My dealer does that too - gets annoying.

I have to wonder why we schedule an appointment at all when a 4 hour service dropped off first thing on Saturday isn't completed until close of business the following Wednesday!

 

Then on the other hand... I called a dealer I had never done any business with to make an appointment for the brake fluid recall. The SM told me I didn't need an appointment and they would do the work whenever I arrived. I pulled in at 1 P:M: the next day and was back on the road at 2 P:M:. Felt like I should buy a lottery ticket.

 

I am not covering for the dealer by any means but this is they get over scheduled and sometime it takes longer than usual and they have to wait on parts it seems they don’t keep a big inventory

 

I think the service manager is the key to this. Previously my local dealer was as you describe - book an appointment and it didn't seem to matter as you would wait hours or most likely days to have the work done. But the service manager who came in a couple years ago is 180 degrees different. Several times I've contacted him for an appointment for work that could be completed in a few hours. Each time I have been accommodated and the work was performed as scheduled. So it all boils down to scheduling and someone who knows and cares to do it right.

For some reason most dealers think we've nothing better to do than drop off our bikes and wait and wait on them to perform the work. Their attitude seems to be that they are doing us a favor.

 

Went to the local dealer once on a Saturday. Sat down with the service writer & gave him a list of some things I wanted done, and told him I'd bring in the bike the following Saturday for the work. He tells me they're swamped right now but he has all my requests written down on his pad & will enter it all into the computer later when it calms down... for right now he'll just put my name in for next Saturday morning. Okie dokie.

Come back the next Saturday & sit down with the same guy. He looks in the computer and sees my name, but that's it. I remind him about writing it all down on the pad & all... OH YEAH... now he remembers. Got so busy he forgot to enter it all. So he gets out his pad & enters in all the work to be done. Then asks me...

Are you sure you want to wait around for this? It's going to be a long time since none of this was scheduled.

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Thankfully I have not experienced this service frustration with my dealer. My appointments and time estimates have gone well.

 

You need a new dealer and explain to the one you leave why and also explain to the new one why you are there.
Only issue I ever had I was ok with showed up a little early for an appointment. Service writer ask me if I would mind a little delay. Group from out of town , one bike needed work and he wanted to get them back on the road asap. Left mine their took one of their spare bikes and rode off with my wife. Cost me $20,000 shortly after. The spare bike was a RG and wife fell for it.
You a have a right and a responsibility to address it with both the Service writer and the owner.

 

Ken and Jim each called the dealer to make an appointment to have their 1000 mile service performed. Jim got a Tuesday appt, and Ken got a Wednesday appt. Jim rode the bike in, and told the SM that he would wait for the bike to be completed. He rode it home on Tuesday.

Ken rode his in, and told the SM to call him when ready. He eventually called the dealer on Friday because he wanted to ride it on Saturday. Bike not ready. Dealer called him on Tuesday and bike is ready.

Moral of this story, if routine maintenance, wait for the bike in the lounge.

True story