Car dealers have hit back at a study by Which? Car that claims to reveal the dirty tricks of the motor trade. The investigation by the Consumer Association set out to advise buyers on how to point themselves around 'salesmen's hype'. It said dealers use code such as 'high-balling', 'ankle tapping' and 'sentence of the month' to encourage buyers to share with their cash.
But motor traders have struck back branding the claims as being 'out of a time warp'. The Which? Car report - released today - says car dealers use some of the following tricks to shift stock: • High-balling - Salesman offers customers an unrealistically high trade-in terms so he can offer less discount on the car he's selling • Ankle tapping - Salesman offers less than the market rate for a deal in so he can provide a lower cost for a new car • Time of the month - At the root of the month salesman says he needs the sale to take up last month's quota; in the heart he claims the sale is required for a particular quota, and at the end of the month he needs it as he's 'almost hit his target' Meanwhile, a client who does not haggle is said to be called a Wooden Duck.
Although all dealers we spoke to admitted there are a minority that let the slope down, all slated the Which? Car report. Trader James Litton, of the TheInternetCarLot.co.uk, said he'd never heard of the 'ridiculous' terms the research stated. "The story must have been found on the Marie Celeste as it's that out of date," he said. "Seriously, who writes this rubbish? For an organization that professes to be a consumer champion this case of nonsense appears to me to treat buyers as some form of brainless idiots. "If a salesman honestly thinks using clichd patter will make for them in this day of information at the tip of buyers' fingers then more fool them. If a customer falls for it then what does that say about them?" Litton wasn't the sole one fuming. Fellow independent car dealer Barrie Crampton, from Preston, Lancs, added: "Salesmen are invariably under pressure to see targets, no matter what sentence of the month or year it is. "A client who doesn't haggle or negotiate should be called a Dodo not a wooden duck, not because they're stupid, but because they don't exist any more!" Anger also open to the larger dealer groups; Andy Coulthurst from JCT600 - which holds franchises for Aston Martin, Porsche and Ferrari - added: "While there is no question that some unscrupulous dealers out there will repair to dodgy tactics to sell cars, the majority will provide a professional service."
The Order of Motor Manufacturer and Traders wasn't impressed either. Chief executive Paul Everitt told Autoblog UK: "As an industry we know the motive for continuous improvement and, through initiatives like Motor Codes, are committed to transparent monitoring and raising standards. I see the demand for interesting headlines, but there must likewise be fair comparisons and secure analysis." But we'll leave you with one last part of 'material world' advice from TheInternetCarLot.co.uk's Litton. "You do not want to take to any magazine to get yourself a better deal - simply stand up and pass out," he explained. "If a principal cannot improve on what they have offered you so they are either stupefied or simply cannot give to do it." What do you believe? What make your experiences been like in dealerships? Let us know by posting your comments below.
Although all dealers we spoke to admitted there are a minority that let the slope down, all slated the Which? Car report. Trader James Litton, of the TheInternetCarLot.co.uk, said he'd never heard of the 'ridiculous' terms the research stated. "The story must have been found on the Marie Celeste as it's that out of date," he said. "Seriously, who writes this rubbish? For an organization that professes to be a consumer champion this case of nonsense appears to me to treat buyers as some form of brainless idiots. "If a salesman honestly thinks using clichd patter will make for them in this day of information at the tip of buyers' fingers then more fool them. If a customer falls for it then what does that say about them?" Litton wasn't the sole one fuming. Fellow independent car dealer Barrie Crampton, from Preston, Lancs, added: "Salesmen are invariably under pressure to see targets, no matter what sentence of the month or year it is. "A client who doesn't haggle or negotiate should be called a Dodo not a wooden duck, not because they're stupid, but because they don't exist any more!" Anger also open to the larger dealer groups; Andy Coulthurst from JCT600 - which holds franchises for Aston Martin, Porsche and Ferrari - added: "While there is no question that some unscrupulous dealers out there will repair to dodgy tactics to sell cars, the majority will provide a professional service." The Order of Motor Manufacturer and Traders wasn't impressed either. Chief executive Paul Everitt told Autoblog UK: "As an industry we know the motive for continuous improvement and, through initiatives like Motor Codes, are committed to transparent monitoring and raising standards. I see the demand for interesting headlines, but there must likewise be fair comparisons and secure analysis." But we'll leave you with one last part of 'material world' advice from TheInternetCarLot.co.uk's Litton. "You do not want to take to any magazine to get yourself a better deal - simply stand up and pass out," he explained. "If a principal cannot improve on what they have offered you so they are either stupefied or simply cannot give to do it." What do you believe? What make your experiences been like in dealerships? Let us know by posting your comments below. 
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