Nugget

I think the dress code issue is very regional. Living in Austin you have to very quickly adjust to the fact that the slacker in flip-flops and a ratty t-shirt is just as likely to be a "Dellionaire" early retiree from the tech bubble years as he is likely to be a broke college student. Any business that chooses to discriminate based on professional appearance is going to quickly find that they've excluded what is probably the most desirable consumer base in the Austin area. I'm sure the SF bay area has a similar dynamic.

Now that I've moved to Houston where energy companies dominate the business universe here I've found that attire and appearance play a much larger role in how I'm treated. Whatever the case, it's probably good that I shaved my goatee a few years before moving here.

Buying from Roger Beasley in Austin was just great. They were quick to toss the keys, I was able to go out on multiple long test drives without a salesman in the car and they really had no reason to assume I was a serious buyer when I came in. Of course I'll be buying my next car from Likemystoppie? now that I'm not in Austin any more and will happily sign the Sam Adams clause.

Likemystoppie?

Yes. This is pretty typical. I know from an insiders point of view.

George from MD

what about the 'you must buy Chris a Sam Adams (preferrably a ice cold 20oz). Would you sign that one?

Most defintiely. And I'm trying to convince the wife that one new GT3 is worth a used 997 and 993 (and look honey we save on garage space!). That may take a while. But I promise I'll call you first.

BTW I don't know what the deal is with HBL. One of the best and brightest individuals I know is their building manager. My only experience at buying a car there was horrific as was my only service experience. And I've been consistently treated poorly whenever I ventured into their showroom. But they have to be pleasing someone- they're one of the largest dealers in this area.

Matias_S

The city I live in, Dubai, is a world apart from the experiences shared, but anyway oh so similar... What fascinated me when looking for my next car (I ended up buying a C4S) was that BMW, Audi and MB did not want me to test drive their cars; M3, RS4 and C63 respectively, and talked down the Porsches.

The Porsche sales guy, respected my other alternatives, accepted these cars could be faster (in a straight line acceleration) and said that "I do not want to argue my car (Porsche) is better, so why dont you take the car for a drive and then take it home, show your family and then decide?".

After this I bought another Porsche...

DanJK

HBL is a nightmare. Now Porsche Tysons Corner.

jlinmd

Where do you guys get your car serviced in the DC area?

Likemystoppie?

This sounds like an opportunity for me to come down there and clean house!!




One GT3, coming up!!

bingjeep

I purchased a Boxster from Chris at North Olmsted on my day off, shorts and a t-shirt and was treated great! I recently purchased a new 997 from another local dealer that had the car I wanted in stock, 2008 Arctic Silver 997s, and was also treated very well. I find it hard to believe that in this day and age people are being treated this way. I agree with bbrc76 that it is a "two way street, and it is just as important to treat your salesman/dealership with the type of respect you would expect in return. If your salesman has integrity you know it, and that extends to his manners and the way he treats you.

997Turbo

I recently sold my 1996 993 coupe and went back to my dealer in Southern Cal and spoke to the same salesman that sold me my car in 1995! Told him I was looking into a new '09 997 and instead of really trying to work a deal, he said the best he could do was around $4500 below sticker. Meanwhile, I drove out of Orange County and went to a dealer in LA County and they were very helpful and encouraging and would sell me a car at 4K over invoice. It's a great time to shop around, just need to invest the time and have patience

jcr22042

Wow, as a salesperson at HBL (Porsche of Tysons) I guess I'm a little shocked at how quickly someone's willing to generally trash a whole dealership based on an experience they've had. I've been here over 8 years, and have an extremely loyal, happy, client base that I've built up with hard work, excellent customer service, product knowledge, and a passion for Porsche. I have not and do not pre-judge a customer by his or her appearance and I think this a basic rule that any wise and halfway successful salesperson must follow. I know most of my collegues are the same way, and our management preaches this at our meetings. Our goal is a happy customer, because we know word of mouth and reputation is more powerful than any advertising campaign. I know our company president, Roger Penske, holds extremely high standards and wouldn't be one of the most respected and successful business leaders if his dealers were "a nightmare" as someone above characterized. Are we perfect? No. We are a large and high volume dealership in a busy area. We will goof up occasionally. And every employee many not be a model one--with 25 salespeople working here, some will be better than others.

Sorry to rant, but I can't sit back and read this thread without comment. I know that you could find an unhappy customer for every dealership in the country, and often they will "post-away" on various message boards. Of course it's a one-sided story, told from one perspective. I am proud of what I do and the service I provide. I know in my heart that I take great care of my clients and prospects. We have a beautiful facility, including an indoor vehicle storage facility on-site which holds hundreds of cars (no gravel storage lots miles away). I work hard, every weekend, many nights, in all weather, taking great care of customers, some lookers, some buyers. So I take offense to the above generalizations. But, I feel better now that I have this off my chest!

Enjoy your Porsche!

Sadiq

Thanks, it's good to get salespeople's perspectives on things. BTW, how often do you get joyriders/non-serious window shoppers? Once you're convinced that someone is such, what's your course of action?

DRJMK

Well, it's worse for a woman! Several years ago, I went to the local MB dealer driving a 5 series and wanted to test drive the 'new' CLK cab. Well, they said, how about a nice volvo cab, women love these and would NOT let me drive the CLK. So, I shopped out of town and bought that CLK cab and took it to their dealer for service. What a difference, the salesmen were all over me wanting me to trade up to an SL...that's when I traded the CLk cab on my 1st Porsche, a Boxster!

jcr22042

There's really no way to know for sure if you have a "joy rider" or is non-serious, since you should treat everyone as a prospect. However if someone disrespects the car or drives dangerously, I ask them directly not to do so. It's a fine line, as you really don't know the customer's goal, and so you have to assume they are a buyer.

Likemystoppie?

I make them run around the dealership and do jumping jacks. Then while they're doing that I'm running their credit and sending spam into their email.































Oh, wait. No, that's not right. lol

Likemystoppie?

Sweet! Another local on Rennyworld. Aww man...you bought from a competitor?




'Tis all good. Are you still servicing with us?