How car dealers trick you into thinking you’re getting a good deal
By ANISaturday, October 16, 2010
LONDON - Ever fallen for ‘ankle-tapping’ or ‘wooden duck’ while buying a car? If yes, you just got trapped in the hype created by the salesman to sell his product.
A car magazine has alerted the public to the tricks of the showroom. Here’s the list of showroom lingo you need to know to save yourself.
Wooden duck: A customer who does not haggle or negotiate.
Loss-leader advertising: The dealership sells a couple of unwanted cars at an unrealistically low price to attract buyers, then sells them pricier ones.
Low-balling: The salesman tells the customer an unrealistically low price that they should aim to pay for a new car. When they come back because they could not get it for that price elsewhere, they are convinced to buy it for more
Ankle tapping: A salesman offers less than market value for a trade-in, so he can offer an unrealistically low price for a new car
Limited time: A dealership offers a deal that is only available if the customer signs up on that day
Time of the month: At the beginning of month, the salesman tells the customer he needs the sale to make up last month’s quota. In the middle of month, he says the sale is needed to hit a specific target. At the end of month he claims to have ‘almost hit target’ and just needs this sale to do it ‘It’s often done totally irrationally - just as many people walk into a house and know straight away it’s the one for them.
“Like all “big ticket” items, buying a car is mainly an emotional decision,” the Daily Mail quoted Nigel Marlow, of the London Metropolitan University as saying in the article.
“Car companies use all sorts of techniques to appeal to you.
“The first is bombarding you with totally unrealistic car ads that generally show attractive people flashing along an empty road,” he said.
Richard Headland said: “Buying a car from a dealer is a bit like a game of cat and mouse.
“If you know their tricks, you’re far less likely to fall for them and more likely to get a good deal,” he said. (ANI)
