Makes me want to go to dealerships and leave notes on the workers cars that say "Please call me about your lost morals" and leave the phone number for AIG Headquarters

Can people who do this be prosecuted for littering? I often wonder that about people who cram fliers into the little red flag thing on my mailbox. They always end up all over the neighborhood on the ground.

Ah, american ingenuity at its best. Who says the Nigerians or the Russians are the best scammers.

Sounds like the salesman was the top student in his "Shameless Self-promotion" class.

I can't think of any better way to get new customers. Scam them into calling you. I know car salesmen aren't the brightest bulbs on the string, but these guys aren't helping the cause.

My father sells cars. Was it him? He would have been the guy in the gorilla costume.

I don't hate car salesmen, I just feel sorry for them. If they put in the same hard work/long hours into developing a talent or prepping for a real job, they could make a lot more money not trying to con people all day.

This makes me wonder how else you could use this tactic... any ideas? I'll start:

Plastic surgeon: "Please call m about your face."

Oh, I pray to Thor one of these lowlifes tries this one on me!

Gastrointerologist: "Call me about your colon." Note left taped to toilet seat.

philmin: You're just a ray of criticizing sunshine today. Poking fun at $200 suits and saying all car salesman are lazy con artists....

Someone needs a hug and a cookie

Were they putting them on all the cars or just specific ones? There might be a demand for certain used cars at their dealership, in which case I think it might be a little annoying but not unethical. I sometimes ask people if they want to sell their hondas for my brother.

If I didn't see damage I wouldn't call

I hear that some used cars are more valuable to a dealership than new cars. Her particular make/model may be a hot item at the dealership. Without damage to the vehicle, I don't know that I would have been "tricked" into thinking anything happened.. more confused than anything else.

I don't see how this is a bad thing or a big deal. No where on the note did it say that the salesperson hit the car. Would it have been better to include "I'd like to talk to you about trading in your car" on the note? Sure. But the way I see it, this is just a salesperson trying to find some business.

Who cares. Why is this "front page" worthy?

Way back in the pre internet days some enterprising work at home scammer placed flyers under the wipers in my college's parking lot. And gave his street address and a supposed contact name...

I still wonder what he did with all the Rolling Stone subscriptions, record club enrollments (only Classical or old fogie music chosen), and extermination company inquiries we had sent to him.

This has also been done by real estate agents, with a note in a mailbox, "Are you looking to sell your house?" purporting to be from a couple eager to move into a specific neighboorhood.

Gavin: The $200 dollar suit thing was a (lame) joke - clarified in thread now - and I guess Im just commenting on car salesmen who do things like what the author wrote. Although I do think a very large majority of them are essentially con artists.

Can you imagine the reaction of someone who finds this note then looks over their car to find damage they'd never noticed before?

Consider how many people that could happen to if the dealership tagged older cars that the owners didn't watch as closely anymore.

There's potential for a lot of accusations and a lot of bad karma for the dealership.

Phone as if you found problem "X" on your car. Tape the call (if legal in your area). When they say they left it to sell you something get all high and mighty that they're lying because they've had a change of heart. Get them to tell you there's no way they're paying for your "X". Go to a body shop and get an estimate. Mail it to them. Get more confirmation they don't plan to pay.

Then, for the coup de gras: Sue them in small claims, bring in the call, bring in the letter. Even if they admit to littering, I doubt the judge is going to believe them--this doesn't look like an ad, it looks like a "I bumped your car" note.

Basically, make Kelly pay to get your car fixed.

Oh, IANAL, and I am probably also morally corrupt. But, damn! Wouldn't this be fun, though...

@unobservant: I laughed at that more than I should have.

From the local gym: "Please call me about your fat ass."

I like shepd's idea. Someone should call them know about that scenario, ignore their sales pitch and just be concerned about reconciling the dent that "wasn't" there before the note was left...

@GavinEstecado: If a car salesman offered me a hug and a cookie I might come in and take a test drive. Mostly for the cookie though (not oatmeal).

@Radi0logy: Nigerian consultants.

@shepd: (grrr reply button not working again)

Ahhh man, I hope that happens to me now, I have a big fatty dent in my car that is just waiting for a scummy car salesman to pay to fix. :)

@internetsguy: It's bad because it needlessly implies that someone did something to your car, causing uncertainty, anger and stress - things that no one needs any more of right now.

Sure the note doesn't specifically say the writer damaged the car, but what else would one think? What other reason would someone write a note like this?

If I got one of these notes and called only to find out it was a sales pitch, "pissed off" would not begin to describe how I would feel. "Furious and blinded with a white-hot rage" would be closer.

I do agree with the shadiness of the sales person, but that is balls....and balls closes deals.

@JayDeEm: The dealer I bought my car from offers donuts and coffee just for stopping in, you don't even have to talk to a salesperson. And if you asked, I bet they would throw in a hug.

@MissPeacock: But where are they putting that flyer? ...eeew

@ unobservant - Free clinics. "I got tested. Call me..."

This reminds me of those billboards that say "We need to talk -God." I wonder if local churches will start putting out handbills that say "Dear Susie, please call me about your soul. -Jesus."

@philmin: You don't know a lot about car salesmen do you? No college degree, good with people, low morals, and a suit and you too can ( could ) make a lot of money in car sales. Their alternatives without a college education are often retail sales or blue collar heavy lifting work, neither of which pays terribly well in comparison.

@LegoMan322: Try that on my car and he'll need help looking for his balls (never mind making a sale)

LOL. You can get the salesman to pay for prior damage... & you have his note as proof that it was his fault.

@shepd: With a mind like that you have a promising government career ahead of you!

@Radi0logy: Except in this case, no one was scammed or would be scammed even if they had followed through on the offer. Try again.

@snowmoon: I'm having a hard time understanding why your bashing people without college degrees. Many of them are honest, hard working folk. And for your information, their are many jobs that pay very well without a college degree; administration, schooling, government and even iT.

@redskull: I think your note would say "I'd like to talk to you about your throbbing neck vein".

Yep- I'd go to the police station, file a police report- give 'em a copy of the note, find a scratch/dent on an exposed part of where the car was parked, and let the police give 'em a call.

It seems that Consumerist is using the same tactics in the note. Tell people that someone is using a shady tactic, then run an article that demonstrates a creative way to get someone's attention.

The dealer did not claim to have damaged the vehicle. They didn't call up and say, sorry I dinged your car, but I happen to be a car salesman and I can give you a deal. That would have been shady, and fraudulent.

It is hard to make a living these days, give the salesman a break, they are just trying to generate sales leads.

I used to get those cards in the mail that say "We're going NUTS trying to reach you" with a poorly drawn imitation of Mr. Peanut doing a dance... never any information on the card, just a phone number and a "case" number... I called once, realized it was a sales call, told them to remove from their list, and then just threw the card away every other time I received it.

I don't really see this a scare tactic or a "dirty" trick... it's just a regular trick :)

@SkokieGuy: But that's different. They're being upfront about what they want. They're not leaving a cryptic note that implies they may have ran into your house and dented it.

@redskull: I don't really condone the behavior of the salesperson here, but what would you actually do to them?

@internetsguy: The salesperson exploited a well-known method of letting someone know their car has been hit in order to create a sense of urgency in the car-owner to call back. It's not a huge deal, but certainly sketchy enough to make anyone shy back from doing business with that person.

This would work in the reverse on me, if someone did this to me that dealership would be the LAST place I would go to to buy a new car. This woman is hurting her business even more by doing this.

@LuzioFantazmic: There is a difference between scamming someone into calling you, and getting a new customer. When the first experience between a company and the potential client is deceit, it becomes exponentially harder to actually secure a sale from that. It is a ridiculous tactic.

Also this note looks like it's from an invididual salesperson - with her own extension.

The dealership may not even know she's doing it. voicemail probably says "hi this is kelly's desk" or something in case she's out peope will still leave a msg.

@DrGirlfriend: This!
If people were used to receiving notes on their car for a variety of reasons (I like your car and am interested in buying, your alarm goes off and it is irritating, your rims are cool where did you get them, etc) then we would be used to notes with random inquiries or sales pitches.

As it is now, note on car = I bumped/damaged your car. This context makes the sales note manipulative and underhanded.

@shepd: Don't you have "AAA" rated mortgage backed securities to hock?