Car Salesman Beaten, Robbed On Test Drive

A report out of California hits home the need for gathering personal information before a test drive. It started with a routine buying ritual and ended in a beating. On April 22, at approximately 3:30pm, a car salesman took a potential car buyer for a test drive. The customer, an 18-year old woman was later described as Latina. According to a report on RecordNet, the test drive began presumably as normal, but ended suddenly when the woman driving the car stopped it at North Union and East Fremont street in Stockton, CA. According to Google Street View, it’s a largely industrial area next to a park.

After the woman abruptly stopped the vehicle test-drive in the semi-remote area, a young man in the vicinity demanded the wallet of the car salesman. He refused and was beaten until he passed out. His wallet was stolen, but the car was left at the scene of the crime. The assailant who beat the car salesman was described as having a light complexion and light beard. Further information on this crime is slight. It appears that the woman and male companion got away at least initially.

The big question for the dealership where this car salesman works is whether or not they took personal info before the test drive. If they did, then the woman would be easier to track down. If they did not or it was falsified, then certainly the situation becomes more difficult to resolve.

For dealers, it’s not often that you think of a test drive as a potentially dangerous outing. The focus is typically on the sales process and ensuring that it’s an enjoyable time for the consumer. How much personal info do you ask for at your store before a customer is allowed to take a test drive? What else can salespeople do to ensure their safety when they are out on a vehicle test drive?