[LONG] An amazing POSITIVE experience
#1
09-24-2009, 01:23 AM
[LONG] An amazing POSITIVE experience
Seems like every week I read about some shop trying to screw someone. But every now and then a shop comes along that goes above and beyond and really comes through for the customer. I was lucky enough to stumble on one of these shops this week.
My girlfriend Bonnie and I just returned from a 4 day trip to the NC hills. We logged just over 1,000 miles and, despite some foul weather, had a great time. But..our vacation almost ended before it started. And if it weren't for service that went above and beyond, it certainly would have been cut short.
We left home around noon on Sunday and made good time. Though the forecast was calling for rain and though the skies were gray we stayed dry for most of the trip. However, about 25 miles from of our destination (Blowing Rock, NC) the skies opened up. No big deal as we were mere minutes from our hotel. I stopped under an overpass and we donned our rain gear. But almost immediately after I pulled back onto Highway 321 I felt a shimmy in the bike that I hadn't felt before. We stopped for a red light and I told Bonnie that something felt wrong. She felt it too. I eased away from the light and then the bike got completely squirrelly. I pulled over and confirmed that the rear tire was completely flat! It only took a few seconds to discover the nail protruding from the center of the tread.
So, there we were... 5:30 PM on a Sunday, on the side of the highway in the rain, basically in the middle of nowhere, 300 miles from any friends that I could call for help. I got out my phone (thankfully I had a signal) and Googled motorcycle shops in the Blowing Rock area. I was skeptical and really didn't expect anyone to answer. There was no answer at the first two shops but the third time's a charm. I called High Country Cycles in Sugar Grove, NC and actually got an answer. After a few minutes of conversation, I realized that High Country Cycles was located WAY on the other side of Boone, NC, many twisty miles from our location. You can imagine how surprised I was when I heard "Well, let me get my trailer hooked up and I'll be there as soon as I can, probably take about 45 minutes to an hour in this weather."
As it turns out, High Country Cycles is located on the property of Mr. Tom McDonald, he is the proprietor and he works on bikes, cars, boats, and small engines. True to his word, within an hour Tom showed up in his truck with his dog Digger and a sturdy bike trailer. We loaded up the bike and all of our gear, then he took us to our hotel and told me he'd have the tire fixed and would bring the bike back to the hotel the following morning. As a matter of fact, Tom called me later that night to tell me that he'd already pulled the back wheel and would get it fixed first thing the next day!
Tom called me at 10 am the next morning and told me that the bike was done and as soon as he was done showing some horses to a prospective buyer he'd be right over. He got there before noon. Not only was the tire fixed, but he'd used a tube out of his own bike because it was the only one he had on hand that fit. Additionally, he'd noticed that the nuts holding my slip-ons were loose. He tightened them with lock nuts.
The final charge for picking up my bike after hours on Sunday, driving us to the hotel, fixing the bike, and delivering the bike the next morning... $115.00! The bill for a tow truck alone would have been much more than that.
So, if any of you ever find yourselves in the Boone, NC area and need the services of a good shop, please call Tom at High Country Cycles and tell him I sent you.
My girlfriend Bonnie and I just returned from a 4 day trip to the NC hills. We logged just over 1,000 miles and, despite some foul weather, had a great time. But..our vacation almost ended before it started. And if it weren't for service that went above and beyond, it certainly would have been cut short.
We left home around noon on Sunday and made good time. Though the forecast was calling for rain and though the skies were gray we stayed dry for most of the trip. However, about 25 miles from of our destination (Blowing Rock, NC) the skies opened up. No big deal as we were mere minutes from our hotel. I stopped under an overpass and we donned our rain gear. But almost immediately after I pulled back onto Highway 321 I felt a shimmy in the bike that I hadn't felt before. We stopped for a red light and I told Bonnie that something felt wrong. She felt it too. I eased away from the light and then the bike got completely squirrelly. I pulled over and confirmed that the rear tire was completely flat! It only took a few seconds to discover the nail protruding from the center of the tread.
So, there we were... 5:30 PM on a Sunday, on the side of the highway in the rain, basically in the middle of nowhere, 300 miles from any friends that I could call for help. I got out my phone (thankfully I had a signal) and Googled motorcycle shops in the Blowing Rock area. I was skeptical and really didn't expect anyone to answer. There was no answer at the first two shops but the third time's a charm. I called High Country Cycles in Sugar Grove, NC and actually got an answer. After a few minutes of conversation, I realized that High Country Cycles was located WAY on the other side of Boone, NC, many twisty miles from our location. You can imagine how surprised I was when I heard "Well, let me get my trailer hooked up and I'll be there as soon as I can, probably take about 45 minutes to an hour in this weather."
As it turns out, High Country Cycles is located on the property of Mr. Tom McDonald, he is the proprietor and he works on bikes, cars, boats, and small engines. True to his word, within an hour Tom showed up in his truck with his dog Digger and a sturdy bike trailer. We loaded up the bike and all of our gear, then he took us to our hotel and told me he'd have the tire fixed and would bring the bike back to the hotel the following morning. As a matter of fact, Tom called me later that night to tell me that he'd already pulled the back wheel and would get it fixed first thing the next day!
Tom called me at 10 am the next morning and told me that the bike was done and as soon as he was done showing some horses to a prospective buyer he'd be right over. He got there before noon. Not only was the tire fixed, but he'd used a tube out of his own bike because it was the only one he had on hand that fit. Additionally, he'd noticed that the nuts holding my slip-ons were loose. He tightened them with lock nuts.
The final charge for picking up my bike after hours on Sunday, driving us to the hotel, fixing the bike, and delivering the bike the next morning... $115.00! The bill for a tow truck alone would have been much more than that.
So, if any of you ever find yourselves in the Boone, NC area and need the services of a good shop, please call Tom at High Country Cycles and tell him I sent you.
Last edited by HHI Dave; 09-24-2009 at 01:27 AM.
#7
09-24-2009, 04:34 AM
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