Hi all.
Wow....a lot of responses on this thread!!
I'm the original poster.
Jack Klarich: You used a couple of acronyms that I'm not familiar with: "MOCO" and "PDI"; what do they stand for? But yes, double-dipping indeed! That's exactly what I thought it was.
TripleJ: Even though the bike is previously owned (it's a 2011), it's still under manufacturer warranty until October of 2012. And I've never heard of a "UVC fee" before either. When I Googled it, nothing really came back on it, except......links leading back to the posts that I put up! Go figure!!! I think this Harley dealer (under the umbrella corporation of "RideNow") invented this
faux fee.
deucedog: No, I'm not Canadian. The Harley dealer I'm referring to is in Peoria, Arizona.
And more bad news:
I know I shouldn't have, but, even though I questioned them on this "UVC fee".........I went ahead and signed the bill-of-sale/ contract. And here's another crazy thing:
This particular dealership does
not allow test rides of their motorcycles. So, after signing (even though this UVC fee was leaving a sour taste in my mouth), I asked them, What if I ride the bike and decide it's "not for me"? They said I have 15 days or 500 miles to decide. If I don't like it, bring it back, they tear up the contract, and I owe them nothing.
I didn't wait 15 days; I was back within a week. This UVC fee was really bothering me. The bike itself appears to be a quality machine, but I was willing to bring it back based on this "fee".
And ohhh.....it just gets better.
The dealership now "claims" they never said that, the thing about "15 days or 500 miles". Those numbers are in the contract, but it has to do with a "Used Vehicle Implied Warranty of Merchantability". My wife was with me at the original signing, and even she said she heard we had 15 days.
NOW what the dealership "claims" they said was that I had "15
minutes or 15
miles" to decide (in lieu of a test ride). Kinda convenient, huh, that they use the number "15". They say they call this a "courtesy ride" (but only given after signing the contract since they don't allow test rides).
I even remember remarking
out loud during the signing that 15 days or 500 miles was more than enough to decide. So, if I had misconstrued that, I should have been corrected right-then-and-there. I then consider this a predatory move by the dealership, more interested in making that quick buck rather than
keeping a customer.
The sad thing is......I've been riding motorcycles for over 30 years; they've been mostly Japanese bikes and one Italian (Ducati). This is my first American-made bike, this Harley. And this Harley will be my last. This dealership has seen to that because of my very unpleasant experience with them.
There was even something further with them unrelated to this UVC fee; they held onto my permanent license plate and tags for a month and never contacted me to tell me they were in (they were supposed to call when they came in. I contacted the Arizona Department of Transportation to confirm when the plate/ tags were processed). And I paid a
fee for this too on the contract!
UVC fee? Fake. Yes, I was foolish for signing, but they shouldn't have used the number "15" when talking about this "courtesy ride" since they don't allow test rides. During the high stress time of making a major purchase and all of the paperwork it entails, this number "15" shouldn't have been used.
15
days or 500
miles? 15
miles or 15
minutes? Give me a break. Like I said above, I remarked on it
out loud during the signing; they should have corrected the misconception.
They have lost a customer big-time. No more business from me; no purchases for future bikes, accessories, clothing, parts, maintenance/ service, customization.
It's too bad that this dealer has soured me on my very first Harley experience....but they were the ones I dealt with, they were the ones who
represented the company.
Pez
