Is this normal?

[Tom Servo]

Is it common for dealers to withhold/holdup your trailer title after the closing (we closed on Feb 24) and after you’ve taken your new AS home (we picked up on March 27 and our first payment was due on March 26).

If this common practice I’m going to quit squawking but we’ve had our AS home for over a week and we’ve been told by our salesman we’ll get the title when we get it.
In the mean time we can’t register our trailer.

We also had to request a copy of the bill of sale for our insurance company.
On their first attempt the dealer sent us someone else’s bill of sale loaded with personal information.

Is this standard operating procedure?
At the moment we can’t legally take our trailer on the road (in our state an LAF card is only good for two days on an unregistered trailer).

[richard5933]

In Wisconsin dealers file titles online and it should be done pretty quickly.

Did your arrangements call for the dealer to process the title/registration or were you going to do it? I believe that in Wisconsin dealers normally submit the paperwork electronically and you should have a receipt quickly.

When I just processed my title/registration myself for a vehicle, I got a 90-day temp license.

I see in your posting that you're in Wisconsin - did you buy from a Wisconsin dealer?

[s1000pre]

We purchased our airstream in Oklahoma on February 26th then drove it home to Minnesota. I just received the title this past week. It took the USPS over a week to get it to deliver. Yours does seem to be taking longer, though not ridiculous. Be patient, I’m pretty they are not enforcing the 21 day permits as usual.

[Lily&Me]

When I bought my current interstate in AZ almost 3 years ago, it took several weeks to get the title, and I can’t remember why.

Something about it having to be sent in to their states DMV.

So, it’s not unheard of and may have to do with your specific state.

Maggie

[Shiny16]

Didn’t they register it for you? If it was a temporary they should be able to get an extension for you.

[OTRA15]

Approaching nearly 2 months after closing . . . this is not normal . . . getting someone else’s bill of sale is a major red flag IMO.

Are you communicating by email with the dealer? If not start now, and ask for a written explanation of what is going on.

If no satisfaction by next Wednesday, ask your attorney to contact them IMO.

After you get a full and complete written status report from the dealer, please update us.

[Ultraclassic]

In Ontario, when you pick up a trailer or a Vehicle at a Dealer, they handle the Provincial tax collection, transfer the "ownership" and license plates before you get there and it is ready to roll, once you hand over the money.

Private sale, you have to go the the MOT (Ministry of Transport) and pay the sales tax and transfer fees in order to drive it ( legally) on the road.

[MMCMRET]

We purchased our first AS on Easter weekend in 2018. Had a 30 day temporary tag when we drove off the lot. At the 30 day point the dealer overnighted us another 30 day tag. At 45 days we had the real taxes on our RV.

The 2nd purchase went a lot smoother and everything was done on < 30 days.

It just depends on the dealer.

[Dennis C]

I bought my Airstream from a dealership that was fairly far from my home. I received all the title work very quickly by mail, and I was able to register the trailer and get plates before I picked it up. I put the new license plates on the trailer at the dealership lot before I drove it home.

[Tom Servo]

Here are some further details:
The dealer is in western Iowa we live in WI.
Prior to picking up the trailer my wife called WI DMV to ask about registration, in the process DMV told my wife the LAF card was good for 2 days in WI.

So to back track a bit:
We gave them $16 k down and closed the deal on February 24, 2021.
Financing was done with Bank Of America (BOA).
The dealer’s (salesman) story is our transaction will be processed in the order it was received.
When we were leaving the dealership after picking up (last Saturday) Peg (my wife) asked the Mgr, assisting us, when we would get our payment information?
The Mgr. replied we’d have between a month - 40 days before the first payment.
I called our Ins. from the dealer before we left the dealership, I left a VM with our Ins., giving them the VIN.
On Monday our Ins. emailed me requesting the bill of sale to establish trailer value - they wanted to know that we paid what we claim we paid for underwriting purposes.
I went through the satchel of documents we were given at pickup, no bill of sale or registration papers were in there.
I contacted our salesman to ask if he could over night our paperwork so we could register and insure the trailer.
He replied he’d,”ask them.”
We did not hear any more from our salesman nor did we receive any over-nighted documents.
So Tuesday Called I called the dealership.
At this point they emailed me someone’s (not my) bill of sale.
When we reported the error they emailed our bill of sale.
Nothing else.

Then this Friday my wife got a call from BOA informing us our payment was overdue.
Up to that point our credit rating had been spotless.
Until Friday we had no contact with BOA, no billing documents from BOA and no payment information from the dealer.

Yesterday I texted our salesman to find out why if the paperwork had been processed to BOA (the dealer wants their money) why our end (titling) wasn’t processed?
His verbatim response was,”the title will get there when they get to it . . .”
He told me that’s all he had to say on the matter.

In all the new cars or even houses I’ve dealt with I’ve never paid my money and walked away without proof of ownership.

Meanwhile no camping for us.

Btw the dealership keeps falling back on “you can use your LAF card” even though we’ve told them more than once that the LAF card is not legit in WI 2 days after pick up.

[richard5933]

Maybe it's time to call the Iowa DOT and find out which office oversees licensed dealers.


Or, maybe a drive back to the dealership to camp out in the business office until you get some action? They have your money, you need to get the proper paperwork. No way it should take this long.


Not sure if this is an official Airstream dealer, but perhaps a call to them would help if it is.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by richard5933

. . .
Not sure if this is an official Airstream dealer, but perhaps a call to them would help if it is.

Good suggestion to call Aistream.

Is this the dealer in Des Moines?

https://rvone.com/new-inventory/?q=p...make_airstream

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

. . .
. . . When we reported the error they emailed our bill of sale.
. . .

One small light glimmering on the marquis at least . . . . . . is the info in that bill of sale correct, including the closing date on 2/24? Do you have the cancelled $16k check, or credit card receipt, to document your down payment? If you used a credit card for any part of this transaction, suggest you get the CC company on this ASAP. In general they like to protect their customers IMO.

Also suggest you reply to the bill of sale email, and request a status report by Tuesday afternoon -- see Post #6 for further suggestions.

Good luck.

[pjshier]

for a financed vehicle here, the dealer sends the info to the lender and the DMV. After that it is a black box to me, and we don't see the title with the lien holder on it until some 2-3 weeks later, or more in one case. In the past, I have received the title from either DMV or the lender.

In cash transactions, the dealer sends the info to DMV in batches, and calls me when the title and plates are ready - after which they have the salesman mount the plates for me. If out of town - they will mail the title and plates.

[bweybright]

I took delivery on a trailer (boat) from a dealer on December 6, 2020. Due to covid backup it was 2 1/2 months before I received the title and plates in the mail. Most all DMV walk in business is still shut down in Oregon. So it could be part of the weirdness going on these days.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

. . .
. . . The dealer is in western Iowa . . .
. . .

Hoping you have some good news to report?

[Fungus]

We’re talking about the worst state agency among a host of bad state agencies. Jokes are made about the DMV. My own experience in transferring a Florida title to a Texas title for an AS purchased in Virginia was not so good. The bureaucrats just don’t see too many of these, and they don’t read their own manuals (which are available online in Texas and I read before I went there). Title transfer requires an in-person visit here. It’s like they’re stuck in 1990.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Tom Servo

. . .
. . . The dealer is in western Iowa we live in WI.
. . .

Have you made any progress this week?

[Tom Servo]

Theoretically we’ve made progress.
I spoke to the one responsive person we encountered at the dealership.
She got the store MGR to phone me.
He acted contrite and said he’d have our paperwork expedited.
Today is Thursday, 2-3 days later we’re still waiting.
I’m going to wait until next Monday.
I’ve been advised by WI DMV to contact the Iowa Dealership Licensing bureau.
Which I will do if they keep jacking us around.

We appreciate all the helpful suggestions we’ve received.
Our state’s DMV has helped us in this more than once.
Thanks again.

[s1000pre]

Tom, which dealer did you purchase from?

[Tom Servo]

Originally Posted by s1000pre

Tom, which dealer did you purchase from?

I’ll say a couple things about that.
First of all I told the store Mgr. I hadn’t mentioned them publicly . . . yet.
If they Jack me around after saying they’d expedite my paperwork I’ll mention them by name.

Furthermore they are in Des Moines and they have been reported on numerous occasions to the better business bureau (23x in three years).
If you’re going to buy in Des Moines check check the reviews for the dealership.

Let’s see if they try to do the right thing.