Disappointed...

[Deacon51]

I decided to pull the trigger on a 2010 FJR. My local sealer doesn't have one in stock and wasn't really willing to settle on a price if I wasn't really willing to sign paperwork. My sales guy, who I have bought from before, said, "Look, you just find the best deal you can and I'll match it. Our motto is "We will not be undersold"".

After a morning spent at the BMW dealer checking out the K13GT one last time and watching Chris “Teach” McNeil demo the new S1000RR (Wow, what a bike, and what a rider) I headed over to the Yamaha Dealer to do the deal, with a add in my hand from another dealer in the region for a 2010 FJR1300 at $13,195. My sales call calls to confirm the add, and confirm that the other dealer doesn't charge for fright and prep, draws up the paperwork and takes it to the Sales Manager. The reply was.... "Nope, can't do it." Now my sales guy is good guy. Fellow FZ1 rider and bike nut. He asked for me to wait for Monday, and he would call the owner of the dealership and give me a firm answer.

Sucks to go to the dealer and not be able to sign the deal. Now I'm sitting here waiting for word on if I'm getting my bike local or if I'm taking a 3 hour drive. I also need to decide if I'm willing to come up a couple bucks to keep local or if I'm going to hold them to the $13,195.

 

[wfooshee]

Missing piece of info: local price. So how much higher are they? If it's a couple thousand, then forget 'em. I'll make a day trip for $2000 any time!

 

[rockmurf]

Screw the local. They love quoting the "Will not be undersold" line but when push comes to shove they suck. Just my two cents. PS, don't pay more to the local. He is the one that would benefit from your original purchase, accessories, maintenance, warranty work and so on. There is no reason other than greed that a local cannot match/beat someone's else deal. As you can see this really pisses me off and I am sure I am going to hear about it from some dealer type people that the dealers need to eat etc etc etc. That is whay Goldman Sach's exec said, enron, lehman brothers etc. Unless something is a one of a kind, going out of business liquidation then they should be able to match/beat the price. I feel much better now. ps, make sure you drive your new fjr purchased from another dealer to the local guy.

 

[Allnight]

I agree that the local dealer doesn't need the business, if he's not willing to match the price as he previously claimed. (I also realize that the salesman you're working with is only part of the equation; his bosses are the final word on the "motto." If it doesn't happen, if you want someone to blame, it should be the bosses, not him.)

I also think the dealership will be lucky to have another FJR in the area, as you're likely to visit them for at least some things, even if you do most servicings yourself; sometimes you just need to pick something up, and in that case the dealer wins. I take my bike to the one of three in the area that I actually liked the service guys. It happens to be the one I bought from as well, but I think that's just an indication that good people often stick together.

Leave any emotion out of it, it is unproductive in this case. If you take the bike to their service dept, they won't really mind not getting the original sale; not too much, anyway.

 

[blassoff]

I agree that the local dealer doesn't need the business, if he's not willing to match the price as he previously claimed. (I also realize that the salesman you're working with is only part of the equation; his bosses are the final word on the "motto." If it doesn't happen, if you want someone to blame, it should be the bosses, not him.)
I also think the dealership will be lucky to have another FJR in the area, as you're likely to visit them for at least some things, even if you do most servicings yourself; sometimes you just need to pick something up, and in that case the dealer wins. I take my bike to the one of three in the area that I actually liked the service guys. It happens to be the one I bought from as well, but I think that's just an indication that good people often stick together.

Leave any emotion out of it, it is unproductive in this case. If you take the bike to their service dept, they won't really mind not getting the original sale; not too much, anyway.

Make the deal at 13,200. Make a day of it, take a road trip. I went 4.5 hours to buy a 2005 FJR, what a fun day I had. Bring a friend, you'll have a great time..I did

 

[Deacon51]

I did tell my sales guy to remember that I will be buying a touring windshield, top trunk, mounting bracket, back rest, heated grips and maybe the comfort seat. Not to mention the very overpriced 600 mile service. Even if he sales at cost, he'll make money. I just dropped $400 in the place on chain, sprockets, and brake pads for the FZ.

I just talked to the wife, and the current idea in my head is that if they don't match the price we'll get out early Sat morning and drive to the dealer who posted the add. Buy the bike and enjoy the roads of the area and come back Sunday afternoon.

 

[Bounce]

Hell. Call D&H and get a quote. You're a day trip from them, too.

 

[blassoff]

I did tell my sales guy to remember that I will be buying a touring windshield, top trunk, mounting bracket, back rest, heated grips and maybe the comfort seat. Not to mention the very overpriced 600 mile service. Even if he sales at cost, he'll make money. I just dropped $400 in the place on chain, sprockets, and brake pads for the FZ.
I just talked to the wife, and the current idea in my head is that if they don't match the price we'll get out early Sat morning and drive to the dealer who posted the add. Buy the bike and enjoy the roads of the area and come back Sunday afternoon.

You're in MD. I assume you called Pete's and maybe Powertsports East in Delaware? I'm up in PA. I know Cyclemax in Honeybrook PA has units on the sales floor.

 

[bucky]

whether a car, motorcycle or anything expensive, you have to be willing to walk. and i would tell that in a face to face with the store manager. not only will he not get the sale, but that he risks losing your ongoing business for parts and service-permanently. and if he has a policy whether written or oral with his sales staff, then he either has to fire the sales staff who says they price match or step up and really price match.

i bought a 2008 ae brand new for $10,150 in january this year and added a 2 yr YES for another $450 plus sales tax. no fluff $$ added. the local dealer really did not want to price match, but when I showed up with the competitor ad and said either match or i am on the 2 hour drive to buy, the local dealer saw the light real quick. I didn't really want to buy 100 miles away, but sometimes you have to buck up. Remember these guys are real good at reading your face, so you have to have a good poker face.

don't mess with them, look them straight in the eye and walk if they give you any guff. and have fun on the trip and make a mini-vacation of it.

 

[charismaticmegafauna]

whether a car, motorcycle or anything expensive, you have to be willing to walk. don't mess with them, look them straight in the eye and walk if they give you any guff. and have fun on the trip and make a mini-vacation of it.

S.O. recently bought a new Yamaha (not FJR) and the local dealer wasn't even close. Had a nice 2-day vacation to a neighboring state for the, about, $2K difference.

(it's still a buyer's market, I think -- but, maybe getting less so...?)

When I bought my new FJR my, then, local dealer (who I liked) asked me what price he had to beat. I gave him the lowest price I knew of (D&H -- well over 1K mi. away) and he responded with $500 above that -- I decided not to make the trip.

Truth be told, there were many reasons (other than price) I wanted to buy from my local dealer -- still..., there's a limit.

 

[Happy Rider]

I find it hard to believe they can't get hold of the owner until Monday. What a load of crap. With cell phones and text messages that's not a good excuse and no way to treat a customer. That kind of response is the reason our local Yamaha dealership is no longer in business. Be nice, tell them thanks but not thanks and take the road trip.

 

[Wee Willy]

At that price, the dealership makes maybe a couple hundred bucks. Thin pickings.

OTOH if they have a published "lowest price guarantee" then you might have some common law on your side. Push them and keep reminding them that your business will keep coming back. That's what makes these dealerships successful in the long run. A couple hundred now will lead to much more in the future.

If they're too anal to understand that, then *** 'em and take your business elsewhere and do it in a rather noisy way (loud voice in the showroom on a busy Saturday works).

Cheers,

W2

 

[Deacon51]

It's on the wedpage.... https://www.petescycle.com/

Pete's Cycle will NOT BE UNDERSOLD! We will MATCH or BEAT any local competitors deal! Try Us. Of course, I don't think a out of state dealer will be considered "Local" by any court.

Still, I'm going to hold them to it. I like the sales guy and the parts guy is one of the best I've worked with in the area. I hate to take my business out of state, but now it's a matter of principle. They will match the price or I'll have a great day of riding on a new bike out of state.

 

[Wee Willy]

Of course, I don't think a out of state dealer will be considered "Local" by any court.

Ah so...missed that on the first pass. Well, your approach is solid then. If they want your business they'll jump.

Let us know what happens.

W2

 

[k7lvo]

1. Maybe the dealer is trying to "spin" things. How much "local" competition does a motorcycle dealer have? The next dealer of the same brand is usually a few hours away.

2. Motorcycle USA just did the same thing to me. They say:

"Motorcycle Superstore is so confident we can save you money that we now guarantee it! If you find a lower advertised price from any authorized U.S. dealer on an in-stock product, call or email us and we'll match any verifiable price."

However, when I took the Darby Cycles PR II price into them, all of a sudden it was qualified with "as long as the matched price is 10% over our cost!"

 

[S76]

Crooks and thieves, most of them are.

 

[johndaub]

You're in MD. I assume you called Pete's and maybe Powertsports East in Delaware? I'm up in PA. I know Cyclemax in Honeybrook PA has units on the sales floor.

Powersports East in DE has a 2008 AE on the floor. I bet you could get a good deal since it should be cheaper missing that pesky clutch handle. I saved money there on a 2007 AE since the AE sells poorly (but it is the best decision I ever made).

 

[JimNtexas]

Last November I tried to get two local dealers to match the OTD price of a 2008AE that Action Powersports in Tulsa had for $10.8K. I totally struck out.

I told them that it was worth a thousand dollars to me to buy locally. Even though both dealers had AE's in stock, not only would they not price match, both refused to even tell me what the OTD on their FJR's might be!

One honestly told me they couldn't come close, the other wanted to play the four square game, but they seemed confused and taken back when I kept telling them I was a cash no-trade buyer. They were nice about it during our hour long chat, but steadfastly refused to give me a price.

So my first trip on my FJR was 500 miles long, my YES was from D&H for $389.

 

[na1g]

One problem, at bigger shops at least, is that the sales manager doesn't really care about how much you are planning on spending in the parts or service departments. He is only interested in his bottom line, not the shop's bottom line. The salesman is caught in the middle. The owner, wherever he/they may be, may not undermine his sales manager. Dealing with small shops is often a much more pleasant and economical experience because the owner is the on-site boss, sales, parts and service manager combined.

Make your local shop an offer that seems fair to you. If they take it, you are good to go. If not, you know where to go. Elsewhere.

Sometimes it's funny how hard it is to spend $13K.

pete