Let Me Tell You A Story....

[pitzerwm]

The sad thing is that it just again shows the pathetic collection of Spyder dealers, that BRP has authorized to rip us off. I wouldn't allow the local dealer, Ride Now, to air up my tires much less anything important.

 

[Bob Denman]

If your mentality isn't geared toward trouble shooting, even something as simple as a loose bolt can be easily overlooked.

:agree: And NO amount of training can fix THAT! nojoke

 

[2RTsGV]

A Deeper Issue ...

I actually think that the dealer issues go deeper in that there seems to be a lot of spyder tech movement going on at these dealers ie: moving to other non-brp dealerships as a result of poor pay &/or conditions, moving from one brp dealer to another brp dealer in different state etc. - I am sure that like most specialized industries these techs don't grow on trees and this no doubt, leaves the original dealership with a void in their organization. Don't get me wrong, I am not defending the dealership, firstly, I don't believe the dealerships are capitalizing on the opportunity for growing their tech pool while they have a current tech and once the 'horse has bolted' - well its too late to shut the gate! ... Secondly, I also think BRP are missing a huge opportunity by not scooping up these trained techs and setting them up in a separate (from the dealership) 'offsite' workshop to continue servicing the spyder / BRP products within that region.

 

[bscrive]

I'm with Dwight on this one.
Not to take anything away form this lady and her efforts. If she was the first one to look and troubleshoot the problem, I'd say a hearty "Here, Here!".
It's great that she was able to fix the problem, but only after the first dealer screwed up the installation, which she undoubtedly paid for, and two other dealers (maybe one) couldn't find and fix, also at her expense.
It's bad enough to pay exorbitant fees for service, but to get poor service for that price is unconscionable.
The Spyder is a great machine, but it doesn't help to have a great machine that doesn't get repaired.
It's been 10 years.
The Spyder line-up has already collapsed to only two models.
If BRP doesn't do something to make their service at dealers better, I'm afraid the entire brand may collapse.

I agree Threewheels,
As soon as one of the other motorcycle companies come out with a good reverse trike, we may well see the Spyder start to disappear. They have already dropped the RS line and those folks are really pissed. With the introduction of the Yamaha Nikken and possibly the Honda Neowing in the future. I am sure that the RS crowd will leave. I know that it is s good possibility with my wife and her F3.
Can am may be putting nails in their coffin with the bad dealers out there. The product is getting better, but the dealerships are getting worst it seems. The dealer near us is great, but I would still prefer if my wife could ride a Honda instead.

 

[jaherbst]

I think Spyder owners are starting to realize that this is truly an enthusiasts' machine. The BMW of the 3-wheeling world. Don't expect a Toyota experience!

Congrats to you, Ron, for having a good outcome. It must be tough dealing with customers (and dealers) from afar and with varying levels of knowledge and interest in understanding an issue with your products. It speaks well of the way you do business.

I think the moral of Ron's story here is some times even an ordinary person can find a solution to a problem when the highly paid dealers and pro Tech's can't find the problem. (or don't bother to find it) It's all about taking the easy way out and slapping new expensive parts on. Shame on them.

Jack

 

[C. Lee]

I suspect the dealer's tech was lazy and didn't even pick up the bike to test what was causing the noise or they have an over zealous sales strategy trying to drive more service dollars through the department, maybe both. I recently had my Nissan serviced at the dealer for front brakes. The car has 40,000 miles and I was told it needed rotors. When I questioned this and asked for the micrometer readings they changed their tune and said the rotors could be turned.

We must remain vigilant in our dealings with professional service companies no matter the field. I own a plumbing company and consistently see my competition trying to sell the customer things just to get the ticket price higher. We must ask questions about whatever diagnosis we are given and ask them to show why they're recommendation is needed. You may not know what you're looking at, but you can determine why and how. Even a more detailed explanation with the service tech showing you why he came to his conclusion may give you a better sense of the companies motivation and intent. Chris

 

[asp125]

Capable techs are dime a dozen, but finding a tech that gives a s***t about your problem are rare. I have a friend who is a master mechanic at a car dealership. He and others in the industry see dealerships (owners) treating techs as dispensable, and only looking at their bottom line. There is huge turnaround in the industry and as a result many techs get burned out and don't give a rats a$$ other than punching a timeclock.

Motorcycle shops are not much better, there are some that treat their staff like an asset and those tend to have better reputations with their customer base.

I tend to shy away from dealership service departments. I would rather find a small independent shop where the mechanics are also enthusiasts. But the downside is they might not have the same access to proprietary BRP technical resources.

 

[sealfloorboards]

Every vendor has similar situations from time to time. It's up to us to keep calm and offer our customers the best we can, even if it means refunding their money or taking the time to walk them thru whatever it takes to resolve the problem. I had a customer recently who had the dealer order my Seal Floorboards so they could install them. As soon as they received them the tech. started saying they didn't fit and that I had sent the wrong kind. After talking with the service mgr. he agreed to have another tech try. Wow, they went right on without a hitch. Apparently, the first tech. didn't have much problem solving experience and threw his hands up as soon as he saw them and tried to make the install WAY harder than it was. The second tech. just looked at the directions and put them on...end of story, quick and easy.

We as vendors do make mistakes but it is up to us to work to make things right. Looks like you did a "Text Book" job of good customer service Ron. Good for you. Thats why you are a trusted vendor.
Ride in comfort,
John

 

[M109Dreamer]

My question is how did the 2 dealers come to the conclusion about worn out bushings and yet didn't notice the hardware was loose? But, it doesn't shock me.

 

[BajaRon]

Every vendor has similar situations from time to time. It's up to us to keep calm and offer our customers the best we can, even if it means refunding their money or taking the time to walk them thru whatever it takes to resolve the problem. I had a customer recently who had the dealer order my Seal Floorboards so they could install them. As soon as they received them the tech. started saying they didn't fit and that I had sent the wrong kind. After talking with the service mgr. he agreed to have another tech try. Wow, they went right on without a hitch. Apparently, the first tech. didn't have much problem solving experience and threw his hands up as soon as he saw them and tried to make the install WAY harder than it was. The second tech. just looked at the directions and put them on...end of story, quick and easy.

Not a factor here but it is surprising at how many 'Techs' or service managers have called me asking for clarification on how to install a bar kit. As soon as I attempt to refer them to the instruction step addressing their problem I start getting excuses. 'The customer did not supply instructions' (WRONG!). There were no instructions in the box. (WRONG!).

Don't misunderstand. There are some great techs out there. I just never hear from them and rarely hear about them. But so many have the attitude that they are the highly trained experts and they don't feel the need to consult installation instructions. So sometimes, when they get into the process, they get stuck and call me. I'm fine with helping them because I serve the customer and I want the customer to be happy. Helping a tech over the hump is just part of it. But I find it ironic that I've never had a tech contact me saying they don't understand a portion of the supplied instructions. I guess that is a good thing.

My question is how did the 2 dealers come to the conclusion about worn out bushings and yet didn't notice the hardware was loose? But, it doesn't shock me.

A good question. And I understand everyone's perspective. Anyone who has taken a vehicle in for service runs the risk of having a bad experience. And there are a number of us here.

But I really didn't intend for this to be a black mark on dealership service or techs in general. Some deserve our ire. But many are great mechanics that quietly do a good job every day. And I don't want to paint them all with the same brush. And I know that is not anyone's intention here.

Still, my hat is off to this customer who, under less than ideal circumstances in more ways than one. Was able to take care of the issue herself. Which admittedly, she never should have had to be under her Spyder in the first place.

 

[ARtraveler]

Good point about a lot of techs. And I say that term loosely. I think sometimes laziness kicks in and they just invent excuses to not go one inch out of their comfort zone. It is always easier to blame "someone else" for the perceived problem or lack of initiative.

When they did the valve check at 28,000 miles on my 2010 RTS, the tech failed to install a new gasket. The job started to leak over the winter lay up and the bike had to be torn down (on their dollar) in the spring. I believe the tech got his walking papers over that fiasco.