First Post - Walked out on slimy dealer

[Whitehall]

Well, we finally selected a Snow River 245RKS, based on many hours of lurking here (tons of good info, obviously), obsessively scouring the Northwood website, and finally visiting a dealer. That part went very well for the first two hours or so, then...not.

The salesman was very helpful and friendly. He patiently showed us several units, answered my questions, and helped us make a good choice after we decided against a smaller unit (we have three teenagers who still like us). My wife and I didn't really know the exact price we should pay, and hadn't intended to buy that day anyway. The salesman asked us what we wanted, and I said 25% off MSRP. He did a quick calculation and threw out a price. After some thought, we said OK. Yay!

Everyone was so happy and friendly. He then mentioned the PDI of $595 "Oops, it went up to $695, but I can let you have it for $595" Whatever. We spent a good 45 minutes filling out all the paperwork, then the guy left us and went somewhere else. After 15 minutes or so, he comes back with the contract marked up in fat blue pen. Says his manager said he can't sell it for that price, and pretty much resets the price to the starting point. I was stunned, as I thought those days were over. Told him no way. He whines they're not making a profit, it's already marked down, blah, blah, blah.

I get up to leave, he goes back for one more try, comes back with about a few hundred off, and we say no. Instant change from Mr. Friendly Salesman to Angry Jerk. If he'd just respected his customer in the first place, he could have had the sale. I might have even bought it for zero dollars off the asking price, if I thought it was the best I could do. Instead he names a low price that triggers our buy decision, then yanks the rug out later on. I'm sure we ruined his entire morning, but I doubt he'll change his approach toward customers.

Between the first and second time he went to The Man With The Blue Pen, I called the other dealer, which is actually closer to home, and made a deal on the phone. No PDI fee, no games, two batteries included. The only reason I didn't go there first was because I wanted to see some Outdoors RV trailers as well as Northwood.

Anyway, notwithstanding the above, we are really excited about finally getting a Northwood trailer. We'll tow it behind our 2012 F350 PSD. Thanks for all of the info, and I hope to be able to contribute here.

[4X4Dodger]

Grodyman wrote:
Name the dealer. Everyone should know.

X2 Name the dealer.

[Passin_Thru]

My wife and I get 3 bids from different dealers on the last day of the month and play one against the other via the internet. When we get it down, we then go into the dealership, with our dinner saying we didn't have time to eat. We have a leisurely dinner and watch them sweat, ask for the top salesman. We then talk to him and tell him what we will give and if he doesn't come through, we walk out letting them know we will waste their whole evening. Last one took til 11 PM. Let them get mad, we just ignore them and keep driving at our price. They have given up every time but once when a Toyota dealer told us "If you think you can get that deal, go somewhere else." We did and even got an $800 sunroof thrown in on a Toyota Camry then drove back and showed it to him. He said a bad word like "GUNKY!!

[2012Coleman]

Is paying for PDI something new? I don't think I would agree to pay for it. Good on you OP for getting the deal you wanted!

[spoon059]

Good for you OP!!! I'm so happy that I don't have to deal with nonsense like this. I research what I want to buy and know what price I am willing to pay. I contact the internet sales departments (car dealership and RV dealership) and get a price via email. No hardball negotiating, no going back and forth, no wasted hours in a dealership, no sudden surprises.

When I bought my Jayco, we had the price hammered out before I came in to give a deposit (they factory ordered for me). While we were making our deposit, my wife casually mentioned that we were paying a couple hundred dollars more than our best quote from RVDirect.com. We had already agreed upon a price that we were perfectly fine with... well the salesman agreed to knock another couple hundred off the price (still a little higher than RVDirect... but not much!). We were super happy with that. Gave our deposit, made sure that the order sheet was correct and left.

They called us 7 weeks later, the trailer was in. We walked in the door, did PDI and looked over everything. We handed our truck keys to them so they could set up the hitch for us. Walked over to the sales office and spent about 10 minutes getting our paperwork and handing over a check. The transaction was short and too the point... we actually still had to wait about 45 minutes for them to set up the hitch.

I couldn't deal with the long and drawn out "sales process". I would lose my mind.

[gbopp]

Old-Biscuit wrote:



KUDOS to you for NOT getting pulled into that old tactic and walking

Congrats on your new trailer. Good for you :B

X2.
Enjoy your travels.

[TomG2]

Thanks for bringing this topic up, as I will be trying to trade trailers later today. I am fully prepared to walk as I do not "need" a different trailer, just "want" one, and they have a leftover model on clearance.

[Old-Biscuit]

After shopping and I have decided to purchase I ask salesman if he is 'authorized' to make the deal. IF he hesitates or yammers I tell him that first time he goes back into an office I will not be sitting here at this table when you return.


KUDOS to you for NOT getting pulled into that old tactic and walking

Congrats on your new trailer. Good for you :B

[opnspaces]

I went to a local RV show and tried to make an offer on a trailer. As you described they gave me a piece of paper to write my offer on which I did. Then the paper was whisked away and a few minutes later came back with huge fat permanent marker writing with a very high price.

I was so annoyed by it that I just thanked the sales lady for her time and left. I can guarantee you that next time I go RV shopping I'm going to bring the fattest magic marker that I can find then let the negotiating begin. 🙂

[Whitehall]

My perception is that Arctic Fox sits on top of the heap, and the price reflects it. Outdoors makes, I believe, 5 lines of TT, increasing in quality, price, and features. I would be happy with any one, except perhaps the lowest end Black Rock. We selected a Snow River, which doesn't have quite the number of features as an AF, but is still very well built for an RV (I hope).

Another issue is that I would really prefer a shorter trailer so we could get into more California state parks. However, Arctic Fox seems to have a gap in their line between the 22G and the 25 models, which are darn near 30' long. The 24J has a closed-in rear due to the bath, which I didn't want. The Snow River 246RKS fit the bill. Longer than I wanted, but big enough to meet our needs.

[deltabravo]

I can't stand it when salespeople (car dealers do it all the time) run to and fro the sales office (which ALWAYS has tinted windows) with a piece of copy/printer paper with nothing on it but numbers from various colored markers, about 1" tall.

[jmtandem]

The only reason I didn't go there first was because I wanted to see some Outdoors RV trailers as well as Northwood.

Just curious, what was your perception of quality between Arctic Fox products and Outdoors trailers since they are essentially the same company, just different divisions?

[Johndanielscpa]

I've heard good things about Sierra RV. They were one of the sites I was monitoring when I bought my Fifth wheel from my local dealer. They seemed to have fair pricing on their units.

[Grodyman]

Name the dealer. Everyone should know.

[n7bsn]

There are Dealerships and Stealerships.
Sounds like you started with the later and ended up at former.

[Whitehall]

Thanks. I think they were really counting on the spousal dynamics to make us cave. Hilariously, there was another couple in there getting the full workover - "what do you think your trade is worth?" "what do you want your monthly payment to be?", and finally, "well, you're still a little under water on your trade in."

I haven't played the "foursquare" car sales game in many years. I treat the salesman with respect in anticipation of building a trustful business relationship. All he has to do is cut the games and get down to business. I have bought four cars from a gentleman that works like this. He makes money, I get exactly what I want at a great price, and we are both satisfied since neither one went for the last penny. We will see each other again.

The dealer we are buying from is Sierra RV Center in Colfax. They do quite a business in Arctic Fox and it's nice to see a local business thrive without alienating its customers.