So many times we’re tempted to write rants about lousy customer experience. This weekend, I had an unusually great experience at a car dealer, Roger Beasley Saab, that I thought I would publish my thoughts on it. I should probably preface my glee with admitting I have ALWAYS had horrible experiences at car dealerships. Always got a bad deal, never even understood the deal because the financing contracts were incomprehensible, and typically was pressured into buying something I didn’t really want.
I wanted to trade my car in for another used car because, well, I was bored with it. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money and I wanted to reduce my car payment. I had done a lot of research on the value of my car, and a few different models I was interested in at the Saab dealer. I also brought my iPad into the dealer because I wanted to verify everything independently. My salesguy (Scott) was amazing. Extremely low-key, but really helpful and knowledgable. Not only did he not have a problem with my iPad, he shared his computer screen with me to go out onto the Internet to verify pricing on public web sites that I myself had used. He was great about considering all my concerns, as well as making sure he was honest about what I’d probably get for my trade.
When we finally settled on a car that would work within my parameters, he took me to his “Business Manager.” The financing is usually where everything gets really weird, pressured, and uncomfortable. I couldn’t believe how much this did NOT happen. I only met with one guy (Ed) who was an incredibly nice and really helped me get to a financing deal that made sense. He didn’t balk when I told him I wouldn’t accept his first offer. He continued to keep looking around and making tweaks until the deal fit my criteria. I couldn’t believe it.
I left with a nice car the same day. I understood the deal completely and not only did I think I got a fair deal; I felt I good a good deal. It just does not get better than that.
If you’re considering buying a Saab, here are Scott and Ed’s cards.
Voila, new car (new old car, that is). I actually have a longer story about why Saab, but that’s a post for another day.
A Piece of My Mind 