[BMWCCA1]

You were treated badly. No question. Dealers who pull that crap deserve to be called out.

But, I started selling BMWs at a dealership 45-years ago. I've owned BMWs for over 50-years. I wish I could just call out all the customers who treated me as badly—or even worse than what happened to you. Just today a customer I'd sold two cars to and spent countless hours walking through the process of building an X5 45e, even borrowing a customer's car so he could see and drive one, who then went to a dealership less than 100-miles away and ordered his car based on the build specs we created, called me to ask questions about his car. He also asked me to appraise his 2010 trade for the third time in the past year, a trade he said the other dealer was giving him so much more for—yet he still owns it. Now I'm sure most customers think the dealer has nothing better to do than to spend hours with them. And then we should simply wish them well as they go hours away to order the car because another dealership will just drop their pants on price knowing they'll never have to spend time or even see the guy again. And—and!!—then have the nerve to ask me to spend more time with them on a car they purchased elsewhere just to save money.

I know my time is free. But my years of expertise and knowledge acquisition are my stock in-trade. Every dealership can sell the same car and every dealership pays the same for that car. But the honest, helpful, knowledgeable sales people are expected to just suck up this bad behavior and smile: "Thank you sir, may I have another??"

Just my way of letting you know it's not just the dealers that are assholes in this car-purchasing "game". I have families as customers who now rely on me in their third-generation of BMW purchasing. I have customers now living over 500-miles away who wouldn't think of trusting their purchase to anyone but me. And it's people like this who keep me going to work every day when many would have retired from this wretched business by now.

Value the good dealers and continue to call out the bad. That's a luxury you have that your sales advisor does not. It's your right. But remember there is another side of how this business works where the dealer isn't always the bad guy!