OK, let me share something with you…read more
On Tuesday, the day after the Boston Marathon, my wife and I went to look at cars. We visited the Porsche dealership in Norwell early in the morning. When we arrived, the showroom was empty, so we walked around for a few minutes before a salesman approached us. He introduced himself as Matt and asked if we were being helped.
Matt went through the usual questions to qualify us as serious buyers. I told him we were looking for a certified pre-owned Porsche Macan, preferably black with a black interior. He said he would check the inventory and see what was available.
When he returned, he told us he had found a couple of options and would bring one around for us to see. He pulled the car up to the showroom, we looked it over, and then took a short test drive. On the way back, he suggested we stop by the pre-owned inventory lot to see if there was anything else we might like.
Back at the showroom, Matt asked what I thought of the car. I told him I liked everything except the wheels. He said he had another car to show us that had the style of wheels I preferred and that he would bring it around in a few minutes.
He came back shortly after with another car. This one had the wheels I liked, fewer miles, and the right price, but it was silver. We talked it over, and I decided, "I think this is the car. Let's do it." We went inside to start the paperwork.
At that point, another salesman brought a different customer over to look at the same car we had just agreed to purchase. I asked Matt what was going on. He said it was a previous customer of his, but that he would find out more.
We continued with the paperwork. His manager evaluated my trade-in, and they began putting together the numbers. Meanwhile, I noticed the other customer, who was white, still looking at the same car. For context, my wife is Chinese and I am of mixed race.
Shortly after, Matt came back and said, "I'm sorry, they sold the car to the other man."
I was stunned. I said, "How is that possible? We're sitting here working on the deal. Your manager has already given us numbers, and we've started the paperwork."
The general manager, Rai, came in and said, "I'm sorry, this has never happened before." My wife responded, "That is the most racist thing I have ever seen."
At that point, I said, "Let's go," and we left the dealership.
As we were leaving, Matt said he would find another car for us and follow up. The general manager also said he would do everything in his power to locate the right car. They never did.
My wife and I will buy a car, just not from that dealership.
