[E92Monstah]

So, I took my Mercedes C Class to Mercedes of Alexandria today to get yet another problem looked at (thumping sound at slow speeds; probably a bad tire). Since I hate Mercedes, I decided to walk up the street to BMW of Alexandria with every intention of buying a new 3 Series sedan. I walked in and there were 4 or 5 salesmen (I assume) at desks typing away. Nobody looked up; nobody even said hello. I spent 11 minutes looking around the showroom and sitting in a couple of cars and nobody approached me. So, I went outside, walked around the lot to check out the cars. A guy came out, nodded to me, and continued to walk past me. I went back in and continued browsing for a few minutes...nothing...no hello...no how can I help you...nothing. Oh well. Their loss. I'll stick with my Benz through the winter and try another dealer next Spring. Just venting.

[Andrew115]

Same thing happened to me at my local dealer about .5 miles from my house. So I drove 60 miles to the next dealer and got the same car for 3K less.

[mattj3]

Go to Passport. I've given up on Alexandria - I've had the same experience as you, and they never seem interested in negotiating. JC Thomas at Passport is the man - we've bought our last 3 cars from him. Plus Passport service will pick up your car and drop off a loaner at your house.

[JN1]

Rarely happens in Cali. The salespeople are hawks here. They see me coming for miles it feels like.

[lighthousemoon]

I have had the same experience 4 times in about 10 years - at West German BMW in the Philadelphia suburbs. I have gone in there, hung around some of the cars, and no one came up to me. I even stole eye contact with one or two salespeople, but nothing happened.

I have always felt welcome and appreciated at Thompson BMW in Doylestown - a little further, by maybe 5 more minutes - MUCH better. Ordered my 5th car from them (3 BMWs, a Toyota Sienna, and a Nissan Quest) and always loved their service and personality. Free loaners, dropoff/pickup service, and lots of other extras - that I actually look forward to going to the dealership. Thompson should be a model for all other dealerships nationwide.

Go Thompson!

C-

[beemer11]

Why didnt you just ask for help?

[1N54E92]

Originally Posted by E92Monstah

So, I took my Mercedes C Class to Mercedes of Alexandria today to get yet another problem looked at (thumping sound at slow speeds; probably a bad tire). Since I hate Mercedes, I decided to walk up the street to BMW of Alexandria with every intention of buying a new 3 Series sedan. I walked in and there were 4 or 5 salesmen (I assume) at desks typing away. Nobody looked up; nobody even said hello. I spent 11 minutes looking around the showroom and sitting in a couple of cars and nobody approached me. So, I went outside, walked around the lot to check out the cars. A guy came out, nodded to me, and continued to walk past me. I went back in and continued browsing for a few minutes...nothing...no hello...no how can I help you...nothing. Oh well. Their loss. I'll stick with my Benz through the winter and try another dealer next Spring. Just venting.

I usually don't comment on sales people but this case I will have to chime in. About a month ago when I was looking for my F30 sedan, I reached out to this very dealership that you visited . I called and e-mailed for a price on a 2013 black 328i. Since I live over an hour and half away, I try to work out all the details before I drive to the dealership to sign the papers. "Charlie" the salesman says "We do not lower the price Bryan. The price on the web is a very competitive price so we do not negotiate". "Please bring us a quote from a BMW dealership you are working with then we will try to match it".
So I bought it from another dealership that was willing to give me a competitive price upfront without the bs.

[Raja Ventureshield]

I don't let things like that bother me. If I want to look at a car, I just go up to the receptionist and tell them I need to drive a car, gimme a salesperson. Then to the salesperson, I just give the license and tell him what I want. There are different approaches in life. You can wait for things to happen or you can make things happen. Me being a foreigner, I had to learn that not everyone is going to treat you same. But what I do know is I won't let anyone mistreat me.

What happened to you, should have not happened. The dealers should be courteous and offer help and service. It's a shame people do not understand customer service any longer. Everything is negotiable, if dealer A is not doing it then go to dealer B.

Bryan you did the right thing. You work hard for your money and you deserver the best deal.

[DC Newbie]

I wasn't too impressed with BMW of Alexandria either, but for different reasons. I shopped elsewhere, and found a salesman that was honest, upfront, no bs. For what it's worth, I recommend Jim Sabo at Fairfax.

[f30er]

I had a good sales guy at Alexandria but they weren't willing to negotiate at all on price. Their "best" price was enough that I actually started laughing in the showroom and walked out. BMW Fairfax on the other hand, exact same experience as the OP. Took my E92 to Passport for an oil change and they were really nice up there! Even let me take out a X6M for a test drive while waiting for my car!!

[D3oneO]

So it wasn't me. I had the same experience at BMW of Alexandria. After wasting about 20 minutes there, I drove to Passport and bought a car the same day.

[pecophilly]

Just chiming in here, I'm from the VA Beach area but happened to visit the BMW of Fairfax last weekend. AMAZING place. The sales people were very nice and the service department is spectacular and friendly. Highly recommend!

[QTC]

Ditto...ended up buying my car from NJ. Guy was able to beat everyone's prices enough that it was worth taking the trip.

[vq352k]

That same thing happen to me at Porsche of Tysons. I meant to send an email to their sales manager, but I forgot. I was looking to lease a Cayman '14 and looked around for about 20 minutes. I know their sales ppl saw me looking around, but no one ever said hi. I drove to BMW of Fairfax and bought a car the same day.

[X2 Monstah]

The funny thing is, I actually went back a few weeks later and bought a 328i from them. Luckily I got a CA that was eager to help me (Hugo Coz) and I closed the deal in about 3 hours after checking out a few models. I swore I would not go back, but it is literally a couple of blocks from my house.

[cotmfk]

Originally Posted by beemer11

Why didnt you just ask for help?

+1, same comments as Raja.

[sarabrown]

Having a business take a lot of effort. Some people may want it and some may hate it. Anxiety and doubt needn't be deal-breakers when you are in the act of getting a small company going. Tame that animal and take control with a few time-tested recommendations that can lead not only to small business success, but personal growth.

[mge92]

Had the same crappy experience at Alexandria. BMW Rockville is great, especially the sales manager Michael Zheng and the service agent Beaver Ho.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by mattj3

Go to Passport. I've given up on Alexandria - I've had the same experience as you, and they never seem interested in negotiating. JC Thomas at Passport is the man - we've bought our last 3 cars from him. Plus Passport service will pick up your car and drop off a loaner at your house.

Oh really?

I'm in the market for a 2014 335i and I've been working with a great CA over at BMW of Silver Spring (a friend of mine highly recommended them).

I've heard horror stories about BMW of Alexandria so I avoided that place entirely.

I have an appointment with BMW of Silver Spring on Feb 14th to go on one last test drive then after that, negotiate a deal (I made a thread explaining the whole story here, http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=936952).

Should I not get the deal I'm looking for, perhaps I'll try Passport BMW and get in touch with this JC Thomas individual.

[mattj3]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

Oh really?

I'm in the market for a 2014 335i and I've been working with a great CA over at BMW of Silver Spring (a friend of mine highly recommended them).

I've heard horror stories about BMW of Alexandria so I avoided that place entirely.

I have an appointment with BMW of Silver Spring on Feb 14th to go on one last test drive then after that, negotiate a deal (I made a thread explaining the whole story here, http://www.f30post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=936952).

Should I not get the deal I'm looking for, perhaps I'll try Passport BMW and get in touch with this JC Thomas individual.

I would certainly get multiple offers. I've never been to BMW Silver Spring, so I don't have any experience with them. JC is now Sales Manager at Passport, and I've had nothing but good experiences.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by mattj3

I would certainly get multiple offers. I've never been to BMW Silver Spring, so I don't have any experience with them. JC is now Sales Manager at Passport, and I've had nothing but good experiences.

I ended up calling my CA at Silver Spring Monday night outlining exactly what I wanted to pay (invoice less $1250 in incentives) and provided an email itemizing everything I wanted with MSRP vs. invoice pricing, plus the fees I was willing to pay (MACO, training, acquisition fee, etc) to provide an estimate of total OTD price.

He agreed so on Saturday I just go fill out the paperwork, I'll be sure to double check everything to make sure they didn't add anything behind my back.

[PabloK]

E92Monstah - I hear your pain and understand your frustration with not being helped.


However, I can honestly say I'm the complete opposite. When I walk into that dealer, I almost try to hide from the sales people. I hate it when they follow me around the dealership asking what I drive, and what I do for a living. I just want to look at car in peace and without pressure... I'll come find you when I'm ready to negotiate a deal.