Don't ask Chrissy if "she's got her husband's permission to buy a new car."

One of my brothers co-owns a few dealerships in Montana and he's recently branched out to New Orleans and he would, I'm sure, be mortified that some salesman pulled this stunt. Not because he thinks women are easy targets when purchasing a car and he thinks the guy could have just been more subtle in his sexism---I'm sure he doesn't think that, and if he does, we'll we're going to HAVE WORDS---but because everyone's, man or woman, money is green. You don't discriminate against money. What a way to blow a sale. Holy poor salesmanship, Batman!

Which prompts the question: what is it with the automotive industry that makes the men who work in it think they can take advantage of women? And this doesn't only cover buying a car, but getting one fixed as well. Isn't this just bad business? I know there's one born every minute, but why is this habit so pronounced in the auto industry?

Case in point: I got suckered one day during an oil change. I'd put six thousand miles on the puppy, the oil needed to be changed so I took it to a Jiffy Lube. While the car was being serviced, one of the crew guys came in to show me how filthy my air filter was and that it should be changed, toute suite. It looked dirty to me, so I authorized the change. It, of course, cost extra. When I got home I told the husband about it, he shook his head, told me that it didn't need to be changed and that I'd been had. He told me the next time they hit me up for an air filter, I was to take the old one outside, smack it around a few times to knock the dust loose, hold it up to the sun, and if I couldn't see sunlight through it only then was I to allow them to change it.

Sure enough, after another six thousand miles, they hit me up again for another air filter (even though it was the same shop and they had computerized records of what had been done last time). I did precisely what the husband had told me to do. I could see sunshine coming through it. I walked back into the shop and told the guy, "no, thank you." He gaped at me and went back into the service bay without speaking another word. I will fully admit it's my fault that this happened, because I just didn't know enough about air filters at that point to know when they needed to be replaced.

Don't get me started on serpentine belts!

So, the question of the day is this: why, at car dealerships and repair shops, do you have to prove you aren't a sucker before they'll treat you fairly? While I'm sure there are a fair number of men who don't know anything about cars who've also been suckered on the upsell, it seems to me that this practice is carried out more on women. We have to prove our worthiness to get a good deal. And that ain't fair. Because I know any number of men who have no idea what it takes to keep a car up and running, yet, because they're male, no one bothers trying to take advantage of them. I know many dealerships and repair shops have made a concerted effort in recent years at resolving this problem. But I also know a fair number of women who still have issues with this and won't set foot on a dealer's lot without a man in tow because they're afraid they'll be taken advantage of.

Discuss.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:37 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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