I wonder how many older model Spyder owners really trade in for a newer model? Can Am really only makes money on new sales, parts, and accessories.
Most Spyder owners are older. Trading for a new Spyder is often not economically feasible for aging riders. We are aging out. We mostly buy a Spyder as the last Spyder we will buy. That leaves revenue from parts and service as we get towards the end of our riding days.
I think Can Am is missing an opportunity here, if older riders cannot get their aging Spyder fixed, they are just as likely to hang up their helmets as buy a new one. If they do buy a more modern one, it’s likely from the used market where Can Am is not making money.
For motorcycles, side by sides, and jet skis, this might make sense of forcing new purchases, for Spyder riders and the aging demographic who came to the platform by advancing age, I think the policy is neglecting an important revenue source.
Beyond what
@BajaRon has said above, to help answer
that bit, just take a look at the number of members here who have a list of more than one Spyder owned in their sig lines, and you might be surprised! Maybe I get to see more of that sort of info than most, but it's always been a bit of a surprise to me to see how many here turn their barely run-in Spyders over for a newer (and often brand new!) model so often! And then bear in mind that those who mention this in their posts here or show their 'new purchases' in their sig lines are probably only
SOME of the total number here who do that; and also, while this Forum might be one of the bigger internet gatherings of Spyder Lovers around, it certainly isn't the only one, so there's likely a lot more out there doing the same thing!
But I agree with you about the opportunity Can Am is missing here and the revenue source they are neglecting, altho I feel it's much broader than just not encouraging/wanting dealers to fix older Spyders, it's also their very lax attitude to providing good customer service and encouraging the same from their dealer network, maybe even
demanding the same! They seem to be able to 'demand &/or require' a lot of things from their dealers (and they
ARE 'their' dealers, every one of them is seen as actually
being BRP, not just 'representing' them...), things that really only make it harder for/less likely that dealers will stay in the game long term, and they also don't seem to even vaguely encourage dealers to provide good customer service &/or competent techs!
As far as I can see, and it's certainly been a common theme reported here on the Forum from the very early days of Spyders and amongst pretty much all of the other Spyder Owners I've spoken to/run straw polls on over the years, BRP's 'Marketing plan' seems to basically revolve around not only themselves doing this, but also encouraging their dealers/dealer network to treat their customers/Spyder purchasers as gullible 'cash cows' who they should continually just milk for more cash, treat as second class customers for anything but new sales (and sometimes even then!), hold their Spyders for ransom for extended periods for service &/or repairs, and keep them in the dark about what's
actually going on with their servicing/repairs/parts deliveries et al...
Orright, orright, I'll climb down off my soap box now, but sheeesh, it really seems to me that BRP has got some pretty backward ideas about improving their market share and their bottom line - after all, there's very few of us Spyder Lovers who aren't going to spread the word about how great these things are to ride (who amongst us
hasn't been approached by people asking?) but instead of trying to make
ALL of us their greatest tool for making more sales, BRP and many of
their dealers seem to actively drive us, their 'customers', to tell the World how totally crap their customer service, servicing, and support network is!!
Can you imagine the market share they and their dealers would have
if only, every time we told someone how much we loved our Spyders and the miles of smiles, etc, we'd also boasted about the great support & customer service we got from BRP & their dealers;
if only we could say how timely and well their dealers/techs serviced, diagnosed, and fixed our Spyders; and
if only we could pass on how much of a 'value for money' deal it was to buy their accessories & parts etc?? Can you just imagine...
