Fire The Salesman?

[casluis]

Purchased my Sport 16 in January 2016 from a great agency. Had a good feeling from the beginning; salesman and service. After a very frustrating service experience in current hometown, I drive 250 miles back to original agency for service and warranty work. Always attentive & patient with my ignorance.

[Hans627]

Originally Posted by turk123

Back in my earlier life, I was in sales. There is no excuse for an incompetent salesman. What if he promises you something he can't deliver and in the end, the sales manager says he made a mistake. We can't do that. And then you agree out of frustration. You lose.

I would have a talk with the sales manager and tell him you cannot work with someone who does not care and does not know the product. That sounds harsh, but the manager will understand and probably tell you he is leaving the dealership the next meeting he has with him.

My salesman gave me his personal cell phone number and said "Call anytime, 24 hours a day. I got your back on this one". I did call him soon after when our black tank cleared us out of the trailer! It was 10:30 at night and he was as helpful as can be.

I'm going all the way to Florida to buy a second terailer off of him.

I'm always interested in hearing about good dealers/salespeople. Which dealer was this? You can PM me if you don't want to give a public recommendation.

Thanks!

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

Salesmen are flawed individuals with a job,,,,, just like the rest of us...... more or less..... #Justsayin

Yep....

I try to have some compassion for him. Bad day bad week. Who knows what personal issues they face. Life can throw us curve balls that make us distracted at best.

But now I almost feel sorry for the guy and if I pull out now he'll hear about it.

Sometimes I guess we don't help. First threads I saw here were about stand hard for 20% discount so these guys are on the defensive from the git go.

The whole game puts guys like me at a disadvantage. I did my financial homework and have a hard number. Of course when you reveal that they get close to it to tantalize you for a few $$$ more "It's only $20/mo more!" (which equals ~$3500 over the course of the loan). Then I get weak.....

I think the bottom line for a salesman of this type of purchase they have to sell FUN! We can go on without an AS and be fine so we need to be convinced this will be THE funnest decision you've ever made! Make it a $$ and ¢¢¢ deal and doubt creeps in....

Thanks,

R44

[turk123]

Originally Posted by Hans627

I'm always interested in hearing about good dealers/salespeople. Which dealer was this? You can PM me if you don't want to give a public recommendation.

Thanks!

I don't mind as long as it's OK with the forum. My salesman is Bruce "tall guy" Miller. We originally bought from him at Haydoucey in Columbus Ohio. He has since moved on to warmer climates and now is a North Trail RV/ Airstream of South Florida.

I have not had the experience yet with North trails other than dealing with Bruce. We've become good friends and the reason for traveling from Ohio to Florida to purchase the Classic.

[Mollysdad]

I choose my dealer based on the feeling I got from the sales people.
Keep in mind, their job is to separate you from as much $$$ as they can. Their second job is to have good numbers of units sold.
The dealer may represent 10 different brands of RV's so I don't expect the sales guy to know everything. When I bought my "new" 2017 it had GY Marathon tires. I negotiated a swap to GY Endurance, which they just took off a newer unit. Somewhere there's a 2018 with Marathons. Sorry. He told me, "Nobody cares about tires except you. If the Marathons have problems it's because they're under inflated." But I prevailed.

In the end, I liked the dealership, but I was surprised at how basic their knowledge of the product was.

[Rounder44]

I noticed the MSRP was higher so dug up the spec sheet the salesman gave me!

I attached a copy... can you read this?


...sigh.....

[AirstreamInc]

Originally Posted by Rounder44

Hi,

I was all set to pull the trigger on a brand new 2019 22FB but the past 2 days salesman's attitude has put a lump in my gut.

He knows NOTHING about the coach. He points at things and does not sell them. Lots of shrugs of the shoulder and condescending looks like I'm an idiot for asking what tires it comes with. He looks at them like he's never seen a tire before!

He literally acted like I should cut a check 1 minute after looking at it!

Past 2 days have been a series of short emails that aren't even signed. Yesterday I went in with what I discovered insurance wise (He was saying $10/mo; cheapest I've found is $70 and $90 more common I have an excellent record!). I emailed today if he was working and where we stand and he said FO has "the numbers" I asked "what numbers?" and have not heard back! We haven't struck a deal and he's sent to FO!

It's just at the frustration level but now seriously doubting I want to follow through.

Ever fire your salesman and go to the sales manager to finalize the deal? I hate to wreck his day but he's not doing his job! Their web site has a Labor Day Promotion no payments till December and I called him about that... clueless. I was ready to cut a check then and there as that would solve my high storage fee issues... and on and on and on....

This should be fun.. he has definitely ruined that for me....

Thanks!

R44

Hi Rounder44,*

We're very sorry to hear this. If there is anything that we can assist with, please feel free to private message us or contact Airstream Customer Service and Technical Support at*customer_support@airstream.com*

Thank you.*

[turk123]

Looks like a 22fb MSRP is $57,734. Found three ads on the internet that reflect this.

[Johndews]

Vet the dealer. Look online for reviews of the dealership in general, and specifically the Service Department. That will determine your longer term experience as an Airstream Owner.

[kendrick.l.j]

Not trying to be a Debbie Downer I feel pretty strongly about doing research about what I spend my hard earned money on. Mr. Google and YouTube are helpful and this forum is absolutely invaluable to new Airstream owners. Being an informed buyer is your best protection against further disappointment down the road. I want you to to be that informed buyer. Do you have your post delivery inspection checklist ready? Hopefully, you do know that a lot of buyers spend the night in the AS on the dealers lot just to make sure everything is working like it should. What WD/anti-sway hitch are you planning to use? Have you already purchased your after market TPMS? What are some of the more common “issues “ that your model has had, they all seem to have a few? Are you prepared for that first shake down trip?
If you have answersed yes to all, then the sales guy is pretty much not necessary. I bought mine AS from the dealer in NJ even though I lived in Atlanta at the time because they offered the best deal on the model I wanted. Well, actually they were the only dealer that even had the model I wanted. My point being, the sales guy, is a nice to have but not a need to have. I negotiated my purchase over the phone, when I went to pick up my trailer I said Hi to Patrick but then the rest of the time I was talking to the Manager or the service department.
Most complaints from new AS is the lack of QC and dealers who are not setting up the trailer properly. Take a look at all the issues the Basecamp has had, or the nest, or the Classic. As long as you know there may be some serious learning curve for you and possibly trips back to the dealer where your trailer will set for months while you wait to have it repaired then your post purchase experience will likely be pleasantly surprising. How handy are you with plumbing, electrical, brakes, basic repairs? I couldn’t begin to tell you the stuff I have learned after I purchased AS. I had no idea that I would need to carry an entire RV repair shop with me. Let me give a more precise example: last weekend I had a leak, a pretty serious leak that could not be ignored. With the help of a much more experienced AS owner I was able to locate the leak, find the cause, get the faulty part removed, ordered the new part and I will be I installing it when it arrives later this week. Tracking down the leak took all of Sunday and into Monday, getting the (expletive) part out took most of Tuesday, today there is no water in my AS and won’t be until I get the new part, then I get to spend probably another day and getting it in. So almost a week to fix a leak. If I took it to a dealer it would set on the lot for God knows how long ( a month or more) before they could even trace the leak, then have to wait for the part, wait some more time (another month ) before they could get back to my AS and install it. I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into. If you are not afraid of DIY then great, if you’re not into that, well, your AS may set on the dealers lots for most of the camping season. Many a Airstream owners have had their entire vacations canceled because of one little part, that is especially true of those folks that have actual jobs they need to go to daily.
Just want you to be informed, that’s all.

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

Not trying to be a Debbie Downer I feel pretty strongly about doing research about what I spend my hard earned money on. Mr. Google and YouTube are helpful and this forum is absolutely invaluable to new Airstream owners. Being an informed buyer is your best protection against further disappointment down the road. I want you to to be that informed buyer. Do you have your post delivery inspection checklist ready? Hopefully, you do know that a lot of buyers spend the night in the AS on the dealers lot just to make sure everything is working like it should. What WD/anti-sway hitch are you planning to use? Have you already purchased your after market TPMS? What are some of the more common “issues “ that your model has had, they all seem to have a few? Are you prepared for that first shake down trip?
If you have answersed yes to all, then the sales guy is pretty much not necessary. I bought mine AS from the dealer in NJ even though I lived in Atlanta at the time because they offered the best deal on the model I wanted. Well, actually they were the only dealer that even had the model I wanted. My point being, the sales guy, is a nice to have but not a need to have. I negotiated my purchase over the phone, when I went to pick up my trailer I said Hi to Patrick but then the rest of the time I was talking to the Manager or the service department.
Most complaints from new AS is the lack of QC and dealers who are not setting up the trailer properly. Take a look at all the issues the Basecamp has had, or the nest, or the Classic. As long as you know there may be some serious learning curve for you and possibly trips back to the dealer where your trailer will set for months while you wait to have it repaired then your post purchase experience will likely be pleasantly surprising. How handy are you with plumbing, electrical, brakes, basic repairs? I couldn’t begin to tell you the stuff I have learned after I purchased AS. I had no idea that I would need to carry an entire RV repair shop with me. Let me give a more precise example: last weekend I had a leak, a pretty serious leak that could not be ignored. With the help of a much more experienced AS owner I was able to locate the leak, find the cause, get the faulty part removed, ordered the new part and I will be I installing it when it arrives later this week. Tracking down the leak took all of Sunday and into Monday, getting the (expletive) part out took most of Tuesday, today there is no water in my AS and won’t be until I get the new part, then I get to spend probably another day and getting it in. So almost a week to fix a leak. If I took it to a dealer it would set on the lot for God knows how long ( a month or more) before they could even trace the leak, then have to wait for the part, wait some more time (another month ) before they could get back to my AS and install it. I just want to make sure you know what you’re getting into. If you are not afraid of DIY then great, if you’re not into that, well, your AS may set on the dealers lots for most of the camping season. Many a Airstream owners have had their entire vacations canceled because of one little part, that is especially true of those folks that have actual jobs they need to go to daily.
Just want you to be informed, that’s all.

Yea,

You win the Debbie downer prize!


".....trips back to the dealer where your trailer will set for months....."

C'mon man! How many of you bought a brand new AS only to have it set for months at the dealer waiting to be fixed?!

I doubt there would be much of an AS business left if this was remotely true.

Why in the world would you want to put such thoughts in peoples minds?!

So it took you 2 days to find the leak but it would take experienced service guys months? Please!

I'm sorry but what is it with some people!

...geez....


R44

[AirstreamJim]

Originally Posted by Rounder44

So it took you 2 days to find the leak but it would take experienced service guys months?

No, it's not that it takes them months to fix it. It's that you show up without an appointment and then wait for them to get to you. The stories are legion of dealers having months-long waiting lists for service appointments. I waited three months for an appointment at a highly-rated dealer, and even waited months for an appointment at the mothership. Fortunately I could use my Airstream while we waited, but if the problems had been something that made it unusable, we would have been dead in the water.

I think Kendrick's post is definitely in the Debbie Downer category, but it's not that far off the mark if you're unlucky enough to get a unit with issues. Recognize that it's a possibility, even if it happens in a very small number of cases.

Jim

[Rounder44]

Originally Posted by AirstreamJim

No, it's not that it takes them months to fix it. It's that you show up without an appointment and then wait for them to get to you. The stories are legion of dealers having months-long waiting lists for service appointments.
Jim

Geez!

Legion?

You get 2nd place in downer division!

Legion is defined as thousands, innumerable. I can't find hardly any and no nightmare service stories.

PLEASE don't go list a bunch of worst case scenarios! I'm sure on the 10 trillion internet pages there are quite a few. I'm not interested in reading them!

Got a link to a service manual? Share that!

I don't get this super cautious pessimistic RV owner. If I was afraid of the unknown I think an RV would be the LAST thing I'd invest in!

I'd get a nice La-Z-Boy and big screen TV and put my feet and watch!

I'm getting an RV SPECIFICALLY for the adventure! I got stuck in a retirement type community and I'll be danged if I'm gonna fret what "may" happen or what happens after that? That's how these guys got here 40 years ago and do the same thing day after day!

If you haven't noticed life is kinda like the scariest roller coaster ride there is and you die at the end.

Spread some good stories while we have a chance!

R44

[patriciahawk]

We just had the same thing happen. We had a deal all set up and our very, knowledgeable salesman left. Now nobody answers our questions.

[Rounder44]

Good News!

Searching Phoenix and Tucson Craigslist there are over 4000 RV's for sale.

7 are late model Airstreams and asking 88%-100% of original cost.

You'd think with "legions" getting hung up for months in repair bays there would be a few more getting dumped while they still have a shine to them in one of the RV capitals of the US.


R44

[MartyJS]

We bought a 2019 Globetrotter from Vogt RV in Fort Worth. Our salesman was Anthony Miller. He is EXTREMELY knowledgeable about Airstreams and went above and beyond to make sure we got the exact model we wanted. Since we picked up our trailer we’ve had a couple of glitches, one of which the service department couldn’t figure out. I called Anthony and he gave me a fix over the phone (Polk audio Bluetooth issue.)

All of that to say, if you live close enough to Fort Worth to make it worth your while, come work with Anthony. If not, I definitely think the right salesman is important before and after the sale.

[dog_tired]

This is so ironic...I live in Florida and couldn't get a good enough price for our 23FB Flying Cloud...so we drove 750 miles to Southaven, MS to pick one up. Here you are driving from Ohio to Florida! Airstream buyers are the best!

[Gopher John]

Originally Posted by Wrangler

I bought my Airstream in July from a dealership that was sold. With the screwed-up-Inness of the transition, I could not get through to the service department to set up an appointment to correct some minor warrenty work. The salesman was my contact with the service department.

As I stated before, it’s your money, if you are comfortable; be happy.

Sorry to resurrect a topic that is a few days old - but it's new to me ;-)

I bought my Airstream from the same dealership as Wrangler. I ordered it and made my deposit to one company and when I went to pick it up, it was a different company. My problem - and I doubt this is unique to Airstream or this particular dealer - is that the communications and customer service were excellent... until the purchase was done. Now, I don't get responses to my questions and it has been a pain to have them deal with a couple of loose strings.

When I finally got it into the service department (to replace a DVD wire that the salesman broke in demonstrating the tv mount) I asked them to check the tire pressure and the lug nut tightness. They charged me $35 to do this!!! On an $80,000 purchase?

I noted to the dealer that there is a fair amount of surface rust on parts of the A-Frame. Crickets. Could you imagine surface rust on your new $80,000 luxury car?

I would think that work of mouth is the best advertising that Airstream could hope for. This dealership is not helping them in that regard.

[Betterboat]

Who is this dealer anyway ? I’m shopping for my first AS and would like to avoid him!

[Kanusport]

I agree with you. I had some minor surface rust on my a frame at time of delivery and the dealer tech spray painted once we both noticed it. I didn’t even have to ask him to do this. Also they gave me a few small items and followed up with a nice thank you box that included airstream of Utah coffe mugs and some cookies.