Newklear
Well-Known Member
I've spent the last six months trying to make some modifications to my 2001.........
I'll refrain from mentioning the specifics to protect the guilty, but I find it interesting that in what is really a service business, the word "service" seems to take on little importance to those providing it.
A number of years ago, I purchased a new Yamaha VMAX snowmobile......a monster for sure and hang-on-for-your-life fun.....and expensive......
On the day that I picked that up, I wanted to trade my more expensive synthetic oil that I was running for the recommended semi-synthetic oil......I asked the kid behind the counter to please trade for me and what I got was "You got a receipt for that?" referring to the oil I had that I wanted to trade for the LESSER expensive stuff.
"Yea, I have a $12,000 sled outside that I just bought. That good enough?"
He reluctantly (and with lots of attitude) made the trade after I explained that I was willing to simply go container for container and that he was getting the more expensive stuff in trade for the cheaper stuff.
Now, over the years, I figure I spent or responsible for about $50,000 worth of business (bikes, sleds, referrals etc) going through that dealership. I wrote the brothers who owned the place a letter explaining my experience.....it was respectful and not nasty at all. I explained that I was fortunate enough to have the disposable income to spend on "toys" but that I didn't NEED toys and that it seems to be that I a business catering to "WANTS" and not "NEEDS" there should be a tremendous focus on customer service.
Never got a response. Not even a call. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I found that quite unbelievable especially when they knew I pulling my new sled out of their dealership with my Cadillac and could obviously afford the toys that they were making their living selling.
I've never stepped into one of their dealerships since.
Of the three vendors I've dealt with this winter, I give one an "A" for proactive communication and even though I took him a long time to deliver his product, he communicated regularly as to cause for the delays and in the end, delivered a beautiful product that didn't end up preventing my getting the bike on the road.
#2 was exasperating to the point of many unreturned phone calls and unanswered emails over the course of weeks and weeks. OK, he had some serious family issues going on and I get that, but how long does it take really to jot a two line email? I give him a C only because of his family issues. In the end his workmanship was superb.
#3 is still in the works. At the moment, he's getting a D......the part received doesn't fit, which based on the tag on his website, I figure he should have known. But, OK, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that.....we all make mistakes. But, getting things rectified since has been terribly frustrating......many un-returned phone calls, unanswered emails, and a perceived lack of urgency to correct the issue and get it done so I can FINALLY get my bike on the road for the summer.
All of this nearly led me to tell my friends at Rochester Motorsports to just sell the bike. I'd nearly had enough until I stopped he to see it and the excellent work they had done...it's looking killer to me.....except that I can't ride it until the part that doesn't for is replaced.
Bottom line? If you're in this business or any other one where service key, especially one dealing with "toys", you'd better focus on taking care of your customers because if you don't, they WILL go elsewhere. The dealership here in NH that I talked about will never see me again. And I've related my experience about them to many others. How much did that cost them? I don't know.
And I will go elsewhere for other things I want for my Max.
Ive been I the service industry one way or another my entire working life. I've seen the good,the bad and the ugly. Maybe those in the business here will read this and think about their operations.
I'll refrain from mentioning the specifics to protect the guilty, but I find it interesting that in what is really a service business, the word "service" seems to take on little importance to those providing it.
A number of years ago, I purchased a new Yamaha VMAX snowmobile......a monster for sure and hang-on-for-your-life fun.....and expensive......
On the day that I picked that up, I wanted to trade my more expensive synthetic oil that I was running for the recommended semi-synthetic oil......I asked the kid behind the counter to please trade for me and what I got was "You got a receipt for that?" referring to the oil I had that I wanted to trade for the LESSER expensive stuff.
"Yea, I have a $12,000 sled outside that I just bought. That good enough?"
He reluctantly (and with lots of attitude) made the trade after I explained that I was willing to simply go container for container and that he was getting the more expensive stuff in trade for the cheaper stuff.
Now, over the years, I figure I spent or responsible for about $50,000 worth of business (bikes, sleds, referrals etc) going through that dealership. I wrote the brothers who owned the place a letter explaining my experience.....it was respectful and not nasty at all. I explained that I was fortunate enough to have the disposable income to spend on "toys" but that I didn't NEED toys and that it seems to be that I a business catering to "WANTS" and not "NEEDS" there should be a tremendous focus on customer service.
Never got a response. Not even a call. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I found that quite unbelievable especially when they knew I pulling my new sled out of their dealership with my Cadillac and could obviously afford the toys that they were making their living selling.
I've never stepped into one of their dealerships since.
Of the three vendors I've dealt with this winter, I give one an "A" for proactive communication and even though I took him a long time to deliver his product, he communicated regularly as to cause for the delays and in the end, delivered a beautiful product that didn't end up preventing my getting the bike on the road.
#2 was exasperating to the point of many unreturned phone calls and unanswered emails over the course of weeks and weeks. OK, he had some serious family issues going on and I get that, but how long does it take really to jot a two line email? I give him a C only because of his family issues. In the end his workmanship was superb.
#3 is still in the works. At the moment, he's getting a D......the part received doesn't fit, which based on the tag on his website, I figure he should have known. But, OK, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that.....we all make mistakes. But, getting things rectified since has been terribly frustrating......many un-returned phone calls, unanswered emails, and a perceived lack of urgency to correct the issue and get it done so I can FINALLY get my bike on the road for the summer.
All of this nearly led me to tell my friends at Rochester Motorsports to just sell the bike. I'd nearly had enough until I stopped he to see it and the excellent work they had done...it's looking killer to me.....except that I can't ride it until the part that doesn't for is replaced.
Bottom line? If you're in this business or any other one where service key, especially one dealing with "toys", you'd better focus on taking care of your customers because if you don't, they WILL go elsewhere. The dealership here in NH that I talked about will never see me again. And I've related my experience about them to many others. How much did that cost them? I don't know.
And I will go elsewhere for other things I want for my Max.
Ive been I the service industry one way or another my entire working life. I've seen the good,the bad and the ugly. Maybe those in the business here will read this and think about their operations.
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