| Author | Message | ||
     Tom_b |
actually that is not a bad turnaround at the height of the riding season. most shops in this area will tell you 2 weeks (10 working days) right up front. i might have checked back every day till it was done, if i was impatient. but then, i have 3 other cycles to ride in the mean time so i really probably wouldn't have bugged out about it | ||
| Blake |
Tramp, I remember you from last year. Unfortunately, family plans are taking precedence this year and I'm not going to make Laguna Seca. If you will, please raise a toast and speak my name in good humor as you gaze across the track. The red zinfandel is a Texas variety from down near Big Bend way, Ste Genevieve it is. Little known, inexpensive, pretty good stuff though. My kind of wine. Owned by a French conglomerate though. To arms! You are in rare form, you almost got me again.  | ||
| Court |
I did something OLD FASHIONED, I communicated. I picked up the phone, called and started the conversation with the (many of you have heard it) "I am in no way, shape or form associated with Buell or Harley-Davidson and have NO AUTHORITY to act on their behalf". As most of you know, I refuse to make one move until all involved acknowledge that. It's not the customer coming after me, it's the violation of trust. I piss the HD folks off, but they know I am honest, well motivated and above board with them. I do something unethical and it's all over. Once we get past that hurdle, I use some things I know (all Buell parts are in stock and ready to ship, including (with rare exceptions) bodywork) and I make the leap of faith that dealer personnel, like most of us, really WANT to do a good job and then I just simply move the peices around the board to where the players can reach them. It works pretty good. So good in fact, that yesterday, while pretty busy at my "real" job I was able to lend aid and resolve no less than 3 Buell/customer concerns and able to contact a HD executive after hours to get a Buell owners problem fixed. HELP is my only motive. I've done it since the days the RSS was the big news at the product intro. As a sideline, I also end up setting the record straight on some stones that get tossed, many times unfairly, at folks unable to defend themselves publically. Buell has some real challenges on their hands right now. One of them isn't parts delivery...thank goodness.....just ask Dave Gess and I what we went through! So, I urge you to to take a da novo line with this. You Buell is repaired, it's running and you're a bit wiser about the workings. Enjoy it and have fun. Or if you are unable to ride your Buell without uneasiness, sell it.... By the way....I own a low mileage BMW and I'm thinking that the dealer (one of the largest in the country) should have had soem simple service parts in stock...can yoiu help me? I am always amazed by BMW. I have some good friends who are execs at BMW American and they tried to hire me to work at their HQ in NJ when I moved to NYC. Don't you think eventually, they'd print a SERVICE MANUAL for the F650? My theory is the reason some BMW owners are such good mechanics is that they HAVE to be. I still have, owing largely to the work I did with the Guggenheim and accidently getting places on BMW's guest list, some great friends at BMW. Teasing them is my pass-time in NYC. Court | ||
| Glitch |
HELP is my only motive. I've done it since the days the RSS was the big news at the product intro. That is an accurate statement. And we're all better for it. Above and beyond by someone not on the BMC pay role. What more could one ask? | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Court, a dealer should not be sharing information about a customer to someone they don't know over the phone. Period. If what Court says is correct it took at least 3 1/2 working days to get the part ordered, and at least 2 working days to get it installed. That is clearly unacceptable. A good truck dealership would have done a similar repair in 2 hours while I enjoyed free coffee, checked my e-mail, and read the papers. The dealer in question is the only one left in the 15th largest metro area in the country. The next closest dealer , 40 miles away, can't even find a rocker box gasket they supposedly have 100+ of in stock. The next closest dealer is a further 40 miles away and has a 4 week backlog in it's service department. Clearly Buell does not have a functional dealer service network. New Buell motorcycles are sold with a two year warranty, as well as extended warranties, that the Motor Company's dealer network is incapable of honoring. Thusly the contract the Motor Company has entered into by these warranties has been broken and the Motor Company is obligated to repurchase Buell motorcycles. In the alternative they could do like McDonald's does and enforce high quality standards across the dealer network. It says something that you get better quality at McDonald's for less than a buck than you get for thousands at a Buell dealership... I smell a Buell owner's class action suit... | ||
| Glitch |
Your bike was still under warranty? | ||
| Daves |
well it is a lot harder to cook a hamburger than fix a bike  I do not see where they didn't honor the warranty. NO WHERE in the warranty does it say you'll have the bike fixed in a certain time frame, does it? They fixed your bike, the warranty paid for it. Sounds good to me. | ||
| Jlnance |
Court - Does HD supply dealerships the software they use to order parts and track service? | ||
| Pwnzor |
Yep sure sounds like a case of sour grapes... Did she think that buy the mere act of purchasing a motorcycle that she was going to change the status quo? Did she imagine that somehow by doing so, she was guaranteed somehow mishaps would never occur? Is it in the realm of possibility that she believes that she is not in any way responsible for following up by calling the shop daily? If she wanted it so bad, why didn't she call every day? Seems the delay was on her end. Suddenly the story changes from 2 weeks to 9 days. Last time I checked 2 weeks is 14 days. So now the person who accuses Court of lying is clearly lying herself. What are we really to believe here, that she's not just upset because her DISCONTINUED motorcycle took 9 days to fix? I hope she does us all a favor and sells it. Sorry my raging toothache this morning allows for no patience with the unreasonable. BTW Court, take it easy on my credit cards, try to keep it under $1000 per day ok, and my social security number has a 7 in the middle, not a 6.  | ||
| Court |
You got that right. That's the reason that I always seek information from independent sources and make certain I don't ruffle feathers. There is no implied or imputed confidentiality, but the more independent the data, the quicker and more effective the solution. Interesting but of all 4 folks I spoke to not one claimed the "4th of July" holiday as I expected. By the way. . . just in case it's important to anyone I have NEVER spoken, at least in several years, to the dealership that had the bike. | ||
| Pwnzor |
A good truck dealership would have done a similar repair in 2 hours while I enjoyed free coffee, checked my e-mail, and read the papers. What are you smoking? I blew the water pump on a Caterpillar C-9 (VERY common) so I pulled into Inland Kenworth in Phoenix AZ. I was stuck out of town, the dealer knew it. It took them 3 days to get the damn thing and it cost me almost $2000 when I was done paying the hotel bill and bribing the service manager to bump someone out of line. Not to mention the backhaul I had lined up which I had to redispatch to another driver, losing about $2500 in the process. On top of that was 3 days hotel bill, food, entertainment, etc. So cry me a river. Sh1t happens, to you like everyone else.  | ||
| Court |
>>>Does HD supply dealerships the software they use to order parts and track service? Beats hell outta me....I am a construction worker. For the record, I should also clarify that I was the "fry guy" at the highest volume McDonald's in the country. C'mon tough guy. . . just try to knock off my paper TRAINEE hat! | ||
| Dbird29 |
TRAMP goes to Hollywood?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relax_%28single%29 | ||
| Tramp |
shrieked by buellgrrrl...: Court, a dealer should not be sharing information about a customer to someone they don't know over the phone. Period. (actually, a good dealer will be transparent about any service issue transpiring/ed through their house. doesn't mean they shared VIN or other D intel. If what Court says is correct it took at least 3 1/2 working days to get the part ordered, and at least 2 working days to get it installed. That is clearly unacceptable. listen, grrrl- as i've stated, as nauseum, i've worked in service management in several BMW facilities, after first being hired directly by BMW/NA, based upon my performance as an independent shop who took over countless service contracts from a dealer who NA closed down, in NY. I have had service parts orders delayed for WEEKS through BMW/NA, even through dealer networking. It happens. I've had ROs sit for airhead boxers because NA couldn't get my guys the part in a timely fashion. One of my own peculaiar strengths, as a BMW service manager, was my network of independent shops with whom I already had an existing relationship prior to my BMW service training. I went through them for many parts, as BMW factory stuff was often held up for weeks. if you really find 5 1/2 working days unacceptable for stator R&R, you're SERIOUSLY deluded. your withering vestige of credibility just vanished with the morning mist. A good truck dealership would have done a similar repair in 2 hours while I enjoyed free coffee, checked my e-mail, and read the papers. so drive a truck, you can pull parade floats with them, and cart ponies and clowns. leave the motorcycles to realistic, decent human beings who can accept a 5 1/2 day service turnaround. The dealer in question is the only one left in the 15th largest metro area in the country. The next closest dealer , 40 miles away, can't even find a rocker box gasket they supposedly have 100+ of in stock. The next closest dealer is a further 40 miles away and has a 4 week backlog in it's service department. Clearly Buell does not have a functional dealer service network. clearly YOU don't have a functional....ahhhhhhh forget it New Buell motorcycles are sold with a two year warranty, as well as extended warranties, that the Motor Company's dealer network is incapable of honoring. Thusly the contract the Motor Company has entered into by these warranties has been broken and the Motor Company is obligated to repurchase Buell motorcycles. In the alternative they could do like McDonald's does and enforce high quality standards across the dealer network. It says something that you get better quality at McDonald's for less than a buck than you get for thousands at a Buell dealership... I smell yes, indeed, you smell.... like someone attempting to drum up a bogus class action lawsuit: "but your honour....it took them FIVE and a half DAAAAAAAAAAAYS!!! " You can't buy better entertainment a Buell owner's class action suit... I would have NO problem agreeing with you that there are some godawfull HD/Buell dealers out there. I'd have NO probelm agreeing that Buell has manufactured some lemons. But for you to categorize the whole marque because they didn't R&R your stator while you sipped a latte...? unreal. tell it walking, "buellgrrrrrl" this is me NOT flaming you | ||
| Glitch |
You're thinking of a class action against Buell because a dealer didn't drop everything they were doing and service your bike? | ||
| Pwnzor |
Class action implies more than one person being represented. One wonders if the other member of your class is named 71sportster....? | ||
| Glitch |
I guess one might find a lawyer and enough owners to sue about something. Wouldn't be cheap though, especially after having to pay the lawyer, win or not. I think what would unclog the court system would be a "loser pays law" Sorry O.T...my bad. | ||
| Diablobrian |
Talk about unrealistic expectations..... I have a hard time swallowing the idea you expect the dealer to have all parts on hand for a bike that was discontinued 4 soon to be 5 model years ago. That's a tough sell. Even in a California court. These days no shop owner keeps stock on hand that they do not have a reasonable expectation of selling quickly (like discontinued models?). If it sits on the shelf for over a year it gets taxed every january when inventory has to be done. It's not smart for the Dealer to keep those parts. They can actually lose money by keeping parts on the shelf. That's the way it works these days. The factory did an admirable job of getting your parts to the dealer. You did note that those 2 1/2 days did cover a weekend right? (unless I read it wrong) If the dealer's service is slower than you'd like you always have the option of buying the part and installing it yourself. You did not have to buy, or avail yourself of, the extended warranty. Especially if it makes you this miserable waiting for the dealer to do the work. In the summer most dealers have backlogs for service. This is not exactly a secret that you weren't privy to. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Yeah... and another thing--  | ||
| Buellgirlie |
 what buellgrrrl wants  what it makes me feel like doing what does she actually think we can do for her?  must be lonely for her  oooohhh the tension and insanity of it all  people who love buell, for all that it is, and isn't, let's go grab a beer. the end.  D | ||
| Glitch |
Extra nice use of smilies. +1 | ||
| Hattori_hanzo |
Tramp said: ....just kidding, buellgrrrl. why not put the buell in the classifieds here on badweb? give it a try. I wouldn't buy that POS! It's been in the shop too many times!  | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Well folks, enjoy your denial, and hope you have a good trailer or pickup to haul your Harley product home when it dies.I buy bikes to ride them rather than trailer. | ||
| Crusty |
'98 S3-t - 60,000 miles '00 M2 - 55,000 miles '06 XB12X - 8,900 miles and counting. Yeah, I really should get a trailer  | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Pwnzor, sorry to hear of your bad experience with Cat and Inland. I bought my Ranger pickup from Boyer Trucks in Minnesota- they carry eveything from the smallest Ford pickups and SUVs to the big Sterling and Western Star trucks. Their main parts warehouse covers about 50,000 square feet and is open 'til midnight. I've gone there for truck repairs and literally lounged about for an hour or two while they fixed the truck. They also sell me parts at net price, and in the rare case they're out of stock they give me a printout of what dealers in the area have the part I need. That's the kind of "knock your socks off" service HD needs to offer, and it costs no more than lousy service. | ||
| Blake |
My Buell has never been in the shop for more than a few hours. I feel a mob-mentality developing here leading to a feeding frenzy. No good can come of that other than to make another person feel badly. Let's all please try to avoid that. Like I said before, I see valid points on both sides. No need to get personal. Some people are just naturally negative in nature. They are who they are. Best to chuckle at their plight rather than respond with ire. I think. I dunno. I could be wrong. Who's got a rope?  | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Blake, since when is actually riding a HD product, and expecting it to be ridable, a capital offense? I bought this Buell with the intent of putting 100,000 miles on it before the extended warranty ran out. That's still my intent, and I'd prefer not to let the Motor Company off easy by letting them buy me out. Let's see- 40k miles on the odo now... and almost 3 riding seasons left on the warranty. 20k miles a year shouldn't be too hard for retiree to put on... I could take the Buell instead of the hack to the sidecar rally next week and save on gas. Then there's the BMWMOA Rally the week after, 1300 miles way. By the time the extended warranty on my Buell runs out I'll probably be personna non grata in every Buell dealership, and the HD computer database will pop up "do not sell to" whenever my name is entered. | ||
| Doncasto |
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| Buellgrrrl |
Yes, I agree- a Buell with 40,000 miles on the odo is a dead horse! | ||
| Glitch |
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