Lot depends upon your expectations & the emotional level your tuned into. If you approach the Dealer expecting positive honest type communication then your exploitation is assured. Dealers have the upper hand because they know that most buyers are like little boys turned loose in a candy store.
The best protection a buyer has is to compare one dealer against the other price wise.

 

Oh, I have Zero intention of letting this go. I plan on Going as far as needed to get the issue resolved to my satisfaction. I will keep all of you updated when I get further information, As it will be Friday beforeI can talk to anyone
I will be calling Harley MOCO as well. AndI agree that we all need to stop taking this crap!!! Alot of Power in large numbers. If we all as a group stand up and say, you can no longer tarnish the name of something we love so dearly, then and only then will we see changes.

 

I will never permit my dealer or any retailer to put me in that situation, I or my wife ALWAYS pay by credit card, that way if there is a problem, we refuse the charges, then the retailer can fight it out with the credit card company & I go on my merry way.

 

well, to start with, while i realise that the hd thing sort of brings with it a much closer relationship to the dealer, you shouldnt really be hanging out in a dealership, nor is the dealership your friend.

there is a lot of comraderie to be found in motorcycling, good times and wild memories. the thing is, the dealership isnt the place to do that. i know that some dealerships host your HOG meeting, and throw the occasional weenie night, but i have a better suggestion:

go find a motorcycle club. it doesnt have to be a badass 1% thing. there are lots of orgs from AMA clubs that resemble the elks lodge with bikes, to independent clubs that cater to all sorts of folks.

stay away from the dealerships. indy mechanics do a great job working on your bike if you dont want to, and local clubs and hangouts serve the social stuff.

 

I disagree completely. In fact, the corporate design handed down from Harleyisthat want their dealerships to make greater efforts toward securing just that; that people do in fact hang out in their dealerships. They want this. Reason being is very simple - When people hang out, they are more likely to spend money. Been to a modern dealership lately? If so, you'll find free coffee and snacks, black leather couches about the place, toys for the kiddos to play with, more often than not a pool table set up, and maybe even a juke box playin' road tunes. They create an atmospherewhich invites people to just hang out, stretch their legs,and shoot thebreeze.

So in part, it is the dealerships themselves who are - by virtue of their attitudes as of late - going against the corporate grain. Corporate wants people to hang out at the dealerships. Corporate wants their dealerships to be inviting and welcoming of anyone and everyone who walks in the place. It is the independent dealership owner/managers who are not seeing eye to eye with this concept. This, as evidenced by their 'I'm the only show in town, Who the hell are you' type mindset and approach toward their customers.

 

oh yeah, i get that this corporation wants you to hang out in their dealerships.

im saying its a bad idea to acquiesce to that "offer". forget the dealerships, hog, brosclub, and all that prefab moCorp stuff.

get your motorcycle culture and camaraderie within the motorcycle community, from people who arent on the job to sell you stuff.

i dont really know where the original poster is writing from, but i assume like anywhere else there must be better places to hang out.

 

Most dealers I've been to will only take anything back on an exchange basis .They credit your account to use as you please.I don't think I've ever seen one that gave monmey back.

 

i never understood the thought behind taking a ride to hang out at the dealer's shop either. i might go to my local dealer 1 time a year if i need parts.the other dealer thats about 30 miles from me has 2 or 3days a year where he has a shop party that i'll attend just for the free food and refreshments. no tshirts or any other HD bs only parts that need replacing. if you think they're your friend your mistaken.

 

I don't hang out at any dealerships. If I need to go to a dealership its for something I need for my bike and not for companionship, if I need that I have my Blue Knights Chapter, HOG membership or the ABATE group I belong to give me all the touchie, feelie I need.To me anyone who hangs around a dealership instead of being out riding isn't anyone I want to interact with anyhow...

Again,just my opinion.

 

So if you hang out at a hog meeting , or blue knights meeting, Etc,, while you are not out riding,that is a good thing. But if you visit people you like at the dealer that is a bad thing. So Now, where we go toshould determin if we should interact with each other. Give me a break.