I was reading what a customer had wrote on the forum
"For example I know people who are willing to wait weeks and months when they order a new car. When I do so, I will have the car within 3 days or I will go else where (a Ford dealer should have every Ford model in stock, same with caravan dealers for a particular make, and if they don't they should be willing to compensate you by slashing the price)!"
most dealers try and keep up back up stock of the most popular models and not the worst selling models. But the dealer cannot win in this day and age of the old nutmeg "compensation/trading standards". When they don't have a model in stock then they are in the wrong and when its late its "what are you going to knock off?" and if they do have it in stock, its "not a factory fresh model, so how much are you knocking off if its not new?"
After being in this industry for 19yrs I'm so p****d off with unscrupulous and deceitful customers who will try anything to make their wallets fatter and sod the dealer.
So if your dealer isnt there tomorrow or next year, then there is usually one reason for it, the customer kicking the crap out of them at every opportunity, whether its their fault or not. Then the manufacturers generally don't give a toss either and get to hide behind trading standards as the contract is with the dealer!
This is a very small cottage industry, made worse by the manufacturers who are untouchable, and dealers no matter how hard they try, or how good they are, are simply not supported at all. Then add to the fact that a large percentage of customers have a grudge the minute they walk onto site and are looking for a fight, I would say the industry is doomed. I would say in the next couple of years there would be at least half the number of dealers as there is today, and instead of maybe driving 30 miles for a caravan, you may be driving 130 miles.
Just a thought, but a sobering one at that!
"For example I know people who are willing to wait weeks and months when they order a new car. When I do so, I will have the car within 3 days or I will go else where (a Ford dealer should have every Ford model in stock, same with caravan dealers for a particular make, and if they don't they should be willing to compensate you by slashing the price)!"
most dealers try and keep up back up stock of the most popular models and not the worst selling models. But the dealer cannot win in this day and age of the old nutmeg "compensation/trading standards". When they don't have a model in stock then they are in the wrong and when its late its "what are you going to knock off?" and if they do have it in stock, its "not a factory fresh model, so how much are you knocking off if its not new?"
After being in this industry for 19yrs I'm so p****d off with unscrupulous and deceitful customers who will try anything to make their wallets fatter and sod the dealer.
So if your dealer isnt there tomorrow or next year, then there is usually one reason for it, the customer kicking the crap out of them at every opportunity, whether its their fault or not. Then the manufacturers generally don't give a toss either and get to hide behind trading standards as the contract is with the dealer!
This is a very small cottage industry, made worse by the manufacturers who are untouchable, and dealers no matter how hard they try, or how good they are, are simply not supported at all. Then add to the fact that a large percentage of customers have a grudge the minute they walk onto site and are looking for a fight, I would say the industry is doomed. I would say in the next couple of years there would be at least half the number of dealers as there is today, and instead of maybe driving 30 miles for a caravan, you may be driving 130 miles.
Just a thought, but a sobering one at that!