Saturday, August 29, 2009
overheard at a car dealership yesterday
The dealer comes back into the main waiting room from the little side room where All Mysterious Decisions Are Made and All Car Values And Your Self-Worth Are Determined. He sits down at the table, papers in hand, beside a timid car-shopping lady who is at least ten years his senior. Her 11-year old son is standing between them looking back and forth. The dealer talks in a whiny, condescending voice.
dealer: Mmkay, so what we're gonna need is a co-signer. Mmmkay? And I need you to do that very soon, today or tomorrow, and get RIGHT BACK to me. Can you do that? Hmmm? Can you do that?
lady: Um, yeah, okay.
dealer: Is there anybody you can talk to who could co-sign? Mom? Dad? an aunt? an uncle?
lady: Well, my dad died last year [looks away sadly].
dealer: Awwwwwwwwwww.
kid: [sees price sticker in dealer's hand] So, that car is gonna cost us fourteen thousand dollars?
dealer: [annoyed and dismissive] Umm, no. I've got several people in the building I'm working with right now. [turns back to lady] So, I'm gonna need you to get right on this. Will you do that? Get ahold of anybody you can. Mom. Dad.* Anybody. And call me.
* Yes, he did. Only ten seconds after she'd stated her dad was dead, and only eight seconds after he'd acknowledged it with an extended "Awwwww."
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8 comments:
Sad, but not suprising. How much more insensitive could you get?
PS: You guys buying a new car?
You need to let us know who this guy is so we never do business with him :)
WOW. What is WITH people?
Mars, it was actually really sad. I just wanted for that lady to have someone, anyone, "mom, dad, aunt, uncle" who could NOT co-sign for her but go car shopping with her and see to it that she didn't get scammed. Also, we'd considered trading in our pickup for a car, but the deal they offered us was laughable, so we walked.
Mom, yeah, it was a tall dark-haired guy.
Melissa, I don't know. The drive to make money no matter who you have to step on?
Uugh. That is so terrible. I know I shouldn't generalize, but all my experiences with car dealerships have been bad. This one takes the cake.
I read your canning post....and LOVED it. I can totally identify. This year had been my biggest yet, for canning. I'm realizing it get a little easier as my kids get older, and I attempt a little more each year. I also loved your sewing projects. I am so impatient when it comes to sewing, I have a real hard time with patterns, too.
And yes, to both, the walkie talkie and the cape. Go figure. By the way, those kids are Jeff and McKenzie (teague) Trautmans, you probably remember them from WPC.
Real sad.
Didn't you wish you just had a pile of money so you could wisk that lady away to a different store where you could just buy a car for her? I wish that. Sad.
The kid sounds funny... was he funny?
Rach, the kid was funny, yeah. Not on purpose, but he was perfect for the role. I thought about happening by while the mom and dealer were chatting and saying to the kid, "Kid, run! Take your mom and get out of here and never come back, see. You're the one, kid. You're the one who can stop this deal and protect the family. Check out the ads in the Mountain Trader and buy an old, clean car from an old, clean man."
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