Dealership misinformation and ignorance

So I am wondering how dealerships (salespeople in particular) can know so little about the product they represent...

I was at a dealership looking at trucks the other night with my son, I wanted to sit in a Taco with the premium package so I could see if the interior headliner height with the moonroof would be a no go for me as I am 6' tall. Honestly it never occurred to me that it may be an issue till some of the comments on here. No doubt it IS pretty low... I think I can live with it but it is low...

My son and I happened to be in a different part of town (than where I ordered my Taco) so I was at a dealership I had not been to. It is a somewhat reputable dealership in San Antonio. Here is how it goes...

I say I am interested in a 2019 TRD Pro. The guy says we have a 2018 Cav Blue without a moonroof in Auto. I tell him I am only interested in the Voodoo Blue in Manual Trans but want to sit in a Taco with a moonroof and gauge if it is going to be an issue for me...

1st ignorant statement from the salesman...

"There is no difference in interior roof heights between the sunroof and non sunroof models... They will have identical headroom." WRONG....

So we find a Moonroof model and a non moon roof model, open them up and I sit in both. there IS a distinct difference in headroom (again I think I am ok with it) but there is an obvious difference. I point it out to him and he says "strange I can't really tell any difference" in one my hat almost touched the headliner, the other had a few inches above the hat. So That is that...



2nd ignorant statement from the salesman...

"No problem, we can order you a Manual VoodooBlue TRD Pro without a sunroof"



I ask if he is sure because I don't think that is possible... He says he will ask his inventory manager and call me today.

3rd ignorant statement from the salesman...

Got a call today and he says "Mr Anderson this is XXX from XXXX Toyota, you came in and were interested in the TRD Pro in Voodoo blue. I talked to my inventory manager, we can order you a TRD Pro in Voodoo Blue with a manual transmission and NO MOONROOF. When can you come in and leave a deposit?"

In shock I say are you sure!? like I am 99.999% sure you can't order me that truck you just described...



He says "let me have my inventory control guy call Toyota and make sure but he said we can..."

Now everything I know tells me it is not possible. How can I know more about the vehicles than those selling them?! I mean I get it they sell all Toyotas but come on this leaves a terrible taste in my mouth and I would never actually but a truck from this guy if he does not know just basic stuff...

 

Because the salesman is either totally ignorant or totally dishonest. Call the general manager/owner of the dealership and report this individual!

 

A salesman tried telling me the OEM pro grills aren't available for purchase with the sensor garnish. That they aren't released yet. This was in July 2018. When I called him out he backtracked saying he can order it but cant install it because I dont have a pro. Dumb.

 

Good salesmen will quickly research on the spot, bad ones will lie until the sale is made.

I can't wait to buy new cars online, but thats a long way off shy of a Teslas.

 

I mean, the OP is not wrong the dealership should know all the options etc, especially given the relatively low combinations with the tacoma. That said, salespeople sell all vehicles not just one model, so it could be hard to keep it all straight. I know I know that is their job and they should know... one other point is that its extreamly unlikely that the salesman actually owns one, hell I didn't know half the stuff I do now until after having owned one and joined this website.

Just saying, I'm not sure which is more irritating, sales people who don't know every possible detail or customers who think they know more about the product then the people who work there and are wasting their time comparing models with no intention of buying....

 

The way I was looking at it is this. I am ok if a sales person says "that is a good question, I am not sure if the headliner is lower in the moonroof model, let's go take a look.." rather than one that says "There is no difference in interior roof heights between the sunroof and non sunroof models... They will have identical headroom."

If you now what you are talking about, that is one thing, if you don't know and admit it, that is even ok... but when you just dont in now and spout off something completely wrong that I just dont respect.

Then to "check on it" and call me back and still give me the incorrect info... well again I just dont respect that kind of poor service.

As a sales person it is your job to sell a product. A good sales person will know their product and not rely on deception. Plain and simple.

 

Salesman 101: Giving the customer the impression they got what they wanted even when you really never had it.

 

I agree with that last post, they should admit when they do not know, or be willing to find out for you... and someone should know for sure even if it isnt the guy right on the floor.

 

NO EXCUSES PEOPLE!! With the plethora of information, forums and industry write ups on just about every make and model online there absolutely no excuse to not go to the dealership well informed. Unless of course you live under a rock or you're 90.

 

Honestly, they are all that way. I always know more about the trucks I look at than the salesman.

 

It’s a good thing we have forums and so much information at our disposal so sales people are really obsolete these days. They are just middle men between the customer and the sales manager who finalizes the deal. I don’t know why car salesman is even a profession anymore? It’s interesting that Carmax with their no haggle business model is the fastest growing car company in the nation.

 

This^ Same when I go to grab a new bike every year or two, powersports dealers are just as ignorant about their products as car sales people. Think alot has to do with turn over and job committment of the individual.

 

Why you are correct, they wont install a "pro" part if you dont have a pro model for liability reasons. I had heard this complaint from a few others on TW and last time I was at the dealer They asked me where i bought mine and I told him, "I bought the real one from the TRD store front on Amazon over a year ago and installed it myself." he looked dumbfounded that something like that was possible, and said yea we could never put Pro parts on an OR or Sport. I feel like realistically dealers would love to install whatever parts you want but dont want to get sued if something goes to shit on your truck.

 

I understand the concern of salespeople not knowing about what they are talking about, and just spewing out an answer to whatever questions come up. I can attribute this to a few things.
1. Your average car buyer isn't an enthusiast like we all are and will believe about any answer they get to a question, if they even ask questions such as "Interior headroom".
2. Salespeople come from any and every walk of life, MOST of them just selling cars to make money. They could care less about what care can do what and what model has which spec.
3. Salespeople sell more than just one model, so its nearly impossible to know every feature and every dimension of each model car on the lot. Although, the local Toyota dealership in NoVA is starting to specialize their consultants. A few people will be assigned to trucks, another few to SUVs, etc, and that is all they sell and research.
At the end of the day, know what you're looking at and be a well informed buyer

 

The misinformed will always claim it's a liability thing.

I was told they would not put TRD 4runner wheels on an OR, and I told them I was going to find a dealer that would, and that I was uncompromising on that, and color.

They really did themselves a disservice, because I could not trust anything after that.

 

This has nothing to do with cars, just stuff in general. Salesman are just salesman. It's a job, and not a very good one at that. You ever hear anyone say they want to grow up to be a salesman? So, once you understand that, stop expecting that salesman to know anything other than how to complete a sale. He probably doesn't have whatever it is you are trying to buy. He probably can't afford to buy it himself either. He's probably not even that interested in it. He's just trying to make a commission and feed himself and maybe his family.

Research whatever you are buying and know what you need and want BEFORE you go buy. It's your money. You're the one stuck with it. Do your dang research yourself. When you go buy whatever it is, tell the salesman exactly what they need to know and only what they need to know to get the product you've already determined you need.

The salesman is the very last person I talk to before buying ANYTHING.

 

Anytime you walk into any dealership, always keep one thing in mind, when they see you walk through the door,

ITS ALL ABOUT THE CHEESE

 

I find it interesting you ran into this. There are a couple dealerships here in town that have customized OR and Sports on their lot with lifts and wraps and other stuff... They also have TRD PRO 4 runner SEMA wheels and TRD PRO grills already on them.

Look, I have owned about 32 cars in my lifetime. Many of them purchased from dealers. I know sales people have to sell often times hundreds of different models of cars. I get it they're not gonna be 100% knowledgeable on every model. But come on know the basics. Also don't try to BS somebody who obviously has done their homework and knows about the vehicle.Take the guy reference to for instance... I made it clear that I had done my research before I started talking to him, So the sales person he probly should have known at that point he shouldn't try to BS me.

The kicker was when he called me back the next day and told me they could order the truck without a moonroof and asked when could I come in to put down a down payment... That moment made it very clear that he still hadn't done his homework and still didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Then it just became annoying

 

Is not “not knowing” that is the problem.... It is the “bullshit” that is.

Never be afraid to say “You know... I do not know, but will find out for you...”.

Like OP, I am highly allergic to bullshit.

 

Because they don't really have to to sell vehicles. The vast majority of customers don't know the fine details between models (ex. color matched rear bumpers only came with P&T tech in 2017 on TRD ORs), so why should the salesfolk? Vehicles sell regardless.

They are trained to say "yes" to your questions and get that signature, then correct later, if it even matters.

I also think the vast majority of salespeople at dealerships did not dream of being or get an education to become a car salesperson. I think in many cases, that job is not a destination job. Therefore, the level of competence and desire to be better at it just doesn't exist. There are exceptions of course (i.e. likely any car salesperson that is a member of this forum), but I would bet my child's eyes that most are just ambivalent about their job (which I think is fine... not everyone gets to play shortstop for the Yankees).