Salt of the Earth Sales Managers

[veeman]

My Dad is 79 and Mom is 74.  My mother in law is a widower and 73. My parents and my mother in law have these interesting relationships with their respective car dealership sales managers.

My parents fit the cliche of the retired elderly people who line item look at everything they are charged and will spend hours on the phone to get back money they feel they shouldn't have to pay.  My Dad has bought his last several Fords from the same sales manager at the local Ford Dealership where he lives.  He's given him really good pricing on the cars and has given him really good money for his used Fords when he exchanges them for a new Ford. I was surprised when my Dad said he would install an aftermarket bed cover on his Maverick for free and he did that. A few weeks ago my Dad stopped by the dealership and gave the sales manager a bottle of wine and cheese. A few days ago the rear brakes needed replacing on their Ford Fusion Hybrid and the sales manager told them to go somewhere else because the dealership would charge them too much for it.  Firestone said $900.  A local mechanic said $500 to $600.  My parents went to the Ford Sales manager with this information and the guy went somewhere to talk with some people and came back and said he'd do it for $560 plus tax right now. He said he'd drop the car off to my parents' house that evening when it was done so they wouldn't have to wait around for it.  Then he gave my parents fresh fruit and emptied a new 24 KCup box of coffee into my Mom's hand bag.

My mother in law has bought her last two Lexus RX from the same sales manager at her local Lexus dealership.  That guy also knew her husband for several years before he died in 2016 and my father in law had bought his Lexus ES from him.  The sales manager takes care of everything for my mother in law and goes out of his way to help her. He has someone get the car from her house for servicing, leaves a new model Lexus RX for her as a loaner, and drops back the car when it's done.

Some people are just really good.  Next time I go to my parents house, I'm thinking about stopping by that dealership and giving that sales manager a token gift of my appreciation.

[Eye of the Tiger]

$500 for rear brakes is about right these days.

[AutobahnSHO]

That's really really really amazing. If more dealerships acted this way they'd make more money without being sleazy.

[veeman]

It says a lot about a person how they treat the elderly. 

[Morris Minor]

Great to hear a positive dealership story. All this stuff comes from the top. If the franchise owner is great, it percolates down. If the ownership/management is garbage, the shit rolls downhill.