....as often as possible

I call the dealership where I purchased my motorcycle last year....and have since patronized them for parts since buying it...always been great to me, until now

in the past i've always purchased parts from them....have spent well over 1500.00 dollars in the past year...routine has always been the same: call the dealer, get price, get availability, and sometimes even get a part number for those times when the parts guy disappears for 10 minutes then comes back to say that there is no such thing as the part i'm looking for... whereupon, i inform said parts man that there IS indeed such a part, as I'm holding it in my hand...we discuss said part some more, and he disappears for another 5 minutes to come back to say that it'll have to be special ordered....hence, i reply with something to the effect of "please tell me part number so i can patronize your establishment, produce a part number for you so that you don't have to go on a treasure hunt, once again... and waste yours and my time"

no big deal....except when this exact scenario played out this morning, i get the parts guy telling me, "sorry, we have a strict policy on not giving out part numbers over the phone."....i'm like, "???"...and say, "listen man...YOU are my dealership...the parts i want- as you can tell- are relatively inexpensive and to suggest i want the numbers to patronize Zanotti's or any other online dealership would not be worth while considering it would cost just as much, maybe even more, to ship the part number as it would to purchase it."

he says, "sorry"...and tries to explain ...i get annoyed and ask to speak to manager, upon which, manager gets on phone, hears me out, but simply reiterates what his parts man said, adding that "since the parts guy took so long to find my part, and was paid that length of time to do so, then it'll be worth it to the owner since i'll be buying the part"......i stare into the phone asking myself, "are these people serious?"....i listen to this jerk's long involved explanation to which i reply with "i understand, but i bought the bike from you, NOT the other guy, because you can accommodate me, and i've continued to patronize you guys, since...i simply want the part number because your guy took over ten minutes to find the part number...at once, insisting it didn't exist...so i ask you, can i have the part numbers so i can just come in and present them to you so i don't have to encounter the same inconvenience i did over the phone?"

he says, "sorry"....and i say, "me too, i'll just get the numbers elsewhere...and you don't get my business anymore."

click

now, what they fail to understand is that i WILL get a part number, one very simple way or another...and when i do, i'll drive a couple miles elsewhere to get the part....i may even order it online, and break even due to shipping costs

but according to the parts manager's weird little time and money theory, i'm still obligated to patronize the place for the part because his guy took 15 minutes to find it?....i'm thinking, "NO, idiot...you pissed me off, so now the owner just WASTED 15 minutes of his money on a parts guy who through no real logic (considering i bought the bike there and have since purchased many parts from them) refused to give me a stupid part number...NO, stealership, i'm not at a loss...YOU are!....and not just because of this one incident, but because you will no longer get my business....and probably a few other guys' as well

sorry for the diatribe, boys.... but some dealerships really suck butt

 

sometimes they just dont get it

 

The Good, the Bad, and the Pushy...

It all depends on the day at my dealership, and you're right, somejust don't get it!

There are good guys there at times, helpful and knowledgable, these get my business.
There are the ones who don't know anything, I usually leave early emptyhanded.
Then there are the ones who know everything, telling you that you need useless parts, again, emptyhanded upon my exit,then I go home and make my own part.

Being winter time, I can wait a week from Zanottis, they are always helpful online, or on the phone. I've never had a problem getting part numbers, or even whole drawings with partslist included emailed to me.

 

The first purchase I made after the bike was a service manual and parts manual.

I hate to tell you this but I can see the dealerships point of view.

 

Perhaps the dealer should fire the parts guy and get one that didn't take 15 minutes to find the part number. I phoned my dealer to price a couple of parts today and he found both the numbers in a couple of minutes.

 

That's how arrogant the whole f-ing Harley dealerships/company is. Aside from buying my bike there, they won't get anything else from me. Screw the whold H-D "experience". I didn't feel anything special when I got mine. I just wanted anAmerican bike-not to get f-ed over by some company that has only managed to survive because they can sell the biker public an image.

 

nah, i don't see their point of view, chandler

...i already got the part numbers and ordered them online.....with the discount and with shipping charges, it only cost me 1.50 more

i can live with that loss

i won't give them my business anymore.... too bad they're too stupid to see THAT point of view

 

I have heard of this 'policy' before...not just at Harley Dealerships. At one time, there wasn't this kind of problem...and most certainly not to the extent that it is now. Now, with the internet and Ebay, dealerships have some major competition. Not that it's working to our advantage, I am sad to say. But, I understand why a place of business who invests time and money into their servicing tools don't neccessarily want to hand it all over so easily. I can't imagine the calls they would get in a day, for people who are trying to fix their own bikes and save a few bucks. Often, they can get a smok'n deal on ebay but all they need to assure themselves about which part is required and the part number.

This exercise costs the dealership time ... Time that could be otherwise spent on a customer who would end up actually purchasing something from them...You know, the guys on hold that are waiting to speak to the same service guy that is spending time with an inquiry that will not result in a sale. Now that other guy (who is on hold) has room to complain that he has to wait and his time is valuable too. This counter productive activity is what has cause this exact problem.

Perhaps, in your particular case, you had every intention on going into the building providing them with the right part number and purchasing it without having to go through all the motions of investigating it out. They have no way of knowing that.After being lied to by others on numerous occasions about the exact same intention, it's pretty difficult for them to distinguish who is the real deal.

I wouldn't take is so personally. This is not just arrogance. on their part neccesarily...But more of an attempt at finding a better solution to a problem. In your case it perhaps didn't work to their advantage because they may have lost a good customer. But...what choice do they have? They have to do something.

If this was your business and you saw thing kind of thing happening...What would you suggest be an option?

 

Good idea; don't whine about something unless you have a solution.

Have you ever asked to speak with the parts manager?

 

I would gladly shop at the dealership if they weren't so hell bent on robbing people of every last cent they had. When I bought my bike, they tried to charge me $2000 for a 2-up seat, passenger pegs and a back rest.