I’ve been working with a particular salesperson for the purchase of my new car. He has been really helpful and spent time with me to select the correct vehicle. I’m now ready to buy. I’ve tried coming to the dealership on a couple different days, but something came up at home and I couldn’t make it out there. Hard to find the time. This afternoon I have an open time period (rare) and could go to make the purchase. But my salesperson doesn’t work today, so if I go a different salesperson would be making the sale. I’m thinking that if I went today, my original salesperson (who put in all the time) would lose out on any commission … and that seems disloyal since he did all the real work. Is that correct? Would only today’s salesperson get the commission? Thanks.
No one here can tell you what any dealers commission policies are . Call the dealers Sales Manager and tell him that you want to make sure that the person does get the commission .
Yes, the person you worked with would get screwed out of the commission. If you talk to the sales manager they might split the commission but that isn’t fair either, is it? Setup an appointment time for your saleman and you to finalize the deal.
Second thought - You should have the salesman’s card with his phone number . Call it and he might make it in to complete sale or make a time when the vehicle can be delivered to you . My neighbor did every thing by phone and email and had a new vehicle delivered from a dealer 120 miles away to his home.
Summary - Even though I had the time available yesterday morning, I decided to change my schedule around so that I could come to the dealership this morning instead. My original salesperson works today … so he could get my sale … problem solved. Well I phoned him at 9am today, and he is too busy to see me until later this afternoon (which won’t work for me).
So, I changed everything so that he could make the sale … and he is too busy to see me. Guess that serves me right for trying to be conscientious. I should have gone yesterday and just let “whoever” make the sale!
I think you did the right thing. I had a somewhat similar problem back in 2006. I was looking at a 2006 Chevrolet Uplander that was a “program” car (whatever that is). I went to the agency in my work clothes and my 28 year old Oldsmobile Cutlass. All but one salesperson ignored me. I took it for a test drive and decided to check out a couple other dealers. I decided I wanted the Uplander. I went back the next morning to buy the Uplander. I was dressed up as I had been to my office earlier. I was also driving my 2000 Ford Windstar. Three salespersons immediately came to help. When I asked for the salesperson I had worked with the previous day, I was told it was his day off. I then said I would come back the next day. Suddenly, the salesperson I had worked with became available.
I agree with Triedaq. You did the right thing. Now, if the salesperson can’t get with you at this point, you should feel free to buy the car from someone else with a clear conscience.
The salesperson is “too busy”. I inconvenienced myself, but he wasn’t willing to inconvenience himself. Didn’t even suggest I come in and see another salesperson … sale isn’t important to him. I don’t want the drama of seeing him if I go in and deal with a different salesperson. So, I’m going to buy the car from a different dealership entirely.
The commission could have been split between the two salespersons, The local Ford dealership has no commission salespeople and gives reasonable deals with only tax and title added beyond the price on the windshield.
Just some food for thought, but you state that you had been in several times already. Now there were intentions of going in again.
Maybe it’s possible the original salesman thought you were not a serious car buyer due to the back and forth?
Those guys are under a mountain of pressure to make every sale and it could be that behind the scenes one or even both could have been chewed on royally.
The sales person dealt with you in a way you appreciated, showed consideration and knowledge. Now you want to buy, but when you decided to go and do the deal they were busy with someone else. No surprise there, the person is a good sales pro and attends to the work at hand. Just as you would make an appointment with a dentist or an accountant or a building contractor, and then expect them to deal with you without interruptions to juggle other customers, you should do the same thing with this salesperson. Make an appointment.
Resolution:
Since we were having difficulty coordinating our times … my “original” salesperson told me to come to the dealership “anytime”. Hopefully he would be available, but if not, another salesperson could help me out. “We have lots of good staff”.
I went to the dealership the next morning. The front desk told me that my salesperson was running late and wouldn’t be in until late in the afternoon. I told them that I was here in the lobby ready to hopefully build a deal. I just need my trade-in car appraised, and somebody to complete the paperwork for my signatures.
The front desk said “but your salesperson isn’t here”.
I told them about the “arrangement” we had … that he isn’t available … so anyone could help me out.
The front desk said “I’m sure your salesperson would rather that he was here”.
I said “I came in and am ready to buy now”.
The front desk said “Come back later today, when the salesperson is here”.
I said “So you are turning me away? Nobody here can help me make a purchase? The car I want is just outside on your lot.”.
“Best to come back later” was the reply.
So I left the dealership, never went back, and I’m going to go elsewhere for the purchase.
Kind of strange, some dealers would give both salesmen part of the commission for the sale. We’ve got a list of dealers that we’d rather not go back to if we have to.
I would really like to hear the dealers side of this story . I even had the Sales Manager handle the sale because the person we were to meet was not able to be there .
That’s very odd. When I sold cars for a living, split deals were common, I’d say at least 25% of my deals were split with somebody else. It was always something that was between salespeople with both parties consenting to it. It was considered a major faux pas to take someone else’s customer without the original salesperson’s okay.
There were various scenarios where you’d hand a customer off. If there was a scheduling conflict, then something would get worked out. If one sales person wasn’t able to make much progress or close a customer, then then another salesperson might take a crack at it. Or if a customer had questions that the salesperson couldn’t answer (Many car salespeople are good at sales, but have next to no actual product knowledge, and become a deer in the headlights when confronted with a customer who knows their stuff.).
It’s highly unusual that they didn’t have a salesperson ready to jump in and finish up the deal right then and there. It’s possible they there had been some conflict in the past at that dealership with salespeople vulturing deals from other sales people without prior agreement (and it can get really ugly when that happens), and they have a standing rule that unless otherwise noted, the customer only deals with the salesperson that they started the deal with.