Brownhills!!!!!!!!!!!! Forums

BarryandSue

Have you noticed that Brownhills, despite being a leading dealer, are still frightened of putting prices on their vehicles:
"Price........... £Please ask for details"
They are not alone, though, in doing this.

Surely, each vehicle has a price, so why not display it to encourage customers? Unless of course the price could dissuade customers! They want you to enquire so that the 'sales pitch' can begin, along with all that nauseating spiel that always annoys me so much.

To make enquiries about unpriced vehicles is playing the game by the dealers rules. My advice would be totally 'blank' anything that is not clearly priced.

takeaflight

What I find vaguely amusing is Hymer Club Uk, you cant join unless you purchased a van from them as they are the offical importers, however I have a privately imported Hymer (LHD) so if I sell it to Brownhills, then they sell it on the new owner then could join the Club.

In my opinion a very short sighted business practise.

LordAtManor

Barry, my experience after trekking round Lowdhams, Brownhills Newark and Preston several times is that every used vehicle is clearly labelled with the price, year, and some other details. All Brownhills new outgoing models were priced as well.

I'm not sticking up for them, just trying to rationalise why many people use them. It's the comfort factor, many people would be happier trusting their deposit with a major UK company than with a small dealer or someone on the continent - deposits asked by importers are quite high I think and many customers are in fear of them vanishing. Some would rather take the risk of a missing kitchen basket than losing their deposit.

Another reason is the sheer ease of parting with their own used vehicle.

However, as a cash buyer, I would - and did - seek out a vehicle without the margins of Brownhills

smifee

hi m'lud

present mh bought in belgium 2005 - deposit 1000 euros

previous mh bought in belgium 1998 - deposit 150 euros Laughing

how much deposit do brownhills want?

LordAtManor

smifee, £500 - nearly the same as your 1000 euros. I stand corrected.

Are you saying that you got a Hymer priced at £36,000 UK for £24,000 in Belgium ? Was that the final cost of acquiring and importing it, like for like vehicle ?

That's quite some saving - I would definitely do it. I could afford to lose several deposits and still be quids (euros ?) in ! I suppose if I had realised I could have knocked £6k off the asking price of my Dethleffs and still be £6k better off on the whole deal.

So - what's a 1998 motorhome worth ? £12,000 maybe ? The market in that price range is possibly 10 times the market in the £25,000 plus price range. Did you sell privately ?

What's your view of the thousands of adverts in the MMM where the asking price for their second hand vehicle is probably more than what you paid for a new one ? I just wonder if these prices are what people base their 'low depreciation' remarks on. How many sellers realise these prices ? Do they give up and decide to keep it ? Or trade in at Brownhills ?

cooder

Hi

Brownhills!!!!!! Having bought our (used) Hymer in Germany I was looking for an English version of the handbook. Contacted Brownhills who said they could get one for us at £30:00 plus post and packing. Contacted Hymer in Germany who sent us one free of charge. ...............Says it all about Brownhills.

BarryandSue

LAM, as I said, each vehicle has a price - but not on their internet sites. This stops people shopping on the internet and maybe by-passing them - is this what they're afraid of? In fact, on some of the photos on their internet sites, you can actually see the price, but it still says "Please ask for details" below the photo!!! Why????

DABurleigh

I'm not a customer of Brownhills, never have been, never looked. But it seems to me they provide a service that the market wants, at a price the market will bear. A part of the market may feel ripped off, streetwise individuals may councel not to go there, and may wish the market were different. But it isn't, and if Brownhills is using that, well that is what businesses do. They seem successful to me.

Dave

LordAtManor

Barry, I can see prices on the websites.

Used stock is here:

BarryandSue

No prices here, LaM