Motorhome consulting

[Jim]

With so many people buying the wrong van for their needs, I’m thinking of offering my services to newbies to help them buy their third van first. (Great tagline I thought)

I don’t want to source their van or inspect it before they buy it, rather give them a lengthy personal consultation ascertaining their requirement and offering buyers advice so together we can drill down to their perfect motorhome and not make the mistakes we see people make time and time again.

When they have found it, I can help them with the negotiation or maybe even do it on their behalf.

I’d guess with the time I put in I’d have to price this around the £250/£350 mark. Do you think I would I get many takers? Would you have liked a guiding hand when you made your first purchase?

 

[uzsnowdrop]

With so many people buying the wrong van for their needs, I’m thinking of offering my services to newbies to help them buy their third van first. (Great tagline I thought)

I don’t want to source their van or inspect it before they buy it, rather give them a lengthy personal consultation ascertaining their requirement and offering buyers advice so together we can drill down to their perfect motorhome and not make the mistakes we see people make time and time again.

When they have found it, I can help them with the negotiation or maybe even do it on their behalf.

I’d guess with the time I put in I’d have to price this around the £250/£350 mark. Do you think I would I get many takers? Would you have liked a guiding hand when you made your first purchase?

You would have saved me a bleedin fortune! On our fourth one…. Youd have to compete against this great forum though!

 

[Googlebot]

We wouldn’t have needed it but we had a caravan so had half an idea.

The selling point for me would be the price negotiation though. I hate haggling, I reckon I would save a lot more than your fee for the convenience of someone else doing it for me.

 

[rnb100]

Definitely a market for advice and probably a hand with the negotiation. Sometimes in life though, people need to make their own mistakes to work out what they actually want. I would think that budget is a major factor for most peoples first campervan / motorhome though.

 

[Jim]

Youd have to compete against this great forum though!

Yes, I'd be competing against myself I already have a very useful motorhome buyers guide which I give away for free. It's the one on one thing though, it can be priceless,

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[uzsnowdrop]

I'd be competing against myself, I already have a very useful buyers guide which I give away for free. It the one on one thing though, it can be priceless,

Just a joke Jim, go for it a great service

 

[Two on Tour]

I think the biggest problem is extracting what the potential buyer really wants in a motorhome as most first time motorhome buyers don't no what they want until they find they have something they thought they wanted in a motothome isn't to their taste.

 

[eddie]

£500‘ish would seem about right, with free MHF membership

I speak to my IFA and get billed at £300 per hour for his time, and £175 an hour, in addition to everything else his PA and Paralegal does.

Just given a planning consultant £350 for a site meeting, they £1200 ‘fee’ for them to issue a statutory declaration to the Planning Office, who charged £470 to ‘process’ the form

My Solicitor will be charging me £300 a hour to make the amendments to the deeds

People loose tens of thousands of pounds buying the wrong motorhome so five hundred is cheap, especially as you’ll probably get that much knocked of the screen price for the buyer anyway making your services free

 

[Just smiffy]

A potential buyer has all the necessary information on here if they want it… good or bad…

the thing is you can give all your knowledge and information then they’ll go and buy what they want on impulse….

 

[Mikeco]

I’m for one against this idea, while you are galavanting off who is going to cut the grass and feed the chickens at Jasmin. We are due for another visit soon and I don’t want knee high grass and fence jumping chickens trying to scrounge food.

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[Robert Clark]

With so many people buying the wrong van for their needs, I’m thinking of offering my services to newbies to help them buy their third van first. (Great tagline I thought)

I don’t want to source their van or inspect it before they buy it, rather give them a lengthy personal consultation ascertaining their requirement and offering buyers advice so together we can drill down to their perfect motorhome and not make the mistakes we see people make time and time again.

When they have found it, I can help them with the negotiation or maybe even do it on their behalf.

I’d guess with the time I put in I’d have to price this around the £250/£350 mark. Do you think I would I get many takers? Would you have liked a guiding hand when you made your first purchase?

How about making a free video or written guide to new paid members?

might be more palatable than a large upfront cost for consultancy

 

[Spriddler]

I think one of the issues is that what a newcomer (and their partner-person) initially thinks is absolutely essential or unimportant changes after buying and spending a few weeks in it. I had 27 years experience of layouts, features and facilities with various 25 to 30 foot sailing boats prior to motorhoming so I still have my first and only motorhome.

 

[Otter Spotter]

Great idea Jim, the difficulty you will have is that those new to motorhomes( your idea customer) will not be able to put a value on your service, unless you can provide them with costings/ potential losses of them buying the wrong vans, bearing mind that depreciation on vans currently is very low.
if you consider that many new buyers will have spent a lot of time and money running around looking at shows and dealers trying to get an idea of what’s available and what may suit them, they need you to reduce all that.

 

[CutThroatJake]

£500‘ish would seem about right, with free MHF membership

I speak to my IFA and get billed at £300 per hour for his time, and £175 an hour, in addition to everything else his PA and Paralegal does.

Just given a planning consultant £350 for a site meeting, they £1200 ‘fee’ for them to issue a statutory declaration to the Planning Office, who charged £470 to ‘process’ the form

My Solicitor will be charging me £300 a hour to make the amendments to the deeds

People loose tens of thousands of pounds buying the wrong motorhome so five hundred is cheap, especially as you’ll probably get that much knocked of the screen price for the buyer anyway making your services free

Whilst I think the idea is a sound one you do need to remember that advice from an FCA authorised professional IFA will be covered by Professional Indemnity Insurance so in the event the advice proves erroneous clients can get financial recourse vis FOS.

With this in mind I would make sure that your backside is covered in the event of issues with the purchase of a MH you have recommended as you will have no real control over what is eventually bought.

You can see the complaints now…”I was advised by Jim @ MHF to buy xxxxxx and it leaks like a sieve and my kitchen door fell off”…or words to that effect!

 

[Silver-Fox]

With so many people buying the wrong van for their needs, I’m thinking of offering my services to newbies to help them buy their third van first. (Great tagline I thought)

I don’t want to source their van or inspect it before they buy it, rather give them a lengthy personal consultation ascertaining their requirement and offering buyers advice so together we can drill down to their perfect motorhome and not make the mistakes we see people make time and time again.

When they have found it, I can help them with the negotiation or maybe even do it on their behalf.

I’d guess with the time I put in I’d have to price this around the £250/£350 mark. Do you think I would I get many takers? Would you have liked a guiding hand when you made your first purchase?

I think at that price you would be underselling yourself.

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[Phill D]

I think it is a goer PROVIDED:-

You can convince newbys it will save them money in the long term.

The problem is most of us thaugjt we had a good idea of what we were doing.
And what was important.....

Convincing us otherwise is the key to success.

 

[Diabalo]

Sounds like a goer to me Jim. As above was said first timers don't really know what they want/need so having someone to tease it out of them would be beneficial and in the long run maybe cost effective. Again as said above if you can negotiate the price down below your fees they have lost nothing.

 

[Spriddler]

With this in mind I would make sure that your backside is covered in the event of issues with the purchase of a MH you have recommended as you will have no real control over what is eventually bought.

A written specification (wish list) from the buyer would be a sensible, if not essential starting point which can be modified and agreed during discussion. Most purchases are a compromise anyway.

You can see the complaints now…”I was advised by Jim @ MHF to buy xxxxxx and it leaks like a sieve and my kitchen door fell off”…or words to that effect!

Jim isn't offering a 'survey' so faults wouldn't be his responsibility.

 

[James-Alex]

We’ve bought the wrong first van. We’re hoping to see a nice one for us this weekend at the show at Bath snd west. We’ve already lost 5-6k with what we paid and what the same dealer will give us to part ex with them. Due to 3.5t limit we’re restricted on what we can buy. We think we want a front lounge with pull out bed. I think fixed beds and over cab ones will be more weight. However with the lack of hgv drivers I’m tempted to do my test as feel it could get a bit more relaxed. Not sure it’s worth the week off work and money though

 

[jezport]

The thing is folk just wont be advised. Most think they know better.

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[Tombola]

I think it woud work, I just sold through a broker, and although it isnt the same as what you are proposing it has some elements. One big one being the fact youd know the price ball park and can negotiate for those that dont have a clue/unwilling to be firm with the seller etc.

You also have some "Leverage" in regards if the "seller" was a company then they would possibly get good reviews here thus enabling better business for them, and the best price for the purchaser.

 

[68c]

All three vans and a trailer tent we bought were perfect for us, at the time. We used to be able to holiday on a motorcycle, pre child, and packed everything easily. Now running rapidly out of space and payload on a 3500kg A Class. Your advice may stop them buying the first wrong van but their circumstances will change so no matter how ideal it was at first they almost certainly change vans anyways.

 

[grumps147]

There is at least one YouTuber doing something similar for motorhomes and caravans Jim, I do not know how busy he is but he is busy doing a two week vehicle test from a manufacturer at presen, so I am guessing not too busy consulting.

 

[Swifter]

There is at least one YouTuber doing something similar for motorhomes and caravans Jim,

Please don’t tell me that’s Gadget Johns latest venture !

 

[Wack]

Why do they buy the wrong van , rose tinted glasses, excitement, desperation

People spend 10-20x the amount on a house but don't want to pay for a survey to see if it's falling down so I think a paid service where you choose a van for them wouldn't work.

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[Fragle]

I understand the point but you need to buy the first van to find out what you want or don’t and I don’t believe you. No disrespect or anybody could extract that information.
I would have said I was adamant I wanted a garage I found the perfect van. We did research on the forums Two years later I’m down to a panel van and happy. Another two years and we are back to an Adria 670slt. This would have been flatly refused first time twin beds and no garage.
It’s the third van thing it’s the law you must have at least three motor homes.
Also Eddie Vanbitz would have sold two Strikeback and growlers less. Not good for his business
I think you would need to have good insurance cover against a customer embellishing the truth saying you gave them the wrong information.

 

[Itsmcb]

£500‘ish would seem about right, with free MHF membership

I speak to my IFA and get billed at £300 per hour for his time, and £175 an hour, in addition to everything else his PA and Paralegal does.

Just given a planning consultant £350 for a site meeting, they £1200 ‘fee’ for them to issue a statutory declaration to the Planning Office, who charged £470 to ‘process’ the form

My Solicitor will be charging me £300 a hour to make the amendments to the deeds

People loose tens of thousands of pounds buying the wrong motorhome so five hundred is cheap, especially as you’ll probably get that much knocked of the screen price for the buyer anyway making your services free

At £300 an hour your Financial advisor should be advising you to become a Financial advisor.

 

[Chris]

Great idea Jim.

I would definitely use your services.

Especially if the salesman looked harder than me.

Go for it. I think £500 is a decent fee.

 

[Otter Spotter]

Please don’t tell me that’s Gadget Johns latest venture !

No thank god, the guy he is talking about is Andrew Ditton, but I dont think Andrew is pushing it now that he has got the manufacturers giving him vehicles to review again.

 

[sonny]

And if they don’t like their van they will be off to their solicitor

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