Setup fee charges on a used FJR

[Horsefly]

Has anyone heard of any California dealerships that have charged a $395.00 setup fee on a used bike? I bought my 2015 from Pacific Coast Highway powersport. with Cycletrader. Looking at the fine print, there was this fee built into my total.

Horsefly

 

[Horsefly]

Has anyone ever heard of such a thing? I bought my 2015 from PCH Powersport in Marina Del Rey by way of Cycle trader. Looking at the fine print there was a $395.00 set up fee. This bike was used and had 4440 miles on it and a trade in.

Horsefly

 

[blassoff]

East Coast dealers do it from time to time. They call it a "Reconditioning Fee". Bring in a used bike, put it through their shop to get it ready for sale. Ya know, change tires, wash the crud off, and charge you with their standard labor rate of $110/hour.

Like everything else, it's negotiable. Ask them to print out their internal service order. See exactly what work was done. Then bargain.......

Um....wrong forum though, somebody's gonna move it..

 

[blassoff]

East Coast dealers do it from time to time. They call it a "Reconditioning Fee". Bring in a used bike, put it through their shop to get it ready for sale. Ya know, change tires, wash the crud off, and charge you with their standard labor rate of $110/hour.

Like everything else, it's negotiable. Ask them to print out their internal service order. See exactly what work was done. Then bargain.......

 

[Road_Runner]

^^^THIS^^^

Ask to see the itemized invoice before even starting negotiations.

 

[MCRIDER007]

Has anyone heard of any California dealerships that have charged a $395.00 setup fee on a used bike? I bought my 2015 from Pacific Coast Highway powersport. with Cycletrader. Looking at the fine print, there was this fee built into my total.
Horsefly

It sounds like you bought a used bike at a out the door price that you felt was acceptable at the time at purchase and later found that the dealer had a $395 setup fee built into the sales price that you agreed to. Would it make any difference if they had built a $395 profit into the total?

 

[HelzBelz]

Yeah, if the fee was built in already, so be it. But I would be interested in the details of what they did for 395. Do they warranty the work they did?

 

[Old Guy]

I'd agree. When I buy a vehicle, new or used, i tell them I plan to write a check for exactly the price we agreed on. They can write the paperwork up any way they want to. They may have a reason, accounting wise, to count part of that sale as service, for instance. I don't care. But if they tell me a price and we agree on it, they shouldn't come back telling me I owe extra fees.

 

[bigjohnsd]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Old Guy" data-cid="1298116" data-time="1459005305"><p>

I'd agree. When I buy a vehicle, new or used, i tell them I plan to write a check for exactly the price we agreed on. They can write the paperwork up any way they want to. They may have a reason, accounting wise, to count part of that sale as service, for instance. I don't care. But if they tell me a price and we agree on it, they shouldn't come back telling me I owe extra fees.</p></blockquote>

This is how it should be, they, the dealer, should disclose all additional fees when you agree to the price, which should be totaled and written on the salesman's work sheet. If additional fees are disclosed when you get to the finance office you have every right to object and to get up and walk.

 

[zzzzip]

When a dealer tacked on a $78 "documentation fee" after we had agreed how much I would pay for the bike, I balked.

When he said, "Are you telling me that all that stands between your riding that bike away is $78???" I replied, "No, I'm saying all that stands between you selling that bike is $78. I think that's called 'overhead' and that's not my problem."

I left with the bike at the agreed price.

 

[Denver_FJR]

East Coast dealers do it from time to time. They call it a "Reconditioning Fee". Bring in a used bike, put it through their shop to get it ready for sale. Ya know, change tires, wash the crud off, and charge you with their standard labor rate of $110/hour.

Of course, if it was traded at the dealership, they likely used "reconditioning costs" to further discount the seller's trade-in price.

You bought a used bike at a out the door price that you felt was acceptable at the time at purchase. Would it make any difference if they built a $395 profit into the total?

But I understand a business need to make a profit which is in addition to real costs to running the store. That they use a flimsy explanation is kinda slimy. A buddy previously in the motorcycle retail business jokes about how to make a small fortune in the motorcycle business... start with a large fortune.

Ok, probably saw that coming.

 

[gixxerjasen]

This happened to a friend of mine. They charged him a fee for the service work and new tires they put on. I told him that I'd have walked, after all, the sign on the bike said "As Is" and the price, that as is stands for both buyer and seller.

 

[04rider]

Stealership....while browsing for farkles I overheard some customer get snookered for various charges for a tire change. I'm for capitalism but not at the cost of ethics. Itemized list and stick to the price are great suggestions.

 

[bigjohnsd]

There are several philosophy's on how to do business, one is to screw everyone once, another is to obtain and keep a customer for life. I always try to do business with those that ascribe to the latter philosophy.

 

[bergmen]

There are several philosophy's on how to do business, one is to screw everyone once, another is to obtain and keep a customer for life. I always try to do business with those that ascribe to the latter philosophy.

Exactly. I sit down with the dealer/sales person and go over every detail of the invoice. If something doesn't look quite right I ask for an explanation. Not suspecting that I'm getting snookered, I just want to know what the bottom line is and how it was arrived at. The dealer I bought my new 2014 FJR A was straight-up honest and we agreed to a very good OTD price. I rode away very happy.

Dan

 

[zzzzip]

bigjohnsd has it right.

Once I found a salesman who understood what "out the door price"meant, we made reasonable deals on 4 bikes in 2 years. The purchase price was always less than the agreed upon price, but when he added the "documentation fee" it came to the exact amount agreed on when we shook hands.

Keeps me coming back in the door.

 

[bigjohnsd]

My first experience with this kind of "Gouging" was in Phoenix before BeemerDon's Funeral.

EscapeFJrtist and i were killing time by driving around looking at Motorcycles.

I had no real intention of buying anything but had/have been considering a Wee-Strom 650 for a while.

George and I happened upon a Nice Adventure Model Wee-Strom at a dealership.

After the usual salesman Meet and Greet, During his Probe to find out what in hell I wanted he learned i was from Spearfish, turns out the store manager was from Spearfish so I had to meet him.

Turns out that when i first retired from the Navy 21 years ago I sold Real Estate for his Grandfather.

Then we determined that one of his salesman used to be the room mate of the guy that is currently the parts manager in the Honda/Yamaha store i used to own.

With all this "relationship" I asked the Manager for his best-probably-never-going-to-darken-your-door price on the bike I liked.

He went to check what he could/would sell it for and came back with the "Clean Trade" price which was attractive to me.

Knowing there was probably a DOC Fee I asked him for the Out the Door price.

After i picked myself up off of the floor I asked him again "How much was that DOC Fee $500, I couldn't have heard you right?"

$500 was what he said and then he laid the "Reconditioning Fee" of $700 on me.

I said I would let him know and Beat Feet, so much for the Good Guy Used to work for your Grandpa good deal.

But......

In addition to BeemerDon's Funeral I was supposed to pick up a Polaris Razer from a wholesaler.

While picking up the Razer and laughing about the DOC and Reconditioning Fees the Wholesaler told me he did plenty of business with the folks in question.

He was able to buy the Wee-Strom for me for Clean Trade, no fees, and i pick it up at a secret location NW of Phoenix on Monday.

There is more than one way to skin a cat!

Additional Info - Most Sales managers at Motorcycle and, for that matter, Car dealerships have Incentive Based Pay plans. They get paid on some calculation of the Gross Profit of their Departments and there is usually some kind of a deduction for stale inventory.

Stale inventory being anything that has had a 30 day birthday at the end of the month. Additionally, the manager often operates under an Inventory Value Cap.

You can often use this to your advantage, especially in the used department.

Frequently the Managers try to game the system by trading inventory with other dealers at the end of the month, Book Value for Book Value.

If you walk in on one of the last days of the month and offer Clean Trade for a Bike that has been sitting for over a month your offer will frequently be accepted, the Manager sees it as a win, he gets rid of stale inventory, he doesn't get whacked in his pay plan and it gives him a chance to take another trade in and remain under his Cap.

Good Luck

 

[escapefjrtist]

^^^^ We both got a good laugh out of that "good" deal John!

IIRC the OP got a good deal on the used '15ES. If you were happy then, what difference does it make how the charges are detailed? Enjoy the new [to you] '15 and don't sweat the small stuff.

--G

 

[Horsefly]

Unfortunately this deal was made online and on the phone, then between my Credit Union and the dealer. The 395.00 setup fee and 80.00 document fee were over and above the agreed price. I didn't see the P.O. until I went to the CU to sign paprers. This is a 2015 with 4K on it, there were no new tires or service. The most they might have done was wipe dust off it. I'm calling the dealer Monday. I've bought 26 bikes and god knows how many used cars, there's never been a setup fee on a used bike or vehicle.