4/9/05 Lexus Serremonte 2 Thumbs Down!

jUST WANTED TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCE AT A DEALER I WENT TO OVER THE WEEKEND. wERE LOOKING TO BUY A CAR, SO GENERALLY WE WANTED TO TEST DRIVE A FEW VEHICLES TO SEE WHAT WE LIKED. ALL WENT WELL UNTIL, WE ARRIVED A T LEXUS OF SERRAMONTE. AS WE WERE LOOKING AROUND THE LOT AND SALES GUY CASUALLY ASKS IF WE NEEDED HELP.(THAT WAS PROBABLY THE ONLY HELPFUL THING HE ASKED THE WHOLE TIME. I GUESS HE FELT OBLIGATED TO ASK US THAT BECAUSE THERE WERE NO OTHER PEOPLE (SALES OR CUSTOMER) AROUND. FROM THE START, HE DIDN'T SEEM INTERESTED AT ALL WITH US. BUT HE PERSUED ON DRILLING US WITH 20 QUESTION, WITHOUT TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WE WANTED OR HOW HE CAN HELP US-IRONIC SINCE THATS THE FIRST THING THAT CAME OUT OF HIS MOUTH WHEN WE ENTERED THE DEALERSHIP LOT.
ALL HIS QUESTION WE RELATED TO FINDING OUT IF WE WERE GOING TO BUY A CAR RIGHT THEN AND THERE-WITHOUT TEST DRIVING THE VEHICLE!. WOW WHAT A CONCEPT! I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT BUYING A VEHICLE WITHOUT AT LEAST DRIVING AROUND THE BLOCK. WE BASICALLY SAID IF YOU WERE 100% HAPPY WITH THE VEHICLE AFTER DRIVING IT,( WHICH WE NEVER EVEN GOT THE CHANCE TO SIT IN ONE)
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO TEST DRIVE MORE VEHICLES. WELL GEE I THOUGHT TO MYSELF. WITH THIS BEING PROBABLY THE SECOND LARGEST INVESTMENT IN MY LIFE(THE FIRST BEING MY HOUSE) I THINK I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO TEST DRIVE AS MANY VEHICLES AS I LIKE BEFORE I MADE ANY DECISIONS.
I MEAN WOW, I HAD TO LOOK OVER MY SHOULDER AND RUB MY EYES TO MAKE SURE I ACTUALLY WASN'T AT A USED CAR LOT AND AT A LEXUS DEALER -WHERE BY THEY WAY I READ SOMEWHERE THAT CUSTOMER SATISFACTION IS #1.
WELL THEN I THOUGHT, MAYBE WE DIDN'T DRESS UP ENOUGH, OR LOOK WORTHY ENOUGH FOR THIS SALES PERSONS TIME.
WELL AS YOU CAN ALREADY SEE , I WASN'T HAVING A "#1 CUSTOMER SATISFACTION EXPERINCE" AT LEXUS OF SERREMONTE. HE BARELY MADE ANY EYE CONTACT, AND WAS JUST INTERESTD IN A APPOINTMENT THAT IS COMING UP. WELL, FINE I UNDERSTAND AND APPOINTMENT HAS PRIORITY. HE THEN ALMOST UNWILLINGLY SAID HE WOULD GET SOMEONE ELSE TO HELP US, WELL, WOULDN'T YOU KNOW HE CAME BACK EMPTY HANDED-NO OTHER SALES PERSON, NO BUSINESS CARD NOT EVEN A LET ME KNOW IF YOU NEED ANY HELP HANDSHAKE. I WAS POLITE , CONFUSED AND SHOCKED AS I SAID MY FINAL GREETING. AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF THE LEXUS LOT I SAW HIM GLANCING AT US. HE WAS LAUGHING WITH ANOTHER SALES PERSON. PROBABLY AT OUR OLD "NON-LEXUS" VEHICLE.
I DON'T KNOW FOLKS, MAYBE IT'S JUST ME. I FELT COMPELLED TO WRITE THIS BECAUSE I WAS JUST SURPRISED THAT THAT PARTICULAR DEALERSHIP CAN'T REFLECT THE CLASSINESS OF THE CARS ON THE LOT TO THE SALE PERSON WE DELT WITH.
LUCKY FOR ME THERE ARE OTHER NICER LEXUS DEALERS OUT THERE , SERREMONTE NOT BEING ONE OF THEM.

Remember that car salesmen are generally considered the lowest link in the food chain, maybe a notch above lawyers. Still would think a premium car dealer would have sales people with some personality. Figure if the point man was this poor, what's the rest of the place like?

My wife and I had pretty much the same experience with our local Lexus dealer. We wanted to trade our Dodge Intrepid for something a little more upscale. Went in to look at a Lexus, and, the salesguy immediately told us we looked more like candidates for a Toyota, and, steered us to the other side of the dealership where the new Toyotas were setting. I then basically told him to "stuff" it and left. Ended up swapping the Dodge for a new Jag.

Regards:
Oldengineer