Author Topic: What's the worst thing anyone has said to you when trying to sell you something?  (Read 51771 times)

Not There Yet

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After the usual preliminary BS the salesman invited us to his office. On the corner of his desk was a Bible. I saw it; Mom saw it, but the salesman, apparently not willing to leave it to chance that we had in fact seen it said "Oh! There's my Bible! I wondered what blah blah blah some hogwash about loaning it to a co-worker who must have returned it blah blah blah!"

Whenever I'm dealing with someone who makes a big point of making sure I know what a "Good Christian" he or she is, I make sure I have a tight grip on my wallet.

Just Joe

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When we got engaged I had no expectation of a ring but my husband said I should have one. We decided to buy a stone and then have it set. I didn't want a diamond. We got the stone, took it to a jeweler and told him what we wanted. He said he could do it and I asked how much it would be. He gave me a smarmy smile and said, "YOU don't worry about the cost!" I told him they were our finances and it was absolutely my business.

When I told my mother the story she quietly asked, "Is he still alive?"

I love your mother.

Love it!

Years ago DH and I needed to replace our Saturn that was on death's door.   We went to a dealer to check out one model we were discussing.  The dealership is located in a wealthy suburb and they were used to people walking in and paying cash, especially for Junior's first car.   While we had the cash, we didn't fit the wealthy stereotype to the salesperson, who obviously was not taking us seriously, we just didn't fit his typical wealthy customer profile I guess.   He mentioned in a rather condescending manner "I suppose you will have to finance this?".  We were "no, this is a cash sale" he laughed.  We walked out of there and bought elsewhere.

Stories like these makes me think a well adjusted person might make a killing selling cars. Everyone seems to have dealt with an off the wall weird sales person at some time or another.

I'll second the religion/business crossover. I avoid those folks too. That said, the best roofer I've ever used is an example of a religion/business crossover. Does good work and is priced right.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2020, 09:01:20 AM by Just Joe »

Xlar

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When we got engaged I had no expectation of a ring but my husband said I should have one. We decided to buy a stone and then have it set. I didn't want a diamond. We got the stone, took it to a jeweler and told him what we wanted. He said he could do it and I asked how much it would be. He gave me a smarmy smile and said, "YOU don't worry about the cost!" I told him they were our finances and it was absolutely my business.

When I told my mother the story she quietly asked, "Is he still alive?"

I love your mother.

Love it!

Years ago DH and I needed to replace our Saturn that was on death's door.   We went to a dealer to check out one model we were discussing.  The dealership is located in a wealthy suburb and they were used to people walking in and paying cash, especially for Junior's first car.   While we had the cash, we didn't fit the wealthy stereotype to the salesperson, who obviously was not taking us seriously, we just didn't fit his typical wealthy customer profile I guess.   He mentioned in a rather condescending manner "I suppose you will have to finance this?".  We were "no, this is a cash sale" he laughed.  We walked out of there and bought elsewhere.

Stories like these makes me think a well adjusted person might make a killing selling cars. Everyone seems to have dealt with an off the wall weird sales person at some time or another.

I'll second the religion/business crossover. I avoid those folks too. That said, the best roofer I've ever used is an example of a religion/business crossover. Does good work and is priced right.

I think you'd find that the reason that car sales people keep using these tactics is because they are effective on most people. That's why they are so surprised when us Mustachians don't fit the typical mold and get upset. When the average person gets insulted by the sales person they then feel that they have to prove them wrong.

So when the sales person says that there's no way you could afford this car they respond by buying the car to prove them wrong...

Or when the sales person criticizes you for wanting to discuss with your wife and insults your masculinity, the average person responds buy buying the car to prove what a tough man they are...

It is a little crazy to say the least.

Just Joe

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Thankfully most of us are made from a different recipe. I would not want to be susceptible to those kinds of tactics. I also wouldn't want to treat people like that day after day and live with myself.

slugline

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Whenever I'm dealing with someone who makes a big point of making sure I know what a "Good Christian" he or she is, I make sure I have a tight grip on my wallet.

Yeah, you don't want the ones that tell you they're Christian by their words. You want the ones that show you they're Christian by their actions.

BlueHouse

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Whenever I'm dealing with someone who makes a big point of making sure I know what a "Good Christian" he or she is, I make sure I have a tight grip on my wallet.

Yeah, you don't want the ones that tell you they're Christian by their words. You want the ones that show you they're Christian by their actions.
Or muslim.  or jewish.  or atheist. 
No offense to your beliefs, but what does religion have to do with business?  Christianity does not corner the market on ethical behavior.  Right about now, I'd say they're probably in last place in the USA.

ysette9

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If I’m in the market to buy a car I’d quite frankly prefer to leave religion entirely out of it and just interact with an honest, normal person.

BlueHouse

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So many bad car stories! 

I once had a hairdresser (at a cheap budget-cuts place) squeal "Oh my god, WHOOOO cut your hair?"  I took great pleasure in saying "It was you, why do you ask?" 

BECABECA

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So many bad car stories! 

I once had a hairdresser (at a cheap budget-cuts place) squeal "Oh my god, WHOOOO cut your hair?"  I took great pleasure in saying "It was you, why do you ask?"

Ha, I had that same thing happen to me! After getting really tired of dealing with awkward hair dresser commentary while getting my once a year cut, I decided to start cutting my own hair and haven’t looked back!

prudent_one

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I work in a office building with a no soliciting sign on the front door and on the door to our suite.  Years ago, this guy came in and wanted to talk to me about how he could save our company money.  I said, "You don't have an appointment and we have two no soliciting signs that you ignored."  He replied with, "I'm not soliciting, I'm trying to help you save money!"  I told him we weren't interested and that he needed to leave the premises.

Years ago I worked on the 1st floor of our company building. There was a security guard at the entrance 24/7. One day I'm at my desk and a guy walks in holding a brochure for some type of cookware and tries to get me to buy a set. The sets are boxed up in his car, I can take it home today!  Took him back to the lobby and sent him out the door, then asked the security guard how some itinerant salesperson got past him. He said, "He told me he had left something in your office earlier and just needed to run back and get it, so I didn't think I should disturb you for that." I guess that tactic has worked before?

Beyond that weird part, what could possibly be the success rate of trying to sell sets of cookware to people at work?  Is there anyone who might say "Cool, this saves me a trip to Target after work!"

AMandM

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Years ago I got a visit from a door-to-door frozen food salesman offering me a "terrific deal" on a package of meat and seafood, allegedly enough to feed my family for a month for $150. There was a glossy brochure with gorgeous pictures of lobsters, roast beef, etc. I said, "Let me save you some time. I shop very carefully, and I never pay more than $2 a pound for meat. Does your package meet that price?"

"Ma'am, I don't sell my meat by the pound."

"I understand that, but what does the unit price work out to? Because if it's more than $2/lb, it's not in my budget."

He starts trying to tell me this was a gourmet service, not a grocery store. Meanwhile the kids have got hold of the brochure and are saying things like, "Mama, it says there's three meals of pork chops but there's only six pork chops!" and "I think this chicken costs $8 a pound." Except for the 5yo, who was confused; I found out later she thought the "one fifty" price meant $1.50 and she couldn't understand why I didn't snap it up.

slugline

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Whenever I'm dealing with someone who makes a big point of making sure I know what a "Good Christian" he or she is, I make sure I have a tight grip on my wallet.

Yeah, you don't want the ones that tell you they're Christian by their words. You want the ones that show you they're Christian by their actions.
Or muslim.  or jewish.  or atheist. 
No offense to your beliefs, but what does religion have to do with business?  Christianity does not corner the market on ethical behavior.  Right about now, I'd say they're probably in last place in the USA.

I actually don't think we're that far apart on this. I'm specifically casting suspicions on those businesspeople who call attention to their religious affiliation upfront as a selling point before they've done anything.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2020, 03:44:54 PM by slugline »

CodingHare

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I can add onto the horrible car dealership stories.

Husband has tracked down the perfect truck for him, lightly used Tacoma that's only three years old.  We test drive, it looks good.  Wrangle a deal with the sales guy--stage one.

Move to the Finance Lady, who is a saccharine as the sugar plum fairy... to my husband.  When I try to look at the paperwork on the overwrought warranty she's trying to sell my husband, SHE SNATCHED IT OUT OF MY HANDS.  Every time I asked a question, she refused to answer and started talking up the warranty to my husband.

Luckily husband saw all this and asked for some privacy.  In the 60 seconds she left us alone, we reaffirmed that the dealer warranties are for idiots, and if we really think the truck is going to hell in handbasket within 5 years, why are we paying the price premium that even used Tacomas command?

Finance Lady was not happy that we refused all warranties.  Suddenly she couldn't speed us out of that room fast enough, and no more small talk either.

Other highlights:  "You know if you manage to pay it off early, like in 4 or 5 years..."  Husband and I just looked at each other and laughed.  She was not amused.

Not There Yet

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I actually don't think we're that far apart on this. I'm specifically casting suspicions on those businesspeople who call attention to their religious affiliation upfront as a selling point before they've done anything.

This is a common tactic in affinity fraud - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affinity_fraud

Cassie

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When I was 22 my mom told my best friend and I to go to her friend’s bridal shop. We are casually dressed. She wouldn’t show us any. Later she asked my mom when we were coming in. My mom told her what happened. The owner asked who waited on us and it was her. We bought at a place that treated us great. My husband had a master’s degree in math. But he loved working as a tool and dye maker. We meet at a car dealership right after work. He has jeans and a flannel shirt on. He also has a clipboard with what we wanted and prices from consumer reports (no internet back then).  He only answered my husband’s questions about exact prices for various options with generalities and wouldn’t give us exact prices. We walked out and bought elsewhere.  It wasn’t even a expensive car being a ford escort.

Just Joe

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I can add onto the horrible car dealership stories.

Husband has tracked down the perfect truck for him, lightly used Tacoma that's only three years old.  We test drive, it looks good.  Wrangle a deal with the sales guy--stage one.

Move to the Finance Lady, who is a saccharine as the sugar plum fairy... to my husband.  When I try to look at the paperwork on the overwrought warranty she's trying to sell my husband, SHE SNATCHED IT OUT OF MY HANDS.  Every time I asked a question, she refused to answer and started talking up the warranty to my husband.

Luckily husband saw all this and asked for some privacy.  In the 60 seconds she left us alone, we reaffirmed that the dealer warranties are for idiots, and if we really think the truck is going to hell in handbasket within 5 years, why are we paying the price premium that even used Tacomas command?

Finance Lady was not happy that we refused all warranties.  Suddenly she couldn't speed us out of that room fast enough, and no more small talk either.

Other highlights:  "You know if you manage to pay it off early, like in 4 or 5 years..."  Husband and I just looked at each other and laughed.  She was not amused.

PSA announcement: we've been in several dealership offices that were bugged. One had an active webcam pointed at us from a bookshelf with a microphone nested between things on the desk near us. Another seemed to know everything we discussed when he was checking with his manager.

So, if you want to strategize in private with your SO, take a walk.

ysette9

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This is when being able to speak another language with your SO would come in handy.

That reminds me that during our last new car purchase my husband actually prepped me with a couple of quick phrases in mandarin to be able to use to indicate thumbs up or thumbs down if someone was listening in on our conversation.

OtherJen

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When I was 22 my mom told my best friend and I to go to her friend’s bridal shop. We are casually dressed. She wouldn’t show us any. Later she asked my mom when we were coming in. My mom told her what happened. The owner asked who waited on us and it was her. We bought at a place that treated us great. My husband had a master’s degree in math. But he loved working as a tool and dye maker. We meet at a car dealership right after work. He has jeans and a flannel shirt on. He also has a clipboard with what we wanted and prices from consumer reports (no internet back then).  He only answered my husband’s questions about exact prices for various options with generalities and wouldn’t give us exact prices. We walked out and bought elsewhere.  It wasn’t even a expensive car being a ford escort.

Bridal shops are awful. When I bought my dress, I was with my very well-groomed mom, and the sales staff fawned over me. When I went to pick it up after alterations, I was with a friend and we were dressed down in old T-shirts and jeans (and I looked younger than mid-20s). The staff first ignored us completely and then treated us dismissively until they saw the paid-in-full receipt. It was so rude and gross that if the dress hadn't already been altered, I'd have asked for a full refund.

cupcakery

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I work in a office building with a no soliciting sign on the front door and on the door to our suite.  Years ago, this guy came in and wanted to talk to me about how he could save our company money.  I said, "You don't have an appointment and we have two no soliciting signs that you ignored."  He replied with, "I'm not soliciting, I'm trying to help you save money!"  I told him we weren't interested and that he needed to leave the premises.

Years ago I worked on the 1st floor of our company building. There was a security guard at the entrance 24/7. One day I'm at my desk and a guy walks in holding a brochure for some type of cookware and tries to get me to buy a set. The sets are boxed up in his car, I can take it home today!  Took him back to the lobby and sent him out the door, then asked the security guard how some itinerant salesperson got past him. He said, "He told me he had left something in your office earlier and just needed to run back and get it, so I didn't think I should disturb you for that." I guess that tactic has worked before?

Beyond that weird part, what could possibly be the success rate of trying to sell sets of cookware to people at work?  Is there anyone who might say "Cool, this saves me a trip to Target after work!"

That is so weird.

Metalcat

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When I was 22 my mom told my best friend and I to go to her friend’s bridal shop. We are casually dressed. She wouldn’t show us any. Later she asked my mom when we were coming in. My mom told her what happened. The owner asked who waited on us and it was her. We bought at a place that treated us great. My husband had a master’s degree in math. But he loved working as a tool and dye maker. We meet at a car dealership right after work. He has jeans and a flannel shirt on. He also has a clipboard with what we wanted and prices from consumer reports (no internet back then).  He only answered my husband’s questions about exact prices for various options with generalities and wouldn’t give us exact prices. We walked out and bought elsewhere.  It wasn’t even a expensive car being a ford escort.

Bridal shops are awful. When I bought my dress, I was with my very well-groomed mom, and the sales staff fawned over me. When I went to pick it up after alterations, I was with a friend and we were dressed down in old T-shirts and jeans (and I looked younger than mid-20s). The staff first ignored us completely and then treated us dismissively until they saw the paid-in-full receipt. It was so rude and gross that if the dress hadn't already been altered, I'd have asked for a full refund.

Ugh, don't even get me started on wedding dress shopping.

The worst was walking in and having the sales lady scan my body and say "don't worry, I'll pull some styles that will minimize those hips"

Now, whether I was size 2 or size 22 doesn't actually matter in terms of that being an unacceptable thing to say, but just to add some texture to the story, I'll share that I was so thin at the time that most of their smallest sample sizes were too big for me. "Those hips" were mostly bones.

ms

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I went into a store like Banana Republic looking for a blouse and the one that I tried on was a little tight because I could not raise my arms. When the sales person checked in on me I mentioned that I couldn't raise my arms.

Her response: You are not going to be raising your arms when wearing it.

Yeah, sure, maybe you would not be but when I'm crawling the floor rewiring network cables under my desk then raising my arms seems like a good thing.

TheGrimSqueaker

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When I was 22 my mom told my best friend and I to go to her friend’s bridal shop. We are casually dressed. She wouldn’t show us any. Later she asked my mom when we were coming in. My mom told her what happened. The owner asked who waited on us and it was her. We bought at a place that treated us great. My husband had a master’s degree in math. But he loved working as a tool and dye maker. We meet at a car dealership right after work. He has jeans and a flannel shirt on. He also has a clipboard with what we wanted and prices from consumer reports (no internet back then).  He only answered my husband’s questions about exact prices for various options with generalities and wouldn’t give us exact prices. We walked out and bought elsewhere.  It wasn’t even a expensive car being a ford escort.

Bridal shops are awful. When I bought my dress, I was with my very well-groomed mom, and the sales staff fawned over me. When I went to pick it up after alterations, I was with a friend and we were dressed down in old T-shirts and jeans (and I looked younger than mid-20s). The staff first ignored us completely and then treated us dismissively until they saw the paid-in-full receipt. It was so rude and gross that if the dress hadn't already been altered, I'd have asked for a full refund.
It's astounding how poorly vendors in the wedding industry behave. They get away with it only because people have been conditioned to tolerate excess expense and poor customer service.

One of my daughter's sisters was about to pay through the nose for alterations to a wedding gown she'd (very sensibly) bought second-hand. The dress was gorgeous: an asymmetrical cut with gathering on one side, sleeveless, with medieval-style lacing in the back. The alterations vendor, who either didn't want to do the work or who didn't have the skills, refused to do more than half of the work that the gown needed but wanted to charge her well over $300 to shorten some spaghetti straps, add a dancing loop for the train, tighten a few loose stitches, and raise the front of the hem into a high-low. What also needed to be done was for the sides of the dress to be taken in to fit the bride and to allow the back lacing to display properly in a "V" shape over the placket instead of being pulled snug. The bride also really wanted some contrasting lacing in her bridal colors, and a high-low cut with the front of the dress rising almost to the knee and tapering back into the train. Yes, it's a lot of work especially on an asymmetrical gown, but instead of breaking down what it would cost to do each individual feature, the vendor snowed the bride, telling her that the sizing alteration didn't need to be done and that the back lacing was supposed to be pulled tight enough for the edges to touch, instead of being laced up over the placket. That was nonsense, of course. But most people don't buy wedding gowns more than once in their lives and have no experience ordering alterations or working with a tailor. Also, most people no longer know how to sew so they don't have any idea whether a specific piece of work will take a little bit of time, or a lot. This means it's impossible for them to tell whether the labor rates being charged are reasonable.

Now, my sewing skills are strong because I learned to do it when I was seven and have been doing it off and on all my life. At one point I did tailoring as a side gig. I own a serger. I've made a wedding gown from scratch and I know the basics of clothing design due to years of working on everything from gis to lingerie. I command, and textiles obey. They just can't help it: they fold and fasten in accordance with my will, and the movement of the needle is almost like an afterthought. So, I had the young woman rescue the dress. I did all the work-- what the bride ordered plus what the tailor told her she didn't need-- along with raising the hems on the bridesmaids' dresses and extending the seams on the thigh slits for a more conservative look-- in about fifteen hours of effort not including fittings. I did it for free because this was the family that had originally given me my Venomous Spaz Beast and I'd been looking for ways to pay them back for years. The VSB attended all the fittings, including the Say Yes To The Dress champagne toast I set up for the wedding party because the vendors couldn't be bothered.

My point with all of this is that the tailor had to know how lacing should look over a placket. He was savvy enough to talk her out of the parts of the work that required skill and effort. But he definitely didn't have to lie to the bride simply to avoid the portions of the work that required skill, while still charging her for the full effort. Folks like this get away with it simply because it's a wedding. I've seen the most idiotic excuses for workmanship-- crooked zippers, unhemmed skirts, and clothing held together with safety pins-- all on extremely expensive formal and wedding attire. And, for workmanship that wouldn't pass muster at even the flimsiest fast-fashion store, they charge a premium, and they get away with it because Wedding.

ysette9

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I've made a wedding gown from scratch and I know the basics of clothing design due to years of working on everything from gis to lingerie. I command, and textiles obey. They just can't help it: they fold and fasten in accordance with my will, and the movement of the needle is almost like an afterthought.
I just want to add that I love this description.

UpNAtom

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PSA announcement: we've been in several dealership offices that were bugged. One had an active webcam pointed at us from a bookshelf with a microphone nested between things on the desk near us. Another seemed to know everything we discussed when he was checking with his manager.

So, if you want to strategize in private with your SO, take a walk.

That's just dirty.  Someone wanting the vehicle and ever so inclined in such a way could have a "private" talk about how exactly to take pictures of the camera and how much of a discount they thought the salesperson was going to provide them for being such good clients.  (the following should still occur)

But in reality, that really deserves a strong tongue-lashing and negative online review with pictures/proof for all to know.

 

Dogastrophe

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I went into a store like Banana Republic looking for a blouse and the one that I tried on was a little tight because I could not raise my arms. When the sales person checked in on me I mentioned that I couldn't raise my arms.

Her response: You are not going to be raising your arms when wearing it.

Yeah, sure, maybe you would not be but when I'm crawling the floor rewiring network cables under my desk then raising my arms seems like a good thing.

I read this and immediately thought of a scene from The Bank Job:

Young Soldier : [while being fitted for a jacket]  A bit tight under the arms, don't you think?

Guy Singer : Traditional fit, sir. One can't raise one's hands above one's head. It tends to inhibit any impulsive acts of surrender.

partgypsy

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I went into a store like Banana Republic looking for a blouse and the one that I tried on was a little tight because I could not raise my arms. When the sales person checked in on me I mentioned that I couldn't raise my arms.

Her response: You are not going to be raising your arms when wearing it.

Yeah, sure, maybe you would not be but when I'm crawling the floor rewiring network cables under my desk then raising my arms seems like a good thing.

"Her response: You are not going to be raising your arms when wearing it." That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2020, 08:50:24 AM by partgypsy »

mm1970

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This is when being able to speak another language with your SO would come in handy.

That reminds me that during our last new car purchase my husband actually prepped me with a couple of quick phrases in mandarin to be able to use to indicate thumbs up or thumbs down if someone was listening in on our conversation.

Ooh this is smart.

mm1970

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I've made a wedding gown from scratch and I know the basics of clothing design due to years of working on everything from gis to lingerie. I command, and textiles obey. They just can't help it: they fold and fasten in accordance with my will, and the movement of the needle is almost like an afterthought.
I just want to add that I love this description.
I too love this description.

Quote
Now, my sewing skills are strong because I learned to do it when I was seven and have been doing it off and on all my life. At one point I did tailoring as a side gig. I own a serger. I've made a wedding gown from scratch and I know the basics of clothing design due to years of working on everything from gis to lingerie. I command, and textiles obey. They just can't help it: they fold and fasten in accordance with my will, and the movement of the needle is almost like an afterthought. So, I had the young woman rescue the dress. I did all the work-- what the bride ordered plus what the tailor told her she didn't need-- along with raising the hems on the bridesmaids' dresses and extending the seams on the thigh slits for a more conservative look-- in about fifteen hours of effort not including fittings. I did it for free because this was the family that had originally given me my Venomous Spaz Beast and I'd been looking for ways to pay them back for years. The VSB attended all the fittings, including the Say Yes To The Dress champagne toast I set up for the wedding party because the vendors couldn't be bothered.

That's really awesome that you did this.  I think of you often these days and your VSB, as we recently adopted a Chihuahua from the Humane society.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2020, 01:44:33 PM by mm1970 »

Sandi_k

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PSA announcement: we've been in several dealership offices that were bugged. One had an active webcam pointed at us from a bookshelf with a microphone nested between things on the desk near us. Another seemed to know everything we discussed when he was checking with his manager.

So, if you want to strategize in private with your SO, take a walk.

Yep - we'd heard that it's common for the salesperson to leave the office phone on an active intercom connection. When they go to "consult" with the manager, they sit there and eavesdrop on your conversation.

I used my FIL in a "good cop, bad cop" routine about how much I needed them to pay me for my tradein to get the deal I wanted on my first "new car" purchase many years ago.

In 2010, when I bought my last car, DH and I sat in the finance office, him playing on his cell phone and me with a book, silent, until they came back and caved.

Knowing the tricks can be a great thing, when spun to your advantage.

markbike528CBX

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PSA announcement: we've been in several dealership offices that were bugged. One had an active webcam pointed at us from a bookshelf with a microphone nested between things on the desk near us. Another seemed to know everything we discussed when he was checking with his manager.

So, if you want to strategize in private with your SO, take a walk.

Yep - we'd heard that it's common for the salesperson to leave the office phone on an active intercom connection. When they go to "consult" with the manager, they sit there and eavesdrop on your conversation.

I used my FIL in a "good cop, bad cop" routine about how much I needed them to pay me for my tradein to get the deal I wanted on my first "new car" purchase many years ago.

In 2010, when I bought my last car, DH and I sat in the finance office, him playing on his cell phone and me with a book, silent, until they came back and caved.

Knowing the tricks can be a great thing, when spun to your advantage.

I WAS as the  FIL in a "good cop, bad cop" routine. It was kinda fun to be the firm large voice, obstinate on price. Exhausting though, and I would have walked long before if I had been the actual buyer.

The vehicle was an exceedingly un-Mustaschian Explorer. That being said, I remembered the scene in The Godfather where Sonny was admonished not to argue in front of non-Family members.

We kept reminding them (including visits from the "Big Boss") of our very firm budget.  We happened to be there later in the day and would not budge a microbuck,until they came back and caved.

Dulcimina

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Dentist office with a neon sign advertising teeth whitening.  What could go wrong?

  • At my first cleaning, the hygienist said my teeth were yellow and needed whitening
  • Pushed me to buy an electric toothbrush from them, they had a coupon to make it cheaper. Told me that using a manual toothbrush was why my teeth were yellow LOL
  • The reason I needed a new dentist was because I was having temperature sensitivity with one of my teeth. My previous dentist poo-pooed me and I wanted a second opinion. The new dentist did all the x-rays, etc, then told me she was going to save my tooth. Like she kept repeating that phrase "I'm going to save your tooth" without actually telling me what was wrong with the tooth.  I didn't need Wonder Woman for my tooth, a simple explanation would have sufficed. So I went through the spendy process for the root canal/crown. The crown was, drum roll, yellow. What the heck, was this woman blind? This was going in my mouth and didn't match my teeth! Her answer was that my teeth would eventually match that color since I was refusing to whiten them.
  • Told me I needed to see an orthodontist because I was apparently grinding my teeth. I went to the specialist she recommended. He examined my teeth then asked me why I was there again? I said I wasn't sure. Dr. Whitener told me to come for teeth grinding? He sighed and charged me $50 for his time.
  • My second year at Dr. Whitener's office, I'd had enough, and found a new dentist. But I figured I'd take advantage of any discounts on electric toothbrushes before leaving. So during that cleaning, I asked for details on the fancy electric toothbrush.  She told me that they didn't sell them anymore. I replied that that was fine, but did they still have the coupon? Nope. Could she tell me the brand/model so that I could get it elsewhere? Nope. She couldn't remember. Was an electric toothbrush still a good idea? She shrugged like I was bothering her.

I love my current dentist so much and I tell him that 15 years and counting!
This post has made me self-conscious. I'm going to the bathroom now to double check that my teeth are just regular teeth-colored.

Dogastrophe

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I've been on the lookout for a bolt action .22.  Late last week I went into a local shop to see what they had in stock.  I barely get in the door and I get pounced on by an employee. 

Me:  Wondering what you have for bolt action 22s
Him: Why do you want a bolt action?
Me: Because I want a bolt action
Him: Ya, but what are you using it for?
Me: To shoot targets.
Him: Oh, you want a semi auto
Me: No, if I wanted a semi I would have asked for a semi, I want a bolt action
Him: Well the semi's are most accurate for targets.
Me: Uh huh ... so do you have any bolts?

He spends a minute looking at the small number of new stock 22s on the rack and confirms that, no, they only have a couple of semi's

Me: Ok, so anything in used?

Walks to another rack, looks at a old 22 that come in on trade and comments "I don't even know what this is"  Picks it up and sees that it has a peep sight installed

Him: This is the one you want for target.
Me: You just said you don't know what it is
Him: Oh it's set up for precision shooting.  This is a great 22.
Me: ... You. Don't. Even. Know. What. It. Is! ....

He stares blankly at me

Me: Maybe I'll check back another day.





Evgenia

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This one is from 2006 but still stands out, especially in retrospect (post mortgage bust). Context: It's mid 2006, I'm leaving my ex and buying a new condo with the money from the condo he and I owned together (woops, bad timing). I'm mortgage shopping and am on the phone with Wells Fargo, which pre-approves me for an *$880,000 mortgage*. I earn $80,000/year, at the time. The first person tries to sell me on an adjustable interest rate.

Him: "And you're going to get a raise every year, so the mortgage will adjust up in proportion." (Sit with that a minute.)
Me: "Really! I am? A raise every year?"
Him: "At least a cost of living adjustment of 2-3%."
Me: "Will you write that into the mortgage paperwork then?"
Him: "What?"
Me: "That the interest rate on the mortgage will only increase if I've actually gotten a raise, and then only in the same amount as the raise?"
Him: "Um, well..." etc.

MAGIC.

Travis

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This one is from 2006 but still stands out, especially in retrospect (post mortgage bust). Context: It's mid 2006, I'm leaving my ex and buying a new condo with the money from the condo he and I owned together (woops, bad timing). I'm mortgage shopping and am on the phone with Wells Fargo, which pre-approves me for an *$880,000 mortgage*. I earn $80,000/year, at the time. The first person tries to sell me on an adjustable interest rate.

Him: "And you're going to get a raise every year, so the mortgage will adjust up in proportion." (Sit with that a minute.)
Me: "Really! I am? A raise every year?"
Him: "At least a cost of living adjustment of 2-3%."
Me: "Will you write that into the mortgage paperwork then?"
Him: "What?"
Me: "That the interest rate on the mortgage will only increase if I've actually gotten a raise, and then only in the same amount as the raise?"
Him: "Um, well..." etc.

MAGIC.

And magically a 2-3% increase on an $800k mortgage is the same as a 2-3% increase on your $80k salary.

Evgenia

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And magically a 2-3% increase on an $800k mortgage is the same as a 2-3% increase on your $80k salary.

In Wells Fargo sales system land, sure (given that I was buying a < $200k condo). It made the point. Later in the call, after it was clear I wasn't accepting a screwy mortgage, he answered my questions about how they figured I could pay that sort of mortgage. These sorts of strategies came out during the financial crisis, but at the time I remember thinking it was just Wells Fargo. Nope.

Travis

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So this is my 2 part time share story.  Back when we were first married, my wife and I would go on time share sales things to get the prizes when we'd go on vacation.

Part 1: We go through the entire sales thing, tour the place, all the things needed to get our "whatever it was" prize.  Down to the final questions and big sales push.  The sales guy asks the "yes" questions.  Starts with "If I could show you how you could actually save money with this time share, would you buy?".  I say no.  He just stops.  "So you have no intention of buying, no matter what?".  me: "That's right".  He then goes into his sob story about he's doing this for a living and we wasted his time and....  Of course we only went there because of the fliers to go to a short presentation to GET THE BIG PRIZE OF whatever it was.  He says "If you ever do another of these, please just tell them up front that you won't buy.

Part 2:  Same island, flier at the airport, different facility.  It touts that they'll pay taxi fee and whatever the prize was.  We go into the welcome booth.  A sales person comes out.  We're walking from the booth to start our tour and he starts with "If I could show you a way to save money on vacations, would you be interested?".  My answer.....no.  He stops and asks a couple other questions, then says "wait here".  He comes back with our voucher for a very nice restaurant and $10 in change to pay for the taxi.  He has the same complaint....."I do this for a living and you've wasted my time".  I can only guess that these clowns have to rotate as marks come in, like they do at car dealerships.  So now he has to wait through the rotation to get another chance to sell a worthless timeshare to the next sucker.

Not a time share membership sale, but a vacation package at a time share because I filled out a "free car" contest card (which never mentioned the vacation company). The part I chaffed at was being asked to give them a $150 deposit right there over the phone even though I had no desire for a vacation in the near future. The polite and mostly reading from his script salesman transfers me to his supervisor who is an ass right away wanting to know why I won't take the deal. He got offended why I was concerned that he said he was in Maryland, but calling from a California number (my contact number was a CA number).  His final straw is that if the Pope walked in and said his company was legit, would I listen to him? I said no and he angrily hung up.  I think the entire industry is one big scam. I tried to explain at the outset I never asked for a vacation and for some reason it never occurred to me I could have just hung up at any moment during that call.  Another lesson I learned: there's no such thing as "free." Somebody might get a free car, but the company offering it also got thousands of sales leads to harass in return.

Also, any hard sales tactics. "You must buy this right now or you'll never get another chance!" I got taken by that gimmick once. Never again. I don't need whatever it is you're buying that much, and odds are you'll still have it for sale another time. And these days I'll refuse on principle for trying to strong arm me.

lisabobisa

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At a popular jewelry store with my fiance during a pre-black friday sale to buy our wedding bands.  We picked out what we wanted beforehand online, so it should have been an in and out type of deal.... or so I thought.

His was simple.... we told her what we wanted, he tried it on, she rang it up.

Mine.... I wanted a simple white gold band... that's it. We wanted it to be similar in price to his band ($200 range).  They, of course, did not have it in stock. So this saleslady pulls out a $1000+ diamond encrusted double band ring and insists I try it on.  I oblige (because why not).  It's hideous and not at all what I'm looking for and I say "wow... this is too much for me."  She pulls the mirror over and says "You deserve the best." and I guess expects me to ohh and ahh as I wave the monstrosity in front of my face.  Yeah.  No. 

Let's just ring up my fiance's ring. "OH but do you want gifts for your bridesmaids.  We have a bunch of great opt..." No thanks. "What about a stuffed bear to donate to [insert charity here]?"  NO! "Extended warr....." OMG!!!!! Ring up the DARN RING! 

I should have walked out but the thought of repeating that process to get his ring at another jewelry store was to much for me.

We still have to get my ring though... He has his budget, he has what I like, he has my size.  I will NOT be going along for that one!

OtherJen

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At a popular jewelry store with my fiance during a pre-black friday sale to buy our wedding bands.  We picked out what we wanted beforehand online, so it should have been an in and out type of deal.... or so I thought.

His was simple.... we told her what we wanted, he tried it on, she rang it up.

Mine.... I wanted a simple white gold band... that's it. We wanted it to be similar in price to his band ($200 range).  They, of course, did not have it in stock. So this saleslady pulls out a $1000+ diamond encrusted double band ring and insists I try it on.  I oblige (because why not).  It's hideous and not at all what I'm looking for and I say "wow... this is too much for me."  She pulls the mirror over and says "You deserve the best." and I guess expects me to ohh and ahh as I wave the monstrosity in front of my face.  Yeah.  No. 

Let's just ring up my fiance's ring. "OH but do you want gifts for your bridesmaids.  We have a bunch of great opt..." No thanks. "What about a stuffed bear to donate to [insert charity here]?"  NO! "Extended warr....." OMG!!!!! Ring up the DARN RING! 

I should have walked out but the thought of repeating that process to get his ring at another jewelry store was to much for me.

We still have to get my ring though... He has his budget, he has what I like, he has my size.  I will NOT be going along for that one!

Ugh, jewelry. My wedding band is a simple white gold band. I picked it out 17 years ago, and I’ve never wanted anything else (I like simple jewelry). But everyone from the jewelry store clerk (annoying but understandable, at least) to our moms, friends, random coworkers, etc. seemed to have major opinions. Apparently the thing to buy was a flashy, diamond-encrusted wedding set (engagement+wedding rings) for thousands of dollars that could then be fused together and worn as a single giant, heavy ring. Yeah, no.

AMandM

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At a popular jewelry store with my fiance during a pre-black friday sale to buy our wedding bands.  We picked out what we wanted beforehand online, so it should have been an in and out type of deal.... or so I thought.

His was simple.... we told her what we wanted, he tried it on, she rang it up.

Mine.... I wanted a simple white gold band... that's it. We wanted it to be similar in price to his band ($200 range).  They, of course, did not have it in stock. So this saleslady pulls out a $1000+ diamond encrusted double band ring and insists I try it on.  I oblige (because why not).  It's hideous and not at all what I'm looking for and I say "wow... this is too much for me."  She pulls the mirror over and says "You deserve the best." and I guess expects me to ohh and ahh as I wave the monstrosity in front of my face.  Yeah.  No. 

Let's just ring up my fiance's ring. "OH but do you want gifts for your bridesmaids.  We have a bunch of great opt..." No thanks. "What about a stuffed bear to donate to [insert charity here]?"  NO! "Extended warr....." OMG!!!!! Ring up the DARN RING! 

I should have walked out but the thought of repeating that process to get his ring at another jewelry store was to much for me.

We still have to get my ring though... He has his budget, he has what I like, he has my size.  I will NOT be going along for that one!

Ugh, jewelry. My wedding band is a simple white gold band. I picked it out 17 years ago, and I’ve never wanted anything else (I like simple jewelry). But everyone from the jewelry store clerk (annoying but understandable, at least) to our moms, friends, random coworkers, etc. seemed to have major opinions. Apparently the thing to buy was a flashy, diamond-encrusted wedding set (engagement+wedding rings) for thousands of dollars that could then be fused together and worn as a single giant, heavy ring. Yeah, no.

These stories make me feel really lucky in retrospect. DH and I both wanted plain gold bands. Went to JCPenney, I think, pointed at the ones in the turntable countertop display, tried them on, ordered initials and dates to be engraved inside, paid $40 apiece or so (30 years ago). The end.

zhelud

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Once long ago, my husband and I foolishly allowed a windows salesman to come into our house to give a pitch, and then when we said we would have to think about it, he refused to leave. I mean, absolutely refused to budge from our kitchen table for 30 min.  I had to pick up the phone and start dialing the police before he got out! (Should have threatened this after just 5 min, but we were young and bewildered by his refusal to go.)

Fish Sweet

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Another car salesman story:  A few years ago, my old hand-me-down car was on its very last legs. so I was on the hunt for a efficient used hybrid to make my clown commute in (that I'll be free of in two days, woot woot!)  Went online, did a bunch of research, looked up some promising listings for $X amount and made some appointments to drive test a couple decade-old Priuses.  Now, as a petite woman who on a bad day without makeup could pass for a high schooler, I was already expecting some weird pressure and inappropriate sales tactics.  At the first appointment, I test drove the car in question (over 10 years old, over 100k miles), and then sat down to discuss interest and pricing.

Not only would the dealership not honor the price listed online (their selling price was another 40% higher), but of COURSE I would have to finance the car.  It wasn't even a question.  When I told them I was neither interested in financing or doing a bait and switch, he said, and I quote, "don't you want to be a smart girl?" and listen to him if I wanted to "improve my bad credit."

L O L

Left immediately, ended up test driving another car half as old with fewer miles... and better priced to boot.  The salesman honored the online listed price, answered all my questions, agreed to the extremely reasonable terms I requested, did not at any point call me "girl", and didn't push financing after I declined the first time.  The very bare minimum, and that was all it took for him to get the sale.

ysette9

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I hope you contacted management of the first place to express your displeasure at such offensive treatment.

jinga nation

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Once long ago, my husband and I foolishly allowed a windows salesman to come into our house to give a pitch, and then when we said we would have to think about it, he refused to leave. I mean, absolutely refused to budge from our kitchen table for 30 min.  I had to pick up the phone and start dialing the police before he got out! (Should have threatened this after just 5 min, but we were young and bewildered by his refusal to go.)

but did he place the demo window on the floor and jump on it repeatedly to demonstrate impact strength? and the heat lamp?

mine did. i told him that him jumping on it was nowhere near the impact force of a 2x4 hitting perpendicular to the window. he looked at me, asked if i was an engineer. my wife said yes. he said: i guess you're not buying. i said: we never were considering.

i told my wife to stop opening the door to these peddlers, but does she ever listen.

Fish Sweet

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I hope you contacted management of the first place to express your displeasure at such offensive treatment.
To be honest, considering all the crazy horror stories you hear about car salespeople I considered myself as having gotten off relatively lightly.  Also, I suspect it would've just been dismissed as ~hysterical girlish whining~, the same way the car salesman at the time tried to bulldoze my response as ~silly girlish protests~.   It was irritating in the moment, but satisfying enough to know that they would never have gotten a penny out of me.

That said, maybe I'll leave them a scathing Yelp review-- hadn't thought of it at the time, but might actually hit them more where it hurts.

StockBeard

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Meanwhile, in a similar thread on a cars salespeople forum:

"How do you get people to buy more car than they can afford?"

"Well, being patronizing and telling them I think they can't afford the better model has worked for me for years. It infuriates them so much they end up buying the expensive car on the spot. Sometimes they'll end up buying from the competition to make a point, but we all benefit"

Freedomin5

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It was raining today. We decided to order in. After accepting our order and taking our money, the food delivery service called half an hour after the specified delivery time and asked if we could go to the restaurant to pick up the food ourselves because they didn’t have enough delivery people/drivers working. And no, they would not reimburse the delivery fee.

I told them to refund all my money and I would cook my own dinner. Saved myself ~$35.

Villanelle

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It was raining today. We decided to order in. After accepting our order and taking our money, the food delivery service called half an hour after the specified delivery time and asked if we could go to the restaurant to pick up the food ourselves because they didn’t have enough delivery people/drivers working. And no, they would not reimburse the delivery fee.

I told them to refund all my money and I would cook my own dinner. Saved myself ~$35.

WTF?   Pick it up yourself but still pay the fee?  Were they *trying* to lose a costumer permanently?  I'd have offered to refund the fee, plus give you 50% off if you picked up, along with my most sincere apologies!

carolina822

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What's the worst thing anyone has ever said to you when trying to sell you something?

Are your parents home?

A sales person greeted me this way when he rang the bell and I opened the door to our home being in my early thirties. No, they aren‘t and I closed the door. To this day I have no idea what he was trying to sell us.

Same thing happened to me at about the same age. "I have no idea. Maybe you should go knock on their door and ask."

dignam

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Took my beater car into a transmission shop to have the TV kickdown cable looked at as the shift points were all weird.  I did the diagnosing myself so I wasn't totally certain that was the issue but I was 90% sure.  The guy there (actually filling in for the owner as owner was on vacation) basically brushed off how I described the issue.  He said he would take a look at it and get back to me that week.

Another tech calls me up (also filling in for their lead tech as the lead tech was sick), says he thinks it needs a fluid flush.  I told him please do not do a fluid flush.  This can seriously mess up older transmissions with a ton of miles on them  Told him "You can drain and fill, but do not flush the transmission.  Also please consider that the TV kickdown cable needs replacement."  So what does he do?  Yep, flushes the transmission and does not even look at the cable.  Shift points were still messed up during the test drive.

Luckily, shop owner returns the next day and I spoke to him about it.  He was actually very nice and didn't charge me for the work I never authorized.  I explained to him what I thought it was and he was like "hmmm, that very well could be."  He replaced the cable and voila, the transmission was significantly better after that.

I understand the other guys were filling in, but shit that was ridiculous.

BTDretire

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Years ago I was looking a a VW bug, I took it for a test drive and when I returned I commented that it had a hard pull to the right, the owner commented, "that will keep you from a head on collision".