My F#*K'n salesman
 

Get this! My salesman was a real piece of work, shirt hanging out, everytime we got out of the car the first thing he would do is light up a cigarette, he didn't know much about the car, constantly called me on my cell phone( which I never gave him permission to do, he got the number off of my answering machine), he claimed he couldn't tell me about finance rates until I agreed to purchase the car. It was a not a great experience. The only reason I bought from him, was because he had the car in stock and I did not have time to wait anymore. He did give me a good deal. After I signed for the car, he asked me to give him perfect 10's on the Mazda survey, I even got a letter from him asking me again. Basically he wanted me to lie. So when I got the survey, I figured it would be anonomous, so I answered it truthfully, mostly 6's and 7's.
So the other day I am with my client on a business trip in Colorado, having lunch, my cell phone rings and it is my salesman; he starts bitching me out and swearing at me. I had to hang up on him. He calls back, I don't answer, he leaves me a nasty message calling me an asshole and a shithead for giving him such a bad review (I saved it).
Now here is my dilemma; I am really pissed and I want to complain to his boss, but I have concerns that if he gets fired, he might be pissed off enough to vandalize my car (he has my address). I also want to complain to Mazda, he should have never been able to find out who filled out that survey. If I knew he would see it, I would never have filled it out. What do people think I should do? I am leaning towards reporting him, I am so mad!
A friend owns a Mazda dealership in another state, he told me that they all get to see who filled out the survey, so if you don't have good things to say don't fill it out.

Don't be afraid of people like this, because there is always the law.

Hey! That reminds me of my local dealer, Buzz Leonard Mazda!

even though i'm a law student and i should be like 'hell yeah' now... you always have to think if it's worth the shit (your time, your nerves etc). principles are cool if you stick to them but i wouldn't go through too much trouble showing soime asshole where he belongs. just let it slide.

sorry if sounded moralizing... :cool:

If you haven't deleted the message yet, call the dealership and ask to speak to the president. Let him know how your experience was and now what this a-hole is doing. Do not be threatened by this ass! Like leungwingkei, there is always the law. If the president of the dealership can't help you, then definately call Mazda.

I agree with 323F, if he didn't have any personal information on you then I'd say that you should get his ass fired, but he even knows were you live man and from what you told us, he's a complete psycho, it's not worth it...who knows what this guy is capable of.

I'm also a law student, what a coincidence huh?

-JAC-

Never go basck to that dealer again, go somewhere else for service, unless you live far away from another mazda dealer. Maybe write mazda usa an anonomous letter about your buying experience. Maybe even write the president of the mazda dealer an anonomous letter, I hope he dosen't do this to other customers. (What the F**k) I can;t beleive that the customer survey was not anomonous. The owner of the dealer and Mazda USA should be the only ones to see it. Shame on the dealer for letting that asshole see the survey!

My friend who owns a Mazda dealership (too far away for me to have bought it from him) says it is standard practice to show the salesman.

Car salesman rank below politicians and lawyers (sorry guys) in my book. Don't bother complaining to the dealership. If they are stupid enough to employ this a$$hole then they are likely to be aware of his tactics. Go straight to Mazda North America. Let them know he tried to influence your response on the survey, and that he harassed you after you filled it out honestly. If dealerships or salespeople intimidate customers into lying or not filling out surveys, Mazda can't clean up there dealerships. Personally I'm glad you filled it out, as I did, because that's the only way to get rid of people like that.

NEVER be afraid of Assholes like this, i have to deal with them all the time, BEAT THAT shit down! go over his head and get his manager to fire him! if he has your address and decideds to start shit then sue that bitch. He has nothing on you. You can always get your car fixed with his money

Submit Complaint
 

That sucks, dude. Sorry to hear it's been such a difficult experience with this guy.

Anyway, if you're in the U.S., I'd recommend submitting a complaint to your local Better Business Bureau (or the Canadian equivalent, which I'm sure exists). Offenses of this kind must be documented, or they'll continue unchecked, and others will suffer the same problems you've seen (or you could even be victim to them again).

Here's my story:

In the early stages of sifting through price options, I went in to my local Mazda dealership. I ended up sitting down with a salesman, and he immediately quoted a price in the $20k range, which was ridiculous. I presented him with my full battery of data, indicating that I knew how much the dealership paid for the car, and that I was buying by price, and price alone. If another dealer elsewhere offered a better price, that's where I'd buy. After awhile, the guy started acting offended that I was going by price alone. I indicated that this wasn't meant to be personally offensive to him, but he said that he was offended that I'd not buy locally from him. He began saying, "Even if the price is higher, you should buy locally from us and support your local community". Then he started with, "How am I going to support my family if you buy elsewhere?". Then he threatened that the dealership would refuse to service my car if I bought it from another dealer. That was when I countered with the fact that such a statement doesn't make sense, given that dealerships make essentially ALL of their money in the service department. Basically, the guy was a fucking asshole, and used appeals to one's sense of humanity, then outright threats to try and make a sale. It didn't work. I ended up writing a letter to the dealerships management, Mazda NAO, and also submitted an official record with my local Better Business Bureau. And I named names.

Basically, when it comes to dropping tens of thousands of my hard earned dollars, I'm dead, dead serious about this business, and, make no mistake, I will approach the deal with unprecedented, focused, and totally informed research. No one will play the fool with me, and if they try that shit, they're going down. Period. I'm not even going to debate about it, and I'm going to kick your proverbial ass.

It's critical that you don't take bullshit from anyone when you're talking about spending that much money. I strongly recommend that you write letters of complaint to ALL applicable parties, and include copies (or transcripts) of all communiques with this salesman. The bottom line message you need to convey is that if someone tries to fuck with you, there's going to be hell to pay. No discussion. No counter offers. No running around going, "Aw, gee.. maybe I shouldn't say anything...". Hell to pay. Immediately without hesitation.

Record the message (if you still have it) onto a tape, make copies, and send it to Mazda Corporate. Call the customer service line and ask them how to complain. I have three more letters for you: BBB (Better Business Bureau). I didn't really like my salesman that much either. I think I still have the customer survey laying around somewhere. At least my salesman was nice to my face and actually told him that get gets raises, etc. according to the survey. He even said that if I think that he didn't deserve a 10 in one of the categories to call him to see if he can "convince" me otherwise heehee.

same here about that survey...luckily i had a good salesman..he told me to lie about the scoring too...said that if they didnt get all tens they basically sucked at there jobs and would get reamed for not being the perfect salesman...i didnt even bother filling it out:rolleyes:

I got the same message from my salesguy... "If I don't get all 10's then I am hosed"... seing as he knew very little about the car he sold me (and even quoted some things about it incorrectly) I decided that I would not even return the survey... better no survey than a pissed of sales-punk I guess...

My guy told me the same thing, he even sent me a letter. I figured the survey would be anonomous so I answered honestly. what is the point of the survey if everyone is being told to lie.

I am going to take protegemasters advice and write letters to both the General Manager and the owner. This way I have a record of what I said, and I won't get flustered on the phone with them when my blood pressure goes up.
Thanks

That's bullshit man, take him to the cleaners for sure. Forget being anonomys, just get out there and make it known that you're pissed at this asshole! Do you still have the message? If so, just send it to as many people at Mazda as you damn well can. Get his ass fired. You're the "victim" here. You should get his ass fired without hesitation! Call it stooping to his level if you want, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING is as gratifying as sweet, sweet revenge! :D What's he gonna do? Come down there and key your shit? Just stay perpared. Call it paranioa if you want, but I've got a digital video camera that can be motion activated. If you've got one, just set it up in your window, facing the car, and if anything happens, you've got it on tape... Now I'm sounding paranoid... :rolleyes: If you've read this far, please excuse me while I trail off into the background...

Here's the address and phone numbers -

Mazda North American Operations
P.O. Box 19734
Irvine, CA 92623-9734
Attn: Customer Assistance Center
Phone: 800-222-5500 (M-F, 9AM-5:45 PM ET)

Good luck!

Thats why I like CARMAX. Just pay for it and leave no :bsflag:

Yeah, except that they don't sell Mazdas....

thanks for the info! As mentioned I have decided to file a formal letter to the owner of the dealer and the general manager. I figure it would be more effective than me stooping to the same level as the salesman by calling in a rage. I will also call the number above. thanks to everyone for the advice, I'll post how it turns out.
BTW the dealer is 128 Mazda in Wakefeild, MA

Too bad their prices suck shit.

This is true. It would be nice if they had a sticker with the no haggle price and another one with a haggled one. :D

It's too bad there are so many freaks out there it gives the profession a bad name. There are good and bad people in all professions, don't begrudge someone for trying to make a living as a professional salesperson, there is such a thing!!!. There is no way I am defending such an attitude and I agree the person should be fired, my opinion is you talk to the Dealer Principal of the store and make your thoughts known, play the phone message back to him. Any self respecting business owner should have the person canned on the spot no questions asked. If this does not work phone the customer service department in California and make a formal complaint. Mazda takes this stuff seriously any and all bad press is a reflection on the company as a whole. Don't take this out on all salepeople because I'm sure the vast majority are decent self respecting people.

Signed:

a PROFESSIONAL saleperson.

Re: My F#*K'n salesman
 

So the other day I am with my client on a business trip in Colorado, having lunch, my cell phone rings and it is my salesman; he starts bitching me out and swearing at me. I had to hang up on him. He calls back, I don't answer, he leaves me a nasty message calling me an asshole and a shithead for giving him such a bad review (I saved it).

Keep the message, file a police report and have him cited for harrasment by communicaton device. THat will teach him a lessdon and probably get him fired. So, why didi you buy from this guy?

Re: Re: My F#*K'n salesman
 

So, why didi you buy from this guy? [/B][/QUOTE]
He was the only dealer in a 40 mile radius that had the car in stock, and due to circumstance, I did not have the time to wait

Standard practice, everyone. Not only do they get to see the survey, the dealership makes or loses money and incentives based upon those surveys.

When I bough my car, I had a very good experience with my salesman. In addition, he was very honest with me - he TOLD me that they see the surveys, and who writes them. Even told me a story about a customer who was totally hassle-free, awesome sale - no problems at all - but then slammed them on the survey - he did say that he called them to ask why, and they were apologetic - they did it just to be funny.

Oh, and here's a tip - regardless of the experience you have, it is in YOUR BEST INTEREST to fill out the survey as positiviely as you feel you can. The dealerships WILL see them, and they WILL know who wrote it - it is not confidential information. So, good luck getting quality service, quick warranty work, or help with your car (or buying another) if you slam these guys on the survey. They'll know who you are, they will make your life difficult, and there's nothing you can do about it. Give 'em good grades, even if they don't deserve it - it's better for YOU.

As far as that salesman cursing you out - that is TOTALLY uncalled for, and he should be dealt with. Just a thought: If you do decide to complain to his boss or even higher up than that (never know - the boss may have told him to piss you off, because you cost the dealership money with your bad review), call the cops soon after. See if you can file something - like a pre-incident report. Maybe get something in writing that you suspect this person might damage your property - that way if it happens, the cops might be more inclined to question the guy. Just an idea.

Well I did not slam them, I gave all above average (5) rating but no 10's. He asked me to give him a perfect score, which made me even more mad because he was asking me to lie and he did not deserve it. I was never told they would see it and I assumed that a survey from the MANUFACTURER (it came on Mazda North America letterhead) would be confidential. How can someone answer honestly if they knew it was going to be divulged to the people you are critisizing. It is like answering to the Mafia! It should have stated on the survey as to the fact that it is not anonomous. the whole point of surveys is to improve performance, how can that happen if everyone is being told what to say
I had no plans to go there for service unless it was warranty work.

hihosliva: I'm willing to bet you do or did work for a car dealer, call it a hunch...

mopho: 2 for 2 file a report on that bitch, I know more pa law than co law,but I do know that terroristic threats are taken VERY seroiusly no matter what state anymore for obvious reasons.:asshole:

Well, I never worked at one, but you're close - a long-time friend of my family owns a Chrylser/Jeep dealership, so I get all the good dirt on how things REALLY work in the business.

And mopho - it may not say on the survey that the info will be made available for review, but I'm willing to bet that it also doesn't say that it WON'T be, either.

Sometimes, playing the cynic is the best role. And yes - nearly every salesman will "request" that you score them with 10's - I've even heard of salesmen telling people to bring the survey in to them BLANK, so THEY can fill it out! Those surveys can mean big bucks, so they take them very seriously. I, too, was asked to score them with perfect 10's - I'm not sure if I did, but I do know that I scored at least mostly 10's, and maybe a single 9. I think they really have some big incentive for the "perfect" score. If you're curious, call Mazda NA and ask them what the deal is with the surveys - maybe you can squeeze some info out of them - or at least complain about your particular saleman.

a ha, as i suspected my dear watson!

I just picked up my ES 5sp today and the salesperson was great. The only problem I had with him was when I made an offer over the phone it took more than 30 minutes for him to call back with an answer. When he was showing me the manual and warrenty books he mentioned the survey and told me I should give him all 10s and if I didn't think he diserved them to call him so he could convince me to give him a 10.

cornhole his ass
 

First I say go all the way, but in a decent professional manner. I'm sure Mazda North America takes a very dim view of things like this. And don't forget the BBB, statements to them will help others avoid the same situation.
I bought my P5 from Fairbanks Mazda in Longwood(near Orlando) Florida and had a very good expirience. The worst I got was the Sales Manager insisting that he was losing money on the deal. (that didn't stop him from giving me the price I wanted anyway) and even though perfect 10's seems a bit extreme I plan on doing it because they honored all my requests so I will help them out. They explained how the survey was tied to bonuses and incentives for them.
Don't ever forget that YOU are the customer no matter if you are buying a candy bar or a Rolls Royce, no buisness can exist with out customers, period. YOU are the king. I strongly urge anyone looking to buy a new car to check out this site: http://www.carbuyingtips.com/ it is the best and helped give me the confidence to actually make my experience fun.

Sell that bitch out....

helps to have Lawyer friends
 

this is the final draft


I am contacting you to describe my recent difficulties in purchasing a vehicle at 128 Mazda. I worked with salesman, David Fitzgerald. While searching for a car, I felt as though Mr. Fitzgerald did not have a lot of knowledge about the specific vehicle I was interested in. Additionally, while we went on test drives, he would light up a cigarette upon exiting the vehicle. The constant smell of smoke and his unkempt personal appearance did not make me comfortable. He was also unable or unwilling to assist me regarding financing the car. I actually had to force my way into the manager’s office in order to receive payment information.

I received numerous calls on my cell phone; which I did not authorize, during the selling process. Other representatives from the dealership called repeatedly to reiterate information I had already received. In fact, after having just returned home from the dealership one afternoon (after discovering the car had an automatic transmission, when I specified I was interested only in manuals), I was called to come back to see the same vehicle.
I purchased the car from 128 Mazda because it was the only dealership that had the car I was interested in in stock; and time was of the essence. Although, I feel I paid a fair price for the car, I left the dealership unsatisfied with my experience. I was treated much better at other dealerships.

Shortly after the purchase, Mr. Fitzgerald explained that if I gave him perfect scores on a Mazda survey I would receive, he could get a bonus. He even sent a letter to me requesting excellent scores. Believing the survey was anonymous and that it was a tool to improve service, I completed it honestly. I did not give Mr. Fitzgerald perfect scores. I believed it would be used appropriately and did not know Mr. Fitzgerald would have access to it much less know it was from me.

On June 28, 2002, while on an out of state business luncheon with a client of mine, I receive a phone call from Mr. Fitzgerald. He barraged me with nasty words, accusations, and called me obscenities! I was forced to hang up on him; only to have him immediately call back and leave an equally disturbing voicemail on my cell phone. I have recorded and saved this voicemail for future needs. I am appalled by Mr. Fitzgerald’s behavior and feel as though I cannot utilize your dealership for service or warranty work. I now fear further revenge against my vehicle or against me personally.

I am contacting you to request your assistance in making sure Mr. Fitzgerald does not contact me again. If further threatening communications are made from Mr. Fitzgerald or other representatives of 128 Mazda, I will be forced to pursue legal action.

I'm not sure I agree with the usage of the semi-colons, but I'm not a professional writer, so maybe they are supposed to be there.

Only one typo that I could spot:

"On June 28, 2002, while on an out of state business luncheon with a client of mine, I receive a phone call from Mr. Fitzgerald."

I think the word "receive" should be "received" in this case since you are talking about the past tense.

The letter sounds good. Stick it to that Jerk! Good luck! :D

Mopho,

Looks good man, just correct the error mentioned above. I'd go ahead and go after this asshole. We're all backing you here! :D

Get a grammar cop on it
 

Your lawyer friend has rotten punctuation style - you have far too many commas and semicolons that (IMHO) make it read badly.

Re: Get a grammar cop on it
 

Who said that lawyers know how to write.:eek:

Re: helps to have Lawyer friends
 

Ok....I'm gonna re-edit it and take out the semi-colons:

I am contacting you to describe my recent difficulties in purchasing a vehicle at 128 Mazda. I worked with salesman, David Fitzgerald. While searching for a car, I felt as though Mr. Fitzgerald did not have a lot of knowledge about the specific vehicle I was interested in. Additionally, while we went on test drives, he would light up a cigarette upon exiting the vehicle. The constant smell of smoke and his unkempt personal appearance did not make me comfortable. He was also unable or unwilling to assist me regarding financing the car. I actually had to force my way into the manager’s office in order to receive payment information.


***First paragraph is ok...no changes.***


I received numerous calls on my cell phone that I did not authorize for his use during the selling process. Also, other representatives from the dealership called repeatedly to reiterate information I had already received. In fact, after having just returned home from the dealership one afternoon (after discovering the car had an automatic transmission, when I specified I was interested only in manuals), I was called to come back to see the same vehicle.
I purchased the car from 128 Mazda because it was the only dealership that had the car I wanted in stock and time was of the essence. Although I feel I paid a fair price for the car, I left the dealership unsatisfied with my experience. I was treated much better at other dealerships.

***Some changes to the very first sentence and took out a semi-colon and some commas. Also, removed the part where it said "in in stock...the sentence is fine if you're talking to somebody, but not for a formal letter.***

Shortly after the purchase, Mr. Fitzgerald explained that if I gave him perfect scores on a Mazda survey that I would receive, he could get a bonus. He even sent a letter to me requesting excellent scores. Believing the survey was anonymous and that it was a tool to improve service, I completed it honestly. I did not give Mr. Fitzgerald perfect scores. I believed it would be used appropriately and did not know Mr. Fitzgerald would have access to it, much less know it was from me.

***Added a comma in the last sentence***

On June 28, 2002, while on an out of state business luncheon with a client of mine, I received a phone call from Mr. Fitzgerald. He barraged me with nasty words, accusations, and called me obscenities! I was forced to hang up on him, only to have him immediately call back and leave an equally disturbing voicemail on my cell phone. I have recorded and saved this voicemail for future needs. I am appalled by Mr. Fitzgerald’s behavior and feel as though I cannot utilize your dealership for service or warranty work. I now fear further revenge from Mr. Fitzgerald against my vehicle or against me personally.

***Removed a semi-colon and added "Mr. Fitzgerald" to the last sentence.***

I am contacting you to request your assistance in making sure Mr. Fitzgerald does not contact me again. If further threatening communications are made from Mr. Fitzgerald or other representatives of 128 Mazda, I will be forced to pursue legal action.

***Closing paragraph good***

Have you sent this letter off yet Mopho?

A further re-edit follows, you'll have to compare yourself to see what I changed:


I am contacting you to describe my recent difficulties prior to and after purchasing a vehicle at 128 Mazda, where I worked with salesman David Fitzgerald. Despite the pre-sale issues I purchased the car from 128 Mazda because it was the only dealership that had the car I wanted in stock and I did not wish to wait while a dealer I was more comfortable with ordered a car to my specifications. With my after-sales experience described below, I am left unsatisfied with my experience in all ways except the actual price I paid for the car.

While searching for a car I felt as though Mr. Fitzgerald did not have a lot of knowledge about the specific vehicle I was interested in. Additionally, on test drives he would light up a cigarette upon exiting the vehicle. The constant smell of smoke and his unkempt personal appearance did not make me comfortable. He was also unable or unwilling to assist me regarding financing the car. I actually had to work against him and go directly to the manager’s office in order to receive payment information.

Though I had not authorized him to contact me on my cell phone, I received numerous calls from him during the selling process. I also received repeated calls from other representatives from the dealership to reiterate information I had already received. In fact, just after returning home from the dealership one afternoon after discovering the car I had been called about had an automatic transmission when I specified I was interested only in manuals, I was called to come back to see the same vehicle.

Following my purchase Mr. Fitzgerald explained that if I gave him perfect scores on a Mazda survey that I would receive he could get a bonus. He even sent a letter to me requesting excellent scores. Believing the survey was anonymous and that it was a tool to improve service I completed it honestly. I did not give Mr. Fitzgerald perfect scores. I believed it would be used appropriately and did not know Mr. Fitzgerald would have access to it, much less learn the specific ratings I had given him.

On June 28, 2002 while on an out of state business luncheon with a client of mine I received an abusive phone call from Mr. Fitzgerald. He barraged me with nasty words, accusations and obscenities! After I hung up on him, he immediately called back and left an equally disturbing voicemail on my cell phone. I have recorded and saved this voicemail for future needs. I am appalled by Mr. Fitzgerald’s behavior and feel as though I cannot utilize your dealership for service or warranty work. I now fear further revenge from Mr. Fitzgerald against my vehicle or against me personally.

I am contacting you to request your assistance in ensuring that Mr. Fitzgerald does not contact me again. If further threatening communications are made from Mr. Fitzgerald or other representatives of 128 Mazda, I will be forced to pursue legal action.