From: cjackson@adobe.com (Curtis Jackson)
Subject: *BAD* Bike Purchase Attempt Experience in California!
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 01:04:29 GMT

Those of you not in the U.S. may not understand all the cliches
and references herein -- suffice it to say that American auto
and moto dealers have a very slimy way of haggling that bears
no resemblance to realistic price bargaining as it occurs in
most other countries.

I decided on the new Seca II with 267 dealer miles on it and the
slight dent/scratch in the gas tank. I went in to Grand Prix
Yamaha in Sunnyvale, and dutifully waited for the same salesman
who had originally shown me the bike (I promised him I'd see him
if I came back). We went to The Desk and the following ensued.
S == Salesman, C == Me.

C: "I have $3400 to spend. I am offering $3400 for that slightly
damaged/used Seca II, off-the-lot, with a center stand on it."

S: [I'll spare you -- he used every classic cliche in the book.
"I can not make money, but I can't lose money." "I don't think
my manager will go for this." "I can't do it for that amount of
money." etc. etc. etc.]

I just sat quietly until he showed me his bottom-line, then he
reiterated my request (that bike, off-the-lot, center stand, $3400).
I nodded; he took it in to his manager. He came back out shortly and
said, "He's in a better mood than I thought; he says he'll do it if
you pay cash today. He wants cash because he owes one of the reps $5000
and the guy is coming in later today."

Uh, huh. Right. He's trying to scare me up in price to avoid paying
cash.

C: "You'll sell me that bike, off-the-lot, with a center stand on it,
for $3400 if I pay cash? Not a check, but cash?" [I was *very* careful
to restate the deal precisely.]

S: "Yes, we'll do that."

C: "I'll be right back."

Twenty minutes later I walked in and said (one more time), "OK, the
deal is $3400 cash for that bike, off-the-lot, with a center stand
on it."

S: "Yeah. Let me take the cash and that deal in to the manager."

WARNING WARNING DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!

But I decided to give them a chance to do The Right Thing, and counted
on the greed of the manager upon seeing 34 crisp $100 bills. I had
the salesman count the money in front of me and verify the amount. He
went away for an inordinately long time, then:

S: "I'm afraid the best we can do is $3400 plus dealer's cost on the
center stand." [Shows me the book, $51.95]

C: "We had a deal. I stated it 3 times, and you agreed. I got the cash,
now honor the deal."

S: "I'm sorry, I can't make the deal. It's my manager."

C: "You get in there and tell your manager that if he doesn't honor our
verbal agreement, not only will I walk with my money, but I will publicize
this on a large computer network and in as many places as I can find. This
will not only cost him a deal, it will cost him as much negative publicity
as I can muster. Arguing over price is one thing, but we had a deal and
you are reneging on it."

S: "I can have the manager come out and talk to you...."

C: "*You* and *I* had a deal. Right?"

S: [Shocked look. Silence.]

C: "So *you* go talk to the manager."

S: [Broken record mode] "I can have him come out to talk to you."

At this point I wanted to lunge across the desk and bash out his
3 remaining braincells. I wanted to say, "Look, idiot. You're not
even talented at playing a set script when things don't go just
right. I was trained by the top time-share marketing person in the
U.S. to go into time-share sales situations as a plant to ensure that
the leads she was sending in to the sales operation weren't being
wasted by incompetent salespeople. I know a TO when I see one, and
I'm not going to go through the song and dance. Honor our deal or I'll
kill your children!"

But instead I picked up the large stack of $100 bills, waved it in his
face, stood up, and:

C: "Go tell your manager I'm serious, or watch it walk away."

S: [Throwing up his hands] "There's nothing I can do."

C: "If you wanted this sale, you'd handle this. You obviously don't."

And I left. Unfortunately, I'd let the little shit get my blood
boiling, so I had to have a rapid mental margarita while gearing up
before entering lunch rush traffic to avoid killing myself in an
ever-so-squidly fashion.

I'm going to go look at the Hawk GT again. Enough people love it
that maybe it's not so bad *riding* it as it is just sitting on
it with feet on the floor. Time to put it up on center stand and
give that a try. I have to believe that there's some bad karma
for me personally associated with the Seca II; it just isn't working.
Earlier I had gone to look for a damaged Seca II at a salvage place,
but I went to the wrong place (duh) and the sister shop only had
a completely wrecked one.
-- 
Curtis Jackson  DoD #721   '62 Yankee Brunette "Dorothy"    '81 Maxim 650
cjackson@mv.us.adobe.com   '91 Black Lab "Studley"  '92 Collie/Golden "George"
  "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
   safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin (1759)
Newsgroups: rec.motorcycles