Sales Technique

My Volvo 340 is 15 years old and fit only for scrap, so it's off to a car showroom in Streatham, where we've booked a test drive in a brand sparkly new Mazda. When we get there, it turns out that the car is being customized for another buyer. The air conditioning doesn't work, because the electrical system is being changed around, so we have the window open. The seat controls haven't been attached yet, but by poking at the bare connections we manage to adjust the seat so I can drive. There's no seatbelt attachment on the driver's side, so I use the one on the passenger side. The bloody thing isn't even clean, for heaven's sake. None of this was mentioned when I booked the test drive, the day before.

We drive very gingerly around Streatham for a few minutes. The salesman makes no attempt to tell me anything, or ask me anything. We leave.

I don't get this at all. Even if I'd wanted a secondhand car, this would have put me off, but for a new car it's just ridiculous. Don't salesmen work on commission?

Grrr.