Bad Experience at Dealers!!!

[Brett's_daddy]

Okay, I was all excited about this 1989 Lund 16ft boat we found at a local dealers. We've been checking it out and it needed a little fixing up but overall it was in good shape. He was asking $2400 for the boat and factoring in all the extras like registration, tax, etc., etc. we decided to start low and work our way up hoping to get the boat for around $2100 so we listed the things that we would need to do like replacing the laminate wood trim that was peeling up and rotting in some spots and we started off at $1800 to which he immediately said no. I said okay, what's the lowest you're willing to go and he said I have it listed for $2400 and that's what I want for it. I said how about $1900...figuring he'd start dickering because nobody pays list price...especially on a used boat but he went into a rant about how he doesn't make much money on used boats and when he's asking $2400 for a boat and I offered him $1800 he said you might as well kick me in the balls. I was stunned quite frankly as I expected him to dicker like most dealers do so after quickly collecting myself I said how about $2100 and he turned his back on me and said "the price is $2400, if you want the boat for that I'll be inside" and he walked into his shop and slammed the door hard in our faces. My wife and I were again stunned...we were totally unprepared for this behavior. We conferred and ultimately decided that while we liked the boat a lot we simply were too turned off by the dealers reactions to reward his poor actions and meet his asking price. I guess sometimes the hardest thing to do is walk away...would you guys have done the same if you were in our shoes? I feel that this boat just wasn't meant to be and that if we're patient we'll find something better in the coming weeks.

[EvanT123]

The guy sounds like a heck of a negotiator. I think your last sentence sums it up nicely. Good luck in your search. 

[K_Mac]

Sounds like you were far more pleasant than I would have been. There are many boats for sale. A dealership that treats a customer, even one not spending a lot of money, like that doesn't need my business. I would have told him that and that I would make sure all of my boat buying friends knew how he does business. Good luck.

[Hog Basser]

Wow, just wow.... Yep, I would have walked out and probably given him a piece of my mind too.  Even if he can't go any lower than that, it's no excuse to act that way.  You will find the boat that's meant for you, move on and keep looking.  

[A-Jay]

Interesting ~  He wouldn't come down on his price and you wouldn't come up on your price.

So you think he was being unreasonable and apparently he feels you're being unreasonable.

Using inappropriate language & unprofessional behavior is obviously unacceptable but standing firm on a price is just how it goes sometimes.

The seller wants more and the buyer wants to pay less.

Good Luck on your continued search.

A-Jay

[Brett's_daddy]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

He wouldn't come down on his price and you wouldn't come up on your price.

Actually I started out at $1800 and came up to $2100!

[A-Jay]

Just now, Brett's_daddy said:

Actually I started out at $1800 and came up to $2100!

OK ~ and if you'd gone to $2400 you'd have a new boat.

A-Jay

[slonezp]

I wouldn't be shopping there. That being said, Lund carries a premium name and he will probably get the asking price.

[Brett's_daddy]

1 minute ago, A-Jay said:

OK ~ and if you'd gone to $2400 you'd have a new boat.

A-Jay

If he hadn't treated us so badly I might have kept going up...maybe to $2300 but after the way he acted I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of my business. He's not the only dealer around...there will be other boats, most likely sold by people with better manners too!

[tander]

2 minutes ago, Brett's_daddy said:

If he hadn't treated us so badly I might have kept going up...maybe to $2300 but after the way he acted I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of my business. He's not the only dealer around...there will be other boats, most likely sold by people with better manners too!

I was just about to type the same thing. If he had acted right, I bet you would have bought. Good luck on your search.

[A-Jay]

Just now, Brett's_daddy said:

If he hadn't treated us so badly I might have kept going up...maybe to $2300 but after the way he acted I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of my business. He's not the only dealer around...there will be other boats, most likely sold by people with better manners too!

I totally agree - Unprofessional describes it ~

Move on - You'll get what you're looking for and this will just be part of the story.

A-Jay

 

[XzyluM]

Maybe the dealer felt like he was being insulted on the price you offered, but that still doesn't justify his attitude. I think that anyone that has been in sales for a period of time should pretty much expect customers to try and negotiate a better price than what they are asking. If this situation presented itself to me, I would have simply walked away. Being firm on a price is one thing, but being rude about it is usually the fastest way to lose a potential sale. Often times, dealers pay the low value for trades, but sometimes they end up paying closer to listing price if another sale warrants it. With that said, some of my best purchases have came when I simply walked away only to have them calling me back and they usually end up below what I originally offered. My latest purchase was a Scag mower listed at $7200. I emailed the dealership rather than stopping by in person and was quoted $6600 without even negotiating. Probably the easiest deal I have ever done and many people had told me that he was one of the hardest guys to deal with around here. 

[Further North]

His lousy attitude cost him a customer...likely forever...and anyone else you tell the story to.

I wouldn't be shy about sharing the experience, or about using his name.

We have a little shop here in town that makes custom rods on St. Croix blanks...does decent work, great prices...they also repair reels.

I recommended them to a friend who stopped by with a couple reels that needed repair...and gave him a load of crap and told him they don't work on reels they don't sell...and no, my friend didn't bring it on himself, he's one of the most polite people I know.

I haven't been back...it's cost him a fair amount of business...I probably bought 2 or three rods a year there along with some other stuff.

...the best story I have about an *ssclown like that dealer is a guy in SE WI that I sent an e-mail to about a boat he had on the lot.  I asked for info, then hit the internet and did some homework on comparable boats.  I found several, provided links, and suggested a price a coule thousand less than his listed number, but higher than the others based on condition.  This jerk wrote me a long, rambling e-mail telling me I knew nothing about the boat business, knew nothing about boat prices or the market and that he would get his list price.  A simple "No" would have been more than sufficient, but this dingleball needed to make a federal case out of it.

He actually emailed me a few days later to brag that he'd sold the boat at his asking price...I wrote back to him to let him know I'd found one in better condition, with fewer hours and a year newer for less money...never heard back.

A little digging around uncovered the doofus was the son of the owner...I hope Daddy understood what kind of a horse's *ss his son was after I printed the whole mess out and mailed it to him....that I never heard back probably says no...

[TX18_E90]

You work too hard for your money to give it to someone that treats you like dirt. Imagine what the service departments attitude is like there. Feel fortunate you found out before you bought the boat and move on. 

[buzzed bait]

I was just going to say heaven forbid you ask him about any service after the purchase! Go spend your money elsewhere and it'll make you feel much better when you drive off the lot!

i paid what the guy was asking when I bought my kayak. Sure I tried to go a little less, but it was already a good price and he politely told me he was firm. Turned out to be a really nice guy and made me feel better about paying his asking price. 

Same went for the house my wife and I bought. Crazy market here in ATL and we ended up paying asking price and there were 3 others who offered the same. In the end, the people we bought it from may have been the nicest couple in the world and it made it so much easier for my wife and I given this was our first home. 

Moral of my stories is that it's ok to pay asking price sometimes, but I like to know my money is going to someone that really deserved it. 

Good luck on the search for "the one"!

[CarolinaBoy4Life]

To be honest a lot of dealers deal with people on a daily basis who try to haggle pricing. If I post something online on craigslist and put $2400 firm thats what I would mean. If I put OBO or negotiable then theres room for bartering. If you throw out a lower # and I immediately state the price is firm there's no point in trying to barter with me. Just take this scenario into consideration, if you have something for sale you have price listed and I come to your place of business or home to look at it. I list off things to devalue the unit in hopes to get you to lower pricing. I throw out a # and you repeat you won't take less than listed and I continue to try and haggle and you must repeat yourself it would become quite annoying. Think about how many people do this with this dealer on a daily or weekly basis. 

[Brett's_daddy]

55 minutes ago, CarolinaBoy4Life said:

To be honest a lot of dealers deal with people on a daily basis who try to haggle pricing. If I post something online on craigslist and put $2400 firm thats what I would mean. If I put OBO or negotiable then theres room for bartering. If you throw out a lower # and I immediately state the price is firm there's no point in trying to barter with me. Just take this scenario into consideration, if you have something for sale you have price listed and I come to your place of business or home to look at it. I list off things to devalue the unit in hopes to get you to lower pricing. I throw out a # and you repeat you won't take less than listed and I continue to try and haggle and you must repeat yourself it would become quite annoying. Think about how many people do this with this dealer on a daily or weekly basis. 

Sorry but that's like giving this dealer a hall pass for bad behavior and I don't agree! We had been looking at this boat for the past week and while he said $2400 he never said firm or we most likely wouldn't have tried to barter with him. But for him to say the part about I might as well kick him in the balls with my wife standing right there...that's just completely uncalled for! You're a professional, sure this isn't the first time someone has tried haggling a price with you and you just can't lose your cool like that. We live in a small town and word gets around quickly. I've worked many years in retail before my State job and there were times I absolutely wanted to lace customers out but I didn't, I grinned and bared it as customers are your lifeblood and if word got out that you treated your customers poorly it would be bad for business. This dealer could have handled this situation MUCH better, without vulgarity...especially in front of a woman!!!

[CarolinaBoy4Life]

I understand everyone will have their own reaction and feelings about how it was handled. Granted I don't take offense to much so my view can easily be different than the next mans. I just understand a lot of customers (not stating you) feel just because they are a customer they should get it their way no questions asked. It can be a two way street, not all customers are the best of the bunch just like not all dealers. I don't agree with the slamming of the door or losing his cool. 

[flyfisher]

So i guess i'll look at it from the other side.  If someone continues to ask me for a lower price after saying it is a fixed price and keeps asking then i would get ticked too.  I got windows a few years ago and had multiple places line up to give estimates.  The very first one who came in, I made it clear that he was the first and have three others lined up and will not be making a decision today so if he could please not ask me to buy today because the answer is no, it would save us some headache.  He agreed and within about 10 minutes in he asked for the sale.  I respectfully said no, and then reminded him that i was interested in his product but not the sale today and to not ask again.  Fast forward another 20 minutes and on his third ask i basically laid into him and said look i asked you nicely a few times and you are disrespecting me and my family by continuing to ask.  If you can't abide by what we agreed upon in the beginning then i will absolutely kick you out of my house and make sure that your company gets blasted in as many avenues as i can to reduce your sales and specifically your sales.  

So i guess in all that rambling i am saying that after the 2nd time he was firm in his price you should have said fine and walked away.

 

[FluffChucker]

As someone who formerly sold cars, I can understand the temperament of this dealer. No matter how much I wanted to act like he did, I couldn't have ever done it. It just isn't right.

I'm really surprised that the dealer slammed the door and stormed off. You guys were a measly $500 away from having an agreement. Surely, there is something the guy could have done to make it more worth your while and at least counter your offer. I get that sometimes vehicles and boats are listed at rock bottom amounts, but that's just insane to me that he didn't at least attempt working something out or explaining better to you why he couldn't make a deal. Why not toss in a few accessories for free to try to make up the difference? That would have been my go-to plan, anyways.

Those 16' Lund's are about a dime a dozen up here in the Midwest. Perhaps they're not out on the east coast, but I'll bet that if you're patient and look around, you'll find something that you like even better for a fair price.

[Brett's_daddy]

I forgot to add that we had CASH in hand, he wouldn't have had to wait for a loan approval or finance himself or see if a check would clear...we offered him cold hard cash and made that known to him and he still acted this way, unbelievable!

[Scarborough817]

19 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

he went into a rant about how he doesn't make much money on used boats

maybe his attitude is the main reason why

[Kevin22]

1 hour ago, FluffChucker said:

 

Those 16' Lund's are about a dime a dozen up here in the Midwest. Perhaps they're not out on the east coast, but I'll bet that if you're patient and look around, you'll find something that you like even better for a fair price.

I was thinking the same thing. You may look online at MN/WI/SD/ND/IA/IL dealers. I'll bet you find a good condition 16' lund for your 2500 budget. Shouldn't cost too much to have it shipped, maybe $500 or so. By the time you locate "the boat" you can probably have the shipping cash saved up. 

Seriously, I bet 9/10 boat dealers in MN have a 16' lund V on the lot right now. Especially 88-94 models. 

[flyfisher]

7 hours ago, Brett's_daddy said:

I forgot to add that we had CASH in hand, he wouldn't have had to wait for a loan approval or finance himself or see if a check would clear...we offered him cold hard cash and made that known to him and he still acted this way, unbelievable!

Cash deals are easy but the business doesn't make as much money...at least they didn't when i sold cars.