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#51
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07' IS 350, 08' E550
Hey Timeless, nice ride buddy! I was checking out your signature and wanted to know where did you get your steath side markers from? I assume they're relatively cheap ehh?
#52
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2005 E55 ///AMG
Aaron https://mbworld.org/forums/members/37837-stealthauto.html should be able to hook you up.
#53
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07' IS 350, 08' E550
http://www.stealthauto.com/
Aaron https://mbworld.org/forums/members/37837-stealthauto.html should be able to hook you up.
Aaron https://mbworld.org/forums/members/37837-stealthauto.html should be able to hook you up.
#54
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SL600
1) I owe Ms. Stone a legitimate apology for not getting involved sooner. My guy made a stupid comment (which I did previously acknowledge) and I take full responsibility for this. In retrospect, the right thing to do would have been to just send out a new set of AMG mats. Again, we sent newer CLK mats, but did not realize the importance of the AMG logo to the customer. Customer service in this case should have been better, and I apologize.
2) No one on this forum that has shared their opinion, with the exception of Ms. Stone and myself, have actually seen the car that we are all talking about. Someone hit the nail right on the head about customer perception and opinion- One man's gem is another man's nightmare. I have seen two different clients look at the same cars on hundreds of test drives and have completely different things to say about the condition of the SAME car.
What are we to do as a dealership when a customer has left happy and does not start complaining about cosmetic issues until after 35 days? Someone brought up an analogy about a tough stake and a cold potato- Is the restaurant supposed to do something about your lousy meal a month after you ate it?
You're grasping at straws here. Way too many stars have to align for your suggestions to make any sense, like that during the span of one month and 1,500 miles (1,000 of which were on the road trip home) she could have worn the brakes down to 5%, broken interior buttons, removed the wheel and taken out the fender liner, etc. etc. That's an awful lot of unlikely stuff that would have to happen in order for you to be right, don't you think?
We're not rubes here, and I'm sure many of us have our own businesses of one type or another. We know how it works.
3) A pre-owned (used) car has been previously driven and this one was no different. In fact, it was three years old and had nearly 30,000 miles. All of the car's components will have been subject to wear and tear. This includes everything from the brake pads and rotors to the tires, engine, and transmission. This is why a $70,000 car costs $30,000 after three years. This does not mean that the car was a problem vehicle, or is a piece of junk, it simply means that it has been used. Any buyer that wants to save 50-60% off the original factory MSRP needs to look at this as a two-way street.
A retail buyer expects certain things related to the condition of the car, and those expectations were grossly disappointed in this situation. If you are going to wholesale cars at retail prices, which is exactly what you are here saying you did in this case, then you shouldn't expect a happy customer. This ain't rocket science.
Exactly. Brakes at 5% aren't safe.
You just can't retail a car in the same condition it was in when it rolled off the hauler at the auction, and still expect a happy customer. Again, this is the difference between retail and wholesale. You provided an auction quality car at a retail price, and your employees treated her like crap in the process. She's rightly upset. Wouldn't you be?
This is the primary reason that we offer every single customer the opportunity to have their purchase inspected by someone other than us. We don't want you to take our word for it. It makes us look that much better if someone else tells you that we have delivered you a great car. I said it before, but we have nothing to hide. If we were selling junk, why would we want buyers to have the cars inspected?
In summary, there are two sides to every story as people have pointed out. I'm sure that we both feel like things could have gone differently. However, before passing judgement on a car that you have never seen and offering up suggestions to sue someone whom you have never met, be careful not to jump on the bashing bandwagon. We do try to do things differently and hopefully someday we can prove it to you though our actions rather than our words. -FF
That's pretty weak.
#56
Newbie
At this point, I won't argue with allegations that are simply not true. We messed up on the mats and I owned up to it, but the car didn't leave our dealership with 5% brakes because we can't sell it that way. The liability costs are far more than any brake job and there is far more to lose than an upset customer.
I guess at this point we will now have to go so far as to "require" out-of-state clients to pay for third-party vehicle inspections and then have them sign off on them before they drive away. (And everyone wonders why the paperwork has gotten so thick and the legal disclaimers so numerous).
Just out of curiosity for my own market research, is a mandatory inspection something that you would be willing to participate in during a car purchase process, or do some of you think it is a waste of money? If it is not mandatory, where do you think it is fair for a dealer/private party seller to draw the line on our own exposure, especially when a client has visually inspected and driven the vehicle?
I would appreciate any thoughts on this idea..................
I guess at this point we will now have to go so far as to "require" out-of-state clients to pay for third-party vehicle inspections and then have them sign off on them before they drive away. (And everyone wonders why the paperwork has gotten so thick and the legal disclaimers so numerous).
Just out of curiosity for my own market research, is a mandatory inspection something that you would be willing to participate in during a car purchase process, or do some of you think it is a waste of money? If it is not mandatory, where do you think it is fair for a dealer/private party seller to draw the line on our own exposure, especially when a client has visually inspected and driven the vehicle?
I would appreciate any thoughts on this idea..................