Young couple has the last laugh after car salesman misjudged their capability to buy a premium model
It is a long-held belief in sales that the customer is the king, and catering to the needs of consumers after processing data about their interests and online behavior is at the foundation of online marketing. But while algorithms are able to accurately spot what an individual might want, it seems that salespersons are failing to look beyond their own prejudices. This is exactly what Reddit user u/senadi1 experienced when he went out to buy a car.
He shared the incident from 7 years ago when he and his wife, both in their mid-20s, decided to sell their own individual cars to buy a bigger vehicle. They didn't have to worry about their finances because the couple had well-paying stable jobs and a low-interest loan from their parents. After doing extensive research, the couple narrowed it down to a Ford Mondeo and a Kia Creed.
"At this point, we found our local dealerships and booked appointments with both to test drive the cars so we could make a final decision," he wrote further. "We arrived at the Kia dealership and all went fine. We liked the car and the salesperson was helpful. We happily trundled across to the Ford garage for our appointment and were met by John the salesman. John was an old white salesman who had been selling cars for years and he had clearly made a snap decision about the young couple in front of him."
John made the young customers sit down and proceeded to tell them how expensive and exclusive the Mondeo model was. He also mentioned that he wasn't sure if the couple would be able to afford it. "He asked us about our budget and we told him but he didn’t seem to accept this. He wanted us to tell him our salaries and other financial data and we refused, saying we just wanted to test drive one. He told us he couldn’t let us do that unless he knew we were serious buyers. We even asked if we could at least see inside one and he refused that too," the person wrote.
Left with no choice, the couple went to the Kia dealership and purchased the car they had the chance to test drive earlier. They were happy with their buy even though their first choice was the Ford model. The couple kept the Kia for the next 6 years and had the last laugh by letting the Ford salesman that he had lost an opportunity. "I took a picture of the Kia and sent it to the manager of the Ford branch to say that we had bought the Kia because of the actions of John. The reply from the manager was surprising. He replied that he was devastated because their margins were so tight and explained that John would receive a reprimand for losing them money. Moral of the story: Don’t judge a book by its cover!" the Reddit post concluded.
Other Reddit users also shared their reactions to John's foolish actions along with similar encounters at car dealerships where they were judged based on their age, gender, and even race. u/TheFilthyDIL shared, "Husband and I walked out of a dealership when the salesman not only ignored me but pretended I wasn't there at all. Why in the world would someone sabotage themselves by alienating half their customer base?" u/Specific_Rutabaga_87 commented, "We had an old guy dressed in overalls want to buy a car with a check. The manager called the bank and they told him if the guy wants to buy the dealership, you can take a check."