Deposit for test run?????
Submitted by Riles on Sat, 2013-08-03 23:01
G'day.
I'm chasing some advice if this is normal for boat dealers over here in WA.
As I am nearing the purchase of my new boat I called up the dealer and asked them to give a boat (a new boat) a test run. They said this was fine, but due to the fact that they would have to get a new motor for the new boat they would require me to pay a deposit ($100) and sign a notice of intention to purchase subject to sea trial before it would go ahead.
I'm just wondering if this is normal practice over here ( it is a large dealer) or is it just a one off occurance.
Cheers
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petermac
Posts: 2946
Date Joined: 03/03/10
no way
you are kidding arnt you what if you don't like how it goes no different to test driving a car don't forget you are the customer and the sales man is in for a comission
Rob H
Posts: 5808
Date Joined: 18/01/12
hardly the same Peter unless
hardly the same Peter unless the dealer has a boat on the water ready to go, as in a demo day/boat show.
Car=jump in and drive round the block
boat = hook up, tow to ramp, launch, go for run, retrieve, back to yard, washdown and detail.
If you were looking at a new boat you wouldnt be interested if it was covered in salt etc?
Certainly in larger boats its common to sign a contract "subject to sea trial"
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
dodgy
Posts: 4580
Date Joined: 01/02/10
I think it helps to sort the
I think it helps to sort the serious buyers from the tyre kickers. A good salesman should be able to tell the difference.
Whats $100 on a $50000 boat?
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Sandgroper-WA
Posts: 125
Date Joined: 27/02/11
Sounds more like an issue of
Sounds more like an issue of people test driving a boat at one place locally - the buying it from elsewhere.
new age
Posts: 330
Date Joined: 15/03/13
im sure even if you sign
im sure even if you sign that then you can get out of buying it if you hate it... but dont remortgage the house and buy a boat because of one thing i said haha ;)
Travisd
Posts: 315
Date Joined: 07/05/11
Ring around other boat shops
If you ring around you will get a general consensus from other boat shops.
i wouldn't sign anything personally but that's just me.
$100 isn't a lot if you Are genuine and really you should get the $100 back if you did decide to buy it
Baron Sportsman
Just the depth that Varies
chris raff
Posts: 3257
Date Joined: 09/02/10
Fitting a new motor of your
Fitting a new motor of your choice if that is what you mean .. yeah then I suppose $100 deposit is very fair . With a new motor your not going to be able to flog it for the trial run . What package you looking at or do you want to keep that under your hat .
“Intelligence is like a four-wheel drive. It only allows you to get stuck in more remote places.”
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
The locals
down my way do not ask for $$$$$ to take you for a trial run.
A good sales person can surely work out if your keen or not and your finance situation is usually looked at prior to purchase on the much larger/expensive craft.
Rogues in my books....
Rob H
Posts: 5808
Date Joined: 18/01/12
thats generally a pretty fair
thats generally a pretty fair assumption squid, except when they have "worked out if your keen" and decided theyre not-then what?
Have you thought that rather than labelling them as rogues, maybe thats what happened here?
Given the effort required to take someone for a run, I dont think its that unfair to at least check bonafides and require some sort of demonstration of a genuine interest.
I guess it often happens that someone is looking for a second hand boat, and wants to take a run in one before looking/buying one private
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
When buying
a car there is no tarriff on the test drive/s so I don't see any reason why there should be a charge.
As for wanting to upgrade a motor, thats an entirely different situation, unless the sales person talks you into something that is not suitable for your craft.
Swompa
Posts: 3902
Date Joined: 14/10/12
I guess you are looking to
I guess you are looking to buya new boat and motor package? I guess that if the company spends $X to put motor Y on the boat for a trial, and you decide against, then they are toed to that package, where the next punter may want a different size or brand motor.
I get why they would be doing it.
Riles
Posts: 119
Date Joined: 20/02/11
Cheers for the replies
It is a new boat over $60000 without a motor currently installed on it. I can see why they would ask, but wanted to find out if it was the norm over here as I'd never heard of it on the east coast. I was thinking along the same lines as Squidder in that you wouldnt pay for a car trial. But as most of you seem to find it normal, it looks like I'll pay the coin but I wont be signing any contracts before the test ride.
squidder
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 03/09/10
Maybe put the question
out on any forum to see if someone has the same or near as rig your chasing, then hit them up for a ride or even a trip. JAT
lawndered
Posts: 170
Date Joined: 27/10/11
New Boat
I found it very hard when buying a new boat to get out and try the model you like, and it is near impossible to get the exact rig you want if its not on the floor. Also found one very large dealer basically told me that he would only sell me what he had in stock not the boat I wanted to order to the specs I wanted ie The motor I wanted/colour etc.
That being said when I listed all that I wanted in an email to the dealer to get a price 6 months before I was intending to purchase, so if the price was right they could order it and sell it as "floor stock" he didn't even reply to the email he asked me to send. To his surprise when he called a few months later to be told I had gone to another dealer, another brand and he lost a 50grand certain sale.
The new dealer only had a bigger version of my boat to demo and I still had to take a chance on my whole package as I never really got to take an exact one out. In the end very happy. But buying a new Boat is very frustrating at some dealerships,
All that being said if I had benn offered to put $100 deposit on my boat that I wanted to take it for a test, then I think thats reasonable.
I remember about 10 or so years ago being broke and newly divorced just dying to try the new Monaro that came out and going with a girl friend pretending to be interested so we could take one for a spin, didnt work. Dealer saw us coming a Mile Off. Still I reckon a boat dealership gets heaps of tyre kickers..
alfred
Posts: 3097
Date Joined: 12/01/07
Yeah, I reckon that's about
Yeah, I reckon that's about right. Actually $100 is very low, some ask $500. Not uncommon.
Paul H
Posts: 2104
Date Joined: 18/01/07
If you don't like how the
If you don't like how the boat rides, runs or handles do you get your deposit back?? - was a 'deposit' & "subject to seatrial".
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sea-kem
Posts: 15031
Date Joined: 30/11/09
$100 not much in the scheme
$100 not much in the scheme of things. There's a bit of work in organising a seal trial and guessing you already done a lot of homework on the boat it'll be well worth the small expense for your final decision.
Love the West!
elliotbirch
Posts: 123
Date Joined: 29/05/12
In my opinion it seems
In my opinion it seems rather fair from the dealer. As said above they have the costs of fuel for both towing it there and the boat, cleaning and detailing afterwards (well over $100 of value). If you're pretty sure you're going to buy it if the sea trial is good, then I'm sure the $100 will be taken off the price. But if for some reason you don't like it after the trial, then wouldn't you rather go for a different boat and get what you want and all it cost you was an extra $100 and not stuck with a boat that you're not happy with?
Sea Hunter
Posts: 148
Date Joined: 04/07/13
West Coast Dealers
I looked and looked in Perth and surrounding areas and the dealers are atrocious. I was hard pushed to find a dealer that would get out from behind his desk let alone sea trials. As for a deposit, i am not surprised at all. My guess is that they are not making enough money because they do not offer service so they then try to generate some kind of income so they dont need to look at the core problem. Remember they are trying to sell you a product not renting it out
Good luck with it.