[Sumer]

Originally Posted by gtonsing

Also reminded me of our dear member Sam Kapasi who I have read purposefully dressed down and bought a luxury car in mumbai (cant remember the exact story or thread)

Dude. That's exactly what I'll do when I'm in the market for a car next time (approx 2 years). Stay tuned for a thread if it turns out interesting.

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by Sumer

Dude. That's exactly what I'll do when I'm in the market for a car next time (approx 2 years).

I often do this while buying an expensive item, most of the times Sales people fall for the dress.

[DudeWithaFiat]

Maybe this is inferiority complex or superiority complex, but:

I am, most times, dressed down because I am confident that I can show them my value or worth when I start talking.

I dress 'up' and act confident and try not to speak much and ruin it when I go to places where I know I am surrounded by people way out of my league

Whenever I go to a bank, I kinda enjoy the slow, but obvious, change in the way how they talk at the start of the conversation and later after they check the transactions in my account (not that they are huge, but definitely above what they might expect to see from a guy dressed like how I dress, with a helmet in the hand)

[peepo]

Originally Posted by wanderer007

dressing up (down!?) in a polo tee with bermudas and sneakers on weekends.

A comment on reddit I read a while ago:

"I once did an experiment (and wrote about it for a now defunct magazine) where I wanted to see how high on the exotic car ladder I could go before they told me I couldn't test drive one anymore.

Before I get going, the answer to the question is confidence.

This was in 2005, so kind of pre-tech days where everything was googlable and whatnot. But, I was an ambitious writer in my mid-20s and wanted to really make an impression on my employer.

I specifically didn't shave and my hair was a bit shaggy. I wore generic blue jeans and a plain no-logo polo shirt and a pair of slip on Vans. I went for a clean, rich kid look.

At the time I was driving a 1991 Toyota MR2, a small, clean sports car that was 14 years old but really well kept. I drove it to a Chevy dealership where I said I wanted to test drive a Corvette. They gave me a LONG runaround and a hard time, but after handing over my license for photocopying, getting my picture taken, and a credit card they let me take it for a drive telling me to be back within a few hours after I got the feel for the car. That was the first time I realized the more you pay for a car, the longer they let you drive it.

I drove the Corvette directly to a Porsche dealership where I parked it and asked to drive a 911. We talked for a bit about the car, and after copying my license they handed me the keys and said to have fun, with no stipulation on time.

I took the 911 to a nearby Ferrari dealer and was handed the keys to a Ferrari in minutes. I drove to the Lamborghini dealer down the street (I lived in Miami at the time, these places aren't too far apart) and made a big deal about going from a Ferrari to a Lambo but wanting to keep the Ferrari too - which apparently they didn't like the sound of and I broke a rule I didn't really know about because I was trying to seem like I wanted a lot of cars and showoff. I got too proud and blew it. They noticed the Ferrari had dealer plates and told me to get lost.

So, I drove to a Rolls dealership nearby instead and drove a 300k Rolls Royce with zero issues and they had a big, buy it or not, we don't care, attitude, so I left and returned my russian dolls of cars and got back to my dinky MR2.

Being confident and not saying too much goes A LOT WAY. Actually rich people aren't trying to impress anyone or show off. They have confidence and know they can do whatever they want. It's ridiculous."

source: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/c...eb2x&context=3

[SR-71]

A bit off topic but rooted in the same bucket of problems, most luxury car dealership I have interacted with in the recent past, want to know what car I am driving right now in the first phone call. It annoys the hell out of me, how does it matter if I drive a Maruti 800 or a bi-cycle. The most recent experience was today morning when I called the Bangalore dealership for Volvo enquiring about the S60. Now, the strangest response I got on asking why do you care was from the BMW dealership in the central part of the city - the person at the other end of the line was like, Sir that help us understand what type of cars are you interested in. Now I don't know how the geniuses will figure that and what is even more crazy is, why the hell would I be calling them for a specific type of car to TD if I wasn't interested in that type!

[Tkm]

Don't judge anyone by their clothes or appearance. A patient of mine who is a farmer in a village came to consult me. His son was with him, looked like typical village guys. Till the boy told me that he has just cleared his MBBS. And my dad is getting me a BMW M 5 series as a gift.

Remember, never to look down on anyone, ever.

MOD NOTE : Please go through Posting Etiquettes before constructing a new post. Thanks.

[Emvi]

Originally Posted by Tkm

Don't judge anyone by their clothes or appearance. A patient of mine who is a farmer in a village came to consult me. His son was with him, looked like typical village guys. Till the boy told me that he has just cleared his MBBS. And my dad is getting me a BMW M 5 series as a gift.

Remember, never to look down on anyone, ever.

Apologies for going completely off-topic.
While I certainly understand your point of view, I want to clear a misconception that a lot of people generally have. There are actually quite a few rich and educated "typical village guys/farmers" contrary to most people's assumption. I am not trying to single you out here, but it has become rather common that people correlate village, farmers and indigence, which I can safely say is an incorrect judgement.

[FASTLIFE]

How to say it properly?? Money can't buy etiquette/ class. Period. There are 4 Khan's in Bollywood,out of which Saif is from a royal family , and it shows, in his style on and off screen.

1)From a dealer's perspective, an average guy might be untidy, poor hygiene, and shabby looking (biggest turnoff for them), dirt in hair/palm which might struck in white leather/ roof liner/ interior trims. No compromise from their side on these ethos.

2) Mafia/ Black Money guys with 4th grade education and gutkha/pan in mouth , slang in every sentence, and threatening for simple things/problems/mishaps with the car , I know, what Nexa deals with everyday, not welcome at all.

3) Educated person with simple clothes, big pocket, soft spoken, in any language, will always be welcome. If disrespected, is truly, a sad affair. Ever seen IIT Professors?? they wear simple T shirt or a Polo, pants, a watch , a pen in the shirt, combed and properly groomed .

You can't be shabby like Post Malone / western culture, no haircut, beard looking like a rat's nest, no scent, untidy clothes,mud on boots , visiting showroom in flip-flops and expect to be treated like customer is King, sorry you look like a begger living off on McDonald's.

Jo dikhta hai woh bikta hai. My words might be harsh, but since childhood, have you ever sat with the guy in classroom who used to finger his nose every now and then??

I neither support or condone the situation , this thread is based on .

[FASTLIFE]

Originally Posted by Emvi

Apologies for going completely off-topic.
While I certainly understand your point of view, I want to clear a misconception that a lot of people generally have. There are actually quite a few rich and educated "typical village guys/farmers" contrary to most people's assumption. I am not trying to single you out here, but it has become rather common that people correlate village, farmers and indigence, which I can safely say is an incorrect judgement.

Well said, some people can't even think what a farmer can earn, on an average, a pearl farmer can earn 10-40 lakh annually, down south, black pepper farmers earn more than an average IT sector guy, and boy if you know anything about them fisheries, their money comes in Trunks, to the bank, like 10-20lakh in 6-10 months. There's a difference in being simple and shabby. Don't be the latter one.

[OffRoadFun]

Originally Posted by wanderer007

I think this is very common with the luxury names. Happened very recently with a friend of mine. He prefers dressing up (down!?) in a polo tee with bermudas and sneakers on weekends. He is in the market for his first luxury car purchase and has a budget in the range of 60-80L. He was leaning towards Merc just for it's brand/snob value.

If the intent is to buy a luxury german purely for snob value (and consequently attention at the car and himself), should the person himself not do his part by dressing up properly to deserve the attention in a Merc/Audi/BMW showroom? Is the expectation there that respect will be shown just by his words? Those dealers deal with tons of time passers in this populous country. Blacklisting Mercedes for the treatment meted is shallow ego, childish. If at all, patch it up and buy the brand with maximum snob value, the best or nothing. Show them the cash again and make them revert their behavior, and that's a sweet satisfaction, I would say.

[rahul4321]

Reminds me of my experience with Harley Davidson which I had posted on the Team Bhp thread


re: Harley-Davidson: Is the American motoring dream coming to an end in India?

HD has brought this onto themselves. I am very happy that they are shutting shop and going away

Back in 2012, I did not earn a lot. Even buying a Pulsar 180 was a stretch for me. But I loved motorcycles and all things on 2 wheels. Nine Bridges Harley Davidson had just opened up in Ahmedabad and my office was a stone's throw away from their showroom.

Like most of us Average Joe's, I dreamt of things I couldn't afford. I was completely smitten by the Harley Davidson Forty Eight. I used to gaze at it from the showroom glass panes occasionally when I passed by the showroom. Each time I walked by, I would spend 5 to 10 minutes standing there and admiring the motorcycle from all possible angles. I never liked any other HD motorcycle- just the Forty Eight

One day, seeing that the showroom was kind of empty, I went in and asked for the details of the Forty Eight as well as a test ride. The saleslady there - speaking in highly accented English looked me over in my unbranded tshirt, jeans and Bata sport shoes and decided I did not look as wealthy as their average customer and so shouldn't waste her time on me. This despite the showroom being practically empty- but the saleslady had more important things to do like chatting away with her colleagues. She made some excuse about their test ride motorcycle being in the service station and turned me away. Not a problem - I said and gave them my mobile number to call me when the motorcycle was available for a test ride.

No calls. 3 weeks later I went by again and got a similar excuse of the motorcycle not being available, while I routinely saw other customers getting test rides of HD motorcycles. As I mentioned earlier, my office was on the same street as the showroom. Each time I saw someone get a test ride, I felt a little bit more hurt.

If the dealership did not want to give me a test ride, they could have refused it or made it clear to me by stating it outright, but to keep me running from pillar to post and making me carry that tiny sliver of hope that I would be given a testride of a motorcycle (which I probably would never be able to afford) was excruciating. I followed up 2 more times but never ever got the test ride. I felt insulted.

If that wasn't enough, I thought atleast HD the company would take notice of their dealerships attitude towards potential customers or prospects who might buy a motorcycle in the near future. I went to their HD India website, got the complaints email address and shot off a long email describing my experience with the dealership and ended the email with my contact details.

It's been 8 years and email hasnt been responded to despite me sending a couple of "gentle reminders" in the two months after I sent the initial email. No offer of a test ride or even the courtesy of a reply, apology or an acknowledgement. I now know the issue wasn't with the dealership but the entire top down approach of thr HD management.

Today I can buy a Harley Davidson quite easily even without taking a loan but I will never give them my business because of their stuck up attitude and their behaviour towards me in 2011. And guess what- the tide has turned. Today, they need every sale they can get. How the mighty have fallen- in India as well as globally.

Compare that to Indian Motorcycles - which was besides the Fiat Service Station. I strolled in and told the showroom manager that I am not interested in buying but just wanted to gaze at the Scout while my Punto was getting serviced next door. The showroom owner/ showroom manager - knowing he had no prospect of a sale, still offered a test ride and when I declined it, fired up the motorcycle on my request and treated me to a cup of hot coffee and a nice chat. If the Big Motorcycle bug bites me again- and I know it will, I know where to go and what to buy. A hot cup of coffee and a warm chat has given Indian Motorcycles a confirmed sale.

Delighted and absolutely elated Harley Davidson is going out of business in India. Couldn't be happier

[Pam81]

Originally Posted by car love

These instances are indicative of not just bad manners by the showroom staff but also deeper social/cultural problems that we have. I went once to a Bajaj showroom with a white guy who was interested in the two wheelers on sale here in India. The staff were falling over each other trying to please this guy. They voluntarily wanted to become slaves of the white man and in reality this guy had no intention whatsoever to buy a motorcycle in the first place.
Another instance I vividly remember was at the Chennai Royal Enfield factory tour. There was this arrogant German guy who was whining away to glory because the program was 10 minutes late. Another co-attendee who was apparently a manager in some local factory and who was also attending the program used to open the door for this German guy. He did it a couple of times. It was cringe worthy to say the least. He had again volunteered to become his man servant.
On the other hand when many of us perceive someone to be "lower" than us then the superiority force that is exerted is at the maximum. We need to learn neutrality and treat everyone equally. Long way to go I guess.

Even the neutral guys are looked down due to deep set social attitudes. Sometimes, being neutral also seen as weakness. "You must maintain a high headedness and hardness to ignore people of lesser stature to show off that you are someone" - unfortunately, we encounter many people like this everyday!!!

[Saint_Krish]

Ended up buying a Jeep Compass from PPS bengaluru just because of how the Sales Manager (Mr. Siddharth) treated us. Long test drive through various types of terrain!
But the interesting part is they still continue to surprise me with their excellent after sales support. I call up a sales guy (Mr. Vikas) and just ask him about price of a windshield since i had a cracked one.. he made sure a new part is ordered and an appointment booked! I mean, it wasn't even his job! Such excellent treatment makes me recommend PPS to everyone now.
The experience at KHT was sadly disappointing and hence they lost a sale.. they didnt even let us drive half a kilometre.
Mods.. am not sure if taking names of staff are allowed?

[bhavik.1991]

Originally Posted by wanderer007

I think this is very common with the luxury names.

I wouldn't call this a luxury brand or dealership specific problem.

When I visited Rudra Motors, a Tata Motors dealership in Wagholi, Pune during Feb 2020, a Tata motors employee who was stationed there was responsible for the sales of Nexon EV.
When I approached the person to enquire about the car and test drive, I was greeted with following questions and given free ka gyaan.

• What is my profession?
• How much do I make?
• What car do I currently own (if any)?
• What is my budget?
• Saar, EV is only for those who own multiple cars and want a car to use within city. Also, you should have a driver to drive you around so that in case the battery is discharged, you can ask him to take care of the car and reach your destination in other vehicle

Even after answering his questions, I wasn't allowed to have a test drive. I was disappointed with the incident, not because I didn't get a test drive of Nexon EV but because I was holding Tata Motors stocks which were good enough to buy multiple Nexon EVs at that time. This was a Tata Motors employee, not a dealership employee.

[hrk997]

https://youtu.be/NV9BMTQ1Sug

The only way to deal with rude salesmen.