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[SPIDERMAN]

San Diego H-D has for some time been the #13 H-D dealer in the world in terms of sales volume and #1 in the world for V-Rods. Part of the reason for that has been service charges that have not been the highest in the area and parts and accessory discounts of 10% to 15% on a regular basis. Well NO MORE. There are no discounts PERIOD at San Diego H-D for anyone for any reason. Like the guy at the gate of OZ said to Dorothy and the boys - - - " Not Nobody, Not No how " I recently cancelled a dyno appointment because the charge went from $275 to $390. When I asked why I was told " we checked some other shops in the area and that's the going rate "  My prediction is this attitude will cause San Diego H-D business.

Opinions ?

B B

[nixobilly]

Friggem!

Chicago HD for 20% off parts/clothes.  TMAX replace for ECM.

Mark

[Puzzled]

My local dealer no longer offers a discount either. This has cost them my walk in casual business. They get my emergency business as they are there. However I tend to hop on another bike and wait for my ordered parts to come in.

Sunday I had the good fortune of riding with one of the owners of the local dealership. While a nice guy, I don't think he is in touch with the general publics buying habits. Over lunch we discussed the volume of internet sales those of us at the table did in comparison to walk in sales. Weather this hit home for him or not I don't know. However he sure was able to add up a hole lot of money that wasn't spent in his dealership.

[Gettinold]

BIG B I CALL THAT BOTTOM FEEDING.

[Screamin]

Whatever the market will bear.

[JW]

It sounds like it is a successful business, so why change the formula and alienate good customers?  Is it greed, or is the profit margin tight for the dealerships??  I have to believe that they do well as all the dealerships around here are in nice shiney new buildings, but I dont know??  Maybe he's getting a divorce and he's scrwd.  Or maybe he made some bad investments and he's dipping into the cash cow.  I gotta believe it will affect him adversely in the long run.

[oldwarrior]

I think they will do ok, they may lose some customers, but with the aggressive financing that Harley had early this year...I'm sure they will still do a brisk business.
Maybe other dealers complained to someone on up the food chain ?
The new shiny dealerships were built because Harley told them to, I got that straight from a dealers mouth who I've known for 15 years.

I was told they want them close to major highways for ease of access, no more Mom and Pop dealerships in the backwater with one bay to work on motorcycles.
We used to have quite a few here in Ohio just like that, and I miss those backwater Harley dealers badly.
Sometimes I don't know if I'm walking into a clothing store or a Harley dealer.

I guess I long for those "golden days of yesteryear". LOL !
I dunno somethings been lost in my limited judgment, I guess it's the closeness I shared with the dealers I have known over the years....
I just don't get that warm fuzzy feeling like I did when I walked into the Mom and Pop backwater dealers, everything is so...so....sterile looking for a better word.

There is one dealer where I feel at home it's A.D. Farrows on Broad Street in Col,O, they have also built a new building outside of Sunbury,O.
Thank goodness they are not going to close their Broad Street location.
While I like the outside of their new building, I still get that "I don't belong here" once I was inside, oh it's nice and all that, it's just me.

I'll touch on the buying on the Internet, 90% of my motorcycle items are purchased on the Internet, In my humble opinion they had better wake up.
Why would I pay $50 dollars more at a dealer when I can get it on the Internet with free shipping at $50 less.

I just bought a set of V&H TD and Oval mufflers about a month ago for $700 on ebay (free shipping) new in the box for my 1995 FLHT (oh they do sound sweet) , they can't touch that price at the dealers or any other place that sells them here in Ohio.
And I was told it would take a week to 10 days to get the V&H's in, I had them in three days from the seller on ebay.

[nidan]

I still go through Zanotti's for parts save over $100 on the 1.4KW starter I just ordered.

[iski]

Dealerships are free to do as they wish & it sounds like you SD dealer has decided to increase his profit margin, BB.  Of course you are free to take your biz elsewhere & since there is an abundance of options available due to the internet, its not that difficult to do.  I have bought tires & other bike items on the net for years since they are the EXACT same product & cost less.  Sucks when you are in an emergency type situation & need parts/service ASAP, though.

Dayton HD charges boucous higher prices (over list significantly) than any dealer around for their new bikes.  Yet they sell more bikes than any dealer around.  Its what the market will bear.

I feel your pain, bro.

[greglyon]

I've been using Southcoast aka Sweetwater HD for parts and service when in the area.
HOG members that attend meetings get 10% off.  I have been very happy with their service.

[JCZ]

Dealerships are free to do as they wish & it sounds like you SD dealer has decided to increase his profit margin, BB.  Of course you are free to take your biz elsewhere & since there is an abundance of options available due to the internet, its not that difficult to do.  I have bought tires & other bike items on the net for years since they are the EXACT same product & cost less.  Sucks when you are in an emergency type situation & need parts/service ASAP, though.

Dayton HD charges boucous higher prices (over list significantly) than any dealer around for their new bikes.  Yet they sell more bikes than any dealer around.  Its what the market will bear.

I feel your pain, bro.

Sounds like Oakland HD.  They have a higher mark up on their bikes and parts but seem to do fine.  I think the difference is those people that walk in and pay 2k to 2k over MSRP are the same people who will continue to use that dealership for parts and repairs regardless of the markup. 

At the same time, I have to also think that the internet sales (for those dealerships that have chosen to go that route) has increased equally.  I know that I've bought more off the internet in the past two or three years (sinced I've been a member of this site, actually) then ever before.......when it comes to motorcycle parts and m/c associated parts (iPod, GPS, camera, etc.).

At the same time it seems as though, through these tactics, that they also boost the competition of the independant shops.  Why go to the dealership to buy some Kuryakyn items when I can go two blocks away to the independant and get the same thing for 15 or 20% less (such as the dyno that Big Brian mentioned in the first post).  Also, independant shops generally have more experience with performance related items and issues, since that's their bread and butter.

[RJ749]

B B, it's the old supply and demand at work again.

It has been proven time and time again that in the long run raising rates, whether on hourly charge or by the job seldom changes the volume of business.

In today's hustle and bustle it's more about convenience for most people than cost.  While they may grouse about it and whine, most will shell out the bucks to get the job done and forget about it quickly.

We have a competitor in our area that is in an affluent community.  I had a manager that I parted ways with go there and work for awhile.  He later told me that buyers would pay thousands more for a vehicle there rather than have to drive 30 minutes.  I guess people just have too much money to worry about it.

Crap, not me though, I'll drive miles to get milk for two bits less.  Mmmmm, maybe I need to think about that....nope, I'd still rather get treated right and not get hosed for a gallon of milk or a new bike

[SEULTRA]

BB,
Just shop & get service where you're treated fairly. The only thing that gets these ripoff artists attention is the $$ bottom line. While you taking your business elsewhere may not cause them any concern, it will make you feel better. Trust me on this one.

[Tros]

I think they will do ok, they may lose some customers, but with the aggressive financing that Harley had early this year...I'm sure they will still do a brisk business.
Maybe other dealers complained to someone on up the food chain ?
The new shiny dealerships were built because Harley told them to, I got that straight from a dealers mouth who I've known for 15 years.

I was told they want them close to major highways for ease of access, no more Mom and Pop dealerships in the backwater with one bay to work on motorcycles.
We used to have quite a few here in Ohio just like that, and I miss those backwater Harley dealers badly.
Sometimes I don't know if I'm walking into a clothing store or a Harley dealer.

I guess I long for those "golden days of yesteryear". LOL !
I dunno somethings been lost in my limited judgment, I guess it's the closeness I shared with the dealers I have known over the years....
I just don't get that warm fuzzy feeling like I did when I walked into the Mom and Pop backwater dealers, everything is so...so....sterile looking for a better word.

There is one dealer where I feel at home it's A.D. Farrows on Broad Street in Col,O, they have also built a new building outside of Sunbury,O.
Thank goodness they are not going to close their Broad Street location.
While I like the outside of their new building, I still get that "I don't belong here" once I was inside, oh it's nice and all that, it's just me.

I'll touch on the buying on the Internet, 90% of my motorcycle items are purchased on the Internet, In my humble opinion they had better wake up.
Why would I pay $50 dollars more at a dealer when I can get it on the Internet with free shipping at $50 less.

I just bought a set of V&H TD and Oval mufflers about a month ago for $700 on ebay (free shipping) new in the box for my 1995 FLHT (oh they do sound sweet) , they can't touch that price at the dealers or any other place that sells them here in Ohio.
And I was told it would take a week to 10 days to get the V&H's in, I had them in three days from the seller on ebay.

I stopped at the Richmond, IN shop today on my way back from OH.  It's a smaller shop with nice folks and a surprising amount of stuff on display.  I bought a chrome piece I'd been looking for that none of the Indy shops stocked. 

[Midnight Rider]

For me, there is a loyalty factor to be considered...if a business has treated me fairly over the years, met my expectations of quality, and are competitively priced for my area, I'll keep going there for most smaller things, or for services I cannot do on my own.  But for large ticket items where I am able to save $50 bucks or more by purchasing off the internet, I'll buy from a reputable internet source if I don't need whatever it is right away.

For people who have more money than they know what to do with, I guess they'll do business with whoever regardless of how much it costs them, either because they simply don't know any better, or just don't care.  I don't ever have to worry about being in that position...