Went riding several weeks ago in the area, I told the group I was with to avoid Gillette, went to Devils Tower, headed back to Rapid City.

 

Well, i said in a earlier post that I will avoid Gillette like the plague. Never suggested everybody should. For all i know, they all play golf togetter and might just share the same mindset and outlook on how to run there business. Not taking any chances and I'll just ride around it if i get near.

 

As far as I'm concerned, this thread can live on page one forever.
NICE JOB to all the folks thathave shown their resolve on keeping it here.

 

Actually, there are posters that have stated that they will no longer travel to or through the entire state of Wyoming. I am merely attempting to point out how ludicrous (and inconsequential) that would be. I have been through that area five times in the last five years. I have been in that dealership once. To buy an obsolete brake hose (one of three available in the entire country).

What happened to the OP would never have happened to me. When Calvin told me that their insurance wouldn't allow them to mix tires, I would have called him on what I knew was a bold face lie and arranged to transport the bike the 3.6 miles to Marlins. I might have posted and I might not have, but I know for sure they wouldn't have gotten $680.00 of my hard earned money for what should have been a $250.00 single tire replacement.

 

rwhisen--throw in the towel? do you have any bright ideas as to how to handle this and make it cost chuck ruiz money? i stated that there are 8 harley dealers in wyoming and 2 of them are tee-shirt shops...and i would not call the ones that i have been in that are located in cheyenne, rawlings, and rock springs as high volume, state of the art dealerships. deluxe is the cat's meow as far as harley and wyoming are concerned---the moco is not going to mess with them.

neither is the moco going to open a can of worms and censor a dealer for his dealings with the touring public. that would be a bad precedent...they would have to hire more staff to deal with dealer complaints if the word got out that the moco was holding their franchisees' feet to the fire and making them play nice with harley owners.

that leaves the local harley owners(and they are certainly keeping quiet on this) to try and put some heat on deluxe. the better business bureau and chamber of commerce have chosen not to get involved. i do feel that the guys headed to sturgis next year are going to try and avoid the deluxe dealerships...going to cost chuck a little money--some tee shirt and oil change sales from riders passing thru. i just do not see anything of any magnitude happening to chuckie.

i will continue to follow this closely, and sincerely hope that some one figures out a way to put some financial pressure on chuck ruiz and his deluxe dealerships.

 

If I was closer, I'd love to waste their time. I'd haggle with the salesman and sales manager as much I can on a new bike. I'd go through all the parts and accessories I'd like to have added to my new bike. I'd take my time to flip through the catalogue for every part I want on my new bike because I want to leave on a one of a kind custom bike from Deluxe. Then I'd haggle with the finance person over the interest rate and fees. Then I'd mention this thread and WALK AWAY from the deal!!! By then I'm sure I would have wasted a couple hours. I would love to see how pissed they would be!

 

I don't need to hang around any dealership and kiss anybody's ***. I've been an ASE Certified Master Auto Tech for 35 years. I fix my own ****.

I never had a dog in this fight. As far as I'm concerned the OP was just as much to blame for what happened to him as the dealership was. I don't need to avoid anyone because my experience as a consumer fraud investigator for 25 years pretty much keeps me from allowing people to bend me over.

I am not defending Chucks policy. Personally I think its stupid and self defeating. I (as a retired investigator who regulated the auto and on road motorcycle repair industry in California) am defending his right to have it.

Think about it. I was a regulator in the most business unfriendly state in the country and I think that the market place should decide his fate. Not the government, the Moco, the BBB or the newspaper. His customers.

Its his business and he gets to run it as he sees fit. And if that drives away customers and he goes out of business, gets flamed on the internet or makes less money, than he lives with it. But thinking that the whole city of Gillette or the state of Wyoming are complicit in this, is just ignorant.

This couldn't have happened without the OP's permission. He knew he was getting ripped and allowed them to do it. And after the whole deal was done asked for a discount. I conduct fraud prevention seminars for senior groups and college students. I have to say I've seen 85 year old grandmothers that are more savvy than the OP was (in this instance).

I bought a badly needed part there in 2009 for $68.00 and installed it myself. Chuck has no fear of losing me as a customer, because I'm not one and never will be. And even if I was, I just don't think he would give a crap.

 

More than a couple people have had bad experiences at Defuxe.
Just because you can take advantage of a customer doesn't mean you should.
Dribble, it's comforting that you are an expert. We don't have to worry about you.

 

This thread needs to stay alive to warn everybody, if nothing else. Crash will not likely benefit from it and get some money back. Just because he was in a bind and didnt know about anyone else in the neighborhood to get him back on the road, dont mean it was his fault. Anyone traveling many miles from home, with a bike problem, that sees a HD dealer down the road, would see it as a save place. No blame here to the OP. Shame on chuck. Thats where the fault and problem is.

 

And so it shall ...