david mendeloff
Published 7 years ago
An OK buying experience
My salesman Valmir is a very pleasant fellow and I was happy dealing with him. He was polite and respectful and clearly went out of his way to make a sale. I have a few quibbles, none of which have to do with Valmir personally, but with the general sales approach at Bank St Mazda: First, when negotiating I prefer to discuss total price, not monthly payments. I made that clear repeatedly, but I had a very difficult time getting a clear number. This led to confusion and miscommunication. Eventually I got the information I needed from the sales manager and reached a deal that I was happy with. But getting to a point where I could accurately compare apples to apples took unnecessarily long.
Second, I was not told at the time of sale that there were 310 kms on the vehicle. To me that is a bit high: that is 1/3 of the "break in" period recommended by Mazda. I had no idea how those first 300 kms were driven and still don't. The explanation I got was vague and imprecise. (1) Perhaps it was purchased from a dealership in Hawkesbury and driven to Ottawa? But Hawkesbury is only 70 kms from Ottawa, not 300. (2) It had to be road tested prior to sale. Of course it does, but an additional 270 kms? (3) I was re-assured it was not a demo (something I explicitly asked about previously). But that couldn't really be confirmed. I was eventually offered a $100 service credit, which is not much (considering I would have negotiated differently had I known the odometer reading), and doesn't really give me any peace of mind. The last two new cars I purchased had 26 kms and 15 kms, respectively. That's reasonable. Anything over 50 should be disclosed. The problem is not 310 kms (though, again, I would have negotiated differently had I known that), but the lack of transparency both before and after the sale.
Finally, I think a few small things would have made the buying experience a little nicer and professional: Put all the paperwork in a folder or envelope instead of loosely handing the customer a stack of papers. I suspect a simple Mazda branded folder or envelope would cost you about $0.02 a piece. Also, make sure the customer receives a copy of the sales agreement (I did not get it and had to come back to the dealership for my copy). Second, put owner's manuals in a Mazda branded case so they can be kept together in the glove box with registration and insurance papers. I've never purchased a vehicle where the manuals are put loosely in a cheap disposable plastic bag. Valmir kindly found a Mazda branded case for me when I asked for one, but why this is not standard is puzzling.