Arrowhead Harley Davidson, Peoria, Arizona.
Even as far back as in the early 2000's, some people warned me off of ever doing business with this place; said they ran it like a "car dealership".
But rumors are rumors, and not always the most pure form of information; people exaggerate. Best to judge for myself.
But then I started paying some visits in recent years.....not really impressed by the salesmen's approach; sometimes bragging how much more they sell than the "so-and-so" dealership can be annoying and not impressive at all.
But after some shopping at five different Harley dealers here in AZ, I found a bike that I wanted and Arrowhead was selling it for the lowest price.
Now I will admit some culpability here; it comes down to a certain "fee" that was a line item, and even though I hesitated.....I signed on the dotted line.
However.....
A sales manager said to me at this dealership here in AZ, he said that I had a 15 day period to try the bike out, and that if I discovered it wasn't for me, then I could return it, shred the paperwork, no questions asked.
When I went in for a face-to-face visit, I told him I was having some second-thoughts, some doubt. And, I asked if it mattered what the reason was, whether it would have any bearing on the outcome of my situation; he said no.
My doubts were not because of the bike itself; the bike is fine. It's because of a line item fee that they call a "UVC" fee, which is a "Used Vehicle Certification" inspection of the bike, since this cycle I purchased was previously-owned.
This fee is $550.00
So....if they can't somehow readjust my bill, then I would like to invoke that 15 day trial period.
Then he tells me.........he never quite said that.
He "claims" that the 15 day thing is this guarantee they have that within 15 days or 500 miles (whichever comes first), if the bike fails or breaks down, I can bring it back.
I told him that he said to me that in 15 days or 500 miles, I was told that I could return it, shred the paperwork.....no questions asked.
I even remember remarking out-loud when he originally told me this when the bill of sale was drawn up, that I probably would not need 500 miles to decide, but that 15 days was sufficient.
He tells me what he said was.....I have 15 miles or 15 minutes to do what they term an "acceptance ride" to discover whether the bike is for me (since they don't allow test rides there).
My wife was with me when we were there the other week drawing up the paperwork, and I asked her what she remembered him saying; my wife said, "15 days"......not miles.
The "15 day / 500 mile" thing is in the written contract/ paperwork.
They freely admit that the 15 mile "acceptance ride" is not in the paperwork. They say they only do that as a nicety or courtesy for the customers since they don't allow test rides there.
15 days? 15 miles? Gee, what a coincidence that they both have the number 15!! Think they do this deliberately?!
And back when we were originally filling out the paperwork and I remarked out-loud that I wouldn't need 500 miles and that 15 days would be sufficient before deciding that the bike was or was not for me......well, then why didn't he correct me on this if I "misheard" him? I don't whisper nor do I mumble when I talk; if anything, my wife tells me I'm too loud.
All's I wanted was to get some credit back to my finances because of this "faux" UVC fee.
I even tried to invoke a little sympathy or camaraderie by telling them that this was my very first Harley Davidson after many years (30+) of driving Japanese bikes (and one Italian), and that this was starting to sour my experience.
My wife and I are no slouches financially-speaking. They ran a credit check on us and (bragging rights) we've got credit scores of 820 and 850; we're solid, financially sound consumers.
The bike seems to be a fine machine.
This dealership is lacking something....
I know. I signed on the dotted line. Shame on me. But they knew as well as I did that I am not the first customer in the world to experience some buyer's remorse.
You'd think they'd want to try and work with me somehow given that I am a first-time customer with them, and, my first Harley to boot.
And if you think about it, this "UVC fee"? It's basically a form of double-dipping.
When the dealership bought this previously-owned cycle from the owner, they must have offered what they thought was a "fair price" as a trade-in, with varied factors affecting the offering price like if the cycle is in "mint" condition, "good" condition, "fair" condition, "poor" condition.........
My point being: They (the dealership) have now made their money; this is all part of doing business. If the bike was "lacking" upon trade-in (bike needed new tires.....brake-pad lining was low....), then the dealership absorbs these costs as part of doing business. And remember, they already offered the previous owner a "fair price" for the trade-in.
But then to turn around and pass this "fee" onto the next customer who's purchasing it? Double-dipping :newsmile055:
Then something else came up.
You know how you get a temporary plate/ tags (made of paper/ cardboard) at first? Well, I had to get my plate/ tags/ owner's card through the dealership (couldn't do it outside of them), and, of course, they charged a fee for this on the bill-of-sale.
After having the bike for a bit, my temp plate was about to expire. The dealership told me they would telephone me when the permanent plate (the metal one) came in. No phone call; no messages left, either.
Out of curiosity, I called the Arizona Department of Transportation (AZ DOT), gave them my bike's VIN, and they confirmed a date for me when the plate was processed and sent out to the dealership.
Guess what?
At that point, they had had it at the dealership for....a month.....and never called to tell me it was in.
They were supposed to telephone me to tell me it was in for me either to come in and pick it up, or, tell them to send it out to me.
My telephone number hadn't changed.....they had made other phone calls to me, so, they had the correct number.....no message was left.
I really wanted no more contact with this dealership, but, I called to find out what was up with my permanent plate/ tags. They said, "We have it". No kidding. They asked, "Didn't anyone call to let you know they were in?". Uhhh, no; you're supposed to do that, not me call you. I paid you a fee for this as a line item on the contract, remember?!
When I had made that return visit for a face-to-face to discuss that "UVC fee" (with no satisfaction), I made it clear as I left that they have lost me as a customer.
I will not return to do any business with them
- no future bikes
- no clothing
- no accessories
- no parts
- no customizations
- no mechanical service on my bike
There was potentially a lot more money to be made from me in future purchases.
Not now.
They made a sale from me.
They got a customer.
They are not keeping a customer.
There's a difference.
Pez
