[alphamike_1612]

Hello T-BHP,

After 7 blissful years of owning a Honda, we decided to change our car to a 7 seater to include the recently expanded family and allow us to go out in 1 car instead of having to deal with the headache of using 2 cars all the time.

We narrowed down on the Safari and will be booking it soon. This deserves it's own post and that is a few weeks down the line.

In this post, I'd like to talk or rather ask advice on how to choose the dealership from which you buy the vehicle.

TL;DR -
How do you choose between 2 dealers who are similar in

1. Distance from your location.
2. Courteous and knowledable Sales Advisors who aren't pushy.
3. Offered TDs without hesitation (one right to my house).
4. Similar in pricing (less than 5k difference).
5. Similar delivery timelines.
6. Accepted for a PDI.

What else do I need to look for in a dealership before I choose one?

Context -

Now, I am relatively young (mid 20s) and I have the privilege of being able to negotiate and strike deals on behalf of my father (who is the one who will be paying for the car).

Up until the last purchase, it would be my father who deals with dealerships and gets quotes and does everything that needs to be done.

This time, since I am home and my father was a little tied up in his office, I took it upon me to deal with dealerships and the only thing my dad would need to do, would be to sign on the dotted lines. This was made easier by the fact that there is no loan involved and the only negotiations would be on the on road price of the car and the accessories.

The matter at hand -

In the course of checking out 7 seaters, we visited several Tata Dealerships on Sundays and at most places there was no test drive vehicles available or even display models for the Safari. When asked, most responses would be that the dealer has outlets in 8 or 9 locations across the city and only 1 TD vehicle will be rotated between all of them. As a result, I called every Tata dealer who was within a 10 km radius of my home and asked who had the Safari that day and whether it was available for TDs.

By doing this, I was able to find a dealership A that was not very far away and we were greeted by a very enthusiastic Sales Advisor who patiently guided us throughout the features of the car (A dark edition Safari Accomplished Plus AT), offered a TD that was some 10-15 minutes long and was knowledgeable enough. This was in stark contrast to other Tata dealerships where we had cold or lukewarm response at best. We had expected the same kind of treatment here too and hence were pleasantly surprised when the experience was different.

We informed him that we were yet to make a decision on which vehicle to buy and once we did we'd reach out to him. He didn't follow up on us after that and this was something I appreciated. In contrast, other Tata dealers who didn't have the cars would frequently call me and ask me when I was planning to get the car.

In the course of finding a dealer who has the car immediately (on Sunday), I seem to have called a Dealership B who's Sales Advisor called me back on Monday. This chap was also courteous, mannered and seemed to know about his product. I told him that I had already checked out the car at dealer A, but I've not decided whether I would be taking the Safari. He understood and told me to reach out and that he would get me the best deal. This man also did not follow up and was something I appreciated.

2 weeks down the line, my mother had come back from a trip and we wanted her opinion on the cars we had shortlisted. I called the SA from dealer B and asked him to get a TD vehicle to my home. He agreed and showed up in the evening with a Cosmic Gold Safari Accomplished Plus AT. Both the blokes who came with the car were courteous, knowledgeable and if they didn't know something were upfront about it and we had a nearly hour long TD on peak traffic city roads. This again was not what I experienced with the other Tata dealerships. They asked for a booking amount that day but weren't pushy and immediately left it when I told them we hadn't decided which car to get.

We then decided on the Safari and I called both A and B dealers and told them to give me the final quote and that I wasn't interested in pitting them against each other and to give me the best quote that was possible and then I'll decide basis that and that I don't plan on re-negotiating once the deal is stuck.

Both of them sent me quotes which were similar in prices (within 5k of each other). I then asked them both to send me a quote inclusive of all the accessories I had chosen and once again this was similar to each other. Both of them asked for the other's quote which I denied sending but told them that their prices were similar. I asked my dad and he too was okay with the prices so there was nothing else to negotiate on. I told both of them that I would need the evening to choose between the 2 of them and whichever one I chose, I'd call for a final TD and proceed with the booking to show the entire family, since I didn't want to give hope to either of them by asking for a second TD.

My father left the choice entirely upto me to choose whichever dealer I wanted. I compared reviews on Google (with a pinch of salt), both had similar ratings (4.7 and 4.9), both the SAs were courteous and well mannered and I was unable to differentiate despite nitpicking. My father suggested writing up the names on a piece of paper and picking one and going with whichever one we chose.

Doing that resulted in dealer A getting the deal. I called the bloke up in the morning and told him to get the TD car so that the entire family can check it out and that I'd give him the booking amount the next day (for auspicious reasons and also to allow the rest of the family to play the devil's advocate). He readily agreed and got the car and the family was happy with the choice.

I also called Dealer B and told him that I would be proceeding with dealer A. He asked me for a reason and I told him we discussed among the family and chose A (I didn't want to tell him about the lottery). He asked for another appointment to re-convince my parents and that he'd push for more discounts etc. I told him I had asked him to get the best quote initially itself and I wasn't interested in the price war and also that the price difference (5k) hardly mattered. He kept pushing for reasons and finally I broke and told him that we chose basis a lottery because we were unable to decide between the 2. (This was a huge mistake on my part, I would very quickly come to realize brutal honesty is never good. ) The SA obviously became dejected and felt bad and I told him that I would get the 2nd beater car from his dealership. (We are also looking side by side at the Tiago or a hatchback for city duties). An hour later he called me back with a discount of ₹10,000 that would make his dealership's quote lower by 5k. I told him the 5k doesn't matter, I had already told dealer A that I will be getting the car from him and this was what I had told him when I asked him for his final quote. He agreed and kept the phone.

A few minutes later, his Team Lead called me and talked rough (or so I felt) asking me to reconsider and that they had put efforts including a TD and computing the cost of the vehicle including accessories etc. I told him that a TD was something that every dealer is supposed to offer and if he felt that was too difficult, he or his team could have denied the request outright and also that I had been upfront regarding the price quote from another dealer and that as a consumer, the choice boiled down to me. I also told him that I had informed the SA that I would get the hatchback from him in a few months. He then started shouting to which I cut the call.

A few hours later, the Sales Manager of B called me and told me he'd reduce the quote by a further 10,000 as a special deal. I don't know whether he was in the loop when the TL was shouting at me. I informed him that I would no longer be dealing with his dealership in any capacity and that he lost out on a definite sale simply because his TL thought he could bully me into buying this vehicle.


My questions/takeaways from this experience:

1. Should have stuck to my guns and stopped with "family decision" instead of breaking and offering that the lottery was the reason.

2. My reasoning for avoiding the price war was because I didn't want either party (me or the dealer) to feel aggrieved or lose peace of mind and a price war would definitely lead to the dealer resenting me since I ate into his margins and might result in poor after-sales service (which I didn't want to risk, considering Tata as a brand has poor QC as seen in the numerous complaints on the Safari thread) and besides my father was comfortable with the price. Also a thread on T-BHP about how not to buy a Tiago had a post that mentioned that you are only strong at the first rebuttal and each further rebuttal puts you at a weaker position and that the dealer gains. Is this justified or should I have gone ahead with pitting them against each other?

3. Am I stupid in not going ahead with dealer B with the reduced price simply because the TL had decided he could shout and get away with it and also because I had verbally told A that I would conclude the deal with him the next day?

4. Should I have only dealt with dealer A for all TDs and only reached out to B when it was time for quotations? (Instead of asking both A and B for TDs)

5. What else could I have done to handle this situation better?

Regards,
alphamike-1612

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[xenon0025]

Originally Posted by alphamike_1612

3. Am I stupid in not going ahead with dealer B with the reduced price simply because the TL had decided he could shout and get away with it and also because I had verbally told A that I would conclude the deal with him the next day?

I will try to give my point of view based on what you have mentioned.

Based on dealer B's behaviour, I would say you should stick to dealer A only. Customer has all the right to choose the product from where he wishes and at what price he likes.You were crisp and clear with both the dealers from beginning about your terms so there is no point of dealer B getting all restless.

1. You chose to be transperant about your decision making process but dealer B is unable to digest it. None of your problem.

2. You chose not to pit them against each other for your peace of mind and not let the either party feel aggrieved. They should be happy to have a customer who is very clear on what he wants and how he wants it.

3. People have different priorities. You kept transperancy and peace of mind above the 15-20k you might save.

4. Nothing wrong here. You had clearly mentioned them during the initial TD that you have not yet finalized on which vehicle you would be buying.

I would say no point in interacting with dealer B. In case someone from them still reaches out to you, be firm in stating that you are not interested in having any interaction with them due to the unpleasant experience. And if TATA has some feedback mechanism, make sure to put forward your experience with dealer B.

There is no right or wrong here. You, as an individual still have every right to go ahead with any dealer you like based on what you feel is correct.

I wish you have an amazing ownership experience and looking forward for your new car ownership report!

[deep_bang]

When you decided to go with A, there was no reason to explicitly tell B about your final decision. B could have misunderstood it as scope to negotiate as you are still talking to him with details about how close the other offer was.

If B had called and you just mentioned that you have already gone ahead with another dealer due to various reasons that would have been the end of it. You don't have to justify your reasons.

Finally, these experiences are very valuable and what would help you later in life, because these are about human behaviors. Kudos to your father giving the reigns to you on this.

[ike]

The most equitable way to award a sales contract is to go with the lowest bidder(obviously with all other parameters being equal). While there was no reason to call B and deliver the bad news, it opens up an opportunity to be fair. I'd still go with the lowest quote(right now you stand to gain 20k). Do business with your head, not the heart.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by alphamike_1612

TL;DR -
How do you choose between 2 dealers who are similar in

1. Distance from your location.
2. Courteous and knowledable Sales Advisors who aren't pushy.
3. Offered TDs without hesitation (one right to my house).
4. Similar in pricing (less than 5k difference).
5. Similar delivery timelines.
6. Accepted for a PDI.

Think of yourself as a very lucky person! Most car buyers have trouble finding even 1 dealer who does all of this .

Choose between these 2 dealers based on whoever is offering the lowest price. He / she isn't your blood relative. It is purely a commercial give-and-take transaction.

[1.2TSI7DSG]

I break the buying process into two parts.

1. Vehicle Evaluation - Where the Sales advisor, TD availability, proximity to home etc matter.

2. Commercial evaluation - Where the Amount, Schemes, Delivery times, etc matter

I usually keep them independent of each other. So far, we have had different dealers in parts one and two in almost all our cars.

[charanreddy]

My 2 cents.

Sharing too much information is a thing and when you shared about the lottery method for decision making, the second dealer / sales executive felt that he lost out on a sale. Do note that sales execs get rewarded for hitting the numbers and I am assuming this is a big part of their compensation. When you shared lottery, he would have felt miserable that he missed out on a play of luck ( which is hard to digest, especially if it relates to one’s livelihood). It would have been easier for him to hear he lost out as they couldn’t compete with the other dealer on price ( which is some thing he can explain to his higher ups ).

I think you chose the right dealer by chance as the behavior of the sales lead indicated. I would have gone ahead and told him on the phone, his behaviour lost him this sale as well as any future sales. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to leave feedback to the dealer on the sales lead while acknowledging that the sales executive did his job right.

As you are young, this is a small experience to understand how the world works. Props to your dad to let you take the lead on this one.

[Small Bot]

I remember just going for the nearest Arena and Nexa outlets near my home in Chennai, for my Brezza and Grand Vitara.

That said, I think the delivery timelines, offering of test drives and enabling proper PDI were vital for me.

Vishnu Cars Arena were very gracious in this regard. The PDI was done at my convenience (they drove me to the stockyard). Before that, they allowed me to do three decent test drives of 15+ kms each. Their Sales Advisors were not the best, but I had done my homework and did not need any info from them. The finance folks and the accessories folks were good though. They managed my expectations and the delivery timelines perfectly.

Popular Cars Nexa were a mixed bag. Kind of snooty, but well-trained sales advisors. The PDI was done some 20 kms away. And the test drive was done right at my home. But they totally let me down when it came to delivery timelines. Bad experience, and at the very end, I wished I had gone to another dealer.

One dealer who did all things right when we got our i20 Active in 2017 was Hyundai Motor Plaza. No slip-up anywhere, they met all our expectations and then some.

So, delivery timelines, enabling PDI, enabling multiple convenient test drives and distance from home would be my priorities. In that exact order.

[alphamike_1612]

Thank you for your replies.

I didn't realise my statement could be construed as a negotiation tactic until @deep_bang pointed out and as @charanreddy pointed out Too much information is actually a thing and I seem to be someone who actively does this. Time for some insight.

The luck that was bestowed upon me has not been lost GTO. I was pleasantly surprised at the response I received. Tata is upping it's game on the dealer front. Hopefully this will trickle into the ASS also.

I've gone ahead with A, this was a decision of heart over head. Should something go wrong during delivery tor the like, I would keep blaming myself and losing my peace of mind for choosing money over convenience.

[govindremesh]

Originally Posted by alphamike_1612

My questions/takeaways from this experience:

1. Should have stuck to my guns and stopped with "family decision" instead of breaking and offering that the lottery was the reason.

2. My reasoning for avoiding the price war was because I didn't want either party (me or the dealer) to feel aggrieved or lose peace of mind and a price war would definitely lead to the dealer resenting me since I ate into his margins and might result in poor after-sales service (which I didn't want to risk, considering Tata as a brand has poor QC as seen in the numerous complaints on the Safari thread) and besides my father was comfortable with the price. Also a thread on T-BHP about how not to buy a Tiago had a post that mentioned that you are only strong at the first rebuttal and each further rebuttal puts you at a weaker position and that the dealer gains. Is this justified or should I have gone ahead with pitting them against each other?

3. Am I stupid in not going ahead with dealer B with the reduced price simply because the TL had decided he could shout and get away with it and also because I had verbally told A that I would conclude the deal with him the next day?

4. Should I have only dealt with dealer A for all TDs and only reached out to B when it was time for quotations? (Instead of asking both A and B for TDs)

5. What else could I have done to handle this situation better?

Regards,
alphamike-1612

Hey alphamike,

Congratulations on executing a deal. A decade ago, I too was your age, in the same situation (dad signing the dotted line on the cheque while I executed the purchase process).

At the end of the day, it's a business deal but what matters is your happiness. Personally, I would get the car from a place where I was satisfied with the PDI and the price was the cheapest, everything else staying the same. As GTO has stated somewhere - you only deal with the dealer once. If the car is good and you have an alternative service center, don't worry about the dealership experience.

Now, Tata dealers can be pushy- I had the sales rep landing unannounced at my home to evaluate our car and get a booking amount (despite me telling him that I was casually considering an EV with no decision to buy as I knew the new Nexon EV was on the way). My mistake? - I had taken the test drive from my home - so he knew my address.

I told him with a straight face that he was wasting both our time and whenever I make a decision to buy a Nexon, he would know. It was probably too rude, but that's business.

The only difference - I would tell the Manager of dealership B about the unprofessional behavior of his staff (the guy who shouted at you) and manage to wriggle more discount than what he offered you . If a dealer makes a Boo- Boo, it's a golden opportunity for you to use it against them. Don't feel bad about dealer losing margin - they're smarter than you think.

Wonder how? Checkout my thread where I used the tactic to help a relative buy a Skoda with an additional 1 lakh discount

Best wishes for your new ride!

[Bagheera]

Originally Posted by alphamike_1612

My questions/takeaways from this experience:

1. Should have stuck to my guns and stopped with "family decision" instead of breaking and offering that the lottery was the reason.

2. My reasoning for avoiding the price war was because I didn't want either party (me or the dealer) to feel aggrieved or lose peace of mind and a price war would definitely lead to the dealer resenting me since I ate into his margins and might result in poor after-sales service (which I didn't want to risk, considering Tata as a brand has poor QC as seen in the numerous complaints on the Safari thread) and besides my father was comfortable with the price. Also a thread on T-BHP about how not to buy a Tiago had a post that mentioned that you are only strong at the first rebuttal and each further rebuttal puts you at a weaker position and that the dealer gains. Is this justified or should I have gone ahead with pitting them against each other?

3. Am I stupid in not going ahead with dealer B with the reduced price simply because the TL had decided he could shout and get away with it and also because I had verbally told A that I would conclude the deal with him the next day?

4. Should I have only dealt with dealer A for all TDs and only reached out to B when it was time for quotations? (Instead of asking both A and B for TDs)

5. What else could I have done to handle this situation better?

Regarding a business transaction, I don't think complete transparency is a good idea and it's better to keep some cards close to heart especially in your case when you have to let some one down.

1. It's better to let someone down by leaving no room for further discussion by saying the likes of deal is already done or no longer pursuing that model for X, Y reasons etc.

2. I don't think it makes any difference on the offers received during sales reflect in the after sales experience. Moreover, the dealership is never going to sell you a car at loss for them and a sale is better than no-sale for them. I would have went for the lowest quote by pitting multiple quotes except for the next case.

3. No, this is a pretty valid reason to let go of dealer B. Car sales is not where you perform good cop-bad cop. There's still a long road from booking to delivery and this could possibly reflect their attitude if any hiccups arise. I would say, stay miles away from dealership B. Despite their professional sales person, the management still seems have the old uncouth attitude notorious to Tata.

4. No, the more TDs, the better. This also helps you assess the dealership's response. A dealership would surely have many casual enquiries from window shoppers, so a prospective customer is something they should be willing to spend little effort on. That's part of the sale. Don't feel the need to be guilty when you did nothing wrong.

5. Since you asked in a public forum for a third party opinion, I'll share my two paisa. Even if you don't want to pit multiple quotes, It would have been better to be a bit less transparent. Once your dealing with a sales person, respect his time, acknowledge that they are trying to make a sale and give them better opportunities for it. If not matching quotes, you could ask if there's is further leeway with respect to discount or accessories cost that would seal the deal for you. A sales person may not be able to commit to you a final quote from the initial get go, unless they get some sort of managerial approval on discounts and such.

[shady_lawyer]

Let me recount a recent experience. Same Dealer two different branches. Think of it as Croma, but one in Delhi and the other in Gurgaon.

Went to the Gurgaon Branch, paid the booking amount, and asked for finance to be made available. The Sales Chaps and the finance chap in writing confirmed the rate of interest to be X on the booking docket. However at the time of booking the loan, I was told the loan was 1% higher than what was communicated on the booking docket. Left the bank without signing the documents and had them shred the signature pages in front of me.

Went to the Delhi branch, told them upfront this the deal I have from Gurgaon, better it and I'll pay the full amount on my own. Blocked the Gurgaon branch and refused to communicate with them

Now see the greed of the branch heads, instantly agreed. Delhi, said you pay the booking amount afresh, we'll book a new order, and after delivery, Delhi will ensure Gurgaon will refund full amount to me. So I paid the new booking amount, and sure enough, three days after delivery I got the entire booking amount from Gurgaon back in my account. Icing on the cake, the Delhi brach knocked off his entire margin on insurance leading to a further 7k reduction in price. Only caveat was I shouldn't deal with anyone else till delivery, and I was happy to play along.

Post Delivery, Unblocked the Gurgaon branch, and saw lots of apologetic messages, dint bother replying till date because they screwed up, and I have no time to deal with fools who sabotage their own sales.

In short, customer is king, go where you want and be firm. It's your money and you should extract every last drop from it. For the dealer it's a sale, and you'll be forgotten as soon as you drive off. I've always pitted dealers against each other. I show them the price quotes and keep the dealer name hidden. Simple most quotes are given on papers, just fold the name portion and let the games begin. However be prepared for a rebuff in which case walk away, main ek, dealer anek, sannu ki!

As for after sales service no showroom person, knows their own service heads. In fact I bought my XUV from DeeEmm (and everyone and their uncle knows that I drove them into the wall during purchase) and have it serviced at Extra-Edge, only because the stupendously wonderful Ayam heads it. In fact so much so I now buy insurance from E.E. as a way of saying thank you!! After sales is solely dependent upon your relationship with the SA/GM of the workshop.

[narayans80]

For my primary runner, delivery timelines are important. I had a hard time managing 2 weeks for my S-Cross delivery in 2018. For Alcazar, the delivery was 6 days and I was without a car just about 2 days.

For a secondary runner, I am not keen on delivery timelines, but on transparency and offers from the dealer.

1. Distance from your location.

The only concern on this is the vehicle registration. You might end up paying additional cost for the dealer to get the RTO formalities done. I had such a situation with the Classic 350 when an Ambattur dealer had ready stock. But my residence RTO is 50 km away. They were asking 850 INR for that additional effort. I didn't proceed as I was not in a tearing hurry.

3. Offered TDs without hesitation (one right to my house).

Not a big deal. I would TD it with one dealer or the other.

2. Courteous and knowledable Sales Advisors who aren't pushy.

Courteous yes. But knowledge? I could care less. Those who are passionate about their steeds will know way more than a car salesman working for salary. The dude who sold me the S-Cross (who I had a pleasant experience with, and was in touch over the years), brought the XL6 in 2022 for TD (my residence was 35 km from the dealership) and he didn't know that it was K15C under the hood, not K15B that was there a year earlier.