I went and looked at a Volkswagen Passat today and needless to say I am tired of sales people.
From the beginning of the visit I told the guy helping me that I was merely interested in pricing and options. I said that I did not want to buy today and just wanted to get a feel for what I could expect in terms of monthly payments. Of course, this isn’t how it ended up.
I explained what I was looking for, a no-frills Passat, and not surprisingly they did not have any at this location so I was shown an upgraded version that was “near” my price needs. I then asked if they had TDI models available… They didn’t.
Before I knew it I was test driving a Passat and have to say it was a great ride and I really like the car. They then had me sitting down going over prices and monthly payments. About five minutes into this I got wise and immediately started being defensive.
The salesperson that was helping me went for backup (I think he was new) and before I knew it there was another salesperson sitting down next to me telling me that I was “wasting their time” if I wasn’t going to buy a car. I snapped back with a “I’m wasting your time?!” and was greeted with a glare from the guy. He then proceeded to ask me what he could do to get me to buy a car today to which I replied, “nothing”. I continued to explain that my intention was never to buy a car, but instead to come in and get prices so that I could compare my options and look at Audi knowing what else is out there.
I left a little discouraged because I like the Passats and don’t want poor salesmanship to spoil it.