Chet wrote:

Avoid Walker's Renton Subaru

Holy high pressure finance guy.

A friend from work is fresh from the UK. So when he said he was leasing a new car and had it all picked out, just needed to pick it up, I told him I would drive him down to the dealer.

On the way down I tried to prepare him. All sales guys are super nice, because they all know eventually they are going to feed you to a shark, the finance guy. And that shark is going to attack relenteless until you agree to purchase the extended warranty or service plan. I tried to prep him. I told him it would take hours, he didn't believe me.

We get to Walker's Renton Subaru and have to walk over to Walker's Renton Mitsubishi. That is where the finance guy lives. I let my friend go in alone at first, but told him - just keep saying no. I figured he was fine for a bit. Went outside and called the girlie and hung out in probably the ugliest, cheapest looking dealership i have ever been in.

20 minutes later my friend (lets call him Pete), comes out and is concerned. Seems they will not accept the car back at the end of the lease unless he gets the service package (at the time they are telling him $50 a month). He was told with the lease, all he had to do is pay for gas, and now this $50 a month?

BS, go in and say no. I hang up with the girlie and give Pete a minute to say no another 10 times. The actual line the finance guy is using is - "Hey, if you give us the car back without this service plan, how do we know what condition it is in? Maybe we won't take it back, maybe you will have to pay thousands to get repairs done!"

The finance guy is not letting go. He is explaining to Pete that he has to get his oil changed every 3,000 miles and that oil changes cost $40 (funny that their website says they cost $19). Pete is asking if the oil in the USA is crappy, because is in the UK he could change it just every 10-15,000 miles. This line of defense has so intrigued random worker (#2 guy pitching the service plan), the he is going to look this up.

#2 then explains to pete that you need to get it changed so often because you want the car to run forever. Pete explains it is a 36 month lease, that is all he cares about. Not good enough, that is poor thinking, you want to do the dealer a solid and keep the car in the shape they want it.

The salesman (#3 guy pitching it) sees the commotion and is concerned. At this point I have just told Pete he doesn't need it, this is the scare tactic these guys use, I warned you about this, here it is. Just say no. The finance guy explains to the sales guy I am being a problem, so the sales guy actually tries to escort me out of the room. Which causes more of a commotion, the finance guy says I am being a jerk and messing things up for pete (they eventually call me stupid, a bad friend, dumb, foolish and misguided). This causes some random fat guy (#4 pitching, to pop-in with some hrmmms and harrss about cars.)

But this isn't enough, seems the Mitsubishi sales manager (#5 pitching guy) who refuses to give me his name, but insists on mine - because you know I am in trouble... calls me a commie.

Yep. I am not kidding. I thought commie calling went out with hair bands, day-glo shirts and lace gloves. But no, the 80s are back. I confront him on calling me a commie, so he wants to restate it. He demands to know what I do for a job (all the while I am asking him if he really just called me a commie). He then blurts out - "Look, we have a right to make a profit, if you don't like that, you must be a communist. I am not calling you a commie, but.."

(Not enough of a profit on the lease, they need it on the service plan. This all sucks, because pete is way too nice a guy to give them the shit back they deserve. )

I busted up. This was too good. So I ask if defending my friend from high pressure sales tactics is a commie trait, comrade? #4 and #1 both explode (#4 actually spitting while he talks) that this is not high pressure sales. That handing someone a document that you refuse to let them leave with to discuss over lunch, or with pete's wife, to make them sign right then (at that point down to $33 a month) or one of their lies would happen was not high pressure sales.

Some other sales guy was outside the room, so i waved him in and told him to join us - and then asked the sales manager if 6 people would make it high pressure?

This is all over a $50 (down to at the end $28/month) service plan. My friend Pete has agreed to lease the car, he was in a tight spot as he had returned the rental car, he had finance issues since he had no credit in the stats, he wanted the car - and the people he was buying the car from were attacking him, calling me a commie, not allowing him to leave with the paperwork to talk it over with his wife (their phone had not yet been installed). They were already getting way too much money from him for the lease, and now they were attacking over the final scraps on the table?

Finally when I got Pete to agree to just leave, to go home and think about not even buying the car from them, they agreed to drop all the BS and just give him the car. Yeah, allowed him to have the car he had agreed to pay for. I only wish I could have gotten pete to just walk out, who needs that crap. Welcome to america pete, you have just met the absolute lowest of the low lifes.

Chet

I am the monster

Shit, I am still shaking.

I just got hit by a car.

Not bad, he hit my leg before it was planted, so it just bounced - but still. I know to watch when i cross the street, I walk everywhere now I am used to bad drivers. So when he came to a stop, and looked I thought I was good to go. I wear a bright orange jacket when I walk to and from work, just so i can be easily spotted, it is pretty hard to miss a 6'3" guy wearing orange.

You would think.

But as I started to cross the street this fucker pulls out with his car full of yuppies out for dinner in downtown bellevue.

He hits me.

He stops.

Looks at me like - why did you touch my car?

I was freaked for a second, then became the monster. I just started kicking the living shit out of his car. No idea what i was thinking. I had my hood on, so I had to be this terrifying hairy (didn't shave for a few days) hooded crazy man jumping on the hood of their sports car. It was two couples inside. They all just froze with this look of absolute terror on their faces, as I pounded on the car, then i just stormed off and left them sitting at the light, dazed and confused. They just stayed there, missing the light, with great looks of fear on their faces. They didn't roll down their windows and yell, they didn't chase off after me, they just froze. For all I know they are still just sitting there.

While people may have this idea from OMM that I am some madman, pretty much most people who meet me in life realize I am pretty mild mannered, but not tonight. I never reacted like that before (at least not stone cold sober), to just go hog ass wild on top of a car.

It felt good.

Chet