Rawhide Harley-Davidson

Reviews 3

SC

Scott Godsey

So, Im as much of a Harley fan as the next guy, I love the brand, own the stock and frankly see a terrific future for this company on balance. Rawhide, like any other Harley dealer does sell top quality merchandise... after all - its a Harley! ;-) However, I was extremely disappointed to hear about my friends experience. A buddy of mine who loves their bikes and enjoys just frequenting the place to "lust for awhile." Was caught in a momentary lapse of reason this past Saturday when he was perusing the merchandise with another Harley enthusiast and owner. Truth is, he had no business actually buying his dream bike given his current financial obligations but as things go, and good salesmen do (just doing their job) he found himself signing the papers on the object of his affection without thoroughly thinking through the magnitude of his purchase. So far so good, hes a big boy, his fault. After conferring with his fiancee over his new acquisition, they collectively decided that the purchase was far more of a commitment than they could financially manage while she was still in school and accumulating student loans. Now, Ive owned businesses before, in fact, Ive owned a retail business that Harley owners would be very familiar with - a Snap On Tools franchise, so I know a little bit about selling top quality merchandise that also carries a commensurate price tag. After all, birds of a feather flock together - if youre going to own the best bike, you probably feel the same way about your tools. Having said that, I know EXACTLY what it is like to sell equipment for thousands of dollars only to have the client have buyers remorse or worse (and shame on me) having been talked into buying something that I KNEW was more than they should reasonably be purchasing. Of course I justified it by convincing myself that, "Who was I to determine what that customer should or more importantly, should not, be buying?" Whenever I sold something to someone who subsequently came back to me "head-a-hanging," I knew what the deal was and like any good merchant, I put up at least a little bit of resistance trying to make the sale stick. But, when it was clear that my client was really unhappy and the situation was seriously impacting his life, I did what we would hope any self-respecting business owner would do... I bit the bullet and rescinded the sale. But hey, maybe Ill get a shot in the future to have him as a client again. Now here is the "caveat emptor." This friend of mine went back to THIS dealership less than 24 hours after "making his purchase" pleading with them to please take the bike back. Their answer was simple, unequivocal and astonishing! The only way they would reclaim the merchandise was with a 35% discount on the purchase price! Of course that didnt include the additional fees that were stacked on top of the retail price (you probably know the drill) which put the total deficit at closer to 50%. Now, I dont know about you, but for a bike with 10 miles on it (literally the ride from the dealership to his house) that seems like a pretty steep price for mileage that could have been acquired on a test drive or two. After all, its not like he special ordered a "pink" Harley with no hope of reselling it - this was a bike from their inventory. (which presumably they thought would be in high demand) So, unfortunate as this may be for such a fine brand to be undermined by such poor behavior. Apparently the corporate culture of Rawhide believes that if they can get your name on the dotted line... its all over but the crime. If the "discount" asked for by Rawhide werent so egregious one could be more understanding of it... after all, they are a business, not an amusement park. But wouldnt $500-$1,000 be decent compensation for a test drive? Apparently not. In the final analysis, if you are contemplating doing business with these fine folks and fortunate enough to read this in advance, now you know who youre dealing with... and that could make all the difference.

GL

Glenn Schkeeper

Went in to buy a Superglide. MSRP on one is $13,199. I understand there is freight and admin fees that usually add up to $750 to $1,000. I showed them my trade in ( a less than one year old BMW R1200R MSRP of $15,800 with 2,400 miles ). The sales manager goes up to the desk for about 10 minutes and comes back with a sheet of paper. $18,000 for the Superglide and an $8,000 offer for my trade. I said I did not want a Road King. I wrote on his piece of paper $14,000 for the Glide and $11,000 for my bike and I would buy it.He comes back with payments at $350 a month. I said for how long? He said its irrelevant . Well that was my que to stop dealing there..Gails in Grandview was much more clear on the deal and showed me all the details and Gails started at $14,100 for theres and worked up to $10,000 for my trade. Not sure if Im taking that deal or not but I KNOW Im not going back to Rawhide. Two days after this experience I called customer service to let them know . Talked to a lady named Ande who said she would try to make it right . After 5 days of Ande going back and forth to the sales manager the best they offered was $15,200 for the Superglide and $10,000 for my bike.They advertise they will beat anybodies price but they were above all 3 nearby competitors from $1,000 to $2,200 . Bottom line is they had $5,200 seperating the prices of the bikes . I settled at Worth Harley Davidson with $2,500 seperating the bikes and was treated much better and the deal took an hour and a half. Ande was the only person sincere in making a good deal but they simply would not let greed go. After reading the response from the owner I have to mention that I am 52 years old and have been riding and buying street bikes since I have had a drivers license at the age of 17 , I am also approached by all my friends on what types of bike they would fit on. In other words I am not so stupid to not realize bikes are equipped with options . When I shopped I made sure the bikes were equipped identically. Also Harleys no longer have the great resale value you say they do . Its a simple matter of there is more supply than demand and like every other bubble in the economy the Harley bubble has burst. On a final note I always find it amusing that Rawhide has to go out of there way to tell you they sell more bikes than any other Harley dealer in the area. What they dont go out of there way to tell you is they are the only Harley dealer in the area with less than an A+ rating by the better business beauro . In fact there rating is an F ! Just look it up for your self.

GR

Greg Harris

Rawhide was advertising "GET FULL NADA RETAIL BOOK VALUE ON ANY TRADE WHEN YOU BUY A NEW 2013 OR 2014 IN-STOCK HARLEY DAVIDSON". I checked NADA retail for my 2012 FLHTK (Ultra Limited) before going to the dealer. The NADA web sight showed average Retail of $23,055. The 2014 FLHTK I wanted to buy has an MSRP of $26,939 + $435 freight=$27,374. They told me Retail on my bike was only $13,400 (they have a used 2012 just like mine on the lot with a $21,869 sale tag on it). When I checked online the Kelley Blue Book trade in value was $17,700. I checked KBB for trade value because NADA doesnt show the trade in value on there web site. So what they were trying to tell me was retail was $9,655 below retail and $4,300 below trade in value. Then they told me the retail price of the 2014 FLHTK was $29,475 + freight & administration Fee. I told them what the HD web site shows as MSRP and they said that is just Harleys suggested retail price. There retail price is $29,475 plus fees. I left and wont ever return to Rawhide Harley Davidson again. They lie in there promotions (Give full NADA retail on trade) to get you to come in then low ball your trade and lie about what the Retail price is on the new bike. A friend of mine use to be a sales person at a HD dealer. He told me that the MSRP is about $5,000 over dealer cost on the Ultra Limiteds. So they are making a huge profit without inflating the price. I figured that was how they could afford to give retail on trade ins. I know that the 2014s are in high demand right now. But thats no reason to lie to your customers. They may be able to convince someone that is trusting and doesnt do there homework before visiting a dealer that there inflated price is retail and the low ball trade offer is also retail. Just because you can sometimes get away with it, it isnt a reason to lie to your customers. If they would have just done what they advertise. That is give me full NADA retail on my trade and sell me the new one at MSRP+freight I would have done the deal and been a happy biker. I would have even done it for a $2,000 below retail on my trade. UPDATE 10/2/13: Worth HD gave me $17,500 for my trade and an out the door price on the 2 tone 2014 FLHTK of $26,500. Thats over a $7,000 better deal not counting the Freight, Prep & Admin fee that Rawhide was going to add to the price they quoted me.