Originally Posted by golfblues

I bought both of my bikes from this dealer. It was a small old style dealership. From what I know they were supposed to upgrade a few years back to one of the new large dealerships but the property fell through. Later the recession hit & they wouldn't upgrade, probably a smart move. Eventually HD did not renew the dealership agreement & they closed last week. I wish them all luck.

Originally Posted by Markw46

It’s Time to Wake Up !!!
Hard Times call for Hard Decisions. For corporate leaders that means focus hard on the bottom line.
For HD, customer loyalty is the key to that bottom line. And customers have been loyal. However, as customers, we believe our loyalty must be reciprocated by HD. It is a road that travels both ways. Where is the HD corporate loyalty to its customer base? At this point you may be asking: “What are you talking about?”.
NEWSFLASH: LOCAL HOG CHAPTER ABANDONED
Our chapter, the former Hudson Valley HOG, will be no more. Your employee, Dan Matias, the regional HOG director, told us we will cease to exist in April, 2010. While we understand that corporate level decisions have necessitated elimination of numerous dealerships, why are we, your Loyal Customers being victimized?
You, the corporate leaders and your predecessors, created and perpetuated HOG as an ingenious marketing tool. It is the warm blanket that wraps the consumer tightly around the Harley Davidson brand. All but the most naďve HOG member knows that HOG was created not for the customer, but rather as a net to capture and hold your customer base. Happy owners lead to repeat sales of motorcycles, accessories, and service. Wow, HD, what a great idea. For HD corporate, the fact that local HOG members are extremely happy with their chapters is the proverbial ‘icing on the cake‘ and keeps them coming back for more, year after year.
Now we, the members of the former Hudson Valley HOG, are definitely NOT happy with HD
Members of our chapter, as well as how many other chapters nationwide, have been abandoned. We have traveled together, laughed together, made friends together, worked together to help our community and created our own extended family of riders and families. Only to be abandoned by HD.
We are told that we may join another chapter.
Gee, thanks for that opportunity HD, but
We Don’t Want To Join A Different Chapter !!!


HD…IT IS TIME TO CHANGE YOUR
CORPORATE BYLAWS TO

ALLOW DEALERS TO
ANNEX A SECOND CHAPTER

WISE UP HD AND STOP PUNISHING and ALIENATING YOUR CUSTOMERS.

It will not cost HD a dime. Just change the rule. It’s a
win-win. You keep your customers happy and they remain your customers. Keep going in the present direction and it will create a lose-lose. Hey, you decide. You’re the ones earning the big bucks.

A QUOTE FROM HD HOG MISSION STATEMENT

“We like to think of Harley-Davidson – from the top corporate officer to the newest Harley owner and rider – as one big, happy family. The Harley Owners GroupŽ helps us turn that philosophy into reality.”

But now it is not a big happy family, but rather a dysfunctional, fragmented family………
In the mean time, perhaps I’ll browse the Victory motorcycles at my local dealership.



Send one copy to each of the following:

Keith E. Wandell, CEO
Matthew S. Levatich, President and COO
James A. McCaslin, Executive Vice President for Corporate Product Planning

Harley-Davidson Corporation
3700 W. Juneau AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53208

Originally Posted by will2002

This is what upsets me here..... Not the HOG part!

Originally Posted by Markw46

It’s Time to Wake Up !!!
Hard Times call for Hard Decisions. For corporate leaders that means focus hard on the bottom line.
For HD, customer loyalty is the key to that bottom line. And customers have been loyal. However, as customers, we believe our loyalty must be reciprocated by HD. It is a road that travels both ways. Where is the HD corporate loyalty to its customer base? At this point you may be asking: “What are you talking about?”.
NEWSFLASH: LOCAL HOG CHAPTER ABANDONED
Our chapter, the former Hudson Valley HOG, will be no more. Your employee, Dan Matias, the regional HOG director, told us we will cease to exist in April, 2010. While we understand that corporate level decisions have necessitated elimination of numerous dealerships, why are we, your Loyal Customers being victimized?
You, the corporate leaders and your predecessors, created and perpetuated HOG as an ingenious marketing tool. It is the warm blanket that wraps the consumer tightly around the Harley Davidson brand. All but the most naďve HOG member knows that HOG was created not for the customer, but rather as a net to capture and hold your customer base. Happy owners lead to repeat sales of motorcycles, accessories, and service. Wow, HD, what a great idea. For HD corporate, the fact that local HOG members are extremely happy with their chapters is the proverbial ‘icing on the cake‘ and keeps them coming back for more, year after year.
Now we, the members of the former Hudson Valley HOG, are definitely NOT happy with HD
Members of our chapter, as well as how many other chapters nationwide, have been abandoned. We have traveled together, laughed together, made friends together, worked together to help our community and created our own extended family of riders and families. Only to be abandoned by HD.
We are told that we may join another chapter.
Gee, thanks for that opportunity HD, but
We Don’t Want To Join A Different Chapter !!!


HD…IT IS TIME TO CHANGE YOUR
CORPORATE BYLAWS TO

ALLOW DEALERS TO
ANNEX A SECOND CHAPTER

WISE UP HD AND STOP PUNISHING and ALIENATING YOUR CUSTOMERS.

It will not cost HD a dime. Just change the rule. It’s a
win-win. You keep your customers happy and they remain your customers. Keep going in the present direction and it will create a lose-lose. Hey, you decide. You’re the ones earning the big bucks.

A QUOTE FROM HD HOG MISSION STATEMENT

“We like to think of Harley-Davidson – from the top corporate officer to the newest Harley owner and rider – as one big, happy family. The Harley Owners GroupŽ helps us turn that philosophy into reality.”

But now it is not a big happy family, but rather a dysfunctional, fragmented family………
In the mean time, perhaps I’ll browse the Victory motorcycles at my local dealership.



Send one copy to each of the following:

Keith E. Wandell, CEO
Matthew S. Levatich, President and COO
James A. McCaslin, Executive Vice President for Corporate Product Planning

Harley-Davidson Corporation
3700 W. Juneau AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53208