There are always two sides to every story. Personally I try my best to live up to this creedo-Fair, Firm, Honest and Consistent. Anyone I pay money to in terms of service or product I expect the same. I do not expect a big discount unless thats what you are giving to others. If you tell me one thing, then live up to it. If I come into your establishment as a customer, don't ignore me. If your shop is busy I will wait my fair turn, but don't wait on your buddy who just walked in the door after I've been waiting for an hour. If you are wrong or make a mistake, admit it because I certainly will if I'm guilty.

What most customer oriented business's have forgotten is that the gadget you sell can be purchased elsewhere. The only real difference you can make for me, the customer, is service. I have often paid more for a gadget because the service is great. Not kiss *** service, but fair, honest consistent service. Service, good or bad can make or break a business, as long as you are not raping people with other prices.

How do I know that? I worked at a family owned truckstop working my way up over the years. I leanred that anyone can sell fuel, food, etc, but when it came to service, we were hard to beat, so our business flourished. You think HD riders are hard to please? Try pleasing truck drivers who have not slept, have dealt with miles and miles of cagers, dispatchers, etc.

Fair, firm honest and consistent.....

 

This story reminds me of an experience I must share here. About 10 years ago I was trying to find a docking kit for my '96 RK and that part was unavailable and backordered everywhere because of a supplier problem. On a whim, I decided to call a small mom-and-pop dealer, in the business for decades, in a small town about 100 miles from me. The owner answered, and after I gave him the part number he said, "Yes, I have it." Elated, I told him I wanted it and gave him my address. His next statement was, "I'll get it out today." I then asked him, "Don't you want my credit card number?" He said, "No, just send me a check when you get the part." He didn't take credit cards.

Now, what do you think the chances are that I would not send him that check? Only a heartless scoundrel would cheat someone like that. When I mentioned this to a friend and long-time HD rider he said that this dealer is known for that level of service and trust, and some people have been stranded on the road without funds only to be treated in the same fashion. I'll bet he always gets his checks.

Unfortunately, HD pressured Mr. Davis (Davis HD of Alexandria, LA) to build a new shop and expand, and he was too old to want such a responsibility, so he sold out several years ago. That is our loss.

 

It's this simple for me:

I don't bitch about how much stuff costs or how much I pay for a bike. BUT if you treat me like I'm an idiot, work on my bike and F' it up and put my safety at risk, then I have every right to rant about your sh!tty service.

Dealers need to make money. You do it with a hand shake, a smile, and a level of respect. Not by f'n with someone!

 

thats all I expect. You want my money, Remember my name. I hate when you can see the same faces time and time again and they never remember yours. Especially when they see it on the credit card every time I purchase something.

My parts guy i try to use the most does great. he sees me across the store when helping others and always takes care of me. Hell he bought my dinner one night at Chillis. I saw him in their eating with his wife and the waitress siad your dinner is taken care of. The best thing is when there is something that he does nto understand or cannot find... he will make sure he has an answer or a phone call later to let me know. now their serrvice department is good for Hds, but SUCKY for my Yamaha Rhino, and ATV.

 

Loyalty...we are still out there. I myself am a loyal customer where warranted. If you treat me right, the price isn’t the final deciding factor. Dealers just need to learn that it isn’t the prices that drive customers away, its shi-t-ty service and attitudes.

I bought my 06 SG from a dealer and when I went back to buy my 07 Ultra, I was told that customer retention wasn’t important to them because they knew someone would buy the product (we were negotiating price, what prompted the comment). Well, you guessed it, I would never spend any more of my cash with this dealer, ever. So I think the majority of us fall into this category of HD buyers...


So wake the fooook up dealers, treat them with respect and they will return... loyally.

 

I also don't mind spending the money. I think alot of owners don't even know what goes on at there dealership. When I had my PC111 installed it fell thru the side cover ( Not zipped tied or mounted in anyway ). and loddged between the frame and exhaust, I went back and they did install a new one but that's the kinda of guy's they have working for them, they just don't care about your bike it seems. Same guy forgot to put my buddies side cover back on when he had work done. This guy is no longer with them but that was enough for me. I now have a place called VooDoo Motorsports that has been great with my bike and very reasonable.I think it's all about trust for me. You treat me right I'll be back, screw me once and see ya . I wish I could find a great dealer, mine changed there tune once I bought the bike.No discounts not even a T-Shirt for me and they wonder why I don't go there.

Steve

 

I lovemy local Harly Dealer ( 5 miles away). A great place to window shop and find what I want, then buy it elsewhere. Found the bike I wanted there and bought one just like it 2 hours away. Only let em do recall work because of their smart a$$ service manager

 

Don't forget the old addage that a dissatisfied customer tells 10 people while one that has a good experience only tells one. We will always hear more bad than good toward any business.

don

 

I guess it could be worse? I saw this article the other day.[/align][/align]Harley-Davidson Dealerships Ranked Highest by 2007 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index(SM)[/align]First-Ever Motorcycle Industry Benchmarking Study Identifies Why Customers Stay -- or Walk Away [/align][/align][/align][/align]


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Last Update: 9:00 AM ET Feb 5, 2007[/align][/align][/align][/align][/align]

PACIFIC GROVE, Calif., Feb 05, 2007 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Harley-Davidson dealerships ranked highest in the newly released 2007 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (SM) Motorcycle Industry Study, which measured how shoppers are treated at retail locations. The study is the first of its kind to provide actionable insights on the hot buttons that turn shoppers into buyers. [/align] [/align]Harley-Davidson dealerships were consistently near the top of the rankings for multiple aspects of the study. Harley-Davidson salespeople were more likely to ask for a shopper's name, to determine a shopper's price range, to determine if anything was preventing a purchase, to try to forward the sale, and to ask for a shopper's contact information. [/align]Buell, Big Dog, Victory, Ducati, Suzuki and BMW follow Harley-Davidson in the rankings; all ranked above the industry average. [/align] [/align]Although Harley-Davidson scored very highly throughout the study, other brands led the industry in specific areas. For example, Ducati dealerships ranked highly for promoting accessories, Kawasaki dealerships ranked highly for promoting financing, Honda dealerships ranked highly for visible signage, Suzuki dealerships ranked highly for focusing and narrowing a shopper's choices, and Victory dealerships ranked highly for offering a test ride. [/align]"For the first time, manufacturers and dealers have a clear set of guidelines for improving sales processes," said Fran O'Hagan, President of Pied Piper Management Co., LLC. "For many dealerships, minor changes will generate immediate improvement." For example, only 35% of salespeople gave reasons why a shopper should buy from that specific dealership, only 37% asked for contact information, and only 49% tried to forward the sale in any way. [/align]"Focusing only on yesterday's sales and customers is short-sighted, yet it's prevalent in many industries," O'Hagan said. "That's like driving your car using only the rearview mirror to navigate. As many as 75% to 90% of motor-vehicle shoppers don't buy the same day they visit a retail location, so maximizing prospect satisfaction is an important key for turning those shoppers into tomorrow's buyers." [/align]Retailers order shopper evaluations on-line using the Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index (PSI(SM)) web application, www.piedpiperpsi.com, which allows them to view real-time measurement and benchmarking specific to their brands and industries. Results are based upon calibrated prospect evaluation of the shopping experience at a retail location, as well as measurement of salesmanship effectiveness. The business methods used by Pied Piper PSI are proprietary to Pied Piper Management Co, LLC, and are Patent Pending. The 2007 Pied Piper Prospect Satisfaction Index SM Motorcycle Industry Study was conducted between November 2006 and January 2007 using shopper evaluations at 375 retail locations throughout the U.S., representing approximately one in eleven of all U.S. motorcycle dealership locations. [/align]

 

Oh, I don't have any doubt in the world that the quality of everyones respective dealership varies as much as the colors of one rainbow to another. Trust me, Mr. Webster would be hard pressed to find adequate words to describe how rude, crude, uncaring and generally just sorry that my local dealer (Jackson, MS) is. I can get you hundreds of testimonials, including my own, to back up what I say.

Travel 200 miles up north to Collierville, TN where Bumpus HD is and you be hard pressed to find anyone anywhere that is nicer, more professional, caring, accomodating and generally great people. That's my opinion. Are they cheap?? No.You pay for what you get and owning and servicing a HD is a rather expensive hobby. And so it goes, some of us are lucky, some of us are not. I don't want anybody to beg me for my money but I do expect them to at least say, "We appreciate and value your business and want to keep you as a customer." That's just good PR and it's something that some dealerships still don't or won'tdo. Were it not for the captive audience that they've had since HD started making a bike that would go from point A to point B and return (Evolution forward) a great percentage of them would not have made it. Just another of my 2c.