Tag: Sales

Shady RV Sales Tactics

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.”

  1. 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? 
  2. 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!
  3. Offering you a lower price depending on whether you pay cash or finance — This practice is actually illegal under the Truth in Lending Act.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.