Frank
New Orleans,#2Consumer Comment
Mon, November 08, 2004
BJ, A short time ago I wanted to rent a Model 883 to try it out and see if it had anything to recommend it over comparable (and much less expensive and better-built) Japanese bikes. I went to the local Harley rental place and was informed that I could rent one for $150 a day and a $2000 deposit. I smelled ripoff and walked. From what you wrote in your report, I'm glad I did. The auto rental companies don't ask you for a $2000 deposit on a vehicle that costs two to three times what a Harley does. The Harley rental people are cashing in on the the "mystique" associated with the machines and won't hesitate to rip you off. Do you really think a new 883 is worth over $7000? And that's MSRP; most dealers mark up that inflated price a grand or two. They figure you'll pay for the Harley name and, sadly, too many people are willing to do so and that just perpetuates the ripoff. The old damage deposit thing is a favorite of the leasing companies who routinely screw their lessees out of megabucks for what is obviously normal wear and tear. The Harley rental people have managed to go it one better by making you pay the money up front and then making you prove you deserve to get it back, which of course you won't or at least not all of it (a twist on the rebate scam). They make the majority of their money this way, not from renting the bikes. This is a characteristic they share with car dealers whose biggest sales producers aren't the salesmen but the F&I clowns. I'm sure you know the old joke about the only difference between a Hoover (vacuum cleaner) and a Harley is where the dirtbag's mounted. I would say that the real dirtbags are the ones who run the Harley rental companies. I do have to ask one thing, however. Why would you start a bike that you're unfamiliar with without disengaging the clutch? That is something every rider learns early on. However, I agree that you got ripped off big time and your story serves as a very good warning to anyone who is thinking about renting a Harley from one of these outfits.