Don’t be fooled by these common tricks of the trade.
When you’ve been in business as long as we have, you hear a lot of horror stories. Our customers have told us all about the high-pressure and misleading sales practices they’ve experienced at other dealerships. Here’s a list of the most common techniques that really put the beware in “buyer beware.”
- Refusing to give a firm “out-the-door” price in writing — If they are reluctant to give you the real total up front it’s a major red flag. What are they trying to hide?
- Using “4-Square” quote-sheet to obscure pricing — This infamous tactic has been around for years; it’s designed to hide the true “out-the-door” cost and real finance terms in order to show you a low monthly payment. Don’t fall for it!
- Offering you a lower price depending on whether you pay cash or finance — This practice is actually illegal under the Truth in Lending Act.
- Not disclosing ALL costs — One way salespeople will try to win you over is with a super-low price that doesn’t include everything it should. Make sure you’re getting a real number that includes freight, PDI (pre-delivery inspection) and all the other back-end products you’ll need, like hitches and accessories, at a reasonable cost.
- Only giving you a monthly payment amount — The devil is always in the details. Without the terms and interest rate, you can’t check the math or know if it’s really a good deal.
- Limiting the number of campers they will show you — Why would any business do this? It can take time to find the perfect camper; don’t let them pressure or rush your decision.
- Offering both a “lifetime warranty” and a service contract — If the lifetime warranty is so great, why would you need to purchase an added protection plan? It’s important to investigate something that sounds too good to be true.
- Charging you for a demo of your new unit — A dealership that cares about its customers wants them to be informed, prepared owners of the RV they purchase. If they charge you extra for doing something this important … what does that say about your long-term value to them?
Have you encountered any of these shady tactics yourself when shopping for an RV? Share it in the comments.
