Test Driving RV
I called to set up appointments to test drive 2 RV's on our short list today (which would entail a 4 hr round trip)and was told I couldn't drive them without making an offer. Is this happening elsewh...
Forum Discussion
People on this Forum sometimes seem to have a double standard on this issue. Many people have expressed the opinion that they don't want to purchase a unit that has been test driven by a number of strangers. Many don't want to sell their own unit and face the need for strangers coming to their home and wanting to test drive their motor home. They express fear of inexperienced people driving a large vehicle and the personal safety issues involved.
It is in fact a two way street. These dealers are simply wishing to establish, from a perfect stranger on the phone, that they are actually a potential buyer of a unit and have some reasonable price where a deal could be struck. From experience, I can assure you multiple vehicles are stolen every year using the test drive ploy. Some few salespeople lose their lives every year during these activities. Dealers lose their very higinsurancece deductibles every year when test drivers wreck their unit and refuse to pay.
It is a serious world out there and to expect a dealer to say "Yeah, come on down and play with our inventory" to someone on the phone and without previous contact is just poor business practices. If the situation was reversed, any intelligent consumer would try to protect themselves. Just because they are in the business to sell does not exempt them from possible problems. There is nothing more frustrating than giving a lengthy demonstration and test ride only to discover the customer either has no possibility to buy or expects a price $50,000 lower than reasonable.
It is in fact a two way street. These dealers are simply wishing to establish, from a perfect stranger on the phone, that they are actually a potential buyer of a unit and have some reasonable price where a deal could be struck. From experience, I can assure you multiple vehicles are stolen every year using the test drive ploy. Some few salespeople lose their lives every year during these activities. Dealers lose their very higinsurancece deductibles every year when test drivers wreck their unit and refuse to pay.
It is a serious world out there and to expect a dealer to say "Yeah, come on down and play with our inventory" to someone on the phone and without previous contact is just poor business practices. If the situation was reversed, any intelligent consumer would try to protect themselves. Just because they are in the business to sell does not exempt them from possible problems. There is nothing more frustrating than giving a lengthy demonstration and test ride only to discover the customer either has no possibility to buy or expects a price $50,000 lower than reasonable.
