| Author | Message | ||
     Hr_puffinstuff |
i remember reading somewhere around here, and i'm sure this is a mis-quote: "bring two solutions with your complaint" solid. how about: "Factory Authorized Buell Parts and Service Center" ? you can get Briggs&Stratten parts and service at Mike's Small Engine Repair you can get Evinrude parts and service at Tom's Marina why not Buell parts and service at Bob's Motorcycle Shop? jumping through H-D's flaming hoops (Buell trained tech, manuals & catalogs, parts, franchise fee, ect) would prove the shop wanted the work, so no more having to put up with someone who is having to put up with your Buell. Dealers still make out selling bikes, as well as being the supplier for the "indie" shop. AND / OR: finding the parts i need on Buell,com, paying for them, being notified of shipping/recieving, and picking them up at the local dealer. Buell.com charges MSRP, and the local dealer gets a kick-back. saves me AT LEAST one trip to the local dealer, and if i order the wrong stuff, i can't blame the guy behind the counter just my four cents, please feel free to make change... | ||
| Greenlantern |
These are going to be fascinating times. But I'd encourage folks, rather than to leap too quickly onto the internet "let's kick all their asses into submission" band wagon to think for themselves. What are you trying to do, shut down the Internet!  | ||
| Court |
No . . . but all too often info from the Internet is not terribly reliable. Case in point . . . . member here was told "month to get" a Buell part. I just checked and there are 42 in stock, no reason he can't have it tomorrow. Facts are friends. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Court, I always enjoy your insight and point of view. There were several parts that I was told I wouldnt get through the routine order process for over a month. I thought that was the most inane thing I have ever heard. I got on BadWeb and I had the parts to me within 3 days. Thanks to the Sponsors and Bad Web members here my bike is back on the road this friday. There does seem to be a real learning curve on the Buell side of the house. I have no problem going outside of the box to get solutions, I do however get tired of feeling boxed in at several junctures; with both my bike and customers bikes. Case in point. WHERE ARE ALL THE 2009 BLASTS ? We got one in July, and none since. That little bike is seeing a real up surge in popularity because of the gas crunch and I cant get any of them.  | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
Chelle, sounds like you're quite happy with the way Buell customers are (shabbily) treated and see no need to change anything. Court, you're quite correct that we are entering fascinating times. this isn't so much a recession we're entering as a massive economic realignment. The age of cheap energy and easy credit is over. The dealers and manufacturers who can adapt to these new realities will survive... the rest will become history. | ||
| Court |
>>>>this isn't so much a recession we're entering as a massive economic realignment. The age of cheap energy and easy credit is over. I agree. Bear in mind that 3 weeks ago the biggest news had not one mention of the economy. I don't share some folk’s general malaise but read the Harley-Davidson story and the 12 analyst’s accounts closely yesterday. The fundamentals of the economy, I agree with McCain, are quite sound. Nobody I know earned less last week than they did a month before. My bills are about the same and I just filled my truck last night for $2.86 a gallon. The entire basis of the economic fire drill is the credit thing a lot of the folks in Congress who threatened to sue lenders for not extending credit, will need to answer for. I work for one of the largest utilities in the country and we were just awarded a 22% rate increase and will be getting lots more. I've got folks coming to my house tomorrow to change the oil heat to natural gas. With heating bills estimated at $1200/month it makes changing worth the investment. The stage we are dancing on is changing and it's not all bad. Most of the world is doing better than they'd ever imagined, but some things are changing and, for the alert, smart and flexible companies that can adapt, there are going (as I've been quoted here on Badweb for the past 6 months) to be spectacular opportunities. I know I personally stand to make some quick bucks if 51% of the HD dealers are still standing a year from now.  Court | ||
| Oldog |
With heating bills estimated at $1200/month   Oh My thats like 3 months of all of my energy bills } | ||
| Davegess |
Buellgrrrrl the folks at Chelle dealership are one of the good Buell dealers. If everyone was like her we wouldn't be ahvign this discussion. I think she is saying that the Motor Company can't force dealers to do certain things. That is true. It is also true that is tougth to make much money from Buell so the dealer has the incentive to keep cost low as a result. With only 6000 bike a year sold in the USA Buell would likely be better served by cutting the number of dealars in half again. You would get the remaining dealers selling enough product to make financial sense for them. | ||
| Chellem |
Chelle, sounds like you're quite happy with the way Buell customers are (shabbily) treated and see no need to change anything. Why do you have to say things like that? What do I have to do beyond what I'm doing? I'm not saying it's right. I never said it's right. I said the solution is not so easy as people think. I said we're trying to lead by example. We do EVERYTHING we can at this dealership. I pointed out that there are expenses in running a dealership that may or may not be justified in some dealers minds. I did not say OUR dealership. I am trying to put another perspective out there. Exactly where do you get the idea that I'm satisfied with treating people badly? Statements like those, in my mind, cost you every shred of credibility you had with me. How am I supposed to take that comment? How was it intended? Because frankly, I take it as an insult, and I think it was intended as such. How dare you???? I've even agreed with some of what you said. Jeez. That's it. I'm done with this thread. I obviously am not going to get through to you with logic or facts. You prefer to deal in absolutes and aren't going to change your mind, or even attempt to see it from any perspective but your own. Really. That was too much. Bash dealers all you want. I'm done. I'll continue to do the best I can, and TRY to get my employees to do the best they can. And when people bitch about how everything sucks, I'll just bite my tongue. ->ChelleM | ||
| Brumbear |
$2.86 are you jumping across the river again  | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
'Chelle, my apologies if you felt hurt. You and your dealership are doing a better job than most. But there's always room for improvement, and after reading todays quarterly financials from HOG it's obvious a dealership can't stand still and hope to survive. Looking at the trends, If I had a big box Harley store (with big mortgage payments to go with it), I'd be going for volume, because it's pretty hard to cut the fixed costs of property, shop equipment, etc.. I'd give Buell equal billing with Harley, as Buell is clearly the future of the company. Put the cheapest Sportster and Buell right by the front door with price prominently displayed- you want to communicate to customers that you can put them on a new bike for less than the price of a new car. Make sure you've got practical accessories in stock too- bags for every model you can get them for, heated handgrips, heated vests, warm gloves, etc.. Maybe even a simple sidecar mounted on the cheapest Sportster or Blast, with a price tag under $10k. Then follow Courts suggested stocking in the parts department, with fast moving parts in stock and automaticly reordered as fast as they sell. The rest of the industry is down only 3% despite the current economic maladies- a Harley dealer that's on top of their game should be doing at least as well! | ||
| Cityxslicker |
There is nothing good that I am going to say about this. Suffice it to note that Chelle and the Liberty dealership are a model that I have looked to, have appreciated business from and had valued information shared. There are other fish to fry. Still waiting on your cost sheet for the bike build up, be sure to add the R&D for the side hack/car on that Blast while you are at it. Be sure to keep it under that 10k number. | ||
| Glitch |
We know about the magic 3%  | ||
| Chellem |
I'd be going for volume, because it's pretty hard to cut the fixed costs of property, shop equipment, etc.. I'd give Buell equal billing with Harley, as Buell is clearly the future of the company. Damn. I swore I wouldn't get back into this. THERE IS NO VOLUME IN THE HARLEY WORLD!!! They keep cutting production, and so once we sell ALL the bikes they give us, then what?? A big mortgage and no bikes to sell. We can sell all the parts we want. (And yes, we employ software that automatically reorders parts based on the sales history) We can sell all the clothes we want. But bikes are a FIXED NUMBER. Here's how many bikes you're getting this month, Liberty. Enjoy. Do you know how many oil filters we have to sell to NET the same as we make on a motorcycle? Talk about volume. AND for the record, you still haven't told me WHAT in ALL the POSTS I've put up, and all the things I've done for Buell folks, has given you the impression that I'm satisfied with customers being treated badly? You still haven't told me WHY you felt the need to say that. I wasn't hurt. I'm a little tougher than that. But I do think that was intended to insult me. And I don't know why. And your "business plans" only reinforce the fact that you don't really understand the driving economic realities behind operating a Harley or Buell dealership. Seriously, get a dealership of your own. I'm really interested in how it turns out. | ||
| Court |
I'm still waiting for her to back up her bet as well . . . "Words. . . Just Words". We're seeing a lot of talk but no credibility, credentials or experience just baseless criticism. | ||
| Slaughter |
Michelle and Court, To use a much over-used quote: "Never wrestle with a pig, you both get covered with mud and the pig enjoys it." | ||
| Ducxl |
Chalk it up to the "Rocket types"  | ||
| Buellgrrrl |
First off the "we can't get any more bikes" sounds like the old "allocation" BS to me. A decade ago when HOG had just one plant working just one shift that was true. Today HOG had more capacity than the market is absorbing, and if they won't build a few more bikes for you they're committing commercial suicide. If HOG won't build you more bikes, put another brand in your big box store! Court, for all I know you're a late 30s slacker living in mom and dads basement with an old PC for amusement. And you expect me to make a bet with you? I get offers from Nigerians with money to dump that I ignore, why would I make a bet with you? If you want to bet, any stockbroker can get you some HOG. And in closing, you folks are doing a great job of selling me another Buell (NOT). | ||
| Xl1200r |
We don't want you, anyways. Please go away now. | ||
| Greenlantern |
Michelle, you would be right about every thing you stated except for one thing......This is the Internet, where ergonomically arm chaired worldly Prophets explain to us, the naive and uninformed how the world could be returned to pre-Original Sin status within 10 easy steps. Since you like myself and most of the other posters on this board who waste their time with things like facts and logic could not comprehend the true magical workings of the Cyber-Gospel , I have taken the liberty (no pun intended) to link a basic understanding of the rules here. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarro_World Me am hope you sad now, hello.  | ||
| Ducxl |
Court, for all I know you're a late 30s slacker living in mom and dads basement with an old PC for amusement. BBBBBWWWWWWAAAAAHHHHH-HA-HA-HA!!! My sides are killing me i'm laughing so hard.Ohhh,that was VERY funny 'grrl. But you obviously have NO CLUE!!! But hey,that was FUNNY!!! | ||
| Greenlantern |
Court, for all I know you're a late 30s slacker living in mom and dads basement with an old PC for amusement. Give it up slacker, you're BUSTED! Put down the 12 sided die and get a job! | ||
| Odinbueller |
http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/B ecoming_a_Dealer/becoming_a_dealer.jsp?locale=en_U S&bmLocale=en_US Here ya go. Once you get approved, you can show the rest of us how to do it correctly. I eagerly await your prophetic vision of how we should run our business after doing it yourself for a while. And you're right. We're not trying to retain you as a Buell customer. Once you get approved for your dealership and attend a dealer meeting, they'll explain that there's a certain percentage of clientele that you should not waste your time and energy on. But since you are so down on H-D and are so enlightened on how the industry should be run, you probably wouldn't believe that anyway. And with that, I'm done with the insults from this armchair economist. | ||
| Lightstick |
When you feed a troll the results are inevitable. | ||
| Babired |
we did try and help her http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/406 2/400005.html?1222763734 | ||
| Cityxslicker |
"for all I know you're a late 30s slacker living in mom and dads basement with an old PC for amusement. " Read a book or two. Start Here: 25 Years of Buell by Court Canfield & Dave Guess; ISBN 978-1-884313-74-5 Whitehorse Press | ||
| Koz5150 |
One of the great things about this board is that people actually know each other, in person. Court, for all I know you're a late 30s slacker living in mom and dads basement with an old PC for amusement. That statement was spoken from an uneducated (in the land of Badweb) individual and warrants an apology | ||
| 86129squids |
Doesn't Bizarro wear the "S" backwards? These things are important.   | ||
| Chellem |
First off the "we can't get any more bikes" sounds like the old "allocation" BS to me. Ya know, I typed up a whole post, full of logical and reasonable arguments about why the term "production cut" actually translates to "dealers get fewer bikes", and just before I posted it, I cancelled it. You guys are right. I can't win this argument. No point in trying. Buellgrrrrrrrrrl, I cave. You obviously know everything, including where Court lives - too bad Court, your secret is out - and how many bikes dealerships get, and of course, how to run one. So good luck with yours. I'm out. For real this time. Please don't take my lack of response in the future as agreement in any way. Despite what was said about me, I do NOT feel that Buell customers should be treated shabbily. I am no longer going to defend myself like this. I have a dealership to run, and orders to follow up on. ->ChelleM | ||
| Babired |
Hey Chellem you are all right! I can hardly wait to come up to your next big Buell day. K |
