Ok, 2 weeks ago I ordered a timing cover,oil temp dip stick and a stripper seat. was told they would call when stuff came in.

This morning,after waiting 2 weeks. I call the dealer. Low and behold, the cover & oil temp guage have been there for over a week I'm told.
And the seat order was cancelled by harley,discontinued.

Why the hell didn't they call????????

My wife is pissed!!! she's been waiting to go out with me on the bike.


Not to mention the freaks make you pay in advance!!!!


Stealer is the appropriate name!




Rant off.

 

I don't think I would fault them too seriously for one incident. No one has a perfect recordfor customer service ... regretably...Perhaps in a perfect world, thisjust wouldn't happen. If they make a habit of disapointing you, or your hear of other instances, then yep they certainly have a problemary service/parts dept.

I would certainly air my beef with the dept manager. He/she needs to know stuff like that. Ya can't fix a problem if you don't know it exists.

 

Yep.

It's just frustrating,especially after leaving one dealer with bad habbits,to go right into this with another.

Guess I was just hoping for something to go smooth for once.

 

Sorry, bikergirl40, but I have to disagree with you. It is endemic in my experience. The first time I ordered parts I was told it would be a week. Ten days later after not hearing from the dealer, I stopped in. There were the parts and the part's guy says, "...didn't anyone call you? They've been here for 5 days".

Fast forward to some other things I needed - not in stock (and should have been). I went to another dealer and he did not have the stock either. I ordered from the second dealer with the normal, "it should be in by the end of the week and we'll call you as soon as it arrives". I stopped in the following week not having heard from the dealer. The parts had been there since the previous Thursday!

I am thoroughly disgusted at H-D dealer's "customer service". The only real service you get is when buying the bike, after that, get in line because they just don't care!

 

That's the feeling I get too!

 

I don't think poor service is limited to just Harley dealerships. It's an integral part of all retail business or even the service industry for that matter.I have been todealerships where they do make an effort to provide goodservice. Problem is ...whereever there is ahuman factor there is room for error. Always has been, always will be. There are accounts of excellent service as well as poor service.It's hit and miss.

We own our own business .. soI know what it's like to be on the other side of the counter. Doesn't matter how hard I try .... even I screw up from time to time, too. It happens.

 

I guess I must be the only one here to not have problems like that. Sorry to hear you guys/gals do. I agree, It does create an audible vacume, ( suck out loud ) it's been my expreience that this "problem" is not limited to HD dealers, Ford, Chevy, Honda, and Yamaha, heck, most all dealers have this problem. It's called: not careing about the job you do. Happens everywhere. I doubt the dealership is fully aware of these issues or they would make some kind of atempt to fix it. It usually just boils down to the face behind the counter. Some of them can ask if you want fry's with that? Others can't.

I guess it's all in how we were raised.

 

As a parts guy at a dealership (Ford not HD) I can tell you first hand that stuff is bound to happen. I try to call everyone that has a part ordered from ME, but there is no way that I can call everyone that has a part ordered in the whole department. You don't know if the guy that you ordered your parts from might have been on vacation or sick or if he was that bad about not calling people, fired even! Most places you're on individual commission nowadays, so it's evey one for themselves. I'm lucky, I'm not in that situation, we're a team effort on commissionso we really try to look out for each other's customers.Even so, it happens....even if it's my parts sometimes I don't get it done....nobody is perfect. And why wait for 2 weeks? After about 3 days or so I'd call just to see....

"Not to mention the freaks make you pay in advance!!!!"
Hey, man, that's industry standard now. Cars, motorcycles, tractors, boats...whatever you've got. Money is so tight right now and we have to keep such a close eye on our inventories, that we have to make people prepay for special order parts. Sure as you don't, then they never come back and you're stuck with parts that you don't stock, won't sell, and don't want and will never get rid of.

Rev. George.....Chattanooga, Tn

 

I don't know if I would pin that on simply just not caring ... which is we have to agree is the case in most instances. But there are those who do care, but just don't have the means to do it all. Under staffing is often the culprit when it comes to bad service.

The phone is constantlyringing, customers are lined up (some have questions about merchandise) (somejust want to pay for it)there's a pile of info requests to answer on the desk, not to mention all the other duties a service clerk may have need to be done before the end of the day. Too much work for one person.Disappointing an anxious awaiting customerby not providing a courtesy call is not always becausethe service personnelis sitting in the staff room playing with himself or herself or each other.

I know what it's like trying to appease EVERYONE at one time. It just can't be done. And I CARE about my job and my customers.I know what it's like to multi-task - I do it on a regular basis. I'm doingit right now ... I'm working this very minute, answering the phone, balancing a bank reconciliationand typing this post (PLUS I also have a load of laundry in the washer and the dryer, dishes in the dishwasher andhave already 1/2 prepared what I will cook for dinner tonight). How's that for time management?

 

I was the parts manager for the largest Honda, Yamaha, Kaw, Suz and Ducati in northern Illinois years ago. With all of those lines I did my best to keep on top of all the orders, back orders and canceled parts and made all of my guys call the customers when the parts came in or tell them about the parts that were canceled. That was me and not all of my guys always did what they were told. Now with one linelike Harley were they get 90% of there parts this should not happen. I crashed my Glide and used the dealer in Woodstock, IL and they were great in calling me about the parts. So not all of the dealers are bad. I don't have the Glide anymore but I go out of my way (there is a dealer 5 miles from my house) and take the ride to Woodstock to getthe stuff for my XL1200C.