I stop buy local dealer and they finally have the exact SoftTail Deluxe I want sitting out front. Black Ice and Pearl white. My "buddy" salesman strolls up and brags on it. I agree that it's beautiful and ask "How much out the door?"

As usual he can't spit an answer and instead sez, "Meet me upstairs and I'll work it up for you." So I go upstairs and sit in front of his desk and he gets all formal and asks for my driver's license.....I say, "Man you don't need my license to quote me a price." He explains the owner requires all quotes be written up, so I hand him my license and I insist he not pull my credit because I'll handle the funds myself if we can agree on price.

The next thing I know he's got some guy appraising my Road King and then he's offering me really lowball tradein figure and telling me I'll need an additional 8K to take the Softtail home today.......And I say, "So, how much do you want out the door for the Softtail? I ain't trading my RK" ....JESUS!, that question never gets answered, he just wants to talk trade and he wants me to do it RIGHT NOW!

What idiots....You know, I have to admit I've always checked with them first before I went elsewhere to buy my scoots, but nothing has changed with them.....

 

Listening skills are very hard to come-by these days.

 

He's just doing what he's told to do, He is an 'order taker' NOT a salesman....Go find a good one, they are worth their weight in gold. When I go to my dealer and ask 'whats the price', I get an answer in numbers, nothing more nothing less and it doesn't matter who finances it or if you pay in cash. They asked me, in my last transaction, what I wanted for my trade. I had a number in mind, a fair one knowing they had costs involved being a dealer. They said ok, thats fair and that was that. It is all the same to them. I get answers to my questions and if I like the answer I buy, good for you for walking away. I would not go back...ever...

 

First mistake was going upstairs so he could control you and the situation. They're just like car salesman and dogs, you need to be firm and make sure they know you're in charge, not them.

 

That's the exact Softail Deluxe I would like to get when the Ultra is paid for. That would probably pi$$ me off if the salesman wasn't listening to what I was asking. Like Dutch says, listening skills are hard to come by these days. I think I'll but used when the time comes so I don't have to deal with the stealer.

 

Just keep shopping, you'll find what you want. I can't understand these guys for the life of me. It just doesn't make sense. And they wonder why business is in the crapper!

 

Yeah..........I'm always shopping for everything.....I spend lots of bucks buying what I want but it seems this particular HD dealer can't grasp the clue that this customer don't play smoke n mirrows.....The owner made a comment last dealer ride that I needed to start buying local, and I reminded him that I tried but my offers ran off his back like water.

This AM, I sent same salesman a text message telling him what I'd pay for an 883 Iron (8K) if he wanted to sell one....he responded with text saying some silly **** about it looked like rain over in Texas. These guys want 10K for an 883 Iron, but MSRP is 7.9K.....If they will sell both the Softtail and the Iron they have in stock at MSRP then I'll take both home tomorrow. But NO, they wanna play the silly **** game and treat me like a fool while the scoots sit in their showroom accruing floorplan interest.

I gotta gas my truck and head back to Texas.

 

I stopped at 4 HD stores last week on a trip to INDY, all had price tags on every bike. Same story at each one .The price on the tag is what it cost, even our local HD shop has price on every bike. New and Used,,

 

I was in a situation that when the 2010's were announced I was ready to buy. I checked a few dealerships but this story revolves around two.

I called the first dealership and I told them what I wanted in model, color and options. As soon as the 2010's were announced they called me back (within hours of the 2010's being announced) and gave me a price "out the door" in writing via e-mail.

The other dealership... my local dealership would not give me a price, and I quote this direct from the sale person, "until I came in to prove I was serious.". It was a local dealership and I thought I would give them a chance but when I did come in and talked to the sales person I got the sales person bullchit and I was asked the "How much do you want to pay?". So I told him, "$5 bucks" and followed with "Hey, you asked me a stupid question so I gave you a stupid answer. Now I came in like you asked, give me your out the door price.". This cr@p went on for a few minutes until I left but needless to say ...

I bought my bike from the first dealership... from Mother Road Harley-Davidson in Kingman, AZ. and I am glad that I did. Their attitude and appreciation towards the customer started when I called and still continues in the post sales.

 

when i found a dealer who won't be doing the old "bait and switch" routine or start hum hawing around, but be up front and straight with me, then i got a dealership that has earned my business. i can shop anywhere but choose to go through route 66 in tulsa. they have been very helpful, and they appreciate my business. sure they make money off of me, but they they certainly don't treat me like some chump who doesn't have a clue either. it really does pay to establish a good working relationship with a dealer that treats you well. they are few and far between.