Are you really getting a bargain? Decept-A-Cons? There are a number of activities employed by some retailers that don't sit well with Scooter HQ, other reputable dealers and you the consumer Brendon Let's face it the scooter industry is part of the motor trade, as such there are a number of tricks employed by some retailers that don't sit well with Scooter HQ, other reputable dealers and you the consumer. So we thought we would let you know what they are, then you won't get caught out.
Pricing
The rideaway price of your scooter is a combination of the following;
Scooter price The cost of the scooter
Pre delivery Legitimate Costs bourne by the dealer in delivering your scooter, such as transport, assembly, oil, tuning and other consummerables. Pre delivery for a scooter starts from $200 it is generally no more than $300.
On road costs (ORC) Registration, stamp duty, number plate & CTP- solo or dual seat, 6 or 12 months (Qld only)
Ride away price The total cost of your scooter ready to go
One
This one really gets up our noses, what happens here is to lower the base advertised cost and add it to the pre delivery eg; take your $1,890 scooter and advertise it for $1,690 + ORC, the "discounted" $200 gets added to the pre delivery bringing pre delivery costs from $200 to $400 plus registration.
The reson this is done is to make the business appear as though they have lower prices than their competitors particularly those who look only at the list price & it is also a way to guarantee you will get noticed on internet listings
When you are shopping for your scooter and you see it advertised for $200 cheaper than anywhere else most people will go straight to the dealer offering the lowest price buy it and leave thinking they have secured a bargain. This is guaranteed to get lots of people, very few will pick up on it.
Two
Picture manipulation- With this the dealer will show a picture of a top of the range scooter worth thousands with a headline "Scooters from $1,890". The scooter pictured and the one for $1,890 may not be the same.
Three
Servicing - When you buy a new scooter with warranty any licensed motorcycle mechanic should be able to service it and the scooter retain its warranty so long as they have followed the log books servicing requirements. Some ethically challenged people advertise "Servicing all makes and models" which is very different from "Log Book Servicing all makes and models". Just check the shop that is servicing your scooter has a licensed mechanic or you might just void your warranty.
Exceptions
Registration costs differ from state to state, in Qld solo registration (1 rider only) is approx half the cost of dual seat (1 rider 1 passenger) registration so scooters that can be registered as either solo or dual seaters are a little more complex. Scooter HQ's policy is to advertise scooters including registration.
Internet advertising is also a little complex. Our website shows two prices, the scooters price AND a rideaway price. Why? because we provide scooters to interstate buyers who have different registration costs than here in Qld these customers need the scooter cost only.
Avoid the Decept-A-Cons
The best way to avoid getting caught is to always talk ride away price, if the dealer is unable to give you a rideaway price walk away. Also if the dealer engages in any of the ethically questionable acts listed above think to your self "this person is backing up my warranty and if anything goes wrong with my scoot will they choose the remedy that is best for me or the most cost effective for them?" published 20/07/2007 |