Bait and Switch?
A quick word first
Thanks for visiting The Jazz of Negotiation! When you have a chance, check out the About page to see the aim of this publication and learn how it can help you become a more effective negotiator. (Photo by Damir Spanic on Unsplash.)
Getting hooked
In a recent post I asked Jazz readers to suggest topics they’d like me to explore here. Several people asked about negotiating with someone who is acting in bad faith. I wasn’t sure what would be a good example, but then a friend—call him Jim—told me about a bad experience he had last week at a car dealership. He’s still angry about it and wonders what he could have done differently.
I’ll sketch the story here and point you to a poll where you can share your thoughts and advice.
Jim was (and still is) looking for a heavy-duty truck for his business. The particular model he’s looking for has special features that are needed for his work. Relatively few of these vehicles have been built. Jim would be happy to buy a used one with low mileage.
Jim searched several weeks online before finally finding one in a neighboring state, an hour-and-a-half away. Given the hot market, he realized that he’d likely have to pay something close to the asking price. Jim called the place to confirm that the truck was on the lot and available for a test drive. The answer was yes, and he said, “I’m on my way!”
When he arrived, though, the salesman he had spoken with said, “I’m so sorry, but someone else came in right after you called and snapped it up. He just drove away ten minutes ago.”
Then the guy added, “But the good news is we’ve got some other trucks here that I’m sure could work for you.” But none were what Jim needed. He stormed off, angry that he’d wasted almost half a day on what he called “a fool’s errand.”
This unhappy encounter raises a bunch of negotiation issues. I’ll explore them in a follow-up article next week. But first I want learn about your thoughts, experiences, and suggestions via a confidential survey I’ve just put up.
Here are the questions it poses:
1. What’s the likelihood that the dealership was using a bait-and-switch gambit to get Jim into the showroom?
2. If this was bait-and-switch, is this “bad-faith” negotiation?
3. What could Jim have done in his initial phone call to the dealership to prevent this from happening?
4. What should Jim have done or said at the dealership when the salesman claimed that the truck that he was looking for had been sold moments earlier?
5. Should Jim slam the dealership on Yelp, or just let this go?
6. Finally, if you’ve had similar experience (whether with cars or anything else), please share what you learned from it.
And here’s the link to the survey. The deadline for submission is midnight Sunday, October 24. I’m eager to read your responses as I prepare for next week’s follow-up article!
Housekeeping
Just by signing up for Jazz of Negotiation, you’ll get free access to a full article, plus a shorter post, delivered by email 50 weeks a year. Paid subscribers get additional content: Q and A threads, videos, and from time to time, short exercises, with more to come.