I can't believe it!

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irvsiegel

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 27, 2006
Posts
138
Location
Benicia, CA
? ?As you might know if you read my posts in the "Is this dealer trustworthy?" thread, I backed off from purchasing a Georgetown motorhome because the dealer overstated the MSRP by about $13,000.? Well, it's happened again at another dealer!? I asked this other dealer to FAX me the MSRP sheet, which he did, and the base MSRP was about $3,000 higher on their sheet than on the manufacturer's web site.? I called the manufacturer to confirm the lower MSRP, which they did.? I called the dealership and gently enquired about the discrepancy.? At first I was told that it didn't include the options, but the options were added after the base price.? Then the dealer told me that it didn't include the destination charge or dealer prep ($600, a trifle steep, I thought).? Also not true; those items were added later.? Then the salesman told me that it was higher because it was the Workhorse chassis and not the Ford.? I almost fell for that, but then I remembered that I had given the manufacturer the serial number of the coach, and they confirmed the lower base MSRP for this particular coach.

? Maybe I should be happy that this dealer overstated the MSRP by only $3,000 instead of $13,000, but actually I'm quite irritated.? Do all dealers do this, or just dealers in Florida and Georgia?? How does one find an honest dealer?? Are there any?

? ?By the way, this latest problem occured while negotiating for a Fleetwood Terra LX 34N.

Base MSRP from Fleetwood -----? $94,780

Base MSRP from dealer -------------$97,720

Options (from dealer) -----------------$6,993

Destination Charge (from dealer) --$1,200

Dealer Prep --------------------------------- $600

Total amount (from dealer) -------? ?$106,513.? This should be only $103,573.

? ?The dealer just called back and told me that there was an upgrade to the generator (5.5 vs. 4.0) and he repeated that the Workhorse chassis cost more.? I then pointed out to him that both the upgraded generator and the Workhorse chassis were included in the Options list, so they were part of the $6,993 and *not* part of the base price.

? ?Do dealers treat everybody as if they're stupid, or do I just have that look about me that says I'm an easy mark?

Irv

 
Get used to it, unfortunately.  Dealers will try these sales tricks with *everyone* at least once, simply because most people believe it and pay the higher amount (or at least some portion of it).  That's how sales works, it's all about the bottom line.  That's not to say there are NO honest, trustworthy dealerships/salespeople left out there, but anymore they are the exception and not the rule. 

Kudos to YOU for doing your homework and knowing when the wool is being pulled over your eyes.  You always have to keep up that cautious attitude with these guys, especially over such a high-dollar item!  If you are really interested in a coach from a specific dealer, tell the guy flat-out that you have already confirmed all the options through the factory and KNOW what the MSRP really should be.  Give them an ultimatium (politely and professionally, not in a snotty way) and hang up... if they know you're serious and want your business they will call back with some reasonable information.  If not, then you shouldn't be dealing with them anyway.  ;)
 
Is Forest City Products now owned by Fleetwood.  Georgetown units are under the Forrest City label  Why wood it have a Fleetwood tag on it?  Not aware of the change It's possible but I'm not aware of it This could really be phoney from the word go.  The whole thing sounds fishy to me
 
Shayne,

? ?I think that I inadvertently confused you.? Heck, I think I confuse myself sometimes!? There are two different motorhomes that we've been considering from two different dealers, and the two different motorhomes are manufactured by two different companies.? The first one that we looked at was a Georgetown by Forest River.? There second one that we looked at was a Terra by Fleetwood.? Both dealers inflated the MSRP; the Georgetown was inflated by about $13,000 and the Fleetwood by around $3,000.? The Georgetown dealer in St. Augustine was rude and inconsiderate and never could satisfactorily explain the $13,000 difference between the MSRP that he gave me in writing from the MSRP that I received from Forest River for that serial number coach.? The Fleetwood dealer has so far been very polite and he tells me that he is investigating why there is a difference between the MSRP on his data sheet and the MSRP that I received from Fleetwood for that serial number coach.? The possible reasons that he has come up with so far have turned out to be untrue.? I think that he is grasping at straws.? He told me that he was going to call Fleetwood himself to try to straighten the whole thing out.? I will not identify the dealer unless and until I discover that there has been deliberate deception.? I *did* identify the Forest River dealer in St. Augustine in the "Is this dealer trustworthy?" thread.

? ?Sincerely,

? ? ? ?Irv
 
Sorry Irv  I took it to be  A Forrest River Product by Fleetwood.  My mistake  Sorry.
 
" Do dealers treat everybody as if they're stupid, or do I just have that look about me that says I'm an easy mark?"

Or is it just that:

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it."
--Upton Sinclair

                                                        -Don Quoteman
 
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