NEC Dealer vs Manufacturer confusion

[Vanman]

OMG the more I find out the less I understand!

I’ve been visiting and emailing a few dealerships, just trying to set up some contacts and speed things up on the big day(s) and I thought it was all going fairly well … until I started trying to find out which models would be on display at the show. Here is the way one of the conversations went over the course of a week.

“Hi – can you tell me if you’ll be taking Van A to the show?”
“I’ll find out” …
“No we won’t, but there will be one on the Van A manufacturers stand and we’ll be on there too. We’ll have Van B on our stand though and it’s pretty similar and good”
“Great, I’ll see you at the show!”
“Erm probably not as I’ll be on a different manufacturers stand”

OK I get it that the Manufacturers sub-contract their stands out to the Dealers but what does that mean to me? Does it mean if there are x4 sales people on a stand that they will all quote exactly the same price or could I get 4 different offers on the same stand? If the manufacturers goods are also sold on one of the Dealers stands could I get a different offer there or is there in fact no room for negotiations at these shows, is it all a stitch up?!

Is it worth taking the phone number of a dealer close to me who won’t be at the show and ringing them to say – “The best offer I’m getting here is £xxx could you match that and throw in a 100w solar panel?”

What about the importance of local dealers? Should I get to the show and ask the sales people to line up spaced at a distance proportional from how far they are from where I live? I can see that ending well

Help – please explain how this all (or any) works!!

 

[955matt]

Its no different in the car world, the dealer has no choice but to do warranty work at a discounted price, it comes with being a dealer. They are not aloud to pick and chose what they do and wont do. They are also not aloud to say no, it doesn't matter what country or dealer it came from in the first place. Don't fall for the hard done by story they would like you to believe.

 

[funflair]

Its no different in the car world, the dealer has no choice but to do warranty work at a discounted price, it comes with being a dealer. They are not aloud to pick and chose what they do and wont do. They are also not aloud to say no, it doesn't matter what country or dealer it came from in the first place. Don't fall for the hard done by story they would like you to believe.

I thought it was different in the car world as franchised dealers have to toe the line, motorhome dealers just buy from a manufacturer and make their own rules up, I think,

Martin

 

[hilldweller]

Thank you for the welcome you extend me and other Van conversion members. You should bring your 5 star luxury home round here and try fitting it on my drive ... you may need to take 2 or 3 runs at it though as until it is below 5.5m in length and a good bit narrower the walls and house are likely to win. In fact, let me know when you're coming and I might be able to sell a lot of tickets to watch.

Don't blame the MH, move house.

 

[eddie]

Its no different in the car world, the dealer has no choice but to do warranty work at a discounted price, it comes with being a dealer. They are not aloud to pick and chose what they do and wont do. They are also not aloud to say no, it doesn't matter what country or dealer it came from in the first place. Don't fall for the hard done by story they would like you to believe.

Your wrong. When we used to warranty work for Benimar they expected us to get the parts from Benimar and the dealer had to pay the labour

We stopped taking warranty work for Benimars

Webasto pays the business's normal hourly rate once the business is trained and vetted. People happily book in Webasto warranty work. Other companies try to pay a percentage, thinking, erroneously that they are doing us a favor bringing customer to our premises.

The car franchise network is totally different to the motorhome industry, which is cottage industry by comparison

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[eddie]

I thought it was different in the car world as franchised dealers have to toe the line, motorhome dealers just buy from a manufacturer and make their own rules up, I think,

Martin

Yes your right. And the bigger the dealer the more the manufacturer needs the dealer, so is unlikely to be able to do anything to counter poor after sales service

Car dealer "Franchises" the dealers jumpp through hoops just to get the franchise, and then keep jumping to keep it

 

[Vanman]

Don't blame the MH, move house.

Not my problem, it's you that bought something 'not fit for purpose'

 

[Spidey]

Thank you for the welcome you extend me and other Van conversion members. You should bring your 5 star luxury home round here and try fitting it on my drive ... you may need to take 2 or 3 runs at it though as until it is below 5.5m in length and a good bit narrower the walls and house are likely to win. In fact, let me know when you're coming and I might be able to sell a lot of tickets to watch.

Yes that does limit you in size. Have you seen the hymer vans? They are 5.4 I think and a little narrower. They look really good, it is size I would like to drive, but hubby drives so we have a 7m.

 

[Vanman]

Yes that does limit you in size. Have you seen the hymer vans? They are 5.4 I think and a little narrower. They look really good, it is size I would like to drive, but hubby drives so we have a 7m.

Indeed yes , the Hymer Van 314 is short enough, but the rear bed is too high and a bit claustrophobic (low ceiling) for Mrs V. That's another reason many of the 'Luton' shaped vans were eliminated. We quite liked the Hymercar Ayers Rock but the space allotted to the shower was too small. It's at the upper range of prices too.

 

[Lenny HB]

Your hatred for buying British vans is pretty sad actually as it comes across in most of your posts. Bit like a broken record. Perhaps (I don't know) you have had a bad experience. .

Not sad at all I just feel sorry for people buying inferiors produces at inflated prices. In the past I worked in the industry for 10 years and have owned British built caravans that had more water in the walls than my garden pond, IMO British vans are not fit for purpose.
At a recent rally talking to a Funster that had an Autotrail, only 18 months old fed up to the back teeth with it having to go back to the factory for the 2nd time due to water pissing in, his previous van was a new Elddis got rid of it after a year as the build quality was so bad, he can't wait to get a German van. Another member who now has a German van got rid of his Autotrail for the same reason. I have met dozens of Hymer owners yet to hear of a serious fault.
Also most British vans are not fully winterised, what's the point in buying a van you can't use all year round in all countries.

My main gripe is how British manufacturers and dealers overcharge. I am changing vans at the moment I had quotes from a British dealer a Belgium one and a German one. Both the Belgium and German dealers offered over £10,000 more for my van as a trade in than the British dealer and the price of the new van was over £10,000 cheaper from both the Belgium and German dealer, where is the incentive to buy from a British dealer? I certainly can't see it.

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[Vanman]

I didn't really want to start a warranty argument, just to better understand the game. However when visiting a Dealer in Perth I inadvertently mentioned that I planned to buy at the NEC (where they presumably will not be ...) and was told "Well you'll not be getting it looked after here laddy" which was fine because I was on holiday at the time and live hundreds of miles away.

However I did get a reply from another dealer today by email, I won't disclose the dealers name because they have been honest and helpful, suffice it to say they are a 'top ten' dealer, listed on at least one manufacturers dealer list.

"Yes you are absolutely correct with regards to each Manufacturer having different Dealers on their stands, you are more than welcome to look at getting the best deal from each Dealer, do however please do bear in mind wherever you purchase from is where all of your warranty work will be need to be done with the respective Dealer."

"The supplying Dealer has to subsidise the labour rate from the Manufacturer, people do not understand how warranty works on Motorhomes, I hope this helps with any questions that may arise."

This is from the horses mouth as far as I am concerned, at least for this manufacturer.

 

[sedge]

Quote "where is the incentive to buy from a British dealer? I certainly can't see it."

When you find a good un, entirely by accident, that's where - and we have, twice so far!

 

[Lenny HB]

Quote "where is the incentive to buy from a British dealer? I certainly can't see it."

When you find a good un, entirely by accident, that's where - and we have, twice so far!

Yes but it is the wholecprice ethics of the UK market, generally they give low trade in and sell the vans on at high prices, I am getting 10 grand more for my van than I could get from UK dealer and it will be sold on for about 7-8% more.

 

[sedge]

I couldn't care less what they sell them on for Lenny - what matters to us is what they give us for it against whatever price they quite and what extras they are including in the price of the new one.

When it's bloody good, you bite their hands off whilst appearing to only think it's just about OK. Pete is excellent at this, I am not so good.