marobrown
Crystal City, Mo
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My husband and I are starting to look at upgrading from our pup to a htt. We like the Jayco Jayfeather 19h so far so we decided to get some prices from different dealers. We got a quote from one dealer of $17,900. We also contacted RVdirect and they gave us a quote of $15,065. I then contacted the first dealer and told him that RVdirect had in fact given us a better quote. This is what his response was:
Yes I’m aware of R.V Direct they are flooding the market with orphan owners who save some money and then have no one to help them out with service of their brand new campers. They have no service facility and you have no where to go when the little things need to be taken care of. It’s very easy to sell something to someone you never have to do anything for after the sale. We have a full service highly skilled staff that we employ year round to make sure our customers can enjoy their camping season. Talk to few (dealers name removed) customers and they tell you why we are the number one R.V Dealer in the St.Louis are and attest to the value of our service. Also keep in mind I don’t see any hitching in this quote. I have quoted you numbers that include a full Equalizer 4pt weight distributing hitching and a brake controller installed. We don’t play games with our customers. When we give a quote there are no by the ways you’re going to need this and that. Our quotes have you ready to go enjoy your self and know that we are going to be here for you for the long haul. One visit to our facility and you would understand the value of a quality dealership as opposed to what you’ll experience in Iowa . Thank you for your interest and your honest strait forward approach. Look your camper over very well before you leave there and try to get it as close to perfect as you can. Given the opportunity I may be able to get a little more off on this camper but we will not bother trying to match R.V Direct pricing. Thanks again.
I am not sure how to respond to this. I would appreciate some opinions.
Thanks!!
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jauguston
Bellingham, WA
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I think they gave you a reasonable response. You have to decide whether the difference in price is reasonable. It sounds like it might be especially if you are not a do-it-yourself person that can fix what you find wrong. They did offer a lowering of the price just not a match.
Jim
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coolbreeze01
Redding, Ca
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Sounds like a good dealer, and a good dealer is worth a few bucks IMO. Cheaper isn't always better. Enjoy your new rig.
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scbwr
Wilson NY
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I like the dealer's response. With the nature of RVs, it's better to have a good dealer to provide support when you need it. And, I agree with his point about maintaining a service department. From his point of view, if you buy elsewhere, who is going to get priority service when it's needed? A loyal customer or someone who bought elsewhere?
That's not to say that you shouldn't bargain for the best deal. And the best deal is something only you can decide....especially once you know that you've gotten 25% or so off the list price.
For me, buying from a good dealership that will be there for product support is worth paying the difference....and I am "handy" enough to take care of a lot of problems, but for larger issues, I want a dealer's support.
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sch911
Rochester Hills, MI
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The dealer is spot on. However if you ask Jayco (or any other manufacturer that RV Direct handles) about this they'll tell you that you can take your HTT to any of their dealers for service. Of course you may find out you're placed at the end of the longest line when it comes to getting the work done, if they'll do it at all....
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MichDoc
Michigan
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Joined: 01/02/2006
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I have to agree with scbwr - I also liked the dealers response. It wasn't sugar coated, just factual information. It didn't sound like a "salesman's line". It's like buying from K-Mart, versus a small independent local business......when the product needs to be repaired or replaced, when you have questions or problems, who is going to provide you with the best service? That's worth a lot in my estimation.
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kaydeejay
SE Michigan, USA
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I think the dealer is being very up-front. I suggest you go back and ask just how much extra he is prepared to take off. $2835 difference is quite a lot. $1000 off that would be food for thought.
Then you, and only you, can decide if the WD hitch, brake controller and his Service Dept. are worth the extra.
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nny12972
NY
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Joined: 10/25/2006
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You left out a lot of variables....taxes, transient plate fee, travel time & $$, hitch/WD/Sway, that are part of the equation.......
Some of the same missing items with the local dealer should be addressed. There are a whole lot of buyers who ignore their local dealer, and end up sorry.
Many of the posts have mentioned the "after the sale" situation---I'd add that since it sounds like you haven't had a previous TT, there's gonna' be a learning curve for you and H.....and you're probably gonna' be looking at accessories, too....in short, if the deal is right considering the differences in hitch/brake/wiring equipment, travel, etc.., not to mention follow-up care.......
....I'd stay with a local dealer if at all reasonable, too......
J
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campercajun
Central Texas Hill Country
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I agree with everything that's been said. We went the low-price route once, and drove over 2 full days to pick up the trailer. Local dealers handling the same brand will do warranty work and fix the "glitches" that the factory didn't, as our local dealer did, but they understandably almost always put their own customers first in line. After all, those are the customers that keep them in business and pay their employees' salaries so that they can keep the doors open. Local dealers can't stay in business if they can't make a profit, and if they go out of business, you have to drive a LOT further to get your trailer worked on. You like the Jayco HTT, and that is fine, but this pertains to the dealer network of any RV manufacturer.
Our local dealer did such a good job in handling the warranty work on that trailer that our next trailer we bought we bought from him, and have never regretted it. We will continue to keep our RV purchases local, with him. He even went out of his way to schedule our trailer immediately when we discovered a limb had torn the caulking loose from our fridge vent, resulting in a major leak, as we were to leave on a week+ trip only 2 days later.
The difference between the prices you quoted is not an insignificant amount of money; however, what price do you put on relaxed nerves and peace of mind? RVDirect doesn't have the overhead of maintaining a full-time crew of employees that your local dealer does, and your local dealer is almost guaranteed to be a LOT closer to you than RVDirect would be, even if they would handle the warranty and service work.
It sounds like you have found a good, honest, and probably helpful dealer, and sometimes finding one like that can be like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Having had experience purchasing from a discount dealer who is states away, I would prefer to do business with your local dealer, who seems to be a good one, but of course, it's your money, nerves, convenience, and peace of mind. The lowest price isn't the most important factor in our RV purchases any more.
EDIT: To show our appreciation for our dealer and his staff for taking care of us, and helping us to purchase the trailer we'd dreamed of owning for several years, my wife bakes them a cake, and I take it to them, if I need to take the TT there, or go there to order or buy something from their RV store. They remember us well, and they're ALWAYS glad to see us, even if we have trailer problems!
* This post was
edited 08/17/08 10:44am by campercajun *
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Economical Handyman
S. California
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If he is as honest as his response appears, I have to buy from that dealer!
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