Car Dealership Scams And How To Avoid Them

Not all car dealerships are out to scam you, let’s be clear about that. All the negative things you hear are deserved by a handful of dealerships who rely on deception or other means to seal a deal. There are thousands of honest car dealerships that offer great service. But even so, people should still be mindful of scams. So here are some car dealership scams and how to avoid them. 

Image source: hotcars.com

Lying about credit scores is one of the biggest scams in the business. Operators will lie about your current credit score and give you a much higher interest when it comes to the monthly computation. An unchecked credit score could have you paying for the same price as a brand new car. 

False advertisement is also a scam that’s difficult to catch. It’s difficult because you can only find out once you are lured into their showroom or their garage. Some false advertisement claims include hefty rebates. What happens is the price they give you includes the rebate. 

Another vicious scam is the “we’ll pay your loan” scam wherein dealers will promise to pay for some of your loans for a few months so that you will be able to purchase the car. However, a few months after getting the car, the bank will notify you that no dealership has paid for any of your loans.

Image source:  hotcars.com

Jeffrey W. Lupient is a native of Minnesota. He started his career in the automotive retail industry when he began working multiple jobs in his family’s chain of dealerships at the age of 15. For more articles on automobile dealerships, visit this website.

How viable are self-driving cars, really?

Autonomous vehicles or AVs are the talk of the industry in the last few years. Ads and commercials online and on television are showing car manufacturers beginning to roll out models of these self-driving cars. But can they really be the next big thing? 

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There’s no denying that these cars will make the roads safer, especially because of problem with the so-called human error factor. In fact, a study done by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that drivers cause 94 percent of road accidents. These self-driving cars will never be distracted by phones or a bad day. 

This leads to saving more money in the long run. The initial release of AVs will surely be costlier, but because they significantly lower the risk of accidents, owners will eventually save on expenses induced by such. Plus, wear-and-tear due to small mistakes like dents and scratches when parking will be reduced. The value of these cars will, therefore, depreciate more slowly. 

Finally, these cars are more environment-friendly. At a time when sustainability and caring for nature are already important considerations in everyday lives, the improved efficiency of these self-driving cars is most welcome. If this technology eventually revives interest in and preference for electric vehicles, the impact of transportation-caused dangers to the environment will be drastically reduced.

In a nutshell, self-driving cars are definitely viable, and may possibly be the next best thing to appear on the roads as the 2020s near. 

Image source: fortune.com

Jeffrey W. Lupient is the current president and CEO of the Lupient Automotive Group. A native of Minnesota, Jeffrey started his career in the automotive retail industry when he began working multiple jobs in his family’s chain of dealerships at the age of 15. For related reads, visit this blog.

Customer experience: Why you should run the extra mile in service

Consumers have the information they need at their fingertips. With developments in technology, customers are making educated choices for purchases. And having easy access to information around the world, consumers are empowered like never before. 

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There is now higher expectations of brands as consumers are harder to convince of the value of a product or service with competition against more established companies and brands. Business and marketers are driven to bring their top-notch service to the table to deliver more than what is asked for. An approach that is central to the customer is a new trend that companies follow, while others still stick to traditional methods. 

This approach benefit companies more as finding new customers is harder and more expensive than retaining old ones. Studies have shown that there is more value in concentrating resources on maintaining existing customers. To attract new ones, companies would have to spend five times more than keeping existing consumers happy with their products and services. 

Customer and company interaction take place in multiple channels such as via telephone, email, websites, in-store, or social media. Unifying these channels ensures consistency in customer service and communication. This prevents the customer from being frustrated for having to repeat their issue over and over before a company finds a solution. When a customer feels understood the first they expressed their issue, a firm provides them with a pleasant customer journey. After all, gladdened customers are the greatest brand campaigners, as they are the best sources of referrals and brand advocacy. 

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Jeffrey W. Lupient is a hands-on manager who uses his industry knowledge and many years of experience to deliver excellent service to clients and develop long-term customer relationships. For similar updates, head over to this blog.