My last trip started out to get many items done that day (best utilization of the energy I use = minimizing my pollution). Along with accomplishing various tasks, I also planned to stop by a couple dealerships that sell plugins to see how they are doing. This 'check-in' would be different as I would be doing this on a weekday, rather than a weekend-day as in the past.
Note: when I do this, I purposely not dress like the local/Silicon-Valley well-paid/preppy/hi-tech - professional employees, but in lower paid workingman's clothing. I do this to see how the sale reps treat someone who does not look affluent. Along my circular route, I stopped by a Ford dealership on the SF Peninsula. I made my way in the showroom, where a typical sales rep (vulture) immediately came to pounce. I asked to see their Ford Fusion plugin hybrids, and the man got on his cell phone to find someone with knowledge of them. I purposely did not ask about the Ford Focus Electric at first as that dealership had always feigned ignorance, and would use wording to talk me out of a EV, and look to their plugin-hybrid. It took quite awhile for that first sales rep, he seemed like he walked off and disappeared. Killing time while waiting, I saw on their showroom floor there were two 2013 Ford 302 Boss Mustang ice http://www.leftlanenews.com/new-car-buying/ford/mustang-boss-302/# One had been tricked out for the track: passenger seat removed, all interior trim peeled away, a small NO2 bottle bolted where the passenger seat was, a race driver's panel of switches (fuel, pumps, ignition, etc.), and a rear air spoiler mounted on the rear trunk lid that looked something like http://www.evasivemotorsports.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RGS-BRACKET&Category_Code=JS_3DWING The spoiler's mount looked rather flimsy/cheesy, so I gently tugged at it to see if it flexed or gave. No, it was a solidly mounted. Just as I was moving my hand away from the rear spoiler, a sales rep that had overheard I was asking about 'Electrics' (the reps still call both plugin hybrids and EVs, Electrics), the rep quickly smiled and said, "You won't find those (the spoiler) on Electrics (him thinking plugins are crap and just do not cut it in his book when you can buy a Boss 302 ice). I just as quickly retorted before he could go around the corner, "There there are racing Electrics ..." (he was gone, and the look on his face was he was still thinking he was right and I was -not a winner- ). I made my way down to the other side of that showroom, after looking around a few corridors for my rep, I came back to find an older rep who had just come in. He said the 1st rep had asked him to talk to me (so the 1st guy is now gone). This 2nd rep was more plugin knowledgeable than in past visits to this dealership, but not by much. As we walked outside and across the street to their secondary vehicle storage area (they did not have any plugins in the showroom - that space was for their profitable ice), he also mentioned how their EV only gets 75 miles and then you are stuck, whereas the hybrid gets 25 miles Electric and then you an drive as far as you want when the ice takes over. When I let him know I had driven an EV for over 15 years, and that range was just not an issue, he said, " ... well OK, if that works for you ..." (this guy would really rather sell an ice). As he was looking for their pih/phev, I tested his EV knowledge by asking if he knew what level-3 charging was. He had not a clue, nor that their EV did not have a l3 capability to recharge to 80%SOC in 20 minutes. Being able to recharge so quickly did not phase him, so I doubt he will retain that info. The reason the sales rep and I did not find their one Focus EV in that lot, was that it had been pulled to prep it for a customer-purchase pickup (yay, another production EV sold). Freshly washed and vacuumed, that metallic black Focus EV was parked just outside the showroom building by a sales rep whom I had dealt in past visits. But now he was a bit more knowledgeable than the 2nd sales rep. The 2nd rep let go of me and looked on as I went over to have a chat with that rep who was preparing the Focus EV. I waited as he multitasking by wiping off any residual shipping goo marks off the vehicle and yakked on his cell phone with the customer to come pick it up in 2 hours. After the phone call ended, I was able to gather some good details of that dealership's EV and pih availability (not bad, better than before). When I was about to leave I thanked him for that detail as I would be letting the people I talk to about plugins, where to come purchase a Ford plugin. He offered that if I were to send him a lead that made a sale I could earn $50. I thanked him, but let him know that I was not doing this for a money. I said his children breathing clean air is worth more than $50. With this dealership somethings had changed, and some were the same. The good news: their staff was a little more plugin informed, and slightly more interested, but sadly, with the exception of one sales rep, the rest of their staff was still mainly centered on selling an ice vehicle. ... After a couple other tasks, I stopped off at a nearby Nissan dealership. Again, I was immediately pounced on by an older salesman who wanted to sell me a vehicle (any vehicle). I asked if he knew Nissan's Electric vehicle, and he said what he did not know he would learn (meaning, he must have had a long history of selling, and his pride would not let him admit that he was not-knowledgeable enough to sell plugins). I played along, and asked him if he knew what level-3 charging was. He said no (this told me a lot of how little he knew). We went inside where I hoped to learn more about the 2013 model Leaf EV. He let me ask the sales team manager about when their dealership was going to have level-3 EVSE installed (as Nissan is installing l3 EVSE at most of their dealerships that sell plugins) and where be located. The manager said he did not know. I asked if I could offer a suggestion as a good place for the installation, and I was flatly told 'no' by that manager (meaning, 'no I do not want your suggestion'). The conversation having ended, and only a turban wrapped glare remaining, I moved on (like a non-stick coating, I let those bad customer skills slide off me). While the older (thinks he can sell anything) sales rep was using his finger tips to try to pry-open the front charging port lid cover http://nissanleafdealer.com/images/rogee-dealerserve/2013-specs/12TDI_LEAFk064-charge-door.jpg http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/leafcharger.jpg I went over an asked an older saleswoman who really knew her stuff. She made quick work of giving me what I needed, in a most professional and pleasant way. By the time I got back to the Leaf EV, another sales rep was yakking at the old sales rep (class was in session). I stood in the background while the teaching sales rep at the rear of the 2013 Leaf was yakking at the older sales gent (who was nodding, but most likely nothing was really sinking in: it all was just too different, too much detail, too new for him to want to absorb). I was staying out of the way and listening to what was being taught, but when the teaching rep pulled out the level-1 EVSE out of its cover in the rear of the Leaf, and said to the older rep that the level-1 EVSE would recharge the Leaf in 8 hours, I had to interject (there is nothing worse that sales reps giving wrong information to customers). I said, " ... no, that is level-1 ... it takes 20+ hours ... " The teaching rep became flustered, then angrily said to me, "Well he knows more than me, ..." Then stormed off miffed. With that abrupt lead sales rep's unprofessional behavior, the older rep then said he had to go, as he was done for the day ... He droned on and on about how he had come in early or something ... I said it was OK, but he continued yak about his leaving to hear himself speak (guilty conscience over-compensation) ... Gesturing with a gentle stop I said, "I understand you need to leave" (released he went and hid in an office somewhere - clearly he really wasn't leaving to go home as he said). Before I left I wanted to thank again the saleswoman for her help, but she and all the other reps were now huddled together in some sort of impromptu meeting, doing a 'we are unavailable' act. The team's manger had done a disappearing act as well. Outside the showroom door, a younger Nissan saleswoman heading in to enter let me ask her a couple quick 2013 Leaf EV questions. I found out the 6kW on-board charger was only offered on the more expensive trim level http://www.nissanusa.com/electric-cars/leaf/versions-specs/and that she did not know of recargo.com and only used Nissan's out-of-date carwings to find EV Charging sites. Then suddenly she was overhead PA/loudspeaker paged to come in. I still had more 2013 model questions but, the miffed rep wielded his power to keep his staff from talking to me. If the people am talking at EVents or in the public want to go to that Nissan dealership, I will suggest that they work with the knowledgeable, helpful, and professional saleswomen, and to avoid the male sales staff. This is not the first time this dealership's reps have pulled a disappearing act. Only on the weekends, it was not as blatant. Note: there were no customers at anytime while I was at the dealership, nor on previous weekend visits. I was the only-non-employee there. ... I then went to a nearby VW dealer and asked if they had any plugins yet. Their sales rep was direct and to the point: not yet, perhaps later. So while the newswires might be talking a mean VW plugin game, but they have not arrived at that dealership, and their reps are not kept informed as to what is coming and or when. ... Next, I went to a nearby hi-tech firm to see how much their level-3 and their 10 level-2 EVSE were being used in the evening during the week. This company has about a third of their first level employee parking structure filled with plugins. They are mostly Leaf EVs, but there are a more Focus EVs than Volt pih. Curiously, the level-3 was not in use by any non-employee/mooching EV'rs. This seemed out of the ordinary as previous visits at this time of day had a constant flow of EVs coming in to l3 charge. Either from SF going to the South Bay, or the reverse, coming from the South bay heading toward SF, a free l3 top off was sweet-treat. ... People should understand that not all dealerships are the same. That while they greet to sell you that they are a great resource, that is not always the case. Before you buy your plugin you have to do your homework. I still believe it is the online forums that are the best tool to know which local dealership is the best one for you to try and buy the plugin of your choice, and also to know which dealership is the best to bring in for service (not always the same as the dealership you bought from). Of course, avoid dealerships that do not care about customers ('if I am not going to make money from you, then leave' ...). {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/Chargeabout-disappearing-sales-reps-tp4662457.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
