Another sad dealer story!!

So I go to the local Kawi dealer to pick up some parts. The owner of the shop asks me to check this ATV out they are working on. The machine is less than a year old with a totally fried wiring harness and CDI box.

I ask what caused it. They had a new guy installing a winch. I assume it was his first one. When he finished it up he turned the key on tried it out and it damn near caught fire.

I asked who was paying the bill and he says, " I am only gonna bill them for wiring harness and 6 hours labor". :wow:

 

I don't know what it is with franchised dealers; they "just don't get it!"

 

First off, not that it is difficult to install or wire up a winch...but why did he have a new guy doing a wiring job anyway? If it was my ATV I wouldn't pay a dime, other then the original charge for winch and labor it should have taken to install it.

 

Me either.

 

Just one of those shops that charges $50.00 an hour and pays employees $8.00/hour that have no experience. I haven't heard yet if the customer paid the bill. I surely hope not as well.

 

What's the name of the shop? I'll be sure to avoid it.

 

the customer can easily call Kawasaki's number inside his owner's manual to report the issue. They will make it right if the owner is smart about it and not a douche. Especially if it was a new unit only about a year old. They will make warranty exceptions if it's especially unusual like in this case.

Don't give up on your local dealers, they're not all jackasses. Some of their personnel might be, but boycotting a shop because of a shop employee is not always the right move. Check with the owner first. Believe it or not, these folks are riding enthusiasts also, most of the time. How you represent yourself to them makes 100% of the difference. I can't tell you how many times a guy has been totally taken care of and then gone and talked shit to all his buddies anyway. It get frustrating on both sides and the franchised shops don't hold a patent on rudeness.

 

That dealer is a theif, plain and simple.

 

My thoughs exactly. I know there are good dealers out there and on here as well. The bad ones really leave a mark though

 

I've never heard of such a thing...and I"ve seen some pretty low stuff at bike shops. How can they possibly justify to the customer that the burnt harness is his responsibility? I don't get it...wouldn't anyone say something like "umm, I didn't burn the harness, so stick it," or some such?

It's so ridiculous that it almost seems like there's a missing aspect of the story.

Yikes.

 

I truely hope it is not the dealer I am thinking... I cannot believe our mutual friend would let that happen???

 

There's a dealer near me that will quote low ball pricing over the phone, only to then charge the customer a few hundred $ more after getting them in the store. :down:

 

Unfortunatley it is. I hope they make it right with the customer though.

 

Norm Flanders will never go over there!

 

I cannot believe that!!!:down: That is so out of charactor for them???
Did you talk to BL about what you saw??? Or Tom???

 

No no. Not that shop. Those guys are mint as you know. The "other" kawi shop.

 

There are definitely a few shops in Cincy that I would NOT buy from. One however, Honda of Fairfield I will always buy from. My boy JT is the parts manager and he hooks us up on parts and supplies. So, if you're in the tri-state and need Honda stuff or any supplies, stop and see JT and tell him Eddie sent you...eerrr..maybe not

 

The other side of the coin:
Guy brings us a billion plus mile, first year F4 for a valve check and some maint. OK, I exaggerate: it only had a little over a million miles on it.
We do the work including changing some of the shims and then throw it up on the dyno to check the carbs per the owner's request.

It drops a valve on run number 2. EVERYONE (including the customer) knows that that bike woulda dropped that valve at that exact time whether it was on our dyno or heading home. BUT since we were the last people in the valve train and since there's no way to prove beyond a doubt that it wasn't us: I buy him a engine with 1/10 the time on it, do a comp and leak down and valve check on it to make sure it's tip top and we swapped it out. $1,000 bill to make a couple of hundred.

I've always said that if I go outta buisness it was because I always did the right thing or at least tried to!