Dealer inauthenticity - AIBU?

Could you be a bit more specific?
UK, EU, Australia or?

I could check your profile, maybe you have listed it, maybe not. But given your query, I would consider this a courtesy for those you want to help you out.

Usually the initial response is an automated email template, as well as being targeted to book appointments to discuss these things in more detail in person

webhiker said:

Could you be a bit more specific?
UK, EU, Australia or?

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Everest said:

View attachment 34601

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As I said, courtesy to those you want to help you is not a bad feat

MGDriver said:

Usually the initial response is an automated email template

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Yes - the start of the email looks templated - it's the only part of the reply that doesn't have spelling and grammar mistakes

webhiker said:

As I said, courtesy to those you want to help you is not a bad feat

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Maybe I'm just old-fashioned but I don't consider that some templated drivel shows any degree of courtesy - it is sheer laziness. I'd put up with it if they then actually answered my questions.

I think @webhiker was referring to you not specifically stating your location when asking your question, rather than the template response from the dealers.

This leads me to believe that they may be using a mobile device to view the forum ... with such a device in portrait mode then all those account details are missing from view - they only become visible if you turn your mobile device to landscape mode.

siteguru said:

with such a device in portrait mode then all those account details are missing from view

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Oh! Never realised that - apologies!

Everest said:

Oh! Never realised that - apologies!

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Not your fault. I believe siteguru was referring to webhiker's mobile device orientation.

Everest said:

...........I have emailed 3 dealers about specific cars and the reply I get back every times starts with...

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If you're getting to the time to buy the car it may be worth ringing them up and asking a few questions.

Most (all) salesmen want to talk to clients, preferably face-to-face. Do not think this behaviour is unique to MG.

JonnyG said:

If you're getting to the time to buy the car it may be worth ringing them up and asking a few questions.

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MGCamb said:

Most (all) salesmen want to talk to clients

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I'm sure they do, then they can talk rubbish and deny that they said what they said. I always prefer to have important info, such as service history etc. in writing - especially after hearing about @tiagoespinha recent issues.

I guess it works both ways. If you just email them with questions and not show much interest in viewing the car in person they may not make as much effort in trying to respond to your questions or sell you the car. You can surely request all the important info before making the final purchase.

Everest said:

I'm sure they do, then they can talk rubbish and deny that they said what they said. I always prefer to have important info, such as service history etc. in writing - especially after hearing about @tiagoespinha recent issues.

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Also the feeling I get is that salesmen are generally not all that knowledgeable on the cars they have on their forecourt. When you ask them something, it feels like they just wing it with the answer.

Even on more fundamental things like... this dealership I dealt with was fully convinced they had full service history for a car, and then turns out they didn't.

They claimed the previous owner gave them two pieces of paper and they thought it was one for each service. But hang on... it's 2024, you buy a 2 year old used car that offers a 7 year warranty conditional on having all services done on time, and you don't carefully check that the papers they gave you are the right thing? You don't carefully check on the MG digital system that the services were indeed done? Baffling.

And other more frivolous but also growingly important things like... ensuring the previous owner unpairs their phone/app from the car's remote services when they hand the car in. When I bought this second hand MG, they'd left it with the previous owner's app paired... which meant that unpairing it is a pain (I never figured out whether the previous owner was actively blocking the unpairing, which apparently is a thing) and that previous owner could for example be wasting my battery remotely by constantly engaging the AC.

Admittedly the way MG's systems work here is a bit crap, but it is what it is, if they're knowledgeable about it, they should be ensuring that the unpairing takes place when the car is bought.

Maybe it was just this particular dealership... but I dealt with 3 different salesmen there and literally all 3 of them were terrible (slow communication, not proactively chasing things).