| Author | Message | ||
     Ron_luning |
I lowsided by 09 1125R on March 7th and rode it to the dealer where I purchased it that same day. That was a Saturday. They conducted the damage estimate the following week (bike sat there all weekend because they were too busy). I authorized them to conduct the repairs per the estimate and would pay them directly since my insurance company sent me the check for the repair cost. I've been calling them back to see what the status of repairs was, and all I ever got was that they were waiting on parts. After visiting American Sportbike (in my truck) to purchase a Condor wheel chock, I found out that the dealer never ordered the replacement footpegs from them. I had the aftermarket pegs on there at the time of the crash. So I called the dealer yesterday and asked them what they were waiting on and of course it was the footpegs. I told the collision service guy that American Sportbike never received an order from them for the replacement footpegs. He said he'd have to talk to his parts manager, and then he'd call me tomorrow. They never did any follow up to see why these parts were taking so long. I didn't get a call so I called him (of course). He is saying that the dealership was waiting on American Sport Bike to send the parts, and that American Sport Bike was waiting on the dealer to order them. Never in my life did a company send me something without me asking, so what kind of bullshit does this guy think he can get over on me? Anyway, since the dealer and American Sport Bike are about 40 miles apart the parts should be delivered by tomorrow. I asked the collision service guy if they get the parts tomorrow, when can the bike be ready. He tells me that they can't have it ready until Tuesday because they have a full schedule this weekend. I said thanks and hung up. How the hell is it reasonable to not fix a bike that has been sitting there (outside uncovered I'm certain) for over a month when the dealer is going about fixing other customers bikes that have been there for way less time? Oh yeah, they have had all the Buell parts for some time now (fairings, sliders, turn signals, etc) but won't put them on until they have everything. When I brought the bike there on the 7th, I also had them write down on the work order to investigate a couple of check engine lights and talk to Buell about replacing the instrument cluster since it was fogging up to the point where I couldn't read the LCD display. I can't wait to see if they did anything about that when I finally get to pick the bike up. I called Buell customer service to complain about this dealership's lack of concern for their customers. Hopefully Buell can use this in a dealer training seminar or something. The dealer is Quaid H-D in Temecula, CA. I'd rate their sales dept as a 8/10 and service as 2/10. | ||
| Hootowl |
Hey, those guys have chrome to bolt on, give 'em a break. | ||
| Geforce |
Ron I am sorry to hear about this brother. First off I am glad you are ok, I assume from the accident as you are able bodied enough to drive now and type! Second, let Buell Customer service give it a crack, keep the reference number and work through them. I have had nothing but great results with them and I felt very appreciated and welcomed as a customer when I called concerning my instrument cluster and clutch cover. Maybe Court can chime in and give you some better guidance on the subject. Good luck! | ||
| Ron_luning |
Geforce, thanks for the advice. I called Buell customer service to let them know of the dealer putting my bike on the back burner, but I don't realistically expect them to do anything about that. However, if those warranty issues were never addressed when I pick the bike up I'll be giving them another call and of course going to a different dealer to get them remedied. Also, since I was wearing some pretty good riding gear including a one-piece race suit, I was completely unharmed. Well...the gear plus a little bit of luck too. (Message edited by Ron_Luning on April 08, 2009) | ||
| Steeltech |
Well Ron, would I say you are expecting too much? Yes, an unwavering and unequivocal yes. I have seen other guy’s bikes waiting for a few months waiting on this or that painted part. Some of these things aren’t just waiting to be ordered. They also come from different places. I waited on a Ducati dealership for 2 months for 2 shims for routine maintenance because they closed down the supplying warehouse in the U.S.. You on the other hand wrecked your bike, which entails more parts on order. So do I feel sorry for you? Only if you expected every post in your thread to be “shoulders on which you could cry.” Get over it, get your bike back, and go ride. I ALWAYS….ALWAYS hate waiting for parts. I’m waiting for parts for a Kawasaki for someone else and I’m waiting on stuff for my bike. Sorry if it’s not what you wanted to hear, but I am tired of listening to dealership bashing when they are just trying to do their job. You wrecked it, not them. They are trying to fix it for you around the spring time rush. ST | ||
| Brapbrapbrap |
I think you are being within normal expectations. Remember you are posting here where there is a large percentage of dealers and manufacture here so You may not get much sympathy. | ||
| Ron_luning |
Steeltech, I would agree with you if I was complaining about the length of time required for the delivery of parts. That's not the problem here. In this case the parts from Buell arrived a while ago and are sitting in a pile at the dealer. The aftermarket parts were never ordered by the dealer until I talked to the supplier myself. Now if the dealer gets the aftermarket parts (which they only placed the order for after I told them about their mistake) they are still putting my bike in the back of the queue to get the work done on it. I've dealt with bikes that have had long waiting periods for parts from foreign suppliers before. That I can understand. That is outside the control of the dealer. Here, I think that the dealer was content to let my bike sit there waiting on parts that were never ordered in the first place. I'm not looking for a shoulder to cry on. I want to know if I'll be in the wrong by badmouthing this dealer every chance I get. (Message edited by ron_luning on April 08, 2009) | ||
| Steeltech |
I'm sure they are not intentionally trying to sabotage you by mis-ordering parts. Whoops...someone made a mistake. Lets run through the street declaring their incompetence. Good thing you caught the mistake. I just don't see any cause for a witch trial just yet. I am just tired of these kinds of situations. The first thing anyone does these days when they have the slightest hiccup with the process is call the manufacturer. Now so to the point that it has little meaning. I guess it is just the 'sue-happy' generation we live in. I'm not saying that there aren't situations that call for it, but those situations usually have a much higher ranking on the misconduct chart. But its your life and your bike. Do what you want, cause you are going to anyway. Asking for approval to badmouth your dealership on a Forum that thrives on discussion...I'll just refrain from finishing that. Have fun. ST | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Whoops...someone made a mistake. Don't trivialize mistakes. When a guy's bike is down for a month (no matter the reason it's in the shop) and some guy from the dealership screws up and the net effect is another week waiting for parts. C'mon. The least the dealer should do is step up and overnight or 2nd day the parts from Wisconsin. After all, it's my money sitting on the rack depreciating, not the dealership's, while the Spring riding season is in high gear. How about whoops, I made a mistake and forgot to make my payment. How would the creditors take that mistake? | ||
| Steeltech |
I am not saying it wasn't a mistake, I'm saying how are you going to handle it? Just tell the dealership to blow off? If that's what you want to do, be my guest. Have fun. No sarcasm. I just like having a cool relationship with my dealership. Going in and bad mouthing them on human error isn't the best way for me to keep a good relationship. It is these mistakes that test a customer/business relationship. Either way...I've spoke my peace on it. Do what you will, but I won't be in the lynching mod. ST | ||
| Ron_luning |
Perhaps I'm not being clear. I thought I had made it apparent that the dealership's mistake in not ordering the parts is not the main focus of my frustration with them. I understand that mistakes happen because I'm guilty of making them all the time. Even after getting ALL the parts in, the dealer is still not going to work on my bike until they are good and ready. Since the delay was a result of their mistake, the least they should do is make the necessary adjustments to get my bike fixed as soon as possible. The bottom line is that they don't give a crap. I don't think I could explain this any better without a video or maybe some finger puppets. | ||
| Steeltech |
I would appreciate the finger puppets. | ||
| Ponti1 |
Ooohhh, finger puppets? Perhaps even a video of finger puppets?  I can appreciate your frustration, and would tend to agree that a good "customer first" approach would be to increase the priority of getting the bike back to you, both fixed and detailed. I don't really have a dealer like that here in PA, but I can definitely say I have great experiences with my dealer in VA (HRHD). | ||
| Oddball |
Ok, Service dept makes estimate, gets approval, forwards parts order to Parts dept. Parts dept orders stock parts but forgets aftermarket. Then doesn't catch their error by reviewing the parts order invoices with received parts invoice. In addition, Service Mngr should have an idea of everything going on in his dept. A machine sitting around should draw his attention after a bit. Ideally, he should know or be able to check on any work his people are doing. You state he said he'd talk with parts about it. Then told you they were waiting on American Sportbike to send. According to you that statement is in error. It would take more questioning to determine where the falsification started but it was passed thru the chain to you as a fact. Making all look bad regardless of guilt. Perhaps they are so overloaded and understaffed they just can't keep track very well. They need more people then and an overhaul of their processes for a more efficient handling of labor and supply. | ||
| Jmr1283 |
good one fres. its not about the mistake its about how u make up for the mistake. | ||
| Velocity |
Ron_luning, Maybe your dealership has little or no experience working on the 1125's. As funny as it sounds, I worked at a dealership in the tech side and the parts side,no tech wanted to work on a Buell. The comment was made "its like working in a jungle gym". Plus there is more evolved then unbolting and throwing the part in a pile of leftover customer parts and bolting on the latest chrome goody. This was in the tuber days, when I worked there. They have a young fellow that step up to be there Buell specialist. For years this dealership refused to sell Buells, the mother ship step in and threatened to cut back on the new bike allotment if they did not carry Buell's. I know a dealership in PA, that dropped Buells. So I guess my point is see if they have a tech that will work on them, if not move to a dealership that would be happy to have you as a new customer. Oh the dealership I used to work at now has a service manager that races a buell. Things can change with the right people. Just another opinion. Scott | ||
| Krassh |
Sorry for your problems this is precisely why I do not take mine in for anything except warranty work. If the Insurance company forced me to I guess I would but that would be the only reason. That accident we had was a precursor to a bad week for me. We had that accident on Sat. March 7th, I was notified of my layoff at work March 9th the day before my knee surgery on the 10th. It has sort of gone downhill since. Hope your bike gets fixed. Need a set of sliders? I will taking mine off before I give it back to the bank. | ||
| Ron_luning |
Ken, I'm sorry to hear about your string of bad luck. I do tend to complain too much, but I know it could always be worse. I'm planning on going to get my bike as-is if they don't complete the work next week as promised. Putting the parts on is well within my capability, I just figured if the insurance company was going to pay that I'd let someone else do it. How much do you want for the sliders? | ||
| Loki |
Ron, From my experience only. Its all about scheduling the mechanics. Senseless from their perspective to rack a bike that does not have all the required repair parts. Their bad for not double checking on the parts order. Once they knew they had "forgot" something. There were options to get the part(s) on the quick. Once they have ALL the parts, they find a hole to plug the bike into. Don't expect them to throw the schedule out the widow. Don't expect them to stop work on a work order in progress(something already on the rack). That being said, they ought to step up to the plate as the delay was caused by them. Work to find the earliest hole in the schedule. Maybe shift some work orders around to make a hole big enuff to do your job. Then ya got the other thing out there. How many Buell Techs do they have? Only one? Now you are in that techs schedule. I once waited a month and a half for what turned out to be a battery warranty job. | ||
| Ron_luning |
Well, it's been literally 10 years since I had a bike at a dealership for any kind of work. Now I remember why I do all my own work....it's not just the high cost of service. I'll post the final results in this thread when I have them. | ||
| Carbonbigfoot |
I consider myself quite lucky that one of the service advisors at my dealership is an 1125 rider... They are great guys, all of them, and I don't know if him being one of "us" helps, but it sure doesn't hurt... Rob | ||
| Supertt_fl |
Lung, I feel your pain, and you are well warranted in your complaints. When I first read your post I swore you were describing my dealership; phenomenal sales dept coupled with the worse service department I have ever had the privilege to deal with. What I can suggest, from what I have personally done in response to my service department misadventures, is to get in contact with the general manager of the dealership. Tell him your story and what you felt was unacceptable about your experience (them dropping the ball on the parts order, them not calling you back when they say they'll check on something for you, <--- this probably irks me the most, and happens all the time with my service department).. As it stands now, I'm on a first name basis with the GM at my dealership, it's not often i have to play that card but when its needed it works well. Also, i know what to expect from the service department, I have to keep on top of them, I call them at least once a day for status reports, even if they tell me they are going to call me because I know they won't. Hope this helps, A | ||
| Naiguy |
same service department told me they were ordering my recall kit..........two weeks no call......i call......."uh yah we forgot to order the kit".....tow weeks bike goes in for stator failure......" oh yah we got your recall kit here by the way". yes frustrating. sales great guys and gals, srevice.........nice guys just not a buell oriented shop. i dnt even go there anymore cause theres no buell love. biggs in san marcos has love!  | ||
| Carbonbigfoot |
I guess it's my sales history, but I just realized something. I never give people a chance to not follow up, cause I follow up with them... The trick is not to sound like a pushy bastard when you do it. I know you shouldn't have to, but it's what I do, so usually there's never an opportunity for me to be dissapointed.  R | ||
| Ron_luning |
Naiguy, I was wondering about Biggs. They used to have a store in Oceanside near where I live that is closed now, so I had some misgivings about them. I'll try to work with them if I need parts in the future. Plus, they're a lot closer to where I live. | ||
| Fresnobuell |
Even after getting ALL the parts in, the dealer is still not going to work on my bike until they are good and ready. I have had positive experiences with my service department here in Fresno. For instance, they don't hesitate when possible to get parts via "bike down" status which allows for overnight or 2nd day shipping (can't remember) from Wisconsin. My last experience was very similar to Ron's, except that they did all the work (cluster, O2 sensor & battery replacement) WHILE they were waiting for me to bring in the front fairing, lights & mirrors. Long story, but I was in Fontana watching Buell's historic weekend while they did as much as they could without the parts that were in my garage. It made the Tuesday following Fontana (dealer closed Monday) a formality with them simply bolting the front end stuff up, taking it for the test ride & sending me home a happy rider. | ||
| Naiguy |
Ron, i work near by to biggs. quaid is a nice place dont get me wrong, but the moment i walked into biggs i was greeted by a buell rider who works at biggs and he was all stoke! asked me how i liked my Cr and how buells are the bike for the underground ripper so to say. and how he rides one daily too. yadayada yada then i walked over to get parts for oil change and the parts guy had a buell hat on.  its not that i dont like quaid i just feel the love when i go into biggs | ||
| Krassh |
I have been to both Biggs. Glad they closed the Oceanside one down, I still think they are the reason my engine in my 92 electra glide died. The only experience I had with the one in San Marcos was the month and a half I think it was that it took them to replace my wheel bearings in my '03 XB9S. Ron sent you an email on the sliders. | ||
| Ron_luning |
I went and picked the bike up today. They didn't replace the right side handgrip (badly damaged), and the service guy told me that they received it messed up and he didn't want to put it on there like that. Too bad it was never on the parts list for the insurance estimate. They never ordered it and tried to pass it off with lies, just like when they said that they were not at fault for failing to order the parts from American Sport Bike. I'll take the opportunity to install heated grips, so it's not a total loss. I was met with more lies when they told me they "cleared out" the check engine light fault codes. Of course, they're still available in diagnostic mode. Since they were historical, apparently nothing could be done with them. In other words the bike was just confused when the check engine light came on those times, and there is no way to even attempt to diagnose the problem. They were just trying to get rid of the bike without doing any work on it. They got rid of me as a customer forever too. Also, they didn't transfer the rubber grommets from the original tailpiece to the new one. I did that when I got the bike home; it took all of about 2 minutes. Below are some cell phone pics I took when I first got the bike there, and a photo of the parts receipt they gave me. Buell has very reasonable prices on some parts, and high prices on others. I thought that the rear turn signal was kind of high, along with the airbox cover.    | ||
| Averagejoe |
This is why I only take my bike in for warranty work. Mine is in the shop now, and wondering how long they will have it. Bad thing is I use my bike for transportation, so really sux. Why can a car dealer have most work done within days, and bike dealers talk weeks or even months? |
