jlleighton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just to update, I did forward the message along to
> the MSC

I would really love to know what happens with that, but I don't suppose that the client will contact you directly, though. Please keep us updated.

Q: What do you call a blonde who dyes her hair brown?
A: Artificial intelligence.

I am blonde, I am allowed to make blonde jokes.

I have always felt guilty doing shops with sales people that are on commission. I have come to the conclusion that I have to make money to live and the job was set up and requested by the sales person's company. If I do not do the shop, someone else will. The sales people/employee's must know that their company has set up these shops so they should not be shocked or pissed off at the shopper. That sales man was a coward and a bully because he did not have the courage to confront his boss so he vented his anger on the only person he did not have to face. I would not have hesitated forwarding his email to my MS contact.

I think he meant Mississippi, as in the mud pie.

Hi!

I would not respond to the salesperson, but I would definitely forward the email to the MSC. I think it's important to share it with the MSC because perhaps they can use this outcome to help the client create better requirements for completing the shop. Shoppers should be protected from potentially hazardous situations.

I always shun when I'm hearing about salesmen, especially vehicles. A good friend of mine had purchased a very large 5th wheel RV and was looking for a vehicle to tow it as it's only use. After a few weeks with this guy at Dodge, he settled on a specific 2500 model with a diesel engine. The truck did not perform as the salesman stated and the mileage was poor. After spending almost 80K for this truck he was very unhappy and went back to the salesman. He stated that my buddy should have researched his truck better and that he obviously picked the wrong model (which was gearing as in transmission and differential).

After a short time the salesman told him he was in no legal position to be truthful with him and that if he had done his work he would've know this truck wasn't quite right for the application. I must say that this riled my buddy up and went to management, ending with a talk between the three of them. The salesman stood by his position even when he was advised that he depended upon his salesman for information to assist in the purchase.

This all ended up with an upper level management sending a person down from Detroit to help satisfy my friend. The dealer ended up putting all the right gears and basically rebuilt the whole trucks' power train. The salesman stuck with he was under no law to do anything but sell a truck, or he was obligated to give him good information, just to sell trucks. Dodge was not happy and my buddy got the truck he wanted. It was not only costly for the dealer but all of his friends know what happened and double take with vehicles now. Dodge stated he wasn't acting in the mode they wished, but no discipline was taken.

Being retired police I know this happens a lot, as he should have. But when it comes to that much money, I think all of us would hope to think that they would do the right, not the legal thing to get rid of a truck. I don't know of any state that is required by law to tell you the truth, although they may be out there. I've lived pretty much in the SW, so that's my knowledge....

So, it's another day, just drop it. Why would you care? If you do, drop the MS thing...

Jack

One reason I don't do car shops is because I feel bad taking the time of the people who work on commission.

I think you all are over-analyzing this. The questioner knows what he plans to do now..literally.

Often frustrating dealing with many people connected somehow to shops. Can't strangle them though. My motto: just move on down your list. The delete button is also often satisfying.

Or perhaps the character played by James Caan in the John Wayne movie "El Dorado".

jlleighton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just to update, I did forward the message along to
> the MSC - I don't like being a tattle tale or
> thinking I've gotten anyone in trouble, but it
> does seem like he really stepped over the line and
> if he did that with me, I'd wonder what some of
> his interactions could be like with customers.

I'm very glad you decided to pass it along. If nothing else, perhaps he will receive a gentle reminder of the value of mystery shopping to a service-oriented business.

Employees know that there is a possibility of outside evaluation, regardless of salary. They can either "step up to the plate" to the best of their ability/training or become vindictive. This is true of all lines of work and all salary levels.

Having been a sales manager, store manager, DM etc - I would want to know about this person. But so it the right way, thru the MSC.
They would want to know also - or should.

I would never respond to the email. But I may send it to the MSC or I may not. It depends on my mood. Nowadays, I'd probably delete the email and pray for him a little. Sometimes it works.

Mod note: deleted as duplicated post

Obviously, he has been shopped before, as he knew immediately what to look for in the email. Maybe, the dealership wanted another opinion on him and his techniques.

When I was new car shopping for myself, in which it took months to do, I came across some arrogant salesmen. One, verbally threw me off the lot - this was a large Ford dealership, because I wouldn't buy one of the trucks that he wanted me to; I was looking for something unique, not a man's work truck.

I was fortunate that I didn't have to keep my mouth shut and I went directly to the manager and made contact with the owner; I reported the situation.

Your salesman's email was more than inappropriate to you and I am thinking, that you are not the first one that he ranted to. He simply got caught.

He could have written something professional, apologizing for not having the vehicle that you wanted and to please contact them again or visit their showroom. He definitely is in the wrong business, maybe he'd be good at being a bill collector. His financial concerns is not your problem, he's probably very deeply in debt and was anticipating on that sale to pull him out for the month; again, not your problem. He needs to learn to live within his limited means.

I always say, we are not responsible for other people's actions.

I did one of these shops & seems like the email I used was hacked. They even updated the information to the information of the dealership! I reported it to yahoo because I did not want to stay in too long on my machines.

When you do a good job, you sometimes get rewarded. I used to get 100% on my mystery shops and very often I'd get a Visa giftcard or the market manager would bring me a treat (e.g. everybody knew my store didn't have brewed iced tea and that I'm a total tea snob--so once she brought me a half-gallon of fresh sweet tea to enjoy on my shift). Other times I got notes in my file that led up to a big, juicy promotion.

If you're not willing to be shopped, don't work at a place that gets shopped. If you're not willing to do the job, get a different job. Period.

You have a good idea ninamason. Since commissioned sales people are the only only employees I can think of that actually lose money by being shopped perhaps a nice bonus to replace the average commission could be paid.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2014 06:29PM by ces1948.

They only lose money while being shopped if you work under the assumption they turned every single prospect into a sale. There are people who enjoy looking at cars or houses with no intention of doing anything other than killing an afternoon. Others will look and choose to buy elsewhere. The time we spend is more productive than the time with a looky loo and could help hone their skills so more of those real prospects buy from them rather than the competition.

All I can say is WOW! That was an awful email to get. I have done only 2 car shops at the higher pay rating. Both of the gentleman were great salesmen. When I do purchase my next vehicle I would return to either of the agents.

I bought the car during a mystery shop. I should say I went back to buy the car later. So I stopped doing car shops.

sometimes only "duh" will do.

jlleighton Wrote:
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> First, the shop: send an email to the car
> dealership looking for some information based on
> suggested scenarios and then do the report,
> including the responses received from the
> salesperson. Done quite a few of these over the
> years - easy peasy. :-) So, sent the email for
> information to the dealership. This is the first
> response I got from the salesperson:
>
> "xxxx sent me an email telling me to get you the
> perfect vehicle at the perfect price, with the
> best possible gas mileage. I tried calling you,
> but there must have been a typo on the phone
> number. This would go a lot quicker on the phone
> but I'll give it a go by email. (P.S.- I'm glad
> you're not one of those secret shoppers that we're
> bombarded by. We love helping people who are
> sincere about wanting one of our award winning
> SUV's.)
>
>
> It would help to know
> what your space requirements are, either in terms
> of people or cargo. You mentioned fuel economy was
> a consideration also. It would help to know how
> many miles per year you drive, and whether the
> majority are local or highway miles. Without
> knowing any of this it's a disservice to you to
> recommend anything. That being said, I'll give you
> our best prices on our full line of SUV's with all
> of the available incentives. These are LS models,
> our basic packages, from smallest to largest. Once
> again, without having a discussion about your
> particular needs, this is not a recommendation.
> They are represented smallest to largest. Chevy
> Equinox, available in all wheel or front wheel
> drive, five passenger cpapability, from $19,864.
> Chevy Traverse, in AWD or FWD, seven passenger
> capability, from $26,205. Chevy Tahoe, available
> in rear wheel drive or four wheel drive, from
> $32,282, or Suburban, nine passenger capacity,
> available in RWD or 4WD, from $36,278. Keep in
> mind you're combining these unbeatable prices with
> xxxx's award winning sales and delivery! Chevrolet
> also has some roomy cars and trucks that offer
> best in class space and fuel economy, but once
> again, I'd need a little more info. The incentives
> expire soon, and supply is dropping fast= don't
> hesitate to call or email me. We can go into more
> detail about meeting your needs that way. Thanks
> for the opportunity, and I look forward to hearing
> from you soon."
>
>
> Okay, that was a bit of an odd email, and I
> included it on the report since that is what is
> required. End of story? Not quite. This comes
> to me today - it would appear my shop has already
> made it into his hands and he has a few things to
> get off his chest.
>
> "Allow me to critique your critique of my email. I
> was correct in the phone number I received was not
> in service. xxxxxxx was what I was given. Call it
> yourself and get the "not in service" message. I
> was correct the email lead was bogus, a secret
> shopper. We are not paid for these as salespeople,
> and they are handed out in rotation to the
> salespeople. Not only was I not paid for the 40
> minutes of work researching the incentives and
> prices, and composing the email, but to top it
> off, the next email, that would have been mine,
> led to a significant commission for the next
> salesperson. We take it very seriously, to take
> care of our customers and prospective customers.
> The 40 minutes you received were taken from other
> customers of mine. I have one significant
> resource, my time, that you wasted. The request
> you made spanned a $50,000 price range. What you
> asked for was a dissertation on half of GM's
> lineup. You gave absolutely no help narrowing that
> span with any cogent information. Other of my
> customers who have bought vehicles from me have
> given me customer satisfaction scores totalling a
> 94% completely satified rating with the sales and
> delivery process. Even though your email was a
> fabrication, it gets averaged in with people who
> did buy, and affects my scores and pay through
> xxxxx. In light of all this, maybe you could see
> your way to reconsidering your decision to do
> business here. Thank you for your time."
>
>
> First instinct? To send a sharply worded email
> back to this gentleman setting him straight on a
> few things. Second instinct? To forward this
> email to the shopping company. But I think (after
> a few deep breaths) it might be best just to "put
> this in a bubble and send it to the sky" as my
> mother in law would say. :-) Wondering what
> everyone else thinks though....thoughts or advice?

This is the exact reason I rarely do auto sales shops. The salespeople are out there busting their rear ends to make a sale, and it literally means their livelihood. Times are hard.

Not sure it was in compliance to post the actual email from the guy...

Yes, he was ________, because he got a bad review. I wouldn't respond to his outraged email with a ten foot pole, but hope it works out the best for you.

When auditing a convenience store, an employee vented to me, and said in other words that it was a low-down, miserable thing to be a "secret shopper" and a "tattle-tail." It has taken me a long time to come to terms with what she said that day.

I am someone who takes a look at the employees when the owner/manager isn't around, and sometimes, even the manager is incompliant with shady, but not quite incompliant drug use products or rotten coffee or tore up graphitized walls or etc. As a customer I deserve to buy foods and receive services from businesses and companies that follow the rules and do the best for my money and patronage. They can step up and work like they are supposed to or someone will be hired that will work compliantly.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/21/2014 11:30PM by Mary Smith xoxoxo.

Just to add: The gas station I worked at (here's the story that explains why I have never used its name here!) had a manager who was, well . . . a @#$%&. There's no other word for her. She was militant about spoilage--but kept coffee in a cupboard teeming with black mold; she insisted we upsell every person--but routinely stole from the store. She managed to steal $90 from me (and various amounts from other people) by claiming that my register kept coming up short but that she'd allow me to pay the money back so I wouldn't get written up. When I finally reported her, it included this line: "I can understand that I might have made wrong change one time by a few dollars, maybe. But isn't it funny that it keeps coming out to $30 short when there's no such thing as a $30 bill?"

I reported her, but here's the final nail in her coffin: at that chain, if you're a manager and the shoppee doesn't get 100%, you lose your bonus for the quarter. She blamed me because we hadn't gotten 100% three times in a row . . . BUT SHE WAS THE ONE WHO GOT SHOPPED ALL THREE TIMES, AND ALL THREE OF HER SCORES WERE FAILS. The fourth time in a row, I got shopped because she couldn't cut the mustard and I got a 95%. When higher management found out she was trying to write me up and send me back to training ("and you may possibly be terminated" for her failed shops, it was so long and don't let the door hit you, etc.


So yes, mystery shopping can affect management as well. If they're not doing their jobs, it will eventually come around to bite them in the ass.

Yeah, the more I thought about it, this guy took a chance in ruining future sales by sending that crappy email to you. What if in the future you do want to purchase a new car? What's the likelihood of you returning to him to buy it? Zero, I am sure. And it's a good thing that you are bound by a confidentiality agreement, not that he necessarily knows that, because we all know that word-of-mouth can be either excellent advertising or hugely detrimental in business.

Glad I decided not to do the car sales shops when they first came around. Buying a car for real is a hard enough experience....trying to act interested sounds even worse, especially with the pressure that seems to come with that particular type of sale....and the pay doesn't seem nearly worth the effort....just my opinion.

i'm glad you decided to forward on your comments. the company and msc need to know that. you also don't deserve that kind of treatment for doing your job.

I like the bubble aspect, as he was right you know

nct49, most of us won't touch them until they are heavily bonused. And I would say that this circumstance is rare, though disturbing.

SunnyDays2 Wrote:
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> 1. Do NOT send an email back to the salesman!
>
> In your ICA, you agree to NOT contact the client.
> If "ABC Motors" requested a shop be performed,
> then the salesman is an employee of ABC Motors and
> if you do contact him, you are in violation of the
> contract. The ONLY time you are allowed to contact
> the salesperson or the dealership, is if the
> client gives approval, or if it is the next part
> of the assignment. (correct me if I am wrong but
> that is how I understand our agreement regarding
> contacting employees/cleint with the MSC/client)
>
> I had an apartment shop and the target contacted
> me after the shop. I ignored her phone calls.
>
> Despite the salesman being out of line, I look at
> your shop from all aspects. (I do not condone what
> he wrote back to you btw, to be clear) but since I
> learned that car salesman (in MOST cases) earn a
> commission ONLY. No salary. No hourly wage, I
> really don't enjoy taking food out of his/her
> mouth.
>
> His anger lies in the fact that he spent XX
> amount of time and would not be making a sale from
> you today. Most would say that maybe he is in the
> wrong line of work and nobody put a gun to his
> head to accept "commission only" sales position.
> Likely, he is a good salesman, as he states, the
> last customer gave him 95% satisfaction. (so he
> says..) Perhaps this report cuts deep into his
> rating. I know at most dealerships, they write the
> salesman's name on the wall and how many cars
> he/she sold.
>
> For me, the only answer is to NOT do those car
> shops. He is going to see your letter or your shop
> results. He likely is not supposed to call you. He
> has all your personal information. I don't enjoy
> the car shops or wasting the salesman's time. I
> know some will do them with hefty bonuses but I
> need to sleep at night

I need to eat! Car sales people (women are selling cars too these days) know being shopped is part of their job, and there's no guarantee of sale until the contract has been signed. I give out my Google voice numbers to car sales people so they always get voice mail. I give an email associated with one of those numbers. It has been my understanding that it's okay to tell a client's employee you're no longer interested in buying the car after the shop is completed. Otherwise, they keep contacting you and wasting more of their time (and yours).

By the way, Nissan pays their sales employees a salary. They do not work on a commission basis. Nissan employees and manager actually pride themselves on this and will bring it up during the sales pitch/shop to try to influence you that the sales employees gain no immediate monetary benefit from trying to sell you a car you may or may not want. So you can shop a Nissan and get some sleep! Also, most dealers pay salespeople some salary and commission. Very few work on a commission only basis. Real estate people work on a commission basis and you wouldn't let that influence you when choosing to buy or not buy the property they're showing you, right? They may only make a few sales a year for big commissions. Working on a commission basis is a very risky choice but that's the choice sales employees make voluntarily.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2014 03:13PM by nycrocks.