What do you look for in a dealer when buying a van?

What do you look for when buying a van? After some research here.

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Simon Select

Simon Select

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Hi all, I am doing some research. I have already done the same on the Bailey site. I will from time to time took to streamline our Sales process.
What is more important? I recently upset someone who had said he wanted to buy a brand new Bailey from Howard's given our reputation, however he lived in Scotland and I said no as we couldn't maintain our service levels at that distance!
I often get people on the phone saying a dealer has taken £7000 of a new van will I match it. I always say no as we are more expensive than some but I genuinely believe our handover process/ weekend is the best in the industry.
Do people actually buy based on reputation anymore? I seem to see so many people saying I bought a van from dealership A and it was horrendous but Dealership A is still in business. Some dealers will have an average 1 star review on Google etc but people will still buy?

Simon
 
I did shop around for price when ordering my new motorhome but would not have ordered it from a dealer with a poor reputation, so I put reputation first.
 
One that's still in business?
 
Well, we went down to Edinburgh, Knowepark (400 mile round trip) to see a Hymer which was described as very good condition. To say it was a awful is an understatement, so honesty in description would help.
We asked for price for our Hymer to part ex with a new Hymer, that was 2 years ago, we're still waiting. We got the impression they thought we couldn't afford a new one, we paid £51,000 for a used one private cash in the end. So treat your customer with respect.
 
I was going to reply to the question with "The exit door" but then read your post and it needed a serious answer so .....
I have only bought 2 motorhomes. One from a dealer and one off ebay (the first one)
I have probably been (when actively looking to buy) 4 or 5 dealers. None of whom overly impressed me or were bad enough to put me off returning.
Geography was the main point in going there.
Once i had a motorhome, if the mood was right I would pop in to one just to be nosey.
When it came to buying an upgrade, my hit list included, 6 berths, garage for motorbike, lounge area, diesel, no weight issue. I was looking about 25-30 k.
Ebay was my first search, whilst i was dealing with bank to see how much i could borrow, then Father in law saw advert in motorhome magazine for rollerteam 690 which fitted most of the bill (if you uprate it) and the cost (at the time) was a substantial difference to others (8K less for brand new.) Thats what made my mind up.
The service wasnt over good or over bad. They failed to put in LPG having been asked to and the handover could have been better though i could have concentrated more. none of the issues were insurmountable and certainly not worth losing sleep over.
Cost is always going to be a major factor for me, but can be overridden by outstanding service.

If i were recommending a place though, service would be much higher on the agenda

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I personally believe reputation, if good counts for little
If bad will get you more air time than a tv add
What do I look for in a dealer? A good deal at a good price, i demand everything i expect nothing
I trust no one, you don't want the likes of me as a customer. Oops most people are like me.
Truth.... if it weren't for customers selling, servicing and repairing vehicles would be a lovely trade
.
 
In my experience, many motorhome sales persons know very little about the product they're selling. For instance many don't know the payloads of vans, and dont realise that you have to include the weight of any extras which may be on the vehicle at the outset.
 
I've bought two vans - first a twelve year old one, on a whim because it felt right and was from one of my shortlisted dealerships at the Peterborough show...
After much research, I had come to the conclusion that I didn't care too much about brand but the dealership was of ultimate importance.
Second is my current van from Wildax - chosen from the competition because of their 'reputation'.

As we read on this forum, all brands, models can have their problems - so it is the quality of the dealership which can make the difference between snags being a nuisance and a right PITA.
 
>>> What do you look for in a dealer when buying a van?


Most important, having the van/s we want to buy.

Local ( ish ).

Then it's time to consider "will we get good service here ?".

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Transparency, accuracy of description, website and printed media, honesty & product knowledge. Get these right and you'll build a good reputation. I'm not overly concerned with trying to squeeze every last pound out of the deal.

If buying new all dealerships have the same wiggle room so I suppose it's about the strength of their aftersales and service.

I'll also scrutinise the model and dealership long before I make any contact as for me it's the little discrepancies which will see me walk away or not even bother.

One of a few things for me, the OP should strive to have the best handover in the industry regardless of whether their motorhomes are the most expensive or the cheapest and it certainly shouldn't be reflected in the price.
 
We have bought 6 new motorhomes in total, and looking back apart from the obvious point of actually having what we wanted in stock at a reasonable price the majority of my research centred on the reputation of the dealer. As a result the vans we bought and ourselves as customers were all looked after well by the dealers, no complaints there. I would buy from any of them in the future, but I hear so many horror stories from others that it’s obvious some dealers are not in the same league. Locality didn’t come in to any of our deliberations, indeed the dealers we have been most impressed with are the furthest away from us (220 miles). I’m not sure why you would refuse a sale because the customer lived a long way away?
 
Locality.
Over the past 6 years, we have bought 4 motorhomes. 2 new, two used, all locally. Only one was a private sale but that was nearby too.
when we were looking for vans, we travelled far and wide and realised what we wanted, especially the first two vans, was available close by.
Our last van, also bought locally, was only about 25km from where we live in France, but, luckily, we have 8 dealers within 40km of us, all selling different makes, so we were spoilt for choice.
We also have 2 Fiat Pro dealers within 25km.
 
I would have thought reputation comes with getting the customer care side of things right.. especially when there are problems .. price been a secondary issue as long as its not a big difference..and by that I'm thinking 2 to 3 grand on a 40 to 50 grand van..
Personally I'd be impressed by the sales staff knowledge... thats technical and practical issues.. I've never come across one yet who was up to speed on all aspects of the products they sell.. I find that alarming given the value of said products..
That's just me.. and i appreciate that some folk arnt interested and just want things to work...and if they dont , want it put right in resonable time frame.. not weeks and months down the line..
Anyone who gets that right in any field certainly appears to earn a good reputation..
Andy..
 
We didn't have choice as our van is only sold by one dealer in the UK. However, we had bought our previous van from them and were pleased with their attitude to both sales and after sales so we were happy to go with them again. Still very pleased with them regarding our current van - they seem to go the extra mile when it comes to any after sales issues and servicing.

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Before I went looking to buy my first (pre-owned) m/h and before joining Fun I wasn't aware of the variety of levels of knowledge and customer service (i.e reputation) between dealers or that there were so many discontented buyers.
I visited maybe half a dozen dealers and it soon became apparent just from initial conversations with several (lethargic) sales people that there was a huge gulf between competent dealers and others, some 'selling on commission wide-boys' on a bit of rented land. I knew nothing about damp or payload or having an appropriate licence category and only one dealer even mentioned such things.
I didn't feel comfortable when a salesman hovered behind me inside the m/h chatting on his mobile or jangling a bunch of keys whilst I was taking up his valuable time.
Many salesmen simply didn't listen and had minimal product knowledge. I had a very clear definition in a couple of sentences of my needs and yet they'd either suggest I had a look around (at locked vehicles!), saying that if I was interested in one to come back to the office and he'd find the keys and details, or they'd take me out to something that from 20yds away was obviously nowhere near what I had mentioned. Frequently, at chain/franchised dealers I'd mention a m/h that I'd seen on their website and the salesman had to spend an age searching for it on their own website. One made the excuse that he never normally looked at the website. At several dealers I simply didn't get a 'good' feeling.
In conclusion.....
'Reputation' is only known to the previously well informed or discovered after repeat personal experiences, good or bad.
Location was important to me as I was intending to view within a 50 mile radius of home.
Price was third in priorities since I wanted a certain layout within a fixed price range, regardless of age, make, mileage or base vehicle.
I've bought, restored and sold cars for 40 years so not easily taken in.
Even in my m/h newbie naiveté one dealer, Johns Cross, (they deserve to be identified) stood out a country mile above the rest in understanding my needs and helping me to find something suitable. Subsequent contact with them for servicing and accessories has been a pleasure.
 
Simon Howards Motorhomes said:
Hi all, I am doing some research. I have already done the same on the Bailey site. I will from time to time took to streamline our Sales process.
What is more important? I recently upset someone who had said he wanted to buy a brand new Bailey from Howard's given our reputation, however he lived in Scotland and I said no as we couldn't maintain our service levels at that distance!
I often get people on the phone saying a dealer has taken £7000 of a new van will I match it. I always say no as we are more expensive than some but I genuinely believe our handover process/ weekend is the best in the industry.
Do people actually buy based on reputation anymore? I seem to see so many people saying I bought a van from dealership A and it was horrendous but Dealership A is still in business. Some dealers will have an average 1 star review on Google etc but people will still buy?

Simon
Click to expand...

You fell at the first hurdle for me. The handover process should be thorough and should not be reflected in the price of the vehicle. I know someone has to spend time doing the handover but they have to spend time selling the vehicle in the first place. Do you also factor that in.

No, the price of the vehicle should be comparable to a similar vehicle in another dealership and not inflated to cover any other costs. What next, extra costs for cleaning, servicing storage etc. No, what people want is an inclusive package that is as good as or better than other dealers. They also want reliable after sales support with experienced technicians.

I bought a new motorhome from a very large dealer who did everything they could get the sale. I was happy with the deal I got but less than happy with a very poor PDI and obvious faults which were either not found or if they were, ignored. Aftersales support for warranty issues was very poor and the standard of skill displayed by several "Technicians" was abysmal, a five year old could have done better.

End result was that I wouldn't dream of purchasing from the same dealer again. Of course had they carried our a proper PDI and had some reasonable after sales I would have done.

In comparison I bought my last three cars from the same large dealer, they were prepared immaculately and there were no faults on delivery. Any faults which developed the dealer corrected without fuss and in a timely manner, courtesy cars were no problem and they too were immaculate. Sales staff were knowledgable and professional and the Technicians very obviously knew what they were doing. When the cars were serviced a clear explanation of work to be done and prices was given, jobs were completed on time and the vehicles retuned in a clean and tidy condition with all paperwork properly completed.

Will I buy my next car from that dealer, you bet. They have earned my confidence and loyalty. The motorhome trade could learn much from the car business.
 
iandsm said:
You fell at the first hurdle for me. The handover process should be thorough and should not be reflected in the price of the vehicle.
Click to expand...

You fell at the first sentence for me. '\ EVERYTHING, from the dealer's website design though the coffee you enjoyed, the loo roll in the dealerships toilets and of course, the handover, is reflected in the price of the vehicle.
 
Honesty is top of my list. Followed by reputation.

But I’m always constantly surprised by people’s tightness when it comes to money, and lack of morals.

I think you are doing the correct thing by sticking to your prices and providing the service you wish to give. Hopefully it will also provide you with the sort of customer you wish to deal with.

Good luck.

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Simon Howards Motorhomes said:
Hi all, I am doing some research. I have already done the same on the Bailey site. I will from time to time took to streamline our Sales process.
What is more important? I recently upset someone who had said he wanted to buy a brand new Bailey from Howard's given our reputation, however he lived in Scotland and I said no as we couldn't maintain our service levels at that distance
Click to expand...
iandsm said:
You fell at the first hurdle for me. The handover process should be thorough and should not be reflected in the price of the vehicle. I know someone has to spend time doing the handover but they have to spend time selling the vehicle in the first place. Do you also factor that in.

No, the price of the vehicle should be comparable to a similar vehicle in another dealership and not inflated to cover any other costs. What next, extra costs for cleaning, servicing storage etc. No, what people want is an inclusive package that is as good as or better than other dealers. They also want reliable after sales support with experienced technicians.
Click to expand...

Excellent market research Simon, weed out the ones you don't want to sell to before they become customers

We do it all the time, much easier that way (y) :giggler:

I agree 100% with Jim EVERYTHING has to be considered a cost of running a business and factored in
 
We've purchased 3 motorhomes from 2 dealers on the south coast (Southdowns and Premier), both with good reputations. 2 were brand new and the most recent one almost new. We had lots of issues with the last vehicle but warranty work was always dealt with efficiently.

Each time we looked to change vehicle we focussed our search on those dealers but did consider others with good reputations a little further away (e.g Pullingers). We have a large national dealer pretty close to where we love in Dorking but specifically avoided them due to their variable reputation.
 
I got a price from one dealer, I asked him if it was the very best he could do, he said yes. I got a much better price from another dealer, without revealing the earlier price. Both dealers have good reputations and facilities, so I would have been happy with either.

Out of politeness I let the first dealer know I was proceeding with a better deal from the second, he then asked how much better because he would likely match it. I told him I had already signed the order with the second dealer because he had said his price was the best he could do. Even if he had improved his deal by the £9,000 difference I would still not have wanted to buy from him. He was either trying it on to start with or would be feeling so squeezed I would worry about the level of service I would get. I want the deal to work for both parties, if not they might not be there later on when you need them.
 
iandsm said:
You fell at the first hurdle for me. The handover process should be thorough and should not be reflected in the price of the vehicle. I know someone has to spend time doing the handover but they have to spend time selling the vehicle in the first place. Do you also factor that in.

No, the price of the vehicle should be comparable to a similar vehicle in another dealership and not inflated to cover any other costs. What next, extra costs for cleaning, servicing storage etc. No, what people want is an inclusive package that is as good as or better than other dealers. They also want reliable after sales support with experienced technicians.

I bought a new motorhome from a very large dealer who did everything they could get the sale. I was happy with the deal I got but less than happy with a very poor PDI and obvious faults which were either not found or if they were, ignored. Aftersales support for warranty issues was very poor and the standard of skill displayed by several "Technicians" was abysmal, a five year old could have done better.

End result was that I wouldn't dream of purchasing from the same dealer again. Of course had they carried our a proper PDI and had some reasonable after sales I would have done.

In comparison I bought my last three cars from the same large dealer, they were prepared immaculately and there were no faults on delivery. Any faults which developed the dealer corrected without fuss and in a timely manner, courtesy cars were no problem and they too were immaculate. Sales staff were knowledgable and professional and the Technicians very obviously knew what they were doing. When the cars were serviced a clear explanation of work to be done and prices was given, jobs were completed on time and the vehicles retuned in a clean and tidy condition with all paperwork properly completed.

Will I buy my next car from that dealer, you bet. They have earned my confidence and loyalty. The motorhome trade could learn much from the car business.
Click to expand...

Don't get your point?
I have said I genuinelly beleive we have the best handover experience and your moaning at me?

Also with regards to your "The motorhome trade could learn much from the car business" We are one of the largest privately owned dealer groups in the UK with 18 car franchises that sells 8000 vehicles a year with a 99% group wide positive feedback. We are using our car mentality with the Motorhome approach so again not sure what you mean?

Simon

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The first thing I look for is if I still have ten fingers left after shaking hands.

On a serious note I am very unlikely to ever set foot in a dealers again there may be some good ones out there but I've not found one, but good luck to you at least you are asking the questions but I think a read through this and other forums will tell you very quickly whats wrong with the industry
 
Simon Howards Motorhomes said:
Don't get your point?
I have said I genuinelly beleive we have the best handover experience and your moaning at me?

Also with regards to your "The motorhome trade could learn much from the car business" We are one of the largest privately owned dealer groups in the UK with 18 car franchises that sells 8000 vehicles a year with a 99% group wide positive feedback. We are using our car mentality with the Motorhome approach so again not sure what you mean?

Simon
Click to expand...

Let me put it another way, the handover, which of course should be good, should be just part of the deal and not, as I thought you were suggesting, a reason for being more expensive than other dealers selling a similar vehicle. As to motorhome dealers learning much from car dealers, it may well be that you apply good car dealer practice to motorhome sales, that being so that's great for your customers. However, you will probably know that many other motorhome dealers do not apply such standards and sadly that's not so good for their customers which is what I was alluding to and which is often mentioned in the various motorhome forums and evidenced by the post from "Romany" on this thread.
 
reputation is very important, but that can be offset by a dealer appearing greedy by overpricing.
 
A company decides on a particular overhead and level of service along with a profit margin to make it worthwhile. This reflects the price of what they are selling, whether it be widgets or motorhomes. You can't pick one aspect of the overhead and say that shouldn't be part of it. Its all linked. If someone parks you up free in a campsite with an unlimited handover, ie you don't leave till you are 100% happy, then those monthly bills from the campsite and the handover guys time have to be paid for. Where does the money come from? It's there in the sale, how can it not be?
 
Just 2 things that sales guys have said that were really irritating.

1. "We don't take left hand drive motorhomes in part exchange."

2. " We don't pre-order any motorhomes with the Comfortmatic gearbox fitted."

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