Bait and switch is an age old term most of us have at least heard when it comes to sales. In a literal sense it for the most part tells it all. A store uses a product in their advertising with an enticing price that they either have one of or never did have any to begin with, and up sells you when you get there. For example : Acme Chevy is running a special in the paper for new $20k Malibus. So you drop your world to head down to the store to only find that the advertised car is a base model no one in the world wants and they are of course out of anyway. So the salesman then says " well since you are here, would you at least like to take a look at a few?" Depending on how annoyed you are at this point you may or may not. Just a heads up if you are going to look at a "price leader" car. This is the kind of shuffling you can expect at the dealership. I cannot tell you how many times I went to my manager with a newspaper ad and said "where is this car?" Only to get a response that we no longer had any or it was the turd on the lot with roll up widows and no radio we had in inventory for 9 months.
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| Buying a car should not have to be like this |
This tactic is not simply limited to advertising though. A salesman can do it to you on the lot and on the spot. You tell Mr. Salesman you would like a used Camry for around $15k. So he then looks at his price sheet scratching his head even though chances are he is fully aware of what he is doing. He says he has a few that might work. He may then proceed to show you the two most unflattering examples he has in stock with every intention to disappoint you. Then just as you are about to leave because they are not showing you what you want, your salesman says there is one he forgot all about. "It's a few years older than you are wanting but it has so many more options than the others did, for the same money as the others." After the disappointment you just went through seeing the other cars, this one sounds like a breath of fresh air at this point. You have been made to feel like your expectations may have been too high when you came in so now you are willing to take some concessions on year and miles versus some extra features. Now this late model cherry he is showing you may be a great car and it may even be a great price. There is just a good chance there is a particular reason he wants you to buy THAT car. His paycheck is the reason of course. So if you are ever on the lot and a salesman seems to have an obsession with a particular car it is for the sake of his paycheck and not for the sake of you getting the most for your money usually. If you are ever being switched from new to used, bear in mind that new car commissions are minimal to a salesman these days. I will be perfectly honest in that I hated selling them in the end of my career. I could make 1000% more on a used car all day long.
Make sure you get the car you set out for. Don't let a salesman pick the car out for you. If they are trying to you can almost bet some bait and switch is going on. You have to stick to your guns on this one. I have seen some pretty brazen salesman literally stuff someone in a car I could tell they were apprehensive about, to only see them come in the next day after a night of sleep with regrets. At that point, I hate to say. It's too late.
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