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I just remembered another one.A guy I used to work with had a transmission go out on his car a month after the warranty ran out. He went to the dealer and tried to get it fixed for free but they wouldnt. So he called the manufacturer and stated his case... eventually he got a high enough manager that offered to cover 25% of the repair costs. He wanted more so he complained more and they upped the offer to 50%. Finally one more call he figured would get the whole thing paid for but this time the factory guy said:"It is obvious that we are not going to be able to satisfy you 100% so all offers are withdrawn. You are on your own."
Now all of you have shopped and most of you have dickered:• Was the deal still on the table when you returned? • Did you accept the deal when it was presented?• Did you dicker with everyone you shopped knowing you can only buy from one?• Did you use it as a bargaining chip at the next dealer?
In my experience in this industry I've come to find one thing to be true:Weaker dealers don't price their tubs while stronger ones do.Steve
I find that to be a gross overgeneralization. And we price our spas.
deal still on the table- yesaccept when presented? No, I still had lots of looking to do, and would never make such a big purchase without at least overnight to think about it.Dicker with everyone? No, until I knew which spa I wanted, I just kept track of each dealer's offer. Once I decided which one I wanted, I did make a counter offer slightly less than what I had been quoted. bargaining chip at the next dealer? No. But each spa I was looking at was a different brand, so that would seem an unfair thing to do. If two dealerships for the same brand were in my area, I'd expect their prices to be the same. As far as the overall theme of dealers being offended or irritated by people trying to negotiate with them, I'd say you should change your profession if this really bothers you. Whether it is fair or not, big ticket items are going to be viewed this way by consumers. Spas, furnature, home electronics, even houses are sold this way. (Houses do differ, admittedly- sometimes going for MORE than asked, depending on the market) Even if you dont like to bargain, many of your collegues engender this policy. At least 1/2 of the dealers I spoke to indicated that they could "work with me" without me asking for any deals. There is another aspect to it that came up a month ago or so- some people, because they are so habituated by the way other big-ticket items are sold, HAVE to bargain. They cant bear to know that they did not try to save a little more. It is not that they are trying to abuse the dealer, it is more like a personal achievement. I said above that I did give my dealer a counter offer. There were two reasons for this. 1) I had in my own head what I felt was the relative value of that tub compared to the others I had looked at. It was not the least expensive model that I wet tested by far, but I felt I knew where it fell in the spectrum of value, trying to compare apples to oranges. That determiend what I felt I'd be willing to part with to have the tub. 2) I'm guilty of the above need to know that I tried. FWIW- if I had felt all warm and fuzzy for my dealer, I would have given what he first asked, no bargaining, as I would have known that years of good support were to follow. As it was, I felt that I was buying an item from someone who was going to be of some, but limited help in the future, so I did not feel bad trying to ge the best price I could.