[Stribog]

On another thread I raised this topic and thought it will be both funny and interesting to hear the whoppers and lies our Sales folks (being gender neutral here) feed the general public assuming we all Don't know better.

I have 2 to start with

The biggest whopper I have been told and I actually laughed at his face was the guy at TVS (not honda as I said in that thread) 2 wheelers. This was around the time Wego with front discs was launched. Was looking to replace my dad's then decade old Activa. This was a small outlet and maybe they didn't get stock or whatever but the sales guy told me with a straight face that and I paraphrase quote him

"Saaar we don't sell vehicles with disc break to senior citizens and women customers, highly risky sir, accident rates are more and we recommend only drum brakes for them"

I just laughed my head off, told the guy the risk is on me and I only wanted the Wego or am leaving. He went in for 15 mins, his manager came out and said they don't have a TD vehicle yet and he will arrange it in a week. I was in no hurry so waited and the manager was efficient and honest so booked a blue Wego with him only but told him that his SA really needs to be sent for retraining.

2) was with TaMo. I really really wanted a TD and got the number of a dealer like 15 mins from my office. Went into the showroom, gave my details got the card of the sales rep, he promised a TD in 24 hours. I specifically said (when the topic of the Nexon came up, that I only drive Diesels and looking only for a diesel. This is important)

3 days later I called, reminding him, and he said saar today 100%. Nothing happened and I blasted him the next day, and said chuck it am going with another dealer. He said saaar 10 mins I will reach there in a petrol model you drive saar same driving feel (knowing full well that (A) I only wanted a diesel and more importantly (B) what petrol?

I was tired at that point and told him I don't need any test drive (just what he wanted to hear to avoid further anger from my side), then went to the TaMo book a TD portal and booked one. 3 days hence I got my TD.

3) Logan dealer not bs but his honesty stands out. poor kid, fresh out of ITI was his first week iirc, I went in blind, asked him about the engine displacement (which he answered) but had no clue about the torque or engine output, but instead of trying to bs his way out, he honestly admitted that he was new and if I could give him 5 mins he will get the brochure and explain.

Which he did.

I anyway liked the vehicle and booked through him.

Fire away with your most ludicrous auto sa stories

[karan0009]

Back in November 2019, I was looking out for a new car. Nexon Petrol AMT was in my radar, so checked with the dealership for testdrive. After a few days and multiple reminders, sales executive finally turned up with a test drive vehicle.

Since this was my first hand experience with AMT gear box (had previous experience with DSG, TC and CVT) I told sales executive that ride is a bit jerky as compared to other automatic gearboxes. The reply which I received was hilarious "sir, all the brands use this same AMT gear box in automatic vehicles and TATA is the main supplier to other manufacturers".

Out of sarcasm, I just smiled and asked - is the same gearbox used in "Hexa AT" and he acknowledged it with a big "YES" !!

[haisaikat]

Good topic for a thread, mine is below from last year.

We were at a Toyota last year and the sales person said instead of buying one Crysta we could have looked at 2 Glanzas so that me and my wife has each to drive one independently (first LOL moment).

I asked him what is the point in buying a rebadged Maruti. He said firstly Glanzas are manufactured in Suzuki's plant as against Balenos being manufactured in MSIL's own plant which ensures higher quality. And secondly Toyota is giving greater warranty and it is only possible as there must be some "inputs" (undisclosed) from Toyota engineering into making Glanza more durable (second LOL moment).

I politely refused the offer.

[Rajeevraj]

Couple of years back when Maruti had airbags only in the (O) variants, on behalf of a friend was trying to push the salesman to arrange the celerio variant with airbags. He went on and on insisting you need airbags only when going above 100km/h and since this was a city car he said it was not needed at all and started pushing some useless accessories.

[Turbohead]

1) Fiat dealership somewhere in the summer of 2014:
Saar, you don't have to go for Linea top model because ABS is useless! It works only at 80 kmph.

2) Skoda dealership:
Sir, Vento and Rapid are totally different cars. Vento engine is a German engine and the Skoda engine is a Czech engine. You are only assuming it to be similar.

Had a good laugh back then. But now I feel bad for those guys! They were trying to sell things which they never would've owned in their life. My knowledge about cars was built over years and not a month or two of corporate training.

[Researcher]

I can recall the following experiences:

1. Maruti Nexa for S-Cross in December 2017: I wanted to know an exchange value for my SX4 when I was told a value less than half of my expectation. When I questioned, I was told, "Saaar, costly Marutis have bad resale and very high maintenance!" I then asked, "So your S-Cross must be bad in resale and maintenance then? "

2. Renault for Duster in April 2018: I was on the test drive of the CVT when I asked how much I should be expecting in FE. I was confidently told, "Saaar 14-15 minimum!" I was pretty shocked considering the engine and weight of the car! Then I asked to show me in the MID, and to my horror, it showed around 12, but in litres per 100 km! Upon asking this, I was told, "Saaar, it is same as km per litre! You can ask the customer who owns the car you drove! He is a doctor also!" Needless to say I never returned and was wondering about the service standards for quite some time.

3. Tata for Hexa in December 2018: I had specifically asked for the test drive of the automatic but I was presented a manual. I took a smallish test drive and when was asked to confirm about my plans, I told them that I would only do so after test drive of an automatic. Then I am told, "Saaar, automatics are not good and will have problems as well as very low FE of 4-5 kpl. Also mechanics may not be able to maintain the automatics." After a few days, I get a call asking about my decision. I ask back about the pending test drive of automatic version. I was assured that this will be done soon. I got calls like his multiple times. This continued till March 2020 without a test drive from their side (which I managed from other sources).

[JJay]

Nice Idea stribog,

2 years ago, my friend was looking for a motorcycle for daily commute and occasional ride to his village (60-65 kms from Ahmedabad). His budget was < 1.2 lacs.

We went to motorcycle showroom near his home and showed our interest in a motorcycle which had option of dual discs (both front and rear discs), BUT
SA strongly advised us to go for front disc rear drum version for safety and cost reasons. According to him, disc brakes just jams the wheel and motorcycle became out of control while drum brakes "slow the bike slowly" so it is safer. We asked him that then why dual discs variants are expensive? to which he answered that it looks cool and youngsters fall for it, and it is one of the common strategy used by companies to marginally increase the cost of motorcycles with each passing year. We were shocked with his honest answer and were speechless for a while, upon which he further added "BOYS, THIS IS THE REASON WHY MOST OF THE CARS HAVE JUST FRONT DISCS IF YOU HAVE EVER NOTICED". Now that was some new knowledge for us. Shear lack of basic knowledge on part of SA.

But still he bought motorcycle from there, albeit dual discs version.

I have not mentioned the name of dealership and brand of motorcycle as the SA was mostly in early 50s and by going through his composure he was genuinely trying to help us in every possible way, even way beyond professional way. When my friend told him that he had been saving money for more than 1.5 years to buy motorcycle, he guided us through entire process as if he was our FATHER. Though lack of basic knowledge is not acceptable in today's age, we were extremely happy and satisfied with the overall buying experience .

[GTO]

Mod Note: Thread moved to the car dealerships forum. Thanks for sharing!

Related Thread : Comedy of errors at dealerships

[rpunwani]

Last year I went to a Hyundai showroom to check out the Venue for my wife.

I asked the salesman to open the bonnet of the 1.0 GTI as I wanted to check out the engine bay. Once the bonnet was opened he pointed at the alternator and told me that this engine has a turbocharger :P

I quietly asked him to close the bonnet and walked out of the showroom.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Insurance quotes is one of the biggest lies I have faced. Based on the cars I remember and the advantages of having a cost accountant dad

1. Indica 2004- Insurance is included in the price. We sell only at on road price. Dad actually mentioned that if he sent this statement to Consumer forum, he will win.
2. Manza 2010- If you don't take insurance from us, warranty will be void. I was like LoL. and give it to me in writing.
3. Polo 2013- Insurance from XX is compulsory. There is no option. Car wont be registered without it.I called the insurance guy to the desk in front of the sales guy, and asked if what he was saying was true. Reluctantly he said, no, it is not compulsory, but I will match any quote you bring to me from the market. That guy had a cashless facility tie up with VW across India, which i would loose (at that time they were the only ones). But then, never used the insurance in last 10 years, went for something outside

[francisvellara]

This happened not to me, but someone else. It was narrated to me by our SA when we were looking at the EcoSport back in 2013.

A movie actor had booked the car, but there was no sign of imminent delivery and the dealer was not giving him any concrete information. He asked the SA (who was a newbie) and he replied, "Sir, even <more popular actor> has not been delivered his car yet." That did not go down well.

Something that did happen to us was our SA telling us that unless we took the Ford-recommended insurance, the warranty would be void. A small chat with the manager cleared that up.

[landcruiser123]

Very common, especially among Maruti salesmen - "Saar ABS is not required for city driving. It works only on highways"

All Maruti dealers were (are???) very reluctant to take bookings for variants with optional ABS.

[TorqueSteer]

1.Was at a Hyundai dealership in Pune to enquire about i20 1.2. The rep was a female and most probably from the billing department and temporarily assisting customers since there were a lot of customers. After looking at the car,

Me : Nice car. What is the BHP ?
She : Saar ! It is 1.2
Me : I am asking about BHP. Not Cc.
She : Saar bhp is 1.2. That is why car is named i20 saar.
Me :

And left the showroom.

2. In a RE showroom in Hyderabad :

Me : Need finance options for Classic 350.
He : We don't finance Classic range. We can finance only Thunderbird.
Me : Why ?
He : Classic is bought by local leaders, rowdies and gundas who don't pay EMIs if we finance.

[batladanny]

Took a test drive of the Ford Freestyle some months ago. On asking the SA what all were the differences between this and the Figo, she replied "Sir this is totally different car. Figo is small hatchback. This is Compact Utility Vehicle. It is Off roader sir." Yeah, right.

Anyway, liked the car but removal of Sync3 in BS6 update meant that I waited for a good used example on the market and snapped that up rather than the new one.

[chiefpk]

Originally Posted by batladanny

Took a test drive of the Ford Freestyle some months ago. On asking the SA what all were the differences between this and the Figo, she replied "Sir this is totally different car. Figo is small hatchback. This is Compact Utility Vehicle. It is Off roader sir." Yeah, right.

Anyway, liked the car but removal of Sync3 in BS6 update meant that I waited for a good used example on the market and snapped that up rather than the new one.

I had heard the same comment when I was enquiring about the Figo. The sales person was saying that Freestyle is from a segment above. And I was like why?
It seems like Ford itself don't want to sell the Figo.

Also, yesterday I received a message about booking a Tata vehicle before 25 September will attract the best deal in Delhi. When I enquired about the same from my SA, he said "Saaaar, the prices are being hiked from 1 OCTOBER and hence, the hike."
Liitle did he know, that I wouldn't be sold there.

And guess what, in the initial stages when I was deciding for which car to buy, I enquired about the MS Swift but later when I rejected the SA of not buying the Swift due to safety reasons he said,
" Sir, Maruti cars are very safe sir, 2 airbags, ebd and ABS are now standard, no one else provides that. Why are you opting for Tata, they are not safe"
Trust me, I'm not kidding here.