Second hand cars and trust - A whole new world

I have been looking around for a good second-hand car for almost one year. The arrival of my third child meant that the time for looking was finally up... (",).

I found a car (2013 Honda CR-V) on WeBuyCars that interested me (both in terms of my budget, as well as perceived value for money). I contacted WeBuyCars in Midstream and spoke to Francois Venter (on Monday, 27 Aug 2018) to ensure that the car was kept separate (i.e. not sold to anyone else). Francois was a star! He was very open in his communication, made arrangements for me to pay a holding deposit (I stay in Stellenbosch and would only have been able to travel to JHB on Saturday, 1 Sep 2018), and also to send the 101-point roadworthy checklist to me (on my request).

On the evening of Thursday, 30 Aug 2018, I saw that the price of one of the other vehicles that I was looking at for a couple of days (2015 Honda CR-V) was reduced by R15,000 from the previous day and that it was standing at the CPT branch (Montague Gardens). The vehicle was still way more than what I wanted to pay, however, to me it meant additional peace of mind for my family (as my wife is a wedding photographer and often have to drive late at night over weekends).

My wife and I discussed our options before going to bed, where after I got up at 04:30 the next morning to miss traffic and be at the dealership before it opened. I was thoroughly impressed by the size and cleanliness of the operation. I definitely wasn't expecting this... It was also great to see that all vehicles were parked in comparable clusters (comparable vehicles were parked close to one another), so that clients can easily compare the different options that were available.

When I saw the vehicle that I was looking for, I (unfortunately for my budget) knew that this was the one. The only two things that bothered me at the time, was 1)that Francois really went the extra mile to help me, however that I would end up buying a car from someone else (albeit from the same company) and 2)I did not want to lose my holding deposit.

The new Sales Executive that helped me was called Azola. I explained the deposit situation and he made an effort to get the approval from management (we were not able to get an approval in CPT or JHB) and ended up phoning Francois once more.

I explained the situation around the new car to Francois, as well as my first concern (listed above). Francois immediately said that this is the last thing that he was worried about - the company as a whole was still winning. He mentioned that the only thing that he was interested in was that I was happy with my decision, that I have peace of mind, and even offered to make the arrangements to have the holding deposit transferred to the new vehicle (thereby resolving my second concern before I even mentioned it).

Francois then asked to speak to Azola (whose landline was on speaker phone, however Francois was not aware of this). During their discussion, Francois mentioned 4 times that his only request is that Azola must make an effort to ensure that the client is "taken care of" and "100% happy with the service"...

Azola and discussed the next steps - I wanted my wife to view the car the next day (Saturday, 1 Sep 2018) to ensure that she is part of the process and happy, before I sign on the dotted lines. When we arrived the next day, the car was already washed and cleaned (once more) and parked in one of the corners of the warehouse - complete with a red bow on the bonnet (thanks to Azola's arrangements).

When my wife and I viewed the car, she stood still (for about 30 seconds) and said nothing while her eyes were welling up. Naturally, so did mine (as a result) and I immediately knew that we had made the right decision.

We made the last arrangements for the payment and off we went...

Upon thinking about the whole experience, a couple of things stood out: 1) The cleanliness of the warehouse 2) The way that processes are geared to ensure efficient service 3) The transparency of the buying process. The top-of-mind things include: a) the stickers on the windscreen with the selling price next to the OEM recommended pricing (trade-in, as well as retail price) b) the licence disk is displayed on the website, so you can do your own check on the VIN # (service history, etc.)) 4) Finally, the most important thing... Quality of service! I have never engaged with sales people (that work (partly) for commission) who put the client first, then the company, and themselves last - especially when it comes to buying a second-hand car!

Quality people that are enabled to take ownership for the client experience and that are empowered to make reasonable decisions really does make the world of difference (remember Francois made the call to transfer the holding deposit to another vehicle - a decision that we could not get from 2 managers that we spoke to).

In my mind, this was the first time that the title "Sales Executive" was fitting, as the person's level of communication (14 WhatsApp messages to keep me updated during the process), thinking, mandate to make decisions, and can-do attitude really made a lasting impression.

After this experience, I can recommend the service that I have received from Francois and Azola (and WeBuyCars) with a clean conscience. It really opened a whole new world (at least for me) wherein second hand car dealerships (and sales executives) can be trusted!

Thank you Francois and Azola!