5 Hallmark Traits of a Trustworthy Car Dealership
When you walk into a car showroom you want to be confident that the dealership is going to look after your interests and give you great customer service every step of the way.
When you visit a site like Ennis Ford, for instance, you are likely to find some fantastic cars that take your eye. You can also often use your intuition to judge that the car dealership is well run and trustworthy, which is important when you are going to be starting a relationship with them that goes beyond simply purchasing a vehicle from them.
Here are some of the classic hallmark traits to look out for that confirm you are dealing with a company that takes pride in its reputation and can be considered trustworthy.
Happy to answer your questions
You might not have that much technical knowledge about cars and you are bound to have some questions that you want to be answered during the sales process.
What you don’t want is a salesman who is very dismissive and even tries to take advantage of your lack of knowledge to sell you a car they want to earn a good commission on rather than listening and guiding you based on your questions and preferences.
A trustworthy dealership will always have staff who are happy to answer all of your questions and take the view that no question is too complicated or too much trouble.
Are they members of a trade association?
Another good sign to look out for is when a car dealership displays membership in a reputable trade association, such as the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, for example.
Being a member of a professional association, or being entrusted with the reputation of a global brand like Ford, as one of their recognized dealers, ensures that they have standards to uphold.
You are encouraged to take your time with your purchasing decision
A trustworthy dealership will never employ high-pressure sales tactics to try and get you to part with your money as quickly as possible.
Professional dealerships who take pride in their reputation will ensure that their salespeople are well trained and paid well enough to not have to even consider resorting to pressurizing you into buying so they can get their commission.
All the paperwork is in order
There is always a certain amount of administration and paperwork that you need to go through when buying a car.
A trustworthy car dealership will have all the necessary paperwork ready for inspection, such as warranties, ownership documents, and the service history of the car.
You will always be welcome to check these documents and confirm you are happy to proceed with a purchase.
A trustworthy dealer will always offer you the best purchasing options
Financing the purchase of a car is often viewed as another opportunity to make money out of you by a disreputable dealer.
A good sign that you have found a trustworthy company is when they discuss various purchasing and financing options in order to find the one that works best for you, rather than try to persuade you to sign up for a deal that only works best for them.
The traits highlighted are just some of the ways that you can identify whether a car dealership is trustworthy. If they have a good local reputation and have been around for a while, that can also be good confirmation that they care about what you think and want to build a relationship so that you come back to them for your next car.