By Derryn Wong and Andy Hum

Offering a toast
One Korean brand’s spokesperson told us about a potential customer who called him after an industry colleague had passed on his contact, in hopes of getting a better price. The customer had asked about the price of a particular model, and was advised by the spokesperson to make a purchase soon, as their prices for that sale period was discounted and would rise again after the promotion.

Instead of being grateful for the advice, the customer became angry and warned the spokesperson not to try and pressurise him, and that he wouldn’t be taken in by “sales talk.” The baffled representative then assured the customer that he was only providing a quote as requested, and was not trying to close a quick deal.

Still dissatisfied, the caller said, “I will come down to your showroom tomorrow and I will get the same price! And when I do, I’ll make sure I’ll burn the price list and make you drink it!”

Everything must be wrong

One customer had insisted that there were imperfections on his paintwork and went back to his dealer. The dealer offered to respray the car for free, but was promptly rejected – the customer wanted a brand new car. Which he would probably never get.

The car purchased was a manual and the list of complaints he had gone to the dealer with included “hearing a sound” when he stepped on the clutch “in a quiet environment” and needing some effort to shift the car into reverse.

Best of all, though, was his dismay that the car would vibrate when he engaged first gear and used half-clutch without stepping on the accelerator.