dealer charging for a test ride...
Discussion
k right off.I had a dealer tell me that we had to agree a part-ex price on my bike and I had to put down a (refundable) deposit before I could take a test ride. As that's clearly just a scheme to make you feel obliged to carry on with the deal after the ride, I just said "you are joking, aren't you?" He wasn't, so I walked and spent my 5 grand elsewhere.
IforB said:
That's very nice for them, but it could be a short sighted strategy. Whilst you might have enough business one year, the next year might not be so good and those potential customers you aggravated for no particularly good a reason suddenly are missed.
A dealer once tried to charge me for a test ride. I simply said "are you serious?" and got up to walk away. At which point they changed their mind and "did me a favour" by waiving the fee.
Oddly enough I bought a bike from them.
I agree, but as said by others, he might have "felt" you were there to spend money rather than just have some test rides, hence he waived the fee.A dealer once tried to charge me for a test ride. I simply said "are you serious?" and got up to walk away. At which point they changed their mind and "did me a favour" by waiving the fee.
Oddly enough I bought a bike from them.
It's not discrimination if the fee is for "everybody" but then he can chose which people he feels are genuine.
I'd never pay for a test ride. I bought my current bike from World of Bikes in Corby after they handed me the keys and said "enjoy yourself". I said I'd only be about half an hour and the owner said as long as I was back by closing time, that'd be fine. They gave me a good trade in price for my old one too!
OP, the few days off idea sounds good for you.
OP, the few days off idea sounds good for you.
cupar bikes that have the local suzuki dealership also have perth honda and kirkcaldy kawasaki just up from alan duffus who is a yamaha dealer. no problem getting free test rides around here . john clark bmw just up the road in dundee ,but never been there so do not know what test ride policy is.
Short sighted to charge for a test ride IMHO.
Go elsewhere, and make sure you tell the £25 a ride dealer why you did so.
Plenty of good dealers who will give a genuine punter a test ride.
I can't walk into our local BMW dealers (Pidcock's) without them offering a ride, and I can't stand the things!
30 mins on Google and you can sort out a nice route to see your selected bikes; my bet is you'll only ride a couple before you make a choice?
Enjoy your new bike!!!
Go elsewhere, and make sure you tell the £25 a ride dealer why you did so.
Plenty of good dealers who will give a genuine punter a test ride.
I can't walk into our local BMW dealers (Pidcock's) without them offering a ride, and I can't stand the things!
30 mins on Google and you can sort out a nice route to see your selected bikes; my bet is you'll only ride a couple before you make a choice?
Enjoy your new bike!!!
wc98 said:
cupar bikes that have the local suzuki dealership also have perth honda and kirkcaldy kawasaki just up from alan duffus who is a yamaha dealer. no problem getting free test rides around here . john clark bmw just up the road in dundee ,but never been there so do not know what test ride policy is.
Try Drysdale KTM in Perth, they charge. Or at least they used to.I started riding in the 70s and back then test rides were unheard of. Maybe that's why I went through so many bikes. I'd buy them, realise they were not what I was looking for and sell them a few months later and buy something else.
Cost me a bleedin' fortune
Shortest ownership was the little Honda rep racer, NC30 with the V4 400cc engine. Shop wouldn't let me touch it until I paid for it. I took it out for the afternoon and realised I was far too big for it and it wouldn't do for London commuting. Great as a Sunday toy.
Took a photo of it outside my flat and took it back to the shop and got a refund, much to their amazement.
First test ride was 1988. Had taken my GPz900R in for a service and the sales guy showed me the then brand new Honda CBR600. He told me to take it to the coast, 60 miles away, and just bring it back before we close.
I bloody loved it and the fella was waiting with his hand out when I got back to the dealers. He wanted the deposit and I gave it to him.
Lately I have found BMW pretty good with test rides, letting me have bikes for the whole day.
Cost me a bleedin' fortune
Shortest ownership was the little Honda rep racer, NC30 with the V4 400cc engine. Shop wouldn't let me touch it until I paid for it. I took it out for the afternoon and realised I was far too big for it and it wouldn't do for London commuting. Great as a Sunday toy.
Took a photo of it outside my flat and took it back to the shop and got a refund, much to their amazement.
First test ride was 1988. Had taken my GPz900R in for a service and the sales guy showed me the then brand new Honda CBR600. He told me to take it to the coast, 60 miles away, and just bring it back before we close.
I bloody loved it and the fella was waiting with his hand out when I got back to the dealers. He wanted the deposit and I gave it to him.
Lately I have found BMW pretty good with test rides, letting me have bikes for the whole day.
Reardy Mister said:
There is a second hand bike dealer down my way who doesn't give test rides. Ever. At all. If you buy it and decide you don't like it, you can swap it for another one in his shop. But you cant ride that first either.
We have two second hand dealers in the region and neither allows it.Edited by Reardy Mister on Friday 24th April 10:43
The problem for them is, they've got dozens of bikes and not one alike, so they'd have to insure all of them appropriately, instead of "one blade, one pan, one CBF,...".
The ones that do allow it usually don't have their paperwork properly set up. So all is fine and dandy until something happens...
A few local garages have rang cold called me recently offering me testrides of new machinery including a Fireblade and GS...
Surely this charging policy is operated at the dealers discretion and to sort out genuine customers??
A £25 charge will deter most tyrekickers before they hit the forecourt
If I were a dealer would find it incredibly frustrating if very tom & dick was coming it to 'test ride' machinery...
Then having to clean the bike and check it over before the next idiot comes!
Not saying that this is true of you
Surely this charging policy is operated at the dealers discretion and to sort out genuine customers??
A £25 charge will deter most tyrekickers before they hit the forecourt
If I were a dealer would find it incredibly frustrating if very tom & dick was coming it to 'test ride' machinery...
Then having to clean the bike and check it over before the next idiot comes!
Not saying that this is true of you
Disastrous said:
It seems we are being unreasonable to expect a dealer to provide test drives, to warrant the bike, to provide a no-quibble repair and all the rest of it.
Seems to me the exact reason you pay a premium to buy from a dealer is so you can test ride, so you have peace of mind, so you have a knowledgeable expert you can go to. Otherwise, why bother?
For a new bike, the dealer doesn't provide the warranty, the manufacturer does. Any warranty work carried out is reimbursed by the manufacturer. Only for those shops who "self insure" / underwrite their own warranties will this be applicable. Seems to me the exact reason you pay a premium to buy from a dealer is so you can test ride, so you have peace of mind, so you have a knowledgeable expert you can go to. Otherwise, why bother?
I'm not aware of any car dealers charging for a test drive, but most are accompanied.
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