The positive experiences I had buying my last two cars lulled me into thinking that it might be time to put all the stereotypes about used car salesmen to rest. Then I met Iqbal Shamji at S.A.S.S.. To call Iqbal Shamji "a shark" or "a snake", terms that have been commonly used to describe used car salesmen, would be completely unfair to sharks and snakes. They, after all, are driven purely by instinct and cannot be held accountable for their behaviours and actions. On the other hand, we do expect that our transactions with humans will be conducted ethically and with conscience. Sadly, none of this was in evidence on the part of Mr. Shamji in my sad dealings with him. If you've ever come across the "shell game", often played near tourist attractions in European cities, you'll have a relatively good idea of Shamji's methods. When I first inquired about a vehicle by phone, Mr. Shamji told me that a replacement part had already been purchased to repair a typical mechanical failure in this type of vehicle, and that the car was "going in for the repair work as we speak". It turned out that Mr. Shamji's first ploy was the classic "bait and switch". I made the hour and a half drive to Guelph, only to be abruptly told that the repair in question would now suddenly not be included in the purchase price after all. I reluctantly settled for having the replacement part included in the purchase price, but that of course wasn't to be the end result. No level seems too low for Iqbal Shamji to stoop. This is a guy who will tell you that "the last thing [he] wants is an unhappy customer", and then turn around and tell you that "you will need a good lawyer". This is a guy who has the audacity to use the line, "if that's how you want to do business", and then turn around and attempt to do exactly what he has just assured you he won't do. This is a guy who has the unmitigated gall to accuse you of lying, and then to shout at you that you're calling him a liar when you've done no such thing. When you first catch Mr. Shamji out in his shady attempt to charge you $501.19 for the replacement part which he has just told you cost $400.00, (and which you have clearly negotiated in good faith will be included in the original purchase price of the vehicle) Shamji will display no embarrassment or shame, but will in fact act as though he is doing you a huge favour to "credit" you the amount that he has tried to cheat you out of. Mr. Shamji is a practiced actor, and like a movie set, his office is designed to perpetuate the facades of the "devoted family man", "the avid sportsman", and the "all-around nice guy". While Mr. Shamji proceeded to bilk me out of more money, there was even a movie-like soundtrack playing over the speakers in the hallway, in this case almost too-perfectly, the Ojay's 1972 hit, "Back Stabbers". Unfortunately, this is reality, but if it were a movie a good title for it would be, "Iqbal Smells Blood". While on the subject of movies, if you are as repulsed by these tactics as I am, you will find Canadian filmmaker John Walker's excellent 2019 documentary, "A**holes: A Theory", very apt in this context. The film investigates the rise of a**hole behaviour across the world, and more importantly the question of how we can stop their proliferation. You can stream it on CBC GEM. In the case of Mr. Shamji, you soon realize that the line between honesty and dishonesty is completely blurred and that the only line that matters is the bottom one. We have, after all, witnessed the "Age of Trump" which has emboldened and empowered people like this to act as though anything and everything is acceptable as long as they can get away with it, and as long as they can keep denying any wrongdoing. In that light, Mr. Shamji shamelessly charged me yet again for the aforementioned $400.00 part, along with the aforementioned ("going in for the repair as we speak") repair cost which was finally completed for what Mr. Shamji told me was $800.00. But somehow $400.00 + $800.00 came to equal $1586.00 before taxes on the final bill of sale, and I ended up paying Mr. Shamji a total of $1225.83 more than the actual advertised price for the vehicle than I should have. I've quoted Mr. Shamji's claims about his supposed "very low mark-up" and "very small profit margin", and several friends with business backgrounds have concurred that whenever a business person resorts to these claims during a transaction, they are either being untruthful, or admitting to a very flawed business model, or both. Mr. Shamji appears to respond to negative reviews by attempting to come across as reasonable, and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't react to my comments by attempting to discredit me by accusing me of being unreasonable or irrational. Bear the shell game in mind, and draw your own conclusions. read more
