Took someone's word,lost the sale.
#1
Charter Member #415
Charter Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Jasper,Alabama
Posts: 3,357
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Took someone's word,lost the sale.
Pardon me but I need to vent a little. Feel free to tell me I was stupid or whatever. In 35 years as a boat dealer,I rarely take deposits.#1,I trust people,#2 if I take a deposit and they back out,if I don't give it back,it causes too much of a hassle, so what good is a deposit? I had a new $100,000 boat that a guy from NY wanted,I was positive he was serious based on the conversations we had,he called Thurs AM said he had a flight into Bham at 10:30 Friday,could we rig the boat for demo Fri at noon?Short notice, but we did it,I trusted him. Thurs afternoon he called and said he couldn't come Fri,would be maybe Mon.I had gotten a call Tues from a former customer in KY, he wanted the boat,offered to send full payment overnite. I told him I had given my word to the NY guy.I told the NY guy this,I didn't want to get caught in the middle,he assured me he was buying the boat,he would not go back on his word.10:30 PM last nite he emailed me that he had a real estate deal come up and he couldn't buy the boat,gave a short apology for my trouble.I just called my KY guy,and can you believe this,he found a similar type boat in TN, on Fri, basically told the dealer he would take it,he would rather have my boat but he had given his word to the TN dealer,and if he backed out now he would be no better than the NY guy,and I respected his decision. Had I called him Thurs nite after the NY guy called, he would have bought my boat instead,and the NY guy knew this. So for being a nice guy and keeping my word,I lost the definate sale. Other than being stupid and trusting people,what should I have done differently?Sorry for the long rant,I am just mad. Robert
Last edited by Magicfloat; 06-19-2004 at 08:41 AM.
#3
Registered
Re: Took someone's word,lost the sale.
I'm sorry to hear that. I have a feeling he knew he was not going to buy it before last night. I mean how sad is it for someone to "e-mail" you that? Sometimes when you're selling a boat or any other big ticket item for that matter, you almost can't avoid taking a deposit. Next time I would ask for a much larger deposit and if he backs out you made a nice chunk of change. Bajarunner is right too never say it is sold until funds are in the bank.
I hope you are able to quickly find another buyer. Good Luck
Roby
I hope you are able to quickly find another buyer. Good Luck
Roby
#4
Registered
Re: Took someone's word,lost the sale.
I agree with Too Old..if it's worked for 35 years then it why mess with it? Like I tell my staff when we have a difficult deal. Focus on the 100 deals that were great, not the one that was a problem.
#5
VIP Member
VIP Member
Re: Took someone's word,lost the sale.
Robert,
Don't let one jackazz change the way that you do business!!! You have the reputation that you have because of this. It's gonna happen...put it behind you and carry on. At least YOU can still look at yourself in the mirror and feel good about yourself. The guy from NY looks in the mirror and knows that he is a dick!!
Don't let one jackazz change the way that you do business!!! You have the reputation that you have because of this. It's gonna happen...put it behind you and carry on. At least YOU can still look at yourself in the mirror and feel good about yourself. The guy from NY looks in the mirror and knows that he is a dick!!
#9
Registered
Re: Took someone's word,lost the sale.
Originally Posted by Too Old
Nothing! You've been a successful boat dealer for 35 years. How many dealers have you seen come and go in that length of time? A lot I would bet.
Your straight forward, honest way of conducting business is your strength.
Another buyer will come along shortly and you'll forget all about this guy. This was just one deal. I've read so many positive comments from your customers on this forum that I'm positive you don't need to change your practices.
One bad deal vs. thousands of happy customers. Heck, you knew the answer to your question long before I typed a word.
Your straight forward, honest way of conducting business is your strength.
Another buyer will come along shortly and you'll forget all about this guy. This was just one deal. I've read so many positive comments from your customers on this forum that I'm positive you don't need to change your practices.
One bad deal vs. thousands of happy customers. Heck, you knew the answer to your question long before I typed a word.
#10
Registered
Platinum Member
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Lake Champlain,Vermont
Posts: 408
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Re: Took someone's word,lost the sale.
I had a new yorker do the same thing to me.He called 15 minutes before delivery he backed out of the deal.On a good note I did sell the boat soon after.