rominl

iTrader: (4)

i have been thinking back and forth about posting this, but i am curious if a lot of you experience similar stories at lexus dealerships.

so this past weekend my wife and i had some time to kill, and i suggested going to dealership to look at the is-f. sales A saw us getting off our car and approached us. i told him we just want to kill some time and walk around. he said no problem, the inventory are downstairs, we are welcome to go take a look, and let him know if we need help (and he proceeded to point us how to get there). nice guy, i thanked him and we went down

downstairs, looked at gs460 and gs350, compared to leather, etc... sales B was with customer, customer wanted to check out gs. politely, we closed the doors and let them look at the car, and we continued to walk around

moments later, sales B drove his golf cart with customer, passed by us, stopped and asked if he could help us. i kindly declined saying we are just looking around. he said cool and moved on.

finally after several rows of cars, we saw the is-f. we walked up, the car wasn't locked (key was even in the car), we got in, checked out the seats, steering, etc....

sales B and his customer drove by in the golf cart again. this time i saw sales B stopped, came up, didn't look too kind, took out his cell phone and said "let me get you guys a sales. sorry we don't allow people to just walk around here, company policy".

i bit my tongue and just said "it's ok, we are leaving, we don't need sales to sell us anything" and didn't bother to look back.

1) if it's company policy, then why didn't you get us out the first 2 times you saw us?
2) if it's company policy, sales A must be doing a **** poor job telling us to go check out inventory?
3) on our way out i saw another 1 or 2 customers by themselves looking at cars. i guess they must be with sales that i couldn't see?
4) or is it because my wife and i look too young, and given the kind of stereotype sales B is, he thought we were not up to his standard to buy a lexus?

i don't mind if there is a legitimate reason, but i personally really HATE when someone thinks i LOOK young so i can't afford something, thus brushing me off. i don't think i am very well off, but i work hard for every penny i spend, and unless today i offend you as a customer, you sales please get it straight.

either way, we walked up and decided to leave. as we drove off, sales B came back up. i wonder how sorry he was when he saw what we drove

yusef

thats strange, maybe it was juss the salesman? cuz a while ago i went with some people all roughly 18,19...im 18 myself to check out the crown lexus dealership. only time they spoke to us is when they offered us some coffe, and when they asked if we want to test drive a car. we said no thanks were juss lookin and continued to get in the cars. the guy was cool wit us...maybe you juss had a douche salesman? lol idk

XprincoX

iTrader: (10)

yeah i get the same treatment at alot of places. I guess being asian doesn't help either since we always look young.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well i wouldn't say i always get this kind of treatment, but at the same time this is not the first time i was being treated like that. ironically, sales who saw what i drive, they are usually nice. but those who didn't see me coming in (like sales B), i got something else.

i don't want to get race into the equation, but that might play a role too. and i never like to dress up myself, so tshirts and jeans always work for me

radicalrev

iTrader: (2)

anyway...just want to chime in...race actually matters...me being a chinese, walk into the dealership with my parents, sales guy welcomes and walk away while I walk through the lot.....a caucasian family walks in..welcomed, gets free coffee...and accompanied to the lot...ehmmmm....

IS250SoCal

i bet you it has alot to do with where your dealership is located.

People look and act different in Riverside than in Beverly Hills.........

Lexus GS3

iTrader: (2)

Henry i've been treated the same way as you before.. Not only once but many times. I also dont really dress up.. A pair of jeans and tshirt will do it for me.

1st incident
10/17/02 Longo Lexus
Went in to purchase a new 2002 GS300, with a Cashier check written to "LONGO LEXUS" When i arrived, no one came to help me for 20 minutes. Until i went to the front desk and requested a sale man to help me. Sales man was rude and didnt really wanted to answer any of my questions. Made me feel like i was wasting his time. I requested for a test drive, and he told me, they only let the customer test drive the car if they are ready to purchase the car on the same day. I was totally pissed off at the time. I pull out my wallet and showed him my cashier check already written to longo lexus. His attitude imediatelly changed to 360 degrees.. I smiled and i left the dealership and went straight to South bay lexus and purchased the car over there. At South bay lexus they greeted me and offer me a drink when i walked inside the show room. I felt good this time and I told them that i'm ready to buy a car. Did the test drive, did the negotiating and came to a deal. The sales lady picked up a new LS430 on the lot and drove me to the nearest bank of america to change the name on the check and waited for me outside the bank. Got the name changed on the cashier's check and went back to the dealership and seal the deal. Next day 10/18 drove to Longo Lexus and showed the sales man the car i bought at South Bay lexus that i could of bought it from him at longo instead. By the look of his face it shows that he was angry and felt stupid that he loss a customer.

2nd incident
11/30/07 Cerritos Lexus
Took my previous 02 GS300 to trade in for a new GS350 at cerritos lexus. Got there around 7pm. No one saw me getting there. I went inside the show room and was looking at the new GS350 for a while. 20 minutes passes by and still no one came to help me. So i looked at the GS350 for another 10 minutes and finally a sales man came to me and ask me "son where are your parents?" "Can i help you with anything?" I said no and left cuz i was mad. The salesman followed me outside to the parking lot and saw me drove off with my old GS alone. After seeing me drive off alone, he realizes that i was there alone looking to buy a new car. Oh wells too bad for him, cuz he's ignorant, and he wont get my business. I'm on my late 20's and i dont think i look young at all. I've been working hard for every single penny since i was 19, exactly 10 years ago.

TheMole

iTrader: (13)

Man sorry to hear of all the unfortunate experiences you guys go through in the car buying process. In my mind I don't think I would care if they saw me in a nice car as I drove off. Sure it would feel sweet, but I could care less about them since I have no relation with them and their opinions do not matter to me. At the same time, I would get them back by not leaving any feedback. I believe that feedback from customers (good or bad) is key in running a successful business. Them seeing you drive off in a nice Lexus is feedback that they do not deserve. I'd rather let them keep thinking that they made no mistake at all since it may negatively affect the business, but that is just me. Although, I would be pretty pissed in that situation. Looking young is all good though because when you are middle-aged you will still look young.

4ntvings

iTrader: (6)

henry, pleeeeease tell me you drove the LS to that dealer in your initial post! LOL

typically, after initial contact and discussion, sales dont like speaking to me as i'm also one that usually dresses in old jeans, polo shirt, and old beat up tennies. they often think i'm a thug or something. but after further discussion with them, to find out i make the decisions, i release the hounds on them and let loose the corporate jargon on their *****! after that, i usually lose them as my point of making them feeling like dumba$$e$ succeeds. also, being asia as well, of course its the asian sales approaching us. as their english isnt the best, i lose them while making them feel like idiots. bottom line, they are conveying themselves as degenerates, so convey yourself in a position more advantageous to you.

anyway, hen, dont let it bother you too much. you did the right thing by simply walking away and being the bigger person.

IS250HuNnY

its okayyy happens to me all the time too when i go buy a new purse at south coast i get underestimated a lot. but then again i do look like im 10

plex

iTrader: (11)

Most sales people suck at any dealership I hate dealing with them. I went with my little sister to the dealership when she was buying her first car a Corolla Type S as soon we pulled up they started swarming us, one guy even said I will get a good trade in on my SC because it looks clean. I looked at like he was crazy, ignored him and went on inside to the sales guy we spoke to a week before about coming in.

projectdna

iTrader: (56)

this reminds me of my experience @ longo when i was purchasing my 2is. both my brother and i pulled up to the showroom at the same time, him in his 530i (he's a bimmer guy) and me in my '96 maxima that i was ready to trade in. the sales guys all thought HE was the one doing the buying, not paying me any attention. then when we both sat down to negotiate a deal, not only did the salesperson refuse to budge on the sales price, he also paid no attention to me, again thinking that my brother was the one buying the 2is. not only did we both leave without buying the 2is, i almost gave up on buying a 2is, period.

a few days later, after finding out that there was another exact 2is @ lexus santa monica, i went there after work by myself (no older bro w/ 530i) to check it out. left @ 6; didn't get there 'til 8. i pulled up and was warmly greeted by the sales that had been waiting for me - even joked w/ me about sitting through traffic (i joked back, saying, "having done that, i'm going to take the 2is home with me, one way or another"). we looked through the car, i passed on the test drive, and we sat down to negotiate. 90 minutes and a good deal later, i signed the dotted line. the sales guy, the sales manager, and the finance/warranty guy stayed to consummate my deal, and service had my 2is ready and waiting for me. i didn't leave 'til 10:30-ish, but they wanted to see me drive off the lot w/ the 2is - and i did.

i'd rather drive a little farther and get good customer service than to stay nearby and get, well, customer service not worthy of the lexus name brand.

gsrthomas

iTrader: (1)

Personally I don't think that he thought you looked young. I have been down there looking at inventory on two separate ocassions and they didn't hassel me at all. I'm 27 and I look young, last year I got carded when I was buying lotto tickets. lol.

Sometimes you just come across cocky salesman that just want to take charge. Its just a matter who you come across with, thats all. Just bad luck for you.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

wow, didn't expect to see a lot of you went through more or less the same thing, i don't even know if i should say i feel good or sad... it's not really bothering me, not like it was the first time anyway. but i am always curious what's in their mind thinking that they are bigger than customers by default. i might be putting it in a bad way, but aren't we the ones partially making their paychecks possible?

tommy, what a story you have there. pretty funny you took the car back to longo and showed the sales!

jason, yes, we drove the ls460l that day. ironic, isn't it

i definitely agree that not all sales are like that. there is a reason why i have bought so many new cars. liz back in the old days and peter / dave at glendale treat me far better than i can expect. but to certain extend i am surprised that after so many years, the kind of stereotype about age/money/race is still around here in the US, especially CA where the diversity is so wide

Allen K

iTrader: (4)

I did have a salesman say that to me once, but it was all in good fun. I was in there to look at an IS and when I asked about the LS he said I wasn't old enough for one .