“揭露經銷商進貨成本”的爭議性網站正式上線

張貼日期2011年3月17日

ㄧ個為消費者提供船舶資訊, 包括經銷商進貨成本, 而備受關注的網站, 今早正式上線.

SeeDealerCost.com包括了製造商和經銷商的成本資訊, 舊型船舶的價格, 經銷商地址, 專業文章, 常見問題, 融資及保險資訊, 也可以要求報價.

和這個網站有關聯的人士表示, 這個網站也將會解釋經銷商的價格不包含運費, 整備費用, 稅, 服務費, 索具和其他費用.

Soundings Trade Only在星期三獲悉SeeDealerCost網站的計畫, 但是經該網站要求而延到直到今天才發佈新聞.

與該網站有關的資深業界人士Dave Taylor, 最近告訴Soundings Trade Only是時候船舶產業及其他休閒產品供應商接受對客人更友善的經商方式了.

曾經是Brunswick美洲海洋部門的資深銷售及行銷副總, 現在在SeeDealerCost網站任職的Taylor說, “顧客期待資訊與價格都能夠容易取得, 更有透明度, 而且能夠依照自己的方式來取得這兩項資料.”

與此同時, 許多船舶業的從業人士卻擔心這個行為會傷害到他們的生意.

美國海洋零售商協會的主席Phil Keeter問到, “為什麼顧客需要知道我們的成本? 這究竟有何目的?”

Keeter說經銷商發票上的價格不包括經銷商把船整理至可出售狀態的成本. ㄧ個特定品牌下的每個經銷商也沒有一套標準成本及標準售價. 售價受許多因素影響, 包括經銷商從製造商進貨的數量.

雖然Taylor不肯說出該網站創辦人的姓名, 他說該網站公司有約25名職員, 對未來成長也已做好準備.

Taylor 也不願意透露有哪些製造商已經同意和該網站合作, 但是他補充, 網站經營者對與製造商的許多對話“大體上滿意”. 然而, Taylor說造船業並不必和該網站合作來取得價格的資訊.

麻薩諸塞州Russo Marine的Larry Russo說, “我不認為這個網站提供了消費者認為會得到的好處, 因為它將會缺乏基本內容, 可靠性, 和廣泛的數據支持.”

Keeter說他和許多製造商談過, 沒有發現任何支持該網站的人. “據我所知, 現在沒有人想參加該計畫. 我們有像Crownline和Chaparral這樣的公司發布的新聞稿, 告訴它們的經銷商們, 沒有, 沒有, 沒有, 沒有, 我們和這個網站沒有關聯”.

Taylor說造船業有很多的消費者都是商人, 他們明白做生意需要成本, 經銷商需要賺利潤來維持營運, 和提供售後服務. 但他相信, 把價格裡不清楚的地方拿掉,　終將讓整個產業獲益.

他說, “我們認為這將會是個非常成功的努力” .

Controversial dealer-cost website debuts

Posted on March 17, 2011

A much-discussed website that offers consumers information about boats - including the dealers' cost for the vessels - went live earlier today.

SeeDealerCost.com includes manufacturer and dealer price information, including prices on used models, as well as dealer locator information, educational articles, FAQs, finance and insurance information and the option to request a quote.

The site also will explain that the dealer price does not include items such as shipping, dealer prep, taxes, fees, rigging and other items, according to those associated with the site.

Soundings Trade Only learned about SeeDealerCost's plans Wednesday, but agreed to the site's request not to publish information about it until today.

Dave Taylor, an industry veteran associated with the venture, recently told Soundings Trade Only that it's time for the boating industry and other recreational product providers to embrace a way of doing business that is friendlier to consumers.

"Customers expect easy access and transparency with information and pricing, and to be able to get that information on their own terms," said Taylor, who was senior vice president of sales and marketing for the US Marine division of Brunswick Corp. before joining the new venture.

Meanwhile, many in the industry fear it will hurt their business.

"Why does the consumer need to know what our cost is?" asks Phil Keeter, president of the Marine Retailers Association of America. "What purpose does that serve?"

Keeter said the price on a dealer's invoice does not include what happens to the boat at the dealership to prepare it for sale. Also, he says, there is no set invoice cost for every dealer of a specific brand. That price can be determined by many factors, including the volume the dealer does with the manufacturer.

Although he wouldn't name the site's creator, Taylor said it's a business with about 25 employees and is poised for growth.

He also wouldn't say which manufacturers have agreed to work with the site, but adds that website operators are "happy overall" with a lot of the conversations they've had with builders. However, Taylor added, boatbuilders don't have to work with the site for its producers to have pricing information.

"I don't think it provides the consumer benefit that it is perceived to deliver because it will lack substance, credibility and broad-based data support," Larry Russo, of Massachusetts-based Russo Marine, told Soundings Trade Only.

Keeter said he has talked to many manufacturers and has not found any that say they will support the site.

"I know of no one that wants to sign into the program right now," he said. "We've gotten press releases from people like Crownline and Chaparral telling their dealer networks no, no, no, no, no, we're not involved in it."

Taylor said he thinks boating consumers, many of them businesspeople, understand there is a cost to doing business and that dealers need to make money to keep their doors open and provide service after the sale. But he believes that taking the mystery out of the price ultimately will help the industry.

"We think it's going to be a pretty successful endeavor," he said.

Click here for an article on the website that appeared in the March issue of Soundings Trade Only.

Source: http://www.tradeonlytoday.com/home/509607-controversial-dealer-cost-website-debuts