just based on my past experiences, but yeah, my mistake for extrapolating... bla-bla-bla. She stayed, but her face was... uhmm... I can’t describe it—very sour. We finished the transaction in complete silence, broken only by "sign here" and "initial there," and that was it. After we were done—no goodbye, no thanks, no handshake—nothing. My SA was befuddled by the incident and tried to smooth things over with jokes, and I’m grateful to him. But like I said, the experience was ruined for no reason.

You should have called her bluff and said you would be happy to work with someone else. In fact, faced with behavior like this, I would have insisted on dealing with a different finance manager.

[Snave01]

Originally Posted by wizardofOz

The customer is always right, so that means you.

Unfortunately, I think that philosophy has waned...

[BlkGS]

Finance managers are the most profitable sales people in the store. The process of having the finance manager do the sales contract is 100% intentional, the finance person is their sales rep for their warranties and add on crap, which is where the real money is.

[Snave01]

[NervoS]

Originally Posted by ZL9M2

Why would one even need to talk to the "finance person" if they are not financing? Just another touch point to try to sell you shit. You called it and her reaction confirmed it.

Finance person also takes a check from you, even if it is 100% in cash, so you have to. Plus they are responsible for all the paperwork.

As to financing, that could be another reason, why she wasn't particularly happy. The thing is: if you buy the car for cash, you can get only 1000 off as loyalty discount, but with financing you get 1500 off. So, I did finance with them.... For $7500 (and the rest I paid as a down payment). Obviously, they won't get much from it, well, sorry (I guess!). I'll pay off these 7500 as soon as myBMW app gets updated info about the loan and be done with it.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

This is why I despise dealers.

[NervoS]

Originally Posted by Hadden14

Honestly, if you otherwise had a good experience at the dealership, it may be worth contacting BMW USA. Let them know that your purchase was soured by her actions and that you would hesitate to buy another car from that location and will not recommend it to other potential buyers. You could even give a shoutout to the SA who made you feel better about the whole thing.

I know Mercedes takes such reports very seriously.

Honestly... The next day has come, and I don't think I will. As was said here, maybe she has something going on in her life, and while, yes, it was completely unprofessional, she has been in the business for many years (if we trust her words, and I don't see why we shouldn't). Worst case scenario, she'll get reviews from other customers, and that'll be it for her, but I hope it was just a momentary lapse.

[Westside Guy]

Originally Posted by NervoS

Honestly... The next day has come, and I don't think I will. As was said here, maybe she has something going on in her life, and while, yes, it was completely unprofessional, she has been in the business for many years (if we trust her words, and I don't see why we shouldn't). Worst case scenario, she'll get reviews from other customers, and that'll be it for her, but I hope it was just a momentary lapse.

I think you are being too kind and i wouldn't cut her any slack. IMHO, this was a performance on her part that she has rehearsed for 17 years and will happen whenever she meets with a customer that doesn't want to buy one of her packages. She definitely tried to pressure you into purchasing some product she was selling.

PS, your X3MC rocks!!!