[Akshay1234]

sidindica i think you should speak to someone in porsche. if im not mistaken a fellow member doctortorque works with porsche mumbai. maybe you can pm him.

[bhp1]

These idiotic salesmen/executives think they are tycoons themselves after dealing/selling cars to few such people. They have lost all respect, manners, etc. & bow in front of rich & mighty only. But the truth is they are penny poppers themselves & live on paltry salaries.
On your asking for a brocher, he should have offered you a test drive in addition. I make it a point to teach lessons to such execs. & they generally have to repent giving a TD to me! That's one way of getting back for me!

[Nikhilb2008]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

They should watch this ...

Originally Posted by driftagain

I was just about to paste this link. You beat me by a minute. Anyhow I don't think this kind of behaviour is acceptable and sidindica should definitely escalate it.

Originally Posted by SilentEngine

that was the first thing that came to my mind, when I read the post.

OMG!! I was just going through youtube looking for that exact same ad!

Looks like almost all of us have seen that epic ad!

[sidindica]

there was an arctic silver 911 (carrera s-old pre facelift model) on display inside the showroom in delhi with a quoted price of about 95 lakhs (includes 7 lakh worth of options fitted).

i would like to know is that a new car or a pre-owned one?

[Ravveendrra]

Originally Posted by canonball

Please call up porsche India and send this link to their MD trust me it will work. Porsche is known the world over to inform, interact, encourage people as a way of building goodwill this is totaly not called for typical INDIAN mentality thats why we are called "crabs" send it to the MD and see the effect. I have had BMW/SAAB/Porsche/Mercedes mail me brochures in 1983/84 when I was a kid and wrote on a rough book paper with a pencil!!! This is a 10 year old kids letter to the company and they sent me the stuff knowing well they may not sell me car in the near future send it you could get a discount when you go to actually buy one in the future and spare all the other enthusiasts the same agony. Had the same thing happen to me in a local toy store which sold japanese minature bikes!!! will never forget it all my life.

Let me know if you need help we will fix them

Originally Posted by bhp1

These idiotic salesmen/executives think they are tycoons themselves after dealing/selling cars to few such people. They have lost all respect, manners, etc. & bow in front of rich & mighty only. But the truth is they are penny poppers themselves & live on paltry salaries.
On your asking for a brocher, he should have offered you a test drive in addition. I make it a point to teach lessons to such execs. & they generally have to repent giving a TD to me! That's one way of getting back for me!

I went in to see the (then) newly launched Ford Escort. Nice new swank showroom with pretty girls and smartly dressed guys. There was a lot of hoop-la and a zillion guys were milling about. In this melee were an old man and a little boy. Both looked dusty and wore dishevelled and dusty clothes.

The old man and lad walked around the car, sat in it, (in spite of the discouraging looks from the sales guys) he then asked for the bonnet to be opened - looked at the engine, asked if it was petrol or diesel, requested them to start it etc. All this he did in a very self-effacing and plesant manner. He was extremely patient with the rude and boorish sales staff and waited quietly when they tried to avoid him.

The situation was obvious, the show room guys thought he was a loser who would never be able to afford the fancy new car they were trying to sell. Finally the old man got down to brass tacks and asked how much it cost. When told, he said ok, put his cloth bag on the table and counted out the CASH! The look in the eyes of the 'smart set' sales guys was unbelievable - none of them had seen that kind of money ever in their lives. He told them in a very patient tone that he owned a Ford Prefect from the days when they were imported and was thrilled to learn that Ford were coming back to India, that was why he was there on the first day!

The tables turned, now everyone in the showroom from owner down were fawning over the old man and his grandson, one guy offerred him a car-loan and got a withering look from the old man who said "I have cash - why do I need a loan?"

The man was a born TBHPian - he wanted to take only the car he had seen in the show room and no other. He said something like "I have seen this car, I know what it is like inside, I have not seen the other car in your yard, therefore I will take this car only and I WANT IT NOW!" I later learnt that the owner personally took him to see a fresh vehicle in the yard and the PDI etc. were done post-haste so that the car could be delivered by the evening. (After all cash is king!)

There is a joke that is rather telling.

A chap goes into a cheap eating place for lunch. While eating he notices that the waiter is his old rival & classmate and says to him "Hey John, you have come down in the world, imagine working in a place like this!"

The waiter replies - I might work here but I do not eat here!

I use something like the above on stupid, arrogant sales guys etc. who have an attitude problem. I indicate to them or tell them something to the effect of "You work here and you have an attitude - I am a paying customer here, so imagine how much more attitude I should have!"

ITC hotels (as well as some Sheratons abroad) have a stupid policy of not allowing autorickshaws (metered taxis abroad) in. I was once stopped at the gate, so I got down and asked the guy to get my bags. Of course, he waved the auto in.

The dude in the Porsche showroom is very stupid. If a guy walks in, he is a potential customer, he might buy anytime - either now or in the future.

My message to sidindica - Always remember that the ground under your feet is yours and yours alone! Believe and act as if you own the world (after all the bit under your feet is your own). Do not let the dumb guys like the one in the Porsche showroom get you down, you were born to rule, they are born to serve. Of courrse this does not mean that you can be rude to them.

Cheers,

[Xehaust]

Just one thing comes to mind:
Go back to the showroom to pick up the brochure you wanted, make sure the guy notices you.

Pick up the brochure you want & if the guy comes back to annoy, then just tell him very humbly "Do yourself a favor & please call the manager!"
Enjoy the look on his face till the manager arrives.

Tell the manager while gesturing towards the rude exec "If these are the type of execs that a company like Porshe India is hiring & such is their training, then perhaps, Porshe should consider pulling out of India." Do not say a word about the incident.

Finally, walk out, brochure in hand & enjoy the rest of your day. Im sure you will enjoy the rest of the day

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by Rehaan

They should watch this ...

YouTube - Porsche 911 Commercial (997)

Very touching ad. That completely epitomises the spirit of Porsche... I'm sure the sales guys at the Delhi showroom neither saw this ad, nor were trained properly by the co. The problem is not with Porsche, it's with the attitude of the lower-level individuals who run that showroom - probably including the manager himself. Sidindica, turn up there next time in a suit and necktie (and a shiny pair of shoes to go) to get a demonstration of how the sales guys can fawn over a "potential" customer.

My wife jokingly said the other day we'd need to dress up if we wanted to go visit the DLF Emporio mall (the "most expensive" mall in India) . Maybe that applies to Porsche showrooms as well. Or else, like the old man in Ravveendra's story, turn up in your torn T-shirt, dirtiest jeans and rubber "chappals" with 50L in cash. Show them the cash, ask for all the brochures and prices, take TDs to your heart's content, and walk out without buying! Watch them kiss the ground you walk on (and even your "chappals") while you're there...

[blueoyster]

Hey Sidindica nice that you posted what you felt it helps feel better,
i have been training various organizations on behavioural and sales skills and thats my second love the first being cars have been a VW fan as long as i can remember and applied to be a part of the Porsche training team a number of times but never got called but i must say i share a lot of the same emotions not becos i did not get called but because i loved the organization and i know what you been through only difference is i do it as it gives me a thrill to see how stupid people could be
here is my experience with a number of showroos.

i will start with the RR showroom at Atria mall mumbai i went there about 3 weeks ago they has some beauties (vintage models) on display and i wanted to take a closer look but was shooed away from the door by the security ,yeah my face read i was told i needed an appointment

2 weeks later i pull up to the same place with a friend in a '37 chevy. no apointment no nothin and guess what i got to enter the showroom without an appointment.

strange aint it how arriving in style works


now the VW showroom in mumbai has been super generous very friendly and warm always there to help however the porsche showroom in Delhi not the same i faced similar experiences to what you did but mumbai has a fantastic team .!

any ways all i'd say dont be part of the difference be the difference!

cheers!

Originally Posted by sidindica

I came to know that the new boxster and cayman brochures have arrived.

they were on display, and so i picked and went through it.
a guy from the sales department, manish, came and said in an arrogant manner- we don't allow you to see the brochures because you are not interested in purchasing the car.

"why do you come and waste our time for no reason?" he said in addition to the statement mentioned above.

anothey guy, paras ahuja, who joined just a month ago, was feeling helpless like his chamcha.
it was this guy who took some selling points of cayenne from me prior to joining the company.

feeling embarassed, i just went out and then he calls me and says "sorry sidindica, i can't help you. if i leaked inside information i will loose my job."

i would like to question that what kind of internal information he was talking about?

why the hell some people work in companies where they don't deserve to work?

i just prey that these 2 guys leave the company ASAP.

the question is-if you don't give brochures, then why do you import it?

today outside the showroom to my horror, i saw some 6-7000 old porsche brochures (all of old bosxters, caymans and 911s), gathering 1 inch of dust as if they were leaving for scrap yard.

if this is what you talk about the cost of importing the brochures, then is this the way you waste money for no reason?

i need an answer.

[bhp1]

Originally Posted by Ravveendrra

My message to sidindica - Always remember that the ground under your feet is yours and yours alone! Believe and act as if you own the world (after all the bit under your feet is your own). Do not let the dumb guys like the one in the Porsche showroom get you down, you were born to rule, they are born to serve. Of courrse this does not mean that you can be rude to them.

exactly!
Very interesting stories too! But had I been in place of that old man in Ford's showroom, I would have shown them the bucks & leave the showroom without buying the car!

People should be generally curtious, respectful & marketing people have to be doubly cautious of their behavior, consumer is the King these days!
But I guess the bosses at Porsche trained their workers in this manner only, still reminicent of the old era of apartheid!

I had a choice to TD/check out super expensive cars many a times, but never had the will! As a matter of fact I like checking out the things which I can own or think of owning in future! These super expensive cars have never appealed to me, good for me, I guess!

[sidindica]

thanx for your help guys.
decided to go tomorrow again and planned.

i have 2 options-going on a honda accord or a tata safari.

what do you suggest?

[GTO]

Sad, and simply inexcusable for a marque like Porsche. These moronic sales guys need to understand that it is the regular joe enthusiast who make Porsche the brand that they are. But would the sales person really care? For all you know, he will be with Airtel the next month. And selling LIC policies the month after. This is a lapse on the training, management, policies and monitoring.

Originally Posted by sidindica

i have 2 options-going on a honda accord or a tata safari.

what do you suggest?

You do NOT need to make an impression on him. Go in a damn autorickshaw or 800! Get the brochures you want, and if the scoundrel acts too big for his boots, ask to speak to the manager.

If this was in Mumbai, or I in Delhi, would have surely accompanied you.

@ Ravveendrra : Nice post. Reminds me of the Indian King who was shooed away at the Rolls Royce showroom in England. He was so pissed that he bought a bunch of 'em to use as garbage trucks. Now that's a comeback!

[abhinav.gupta88]

Thats really sad to hear.
Selling cars worth 50+ Lakhs and such rude people working there. God help porsche.

I agree that they can have loads of profit by selling one car but that does not mean that they will treat any customer (whether buyer or not) this way.

You should definitely escalate the matter to the higher level.

[Dippy]

Thats not a nice experience to be coming from some like Porsche. These big boys should learn that no one should be under estimated at any cost. Having an attitude like this is simply not done. I could very well go to see a 911 in a Zen but I may still have a Ferrari parked at home. What does he know? Go back there sid even if you have to walk there. No need for an Accord or a Safari. They are what they are because of us.

On the other hand Mercedes and BMW are quite open to having people visiting them and I mean the common man. A few examples which I have experienced :

1) The year 1996. Mercedes launches the W124 E Class in India. Cars on display at the Tata showroom at Worli opposite Nehru. I, a 17 year old student want to see the cars so I land up there at the showroom with my college bag on my back. I am greeted by a friendly and nicely shown around cars, let me sit in them have a feel, get the technical guy to have a chat with me and before I left, they were generous to give a giant opster of the W124. I was impressed. They even offered me the booking form for Rs.50/-.

2) Maybach launched in India. I had taken my folks shopping to Westside, and since I am least interested in shopping I chose to visit the neighbouring Mercedes showroom Sah and Sanghi. I just walked in to see the cars and eventold them why I was there. Since I loved cars I wanted to pass some time while my folks shopped. The sales person showed me the Maybach, had me sit in it, explained to me each and every feature as if I was a customer. Since they didnt have a brochure they hand me the CBU brochure of the W221 S Class also launched at that time. A very pleasent experience.

3) Last week I paid a visit to the newly opened BMW showroom at Worli, Infinity Cars. I was welcomed by a pretty girl at the reception. I told her that I wanted to see the new 7. I was promptly attended to by a sales person who showed me not only the 7 but even the X6 and the new facelifted 3 series sedan. He gave me the pricelist for the 7 and the full hardbound brochure as well. Not only that but he offered me a TD of the new 320d which I gladly accepted. He asked me what car I drove and I told him I had an OHC. He had words of praise for the car and appreciated the wheels of my OHC and the way it was kept. These small things go a long way making a good impression on a customer or anyone for that matter.

4) The Porsche Mumbai experience was decent. I was shown everything from the showroom to the workshop. And the Carrera GT as well. Any other BHPians visited the place?

Sid, I hope this was a one off for you but I'm waiting to see what happens when you go back there. Do not take this nonsense. Give it back to them. Waiting to see you update this thread.

[drpullockaran]

One of my rich kid acquaintances regularly goes to buy expensive cars for his family riding up to the show room in a rickety old scooter and so does a doctor colleague of mine. Both of them make sure to attire themelves in the stinkiest of clothes and also use bathroom slippers for the jaunt. Just recently the Volkwagon group lost the sale of a Passat because of snooty behaviour of the sales person. He is now waiting for the V6 Accord to arrive after I adviced him to test drive it before buying another car. Pity that the chauffeur is going to revel in the dynamics of the car and not the owner.

Reminds us of the Maharaja in India who bought ROLLs Royces to be used as garbage dump trucks.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/pre-19...harajas-3.html

[rah1735]

Originally Posted by sidindica

thanx for your help guys.
decided to go tomorrow again and planned.

i have 2 options-going on a honda accord or a tata safari.

what do you suggest?

I suggest that you go on foot and avoid that guy ,get someone else to give you brochers. "FORGET " about accord or safari. My friend and I had gone to autohanger in his FIAT(PREMIER PADMINI) to enquire about a mercedes E class . We had parked the car right in front of the showroom and my friend sat inside the car when I went inside as there is no parking in front of the showroom. The sales girl saw me getting down from the padmini but still she was as courteous and smiling as if I had got down from a Merc. I was interested in a used car and they sent me to their worli workshop for a test drive of the car I wanted . I commend the sales staff as they did not do any discrimination against me just coz I had gone in a padmini . so do what you want to do and not what the world wants you to do.