Haggle, haggle, haggle

[Peter Laborne]

One of the cells in my battery had gone this morning, so time for a new one.

I spoke to one garage and it would be a couple of days until they could get me one. So I phoned up Cambridge Toyota.....

Me - "Do you have a battery for an MR2 Roadster in stock?"
Mr T - "Yep, it's £51 plus VAT"
Me - "Nearly sixty quid all in for a battery, without fitting?"   s:shock: :shock: s:shock:    s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  
Mr T - "Yes that's right"
Me - "Are you prepared to come down on that price?"
Mr T - "No"
Me - "Ok then I will go somewhere else, as I know I can get one for £44 including VAT. Bye"
Mr T - "Hold on, hold on. Where can you get for £44?"
Me - "Toyota in St Ives"
Mr T - "Why did you phone St Ives first instead of us?"
Me - "Because I am eaxctly halfway between both of you"
Mr T - "If you can promise that if we do a deal then you will come straight in"
Me - "If you can sell me a battery for £44 then I will come to you"
Mr T - "We can't go that low"
Me - "Then I will just have to go to St Ives"
Mr T - "Hold on" <long pause> "We can do you a battery for £44"
Me - "Can you just confirm that that is including VAT?"
Mr T - <another long pause> "Yes, one battery will be £44 inc VAT"

When I get there they remind me that it doesn't include fitting. So I tell them that's ok and ask if they have a spanner. So it was a quick 2 min job there and then to change it.

So a new battery plus disposal of the old one plus VAT was only £44.

Remember, no matter what the price is, what the item is, haggle. I just saved at least £15!!!!

[markiii]

or you could have saved 15 mins of haggling and gone to St Ives.

[Bongo]

But they didn't have it in stock.

Good work Peter...

[Anonymous]

or you could have saved 15 mins of haggling and gone to St Ives.

That's what I thought.  Why not go to St Ives?

Edit!  I have now seen the answer, thanks to Bongo, who posted at the same time as me!

[GSB]

or you could have saved 15 mins of haggling and gone to St Ives.

Personally I'd have haggled at St. Ives and got them to throw in the fitting...

[markiii]

But they didn't have it in stock.

Good work Peter...

he actually says he spoke to one garage, no mention of it beingf St Ives

[Peter Laborne]

he actually says he spoke to one garage, no mention of it beingf St Ives

  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:    s:roll: :roll: s:roll:    s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  

To clarify:
St Ives = nice and cheap but no stock
Cambridge = expensive and in stock