I walked into High Octane Harley-Davidson in Billerica, MA on 4/29/2016 and purchased a 2016 FLTRX Road Glide in the Amber Whiskey color right off their showroom floor. I was told by the salesperson that I was getting a large “discount” on the price and the $700 Amber Whisky color upgrade for "free", The unit cost to me was $23,999,Freight $495, Setup $962.

The issue here is just the unit cost. When you pay freight, setup, registration fees, document fees (any fee), that should be up to the consumer to negotiate (or not).

High Octane in Billerica, MA does not list prices on most bikes in stock so I assumed I would be paying MSRP from the official Harley Davidson website andthen negotiate from there (or not). When I got home I went to the official Harley Davidson Web site and built my exact bike. The price for the exact samebike with the Amber Whiskey color upgrade $21,699 or $2,300 less than I paid.This part of the story is very important to anyone shopping for a new Harley Davidson. You need to experience this to fully appreciate how badly they screwed me. If this story is interesting to you go here http://www.harley-davidson.com pick the motorcycle that you are interested in, go to the left part of the screen and “build your bike”. The MSRP price is listed right on the screen (you can’t miss it) as you make upgrades and changes the price changes right there on the screen, this is why I am so sure of the $2,300 difference. You are now encouragedto print this out, locate a dealer, and I assumed, start negotiations from this price.

I then thought maybe there was high demand so they could charge more, this was not the case. I checked with other local dealers and found 3 with my exact same bike in stock for the MSRP price of $21,699 listed right on the bike. I spoke with Matt at Sheldon Harley Davidson in Auburn, MA (which is closer to my house) to verify that they had my “exact” bike in stock with the MSRP price$21,699 attached to the motorcycle (as they do on all their new bikes). I was also told at High Octane that with just a couple days left in April the dealership was 32 new motorcycles short of their monthly quota, so they would bend over backwards to make this sale “today”.

I’m confused as to how Harley-Davidson can give the price for the motorcycle on their website and the dealer is allowed to mark up the price $2,300 over the MSRP listed price. Shopping around for the best price would have been the best thing to do if I was looking to negotiate and get the best price around, but I was not interested in a special deal. Being gouged for $2,300 more than what I could order built, or walk into any Harley dealer in the country is just plain wrong, unethical, and immoral to say the least.

I did try to get this issue fixed with the dealership and they were unwilling to make it right. My goal now is to inform as many potential customers of High Octane to be very aware and know they will rip you off if they can.

 

The problem is not with the dealership, it's with you for being an uninformed consumer.

 

Not to be a ***** but did they hold a gun to your head and make you buy it? It's up to you the consumer to make sure you do your research and check pricing at a few different dealers before making your purchase. Sounds to me you saw the bike, fell in love with it and made an emotional purchase without doing your due diligence. I don't see how that's HO's fault. Excellent choice on the color by the way!

 

Road Glide standard is $21,199. Add hard candy color which is Amber and that price goes to $24,199 and you have to add for ABS and security, freight and setup.

Move up to Road Glide Special and the base is $23,499 but comes with ABS and security but is not available in Amber.

I've just been through the same thing looking for the 16 in Amber. I think you might be the victim of having the guys or gals you called not knowing their product.

You didn't get a smokin deal but you didn't get ripped off either.

Tim

 

If RPB's numbers are right then I do believe this is a black eye on the dealer, this action shows a complete lack of integrity, if they do business like this on the sales floor I would be very concerned on how they conduct business in the shop. Hopefully there is a simple misunderstanding here.

 

100% this

You went in as an uninformed consumer and didn't get a great deal. What a shocker. I would actually be embarrassed to share this on the Internet.

 

Kind'a takes the excitement out of buying a new bike and that’s too bad. It's not much consolation, but you'll know better next timed. Now put that behind you and go enjoy your new ride.

 

why would someone go and buy something that cost this much and not research it ? i'll bet this never happens to you again.

 

Dealerships love when uninformed or compulsive buyers come on the property. The previous buyers that negotiated the hell out of their purchase, whom exhausted the sales associate, sales manager, finance manager, and they all made mini commissions, were able to make some money with your sale in their commissions. I am not making fun of you at all, because there are many that do the same....purchase without doing any homework. I speak from experiance as I was the GM of one of the largest big 3 car dealerships in the country for many years. The entire team is paid on commission....If no money is made on sale, then sales makes 100/200 bucks (mini), if no warranty is sold, no reserves (loan) in financing are made, the finance manager makes nothing.....I have approved deals where 8k was lost to move a old age new vehicle, to seeing 20K (profit) deals with the purchase of everything offered and 84 month financing....When buying any type of vehicle, toy, ect, everything is negotiable. The internet has given the edge to the buyer for years......Always buy the last day of the month!

 

Research & knowledge (before buying) is your friend.