Stop Global Whining by Brian Buck
I was so angry over the betrayal that all I could do was whine about it being unfair. Then the salesperson said, “Why don’t we split the difference?” That’s when it hit me — it was time to negotiate! When you’ve been aggrieved, your choices are to complain about the situation or to negotiate a better outcome. I stopped complaining and started negotiating. The first obstacle I had to overcome was that I didn’t quite know what I could ask for. This was our first RV purchase, and I didn’t understand the variables beyond the vehicle’s price. I told the salesperson that I wasn’t going to make any decisions until I read the contract and spoke to my wife. But then I asked, “Let’s assume I go along with raising the price a little. What would you be willing to do to help me agree to this increase?” He said he wasn’t sure, but he’d be willing to find out. All I could do was whine about it being unfair. When the salesperson got back to me, he said they would meet me halfway on the price increase (5%) and give me the extended service warranty. I asked about the extended service warranty so that I could understand its value. They told me all about it, including the cost. Then I asked, “Assuming we go through with this, since this is our first RV purchase, what are all the things we need to consider purchasing?” They gladly told me about all the extras and add-ons that you can get with an RV. (FYI: there are a lot!) Now, I had a better idea of the variables I could work with. Once I added those variables to the ones that my wife and I came up with, I felt I was ready to make a proposal.
At the end of last year, in the post Be Angry. Then Do This . . . , I wrote about a personal negotiation that made my blood boil. The negotiation is done, and I can now give you a little more detail about what happened. It had to do with the purchase of an RV that took almost 18 months to deliver — a deal that nearly came undone in the final days because the dealership wanted to raise the price. For our 20th wedding anniversary, my wife and I decided to purchase a small, van-like RV to enjoy for short trips and weekend getaways. This was at the very beginning of the pandemic. At the time of purchase, we were told that we’d have to wait a year before we could take delivery! We decided that it would be worth the wait. So, we put our deposit down and did just that. During that period, wait times for newer purchases rose to a staggering two-plus years! In fact, used models of our rig were selling for more than new ones. The RV industry was struggling to keep up with demand. Then, right before Thanksgiving, we got the call — our RV was in and ready for pickup! But just before the salesperson tried to hang up, he said, “And the price went up 10%.”
WHAT?!?!
That was the blood-boiling moment for me. We had a signed contract with an agreed-upon price, and they were trying to change the terms. The best thing that could’ve happened for the dealer is that we’d cancel the contract, they’d keep our deposit, and then they’d sell our new RV to someone else for 20% more. That was the worst thing that could’ve happened to us: Not only would we have lost our deposit, but we also would’ve had to wait another two years to get the RV we wanted! The salesperson tried to blame it on COVID and the supply chain, telling me that everyone is dealing with the exact same thing — it wasn’t just us. None of that was comforting. In fact, it made me even angrier. We couldn’t help but feel that they were trying to take advantage of us.
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