Dealer quota?

privateBeavis · 07-08-2010 1:47pm #1

A friend looking to buy new golf rang dublin dealership about a certain model and was told that he only had 2 left of a certain spec and couldn't order what she wanted cos he had met his quota.

Was curious to know whether this is normal, so dealer can only sell a certain amount of cars in a year??

Drummerboy08 · 07-08-2010 2:04pm

On cars that are very hard to get a hold of (just like a Golf atm) the distributor can bring in dealer limits.

Anan1 · 07-08-2010 2:06pm

It is possible, I suppose. When I sold cars, we could either modify existing orders or submit new ones - if you could find a dealer with an as yet unbuilt order then they should be able to spec the car to your liking. Tell them to shop around, see what gives.

bmstuff · 07-08-2010 2:11pm

Quota or not it does not matter, you are entiltled to order the car model you want with the options you want.

A car dealer right now refusing to sell a car? Come on, let's be real.

Drummerboy08 · 07-08-2010 2:13pm

bmstuff wrote: »

Quota or not it does not matter, you are entiltled to order the car model you want with the options you want.

A car dealer right now refusing to sell a car? Come on, let's be real.

Your not really "entitled" to anything when the factory wont build it for you, now are you?

Anan1 · 07-08-2010 2:19pm

bmstuff wrote: »

Quota or not it does not matter, you are entiltled to order the car model you want with the options you want.

Eh no, you're not.

copacetic · 07-08-2010 4:53pm

bmstuff wrote: »

Quota or not it does not matter, you are entiltled to order the car model you want with the options you want.

Agreed, OP just go back and tell them in writing exactly the spec you want and hand them a cheque for €1000 as a deposit.

They have to provide you with the car within 8 weeks or you can get them fined by SIMI. They are the dealer society with a lot of power and crack down really hard on any dodgyness from dealers.

Max Power1 · 07-08-2010 4:58pm

copacetic wrote: »

Agreed, OP just go back and tell them in writing exactly the spec you want and hand them a cheque for €1000 as a deposit.

They have to provide you with the car within 8 weeks or you can get them fined by SIMI. They are the dealer society with a lot of power and crack down really hard on any dodgyness from dealers.

Laughed so hard at that bit. SIMI being used for customer protection? Hah.

They are an effective trade union of garages,(who will look to put the garages and the motor trade first) not the consumer advisory board.

Anan1 · 07-08-2010 5:14pm

STOP.:D

copacetic · 07-08-2010 5:23pm

I knew the SIMI bit was pushing it!:p

Anan1 · 07-08-2010 5:39pm

copacetic wrote: »

I knew the SIMI bit was pushing it!:p

TBH, my only problem was that the OP might believe you!

opinion guy · 07-08-2010 5:57pm

privateBeavis wrote: »

A friend looking to buy new golf rang dublin dealership about a certain model and was told that he only had 2 left of a certain spec and couldn't order what she wanted cos he had met his quota.

Was curious to know whether this is normal, so dealer can only sell a certain amount of cars in a year??

To be honest I'd say this is dealer BS to try and shift whatever models they do have in stock.

bmstuff wrote: »

Quota or not it does not matter, you are entiltled to order the car model you want with the options you want.

A car dealer right now refusing to sell a car? Come on, let's be real.

I encountered this attitude alot when i was looking a few month back. I'd ask about a 2litre which few had in stock and dealers would bend over backwards trying to sell me the 1.6 they did have in stock. Now noone actually said 'no I won't sell you a 2litre', but they were clearly not interested in selling me a car they had to order in. Its a very, VERY strange way to do business.

Go up North or to UK and you get none of this crap. There you get "Oh you like the 2litre model sir ? Step right this way!"

Big Nasty · 07-08-2010 6:45pm

More likely the dealer in question has pre-reged cars in order to MEET his quota and wants to pawn one off on you OP. Tell him that if he can't supply the model / spec you want you will go to another garage. 10/1 he changes his tune rapid! Even if his story is true he could source the car from another VW dealer that hasn't REACHED their quota!

opinion guy · 07-08-2010 6:53pm

Agreed.
Hell the best price I got on a fancy Audi was from a Toyota dealer who sourced a price from Audi Ireland.

Dealer is bull****ting you OP
Reason enough to shop elsewhere in my opinion.

bmstuff · 07-08-2010 7:28pm

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Your not really "entitled" to anything when the factory wont build it for you, now are you?

This is off topic, factory is not the issue here. Cars are built with a unique worksheet, which contains all the options a customer choose.

There is a catalogue, models with options, you can order anything from it and a dealer can not refuse to take your order given the fact you are complying with their terms, deposit etc.

The fact this salesman at this dealer does not want to order a specific car with specific options is probably because reached his own sales quota and does not want to be bothered with some extra paper work. Sad anyway.

bmstuff · 07-08-2010 7:33pm

Anan1 wrote: »

Eh no, you're not.

Since when?

You are telling me you have to buy a car which is sitting at the dealer and that is it you have no other choice, you can not order the car you want with the options you want?

Says who?

Big Nasty · 07-08-2010 7:36pm

bmstuff wrote: »

The fact this salesman at this dealer does not want to order a specific car with specific options is probably because reached his own sales quota and does not want to be bothered with some extra paper work. Sad anyway.

With all due respect bmstuff that sounds like bollocks to me. Do you really believe that a salesman will refuse an order just because he has sold enough cars to reach a certain commission level? In July? Or any time for that matter!?!?!?!

No. Friggin'. Way!

bmstuff · 07-08-2010 7:44pm

MCMLXXV wrote: »

With all due respect bmstuff that sounds like bollocks to me. Do you really believe that a salesman will refuse an order just because he has sold enough cars to reach a certain commission level? In July? Or any time for that matter!?!?!?!

No. Friggin'. Way!

Maybe I am wrong, but why on earth would a car dealer part of an official dealer network refuse to order the specific car that a customer wants to order given the fact the options are available etc.

Maybe he had some good reasons, but it has not been established what they were. Certainly not customer friendly, that's for sure.

Big Nasty · 07-08-2010 7:46pm

bmstuff wrote: »

Maybe I am wrong, but why on earth would a car dealer part of an official dealer network refuse to order the specific car that a customer wants to order given the fact the options are available etc.

Maybe he had some good reasons, but it has not been established what they were. Certainly not customer friendly, that's for sure.

Simple, because he has pre-reged stock that he wants to off-load.

Owen · 07-08-2010 7:49pm

bmstuff wrote: »

Maybe I am wrong, but why on earth would a car dealer part of an official dealer network refuse to order the specific car that a customer wants to order given the fact the options are available etc.

Late for a gig, so I can't reply with all the details, but you need to educate yourself, then take a chill pill.

Dealers get allocated x amount of cars per month to be custom built. They get a lot of their normal run of the mill stuff sent in the door, and they're left with a few that can be custom built and delivered within a certain time period. Depending on manufacturer, that time period can be 8 weeks, or 12 weeks. If the model is in demand, it can be much much longer.

The dealer can sell the customer a car in an instant, if the customer wants one. If the customer wants a certain order, they will have to be prepared to wait while the factory builds that specific car.

I think during the busiest period when I was managing my place, we had 15 custom order cars per month. And usually within the first week of the month, that quota would be filled, meaning anyone coming in who wanted car 16 would have to wait another month.

opinion guy · 07-08-2010 7:52pm

MCMLXXV wrote: »

Simple, because he has pre-reged stock that he wants to off-load.

This. The pre-regged car sitting on the showroom floor is costing him money.

Frankly I ahve found any Irish dealer I have dealt with to have an almost contemptous attitude towards the customer. I actually had a dealer say to me "Sure why would you want the 2litre diesel ? Who needs 140bhp ? 90bhp is plenty. That little 1.6l diesel will do ya fine."

To which my response was pretty much to raise an eyebrow and say "Indeed. I'll have to think about it" whilst registering in my brain that this guy clearly does not want my business.

The car dealers of Ireland have never heard the phrase "The customer is always right".

Also I don't think quotas are anything to do with it. I think its just trying to sell what stock is taking up storage space is the motivator - especially if they are pre-regged.

Anan1 · 07-08-2010 8:02pm

bmstuff wrote: »

Since when?

You are telling me you have to buy a car which is sitting at the dealer and that is it you have no other choice, you can not order the car you want with the options you want?

Says who?

You have the choice to buy what they can supply, or not to buy at all. You have no 'right' to buy, a purchase is by agreement between both sides.

ArphaRima · 07-08-2010 8:09pm

For enough money you can buy almost anything you want, whenever you want.

Buy it elsewhere. The smell of desperation off you means you'd get an awful deal in any case.

opinion guy · 07-08-2010 8:15pm

fluffer wrote: »

The smell of desperation off you means you'd get an awful deal in any case.

Thats a bit uncalled for. Reported.

Big Nasty · 07-08-2010 8:16pm

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Dealers get allocated x amount of cars per month to be custom built. They get a lot of their normal run of the mill stuff sent in the door, and they're left with a few that can be custom built and delivered within a certain time period. Depending on manufacturer, that time period can be 8 weeks, or 12 weeks. If the model is in demand, it can be much much longer.

If I'm spending €25k+ on a new car you can be bloody sure I will wait an extra 12-16 weeks to have the exact spec I want rather than take what the dealer has in stock.

Also, most dealers are pretty much buying to order only now as a lot of them got caught out last year with stocking cars they expected customers to buy. I'm sure you've seen all the threads with people asking why they are waiting months on new cars and this is exactly why.

Now if you have a quota of say, 50 units by June 30th and you only have sold / orders for 47 of course you are going to order and pre-reg an extra 3 cars in the most popular colour / spec in order to get your rebate.

60% of new cars are sold in the first quarter each year and July & August are notoriously bad for car sales, new or used as most people are on holidays / have kids off school, etc. So you can be damn sure a dealer who has pre-reged a few cars will want to off-load those before ordering something else for a customer.

Again, if the OP pushes the issue, there is no way the dealer is going to refuse the order and there is little chance that the buyer will refuse to wait a couple months for the spec they want on a €25k car.

bmstuff · 07-08-2010 8:24pm

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Late for a gig, so I can't reply with all the details, but you need to educate yourself, then take a chill pill.

"Educate myself, take a chill pill?" You mean business lol

This quota thing is just BS.
I trust your experience this is the way things are taking place here, but this is just BS.
Selling stocks in one thing, telling a customer to go away because he does not want to buy any of your car in stock, while technically it takes you 60mn top to place a custom order is another one.

Many cars that are on the road here have been especially ordered at customer request. Sometimes they come from UK, because they were stocked in the UK and had the specs the customer wanted, sometimes they have to build the car from factory.
The wait is irrelevant when you order a custom car the way you want it.

I know several guys who ordered special cars with crazy options, especially large engines, I can tell you those V8 were not pre-regged and sitting at a dealer ship waiting for someone to pick them up...

I also came across a guy from Dublin who ordered a 2010 BMW 7 series Left Hand Drive with all possible options there was on the list. Road lines radar and all that jazz. It was a personal order.

Big Nasty · 07-08-2010 8:43pm

bmstuff wrote: »

telling a customer to go away because he does not want to buy any of your car in stock, while technically it takes you 60mn top to place a custom order is another one.

There was no mention of the dealer telling the customer to 'go away', the OP says he couldn't order the spec he wanted as he had reached his quota which IMO is an excuse to offload a pre-reged car.

bmstuff wrote: »

Many cars that are on the road here have been especially ordered at customer request. Sometimes they come from UK, because they were stocked in the UK and had the specs the customer wanted, sometimes they have to build the car from factory.
The wait is irrelevant when you order a custom car the way you want it.

Rovers?

bmstuff wrote: »

I know several guys who ordered special cars with crazy options, especially large engines, I can tell you those V8 were not pre-regged and sitting at a dealer ship waiting for someone to pick them up...

What did they want? A V8 Golf? If a car built for the European market is available in V8/10/12/ W12 etc then it can be ordered to that spec in this country once that vehicle is for sale in new in this country.

bmstuff wrote: »

I also came across a guy from Dublin who ordered a 2010 BMW 7 series Left Hand Drive with all possible options there was on the list. Road lines radar and all that jazz. It was a personal order.

And a CD car?

Drummerboy08 · 07-08-2010 8:54pm

bmstuff wrote: »

This is off topic, factory is not the issue here. Cars are built with a unique worksheet, which contains all the options a customer choose.

Agreed. Your right.

There is a catalogue, models with options, you can order anything from it and a dealer can not refuse to take your order given the fact you are complying with their terms, deposit etc.

Again, agreed, you are correct for a second time there is indeed a catalogue, models with options etc etc etc.

Your are wrong when you say a dealer can not refuse to take your order. He can do what he wants if he doesnt like you.

The point is in the OP's case, the dealer never said that he wouldnt order the car, he said he couldnt order the car. This is because his production slots for this particular car has been filled. He obviously has sold quite a few Golf's.

Now, the smart dealer would take the order, and see if he can take a slot from a dealer who hasnt sold as much. Thats what I'd do anyhow. If that didnt work I'd apologise for the inconvience and recommend another dealer who can take the order.

The fact this salesman at this dealer does not want to order a specific car with specific options is probably because reached his own sales quota and does not want to be bothered with some extra paper work. Sad anyway.

Yeah. Paperwork. You've obviously never sold a car in your life, and just proven it with the above statement. There is exactly 10 minutes worth of paperwork involved in selling a car.

Also, a sales person would not simply stop selling cars because he or she has reached their "quota". It is usually the norm to receive a bonus if your exceed your "quota", so it would be in the sales person's interest to sell as many as possible.

As Paintdoctor said, just take a chill pill, and sit back to leave it to the experts.

ArphaRima · 07-08-2010 9:06pm

Thats a bit uncalled for. Reported.

I was being helpful.

You're a bit sensitive if you think my way of saying if someone was perceived as desperate or keen it would negatively influence their haggling.

Anyway the OP should get a quote from at least 3 dealers anyway. Regardless of the outcome with this dealer.
You wouldnt be much of a consumer if you accepted the first offer would you?

Big Nasty · 07-08-2010 9:12pm

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

Your are wrong when you say a dealer can not refuse to take your order. He can do what he wants if he doesnt like you.

While this is true can you really see any dealer doing this for a new car purchase? Fair enough if you're ordering a pint in a bar and the manager thinks you're not suitable clientele. Fair enough if you're offering €10k for a reasonably priced €20k used car. But if someone is ordering a new car at a price that is inarguable I doubt there is a dealer in the country that is going to refuse the order no matter what spec they want.

I gather you are just making a point but if any dealer were to go down this route it would be foolish arrogance on his part.

Drummerboy08 · 07-08-2010 9:15pm

MCMLXXV wrote: »

While this is true can you really see any dealer doing this for a new car purchase? Fair enough if you're ordering a pint in a bar and the manager thinks you're not suitable clientele. Fair enough if you're offering €10k for a reasonably priced €20k used car. But if someone is ordering a new car at a price that is inarguable I doubt there is a dealer in the country that is going to refuse the order no matter what spec they want.

I gather you are just making a point but if any dealer were to go down this route it would be foolish arrogance on his part.

I'm agreeing with you 100%, it would be pure madness to do it. My point is there is nothing stopping him from doing it if he wanted to.

Dealer quota?

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