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AIBU?

to think you cant judge a book by its cover!

56 replies

ineedtogetoutmore · 31/07/2013 20:22

Dh and I have been saving for a few years for a caravan and have managed to save enough for a pretty decent van. We are in our mid 20's and dress pretty hippie so possibly don't look like typical caravan types...we want one so we can take dd all over the UK and Europe to explore.
We saw Glossop Caravan advertised on Tv so made a 2 hour journey to go there and have a look at what they had.

We were looking round and saw a camper can (which I would prefer) so dh and I went inside to look around. While we were in the an older looking gentleman came into the van looking pretty mad at us and asked why we were inside? We told him we were looking for a caravan / camper and just wanted to see inside (all the vans and campers were open for viewing as was this) he then said in quite an accusing way why are the keys in the van? Apparently they were on the front seat we hadn't noticed. I told him he should perhaps ask his staff why as we had come in to look around.

He then said what are you doing here, so I said looking for a caravan. And he said to me and you think you can afford one of ours do you? (we could) so I said we'd seen some within our budget. So he demanded to know my budget., so I just told him it depended on how much we liked the van. Which was vague but he was being so rude.

I walked away to look at other vans and he disappeared to talk to a younger. Man who also worked there. This man then.came over to tell me he had some great vans to show us we went along and he took us to another part of the center where he proceeded to show us the most disgusting smelly used vans ever. He tried to sell us one for £600 that stunk of smoke, had mold on the wall and a dirty carpet that needed replacing. In fact the best thing anyone could have done with this van was scrap it. I thanked the man and said its not quite what I had in mind at which point he tried to secure the sale by throwing in a used toilet!

Now I know from the way I chose to dress I.e. jeans and tops I possibly don't look like the richest girl in the world but am I bu in thinking this company should have been a little less judgemental of younger people buying a caravan as tbh they'd have probably sold the camper to us today but now I will never go back there.

OP posts:
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shaggyrogers · 31/07/2013 20:25

YANBU. I thought it was well known that some very rich people look almost like tramps!

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littlemissnormal · 31/07/2013 20:27

Think that calls for a Pretty Woman moment!
You and DP driving past waving and beeping in a lush camper you bought somewhere else Grin

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shaggyrogers · 31/07/2013 20:28

Just realised that might sound like I think ou and your dh look tramps! Not at all!

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ineedtogetoutmore · 31/07/2013 20:32

Hahaha well we probably do look like tramps a lot of the time but better than usual today Grin
I said to dh I felt like buying the camper to make a point but they were just so rude!

OP posts:
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kinkyfuckery · 31/07/2013 20:34

YANBU. What an asshole. Definitely don't buy anything from him - even if you love it!

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NatashaBee · 31/07/2013 20:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ImTooHecsyForYourParty · 31/07/2013 20:37

I hate it when they do that. Bloody ignorant arseholes.

I'd go back in there with my bank statement, wave it under his nose and say THIS is what we WERE going to spend, but you were such a TWAT that we wouldn't buy from you if you were the last place open.

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MalcolmTuckersMum · 31/07/2013 20:39

YANBU - I cannot stand that kind of prejudiced attitude. You really really should let them know that they made a huge mistake and they've lost a sale. And you should share that opinion with as many people as possible.

I so wish I'd done what you want to do when I was your age! Good luck!

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MrsTerryPratchett · 31/07/2013 20:51

Have you heard the story about when Michael Caine bought his first Rolls Royce. They were equally rude. I think you should do what he did.

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maddening · 31/07/2013 20:53

My dbro wears a hoody, trainers, is often unshaven and does extreme skating - he doesn't look like he is a doctor of physics - am sure he is judged by his appearance a lot.

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celestialbows · 31/07/2013 20:53

Wankers!

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ConfusedPixie · 31/07/2013 20:54

Do what Hecsy said, I would. YANBU btw!

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ToysRLuv · 31/07/2013 21:30

My DF is very well off due to having been a rather important business man before retiring, but often looks quite a lot like a tramp. People tend to do a double take when he gets into his brand spanking new sports car Merc Grin You really shouldn't ignore any potential customers, and any salesmen who do are spectacularly stupid..

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MairyHoles · 31/07/2013 21:57

My dad looks quite unkempt most of the time but actually makes himself look worse on purpose if he's making an expensive purchase - he says he wants to buy from someone who isn't judgemental. Although I think what he does is unnecessary I see his point in only wanting nice people to profit, I personally look like a bag of shit most days and just recently got curtain samples thrown down in front of me in a small local shop, so I walked out, with my 3 under 5s and my crappy double buggy. Bugger them, I'll make them myself, I needed 4 pairs of 90inch drop curtains and was willing to pay for them and support small businesses. Back to the point, that old guy is a dick.

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Bogeyface · 31/07/2013 22:04

A friend of mine is a long haired rocker who does look scruffy and unkempt. He is also a senior systems analyst who earns more in a month that I could in a year.

He wanted to buy a new car and decided he wanted a Suburu (each to their own Hmm) and the one he wanted was brand new and v expensive. So he went to the dealer who took him on a test drive, and then said "Right, you've had your fun now on your way" friend was a bit WTF? And the salesman said that he only took him out as he had nothing else to do and he clearly wasnt going to buy the car.

Friend went to the next city, bought the car then drove it back to original dealer and did a Pretty Woman on him! Not that friend has even seen PW but we knew what it was!

I agree that if they have a FB page you could post a picture of your lovely new camper "Isnt it marvellous? We bought at X place after we visited Glossop and decided not to give our money to such a self important rude snob!"

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cjel · 31/07/2013 22:16

I remember the story of a BMW rep who wouldn't spend time with my friend when he went to buy a car. He spent his 40 grand on a merc!!

I also went to hire a dinner suit for my ds and had left it till the day of the prom as he came out of school on the night and said he wanted one.( I had muddy shorts and flip flops as had just left garden and didn't know I was going shopping) male assistant snootily said they only had them for sale not hire but they were really expensive - hackles risen I told ds to try it on - with shirt tie and shoes and bought!! I was very curt with him and ds didn't speak to him, took it to another assistant to pay.

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babybythesea · 31/07/2013 22:22

Please, MrsTP, what did Michael Caine do? I need to know after that cryptic comment.

Or is it a hint that OP should become a globally famous actor? Because that might not fit with her own career plans...

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TheRealFellatio · 31/07/2013 22:23

YABNU, although I am not sure what you mean by 'jeans and tops' - doesn't everyone, rich or poor wear 'jeans and tops' much of the time? Confused Especially when shopping for caravans?! Grin

That happened to us once when we were out one Sunday afternoon in
jeans and tops very scruffy clothes. We had nipped out to B&Q or something and ended up popping into a BMW dealership. We got the same sneery looks up and down and a very dismissive attitude from the jumped up salesman. Which is funny really because he could have bought anything in that showroom brand new if we'd wanted to.

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TheRealFellatio · 31/07/2013 22:24

Ha! crossed posts with cjel

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Talkinpeace · 31/07/2013 22:28

Had the same the other week. DH, DS and I went to look at cars.
We looked scruffy but they humoured us. Ish.
DH looking at estates. Me looking at convertibles.
"why are you and your husband looking at different cars"
"because we will be buying one of each from the right dealer"
cue jaws on floor and much fawning from that moment!
but they had already lost the sale

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cjel · 31/07/2013 22:30

I've herd so many stories like that of BMW,
We went once on a saturday to try and test drive with really excited ddc and were told they didn't do test drives on saturdays as serious buyers don't shop on saturdays! we went to merc and kids were climbing all over sports model without roof that princess Di had at the time, rep came over and we thought we would be told off and he just said morning sir, madam can I get you all drinks while you wait for salesman!!we bought merc. Tried BMW again a couple of years later but they didn't have model we wanted in new. They had exact car in second hand but wouldn't let us test drive it because we weren't interested in buying it!!!!
We bought merc and never tried BMW again.

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HarrietSchulenberg · 31/07/2013 23:37

Speaking as someone whose bag-lady dress sense causes her to be followed round expensive shops by store detectives, I feel your pain. And I absolutely insist that you revisit the dealership with your shiny new van from elsewhere, just to show them the sale they didn't have.
I've even been followed round JJB Sports ffs. Maybe because my hoody was a stripy knitted number rather than Nike Grin .

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Bogeyface · 31/07/2013 23:41

Harriet that reminds me of a time I was shopping with my sister. She worked at a Spa that was running a deal where if you booked a 2 day spa break with them you got a whole load of freebies to take home, one of which was a "luxury bath robe". All was good except the bath robe delivery didnt turn up so she and I had to go into town and buy all the "luxury" Wink bathrobes we could find.

All was fine until we got to Primark, having cleared out every other shop. We were carrying ten bathrobes each and were being very obviously followed by a security guard. It was laughable, as if you would walk out loaded down like that! So in the end Dsis (who is far gobbier in RL than me, I am just gobby on here!) turned to him and said "If you are going to follow us then you can carry these for me" and handed him her pile of robes.

It was bloody marvellous! :o

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dubstarr73 · 01/08/2013 14:49

Haha good on her Bogeyface.His face must have been [shock[

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dubstarr73 · 01/08/2013 14:55

Shock obviously

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