griffo
Senior Member
98 Yellow
Posts: 375
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Post by griffo on Jan 6, 2015 17:29:25 GMT 10
Ive noticed a deterioration in the service from a lot of bike shops and mechanical workshops in general over the last few years , I dont see how many of these places think they are doing themselves and favours by letting employees or themselves dealing out crap service to customers , I had a really bad run on bike shops there for a while one being Sunstate Motors on the Sunshine coast where I was having a bike serviced Id bought off them for about 18 months ( compulsory service for extended warranty to boot so they had me over a barrel ) before finding out they hadn't been even doing the services , only worked it out after it almost ran out of oil and when changing what was in there finding about half a cup of what looked like old coffee in there , this was after a string of things falling off due to bolts not being tightened back up when they did whatever they were doing there .
Then a yamaha shop at Booval which has since shut down stuffed a rim on my VTR while changing a tyre then didn't want to accept responsibility , and the latest is not my own experience but my brothers after he took a wheel and used tyre with good tread he picked up off a mate to Bayside Yamaha over on the Brissie bayside and and after ringing and being told it would be 40 bux to slip it on for him , he dropped it in with a fully inflated tyre on the rim and they fitted the tyre he'd given them then picked it up and on the way home it deflated fully , he took it back and they rang the next day and said the rim was corroded , he told them to just leave it and he'd pick it up and have a look at it and when he went to get the wheel they brought it out and handed it to him but no tyre ... , he asked wheres the tyre and they said oh did you want the tyre as well to which he replied , well it is my tyre , so they went and got it and he immeadiately saw a big chuck out of the bead , he went off and said whats this and they tried to tell him it was like that when he brought it in , after they got a shop supervisor out to talk about it the result was they told him they were taking no responsibility for it and just walked off .
Crap service and they shot themselves in the foot as the workshop guys didn't know he'd been talking to one of their salesman the previous day about buying a lams bike off them for his son , he's just waiting for the salesman to ring him back now to continue the chat about the lams bike so he can tell them where to shove it , Ive been luck enough now to find both a good tyre fitter and a good mechanic i can trust so If you have the same stick with them as there are some shoddy bastards out there .
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binny
Senior Member
2001 - Blue
Posts: 362
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Post by binny on Jan 6, 2015 20:00:48 GMT 10
Yes the dealer situation in SEQ has become really sad. Archer Capital have bought out almost all the dealerships with Team Moto being the main chain they own. Its hard to find a dealer that is still independant. Their business model revolves heavily around selling those garbage warranties that aren't worth the paper they are printed on then forcing the owners to take them there for servicing. Its scary how often I have heard similar stories about services not actually being done (although I have experienced the same myself at 2 different car dealers!) I recall one particular Ducati owner taking his bike to my mechanic because it still ran crap after just spending $1900 on a service at a bike dealer. Turns out that Rats had been nesting in his airbox and there was a hole chewed through the air filter, not to mention all the leaves and dung in there... So what exactly did they do for $1900?? What I don't get is how these dealers can continuously get away with it. They should be up on criminal charges!
So what mechanic do you use? Ozzy?
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Post by kenmoore on Jan 7, 2015 5:32:41 GMT 10
Many many years ago when I had a Kawasaki Z1R MK11 I took it to a dealer to get a new back tyre fitted.
It had an endless chain on it.
When I got the bike back It had a joining link in the chain.
A couple of days later I went of a ride with my brother in law and the chain snapped , ripped the crankcase to bits and almost bloody killed me, not to mention scare the shot out of me.
That is when I decided to do all my own work.
When I bought new bikes, and never ever bought one from that dealer, I insisted that I be present when they did any services. A dealer said to me that I couldn't be present in his workshop due to insurance requirements and duty of care, I said "That's O.K , if you want the sale that is my requirement and I am happy to provide you with a waiver absolving you of any responsibility should I be injured in your workshop"
I did the deal, and had the bike serviced by them until the warranty ran out. I provided everything that they needed as well and they only charged me for labour and a few incidentals. They didn't like it , and probably didn't like me either, but it got what I wanted and we all knew where we stood. I learnt a bit from that exercise.
Also be aware that it is illegal for a dealer to insist that they service a bike to maintain factory warranty.
To comply with and maintain a factory warranty the bike must be serviced by a licensed mechanic and your log book must be endorsed by the servicing agent and their license number must be supplied.
It is also a good idea to use genuine parts and make sure that you can supply evidence in the form of an invoice clearly stating what has been done.
Things like, changed brake and clutch fluid should be written on the invoice if that is part of the service. That way if any seals go they can't say that the seal deteriorated due to contaminated oil, and genuine parts carry a warranty, that's why they should be used. Non genuine parts have warranties as well, but should something go wrong it's easier to get warranty if the parts involved were genuine. A manufacturer would be reluctant to tell you that their parts are faulty where as it is easy for them to imply that about non genuine parts.
Some dealers and franchises will try anything to get out of warranty.
As for after market warranties, be very careful as most of them are only there to get you back to make money out of you.
Make sure that you have the sales person explain exactly what is and isn't covered and what you will be paying for each service.
Most of them are not what they seem with very limited coverage and small maximum claim levels.
As for bad service, shonky workmanship most workshops, dealers prey on the fact that you won't go to a claims tribunal because it's too much hassle.
Stuff that, If I used a mechanic and they stuffed up I would take them.
Think about it for a minute. They don't want the hassle and can't afford the time away from work as it costs too much money.
I have been in the motor industry for over 40 years and have witnessed some very bad situations due to poor workmanship!
It happens and when it does the best solution is to fix it, but some dealers are arseholes and deserve to be taken to the cleaners. That's where the tribunal comes in. If you go down that road be calm, unemotional and have all your facts. You stand a good chance of being compensated.
Because of my bad experience I resolved to become proficient mechanically with motor bikes.
Now if something goes wrong, and it does from time to time I only have myself to blame.
The last thing that I feel needs to be said is that if you find a good mechanic tell everyone and likewise for a bad one.
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vtrstormer
Admin
I feel the need, the need for a few twisties and a latte!
Posts: 1,663
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Post by vtrstormer on Jan 7, 2015 20:36:48 GMT 10
Maybe I should start up a preferred mechanics section on the forum so people can add their preferred services providers in their areas with name and phone numbers etc we could also list the ones the stay away from.
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Post by kenmoore on Jan 8, 2015 4:22:29 GMT 10
Like I said, get a bad one they deserve to be named and shamed.
Get a good one and they deserve to be promoted.
Unfortunately I think that there would be more bad ones on the list than good.
Keeping the public happy is a tough gig.
My experience over the years has taught me that customers all have different levels of expectation when you are taking money off them.
What is an acceptable service experience to some May not be acceptable to me because of many different factors.
A good workshop knows what their individual clients expect and provide a service level in line with expectations.
That promotes retention, in other words the customers come back.
It's a fine line.
One thing that I do whenever I am not happy with anything that I buy is that I go back to the shop and speak to the person that I dealt with.
If I get no satisfaction there, I always speak to the owner.
I always acknowledge good service and likewise bad service.
The best advertising for any business is recommendation or referral.
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1wd
Honourable Member
'99 Limited Edition Teal!
Posts: 520
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Post by 1wd on Jan 8, 2015 17:28:07 GMT 10
I bought a 2008 Bandit recentley off a bloke with full service history, even showed me the EFT tear offs to match the invoices. It had a major service 2000K before I bought it. I bought it at 26000k, major at 24000k It had a bit of a vibe at the 3.5 - 4.5k rpm mark(highway cruising) very annoying. To over come this I thought I'd start with the simple things like clean the chain. Wow, It looked like it had never been done yet on the invoice this was part of the service. That made a difference to the vibration. On the strength of that I thought I better do an oil change. And yep. It looked more than 2000k old.
And this is also S/E QLD (Springwood major dealer)
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griffo
Senior Member
98 Yellow
Posts: 375
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Post by griffo on Jan 9, 2015 18:05:57 GMT 10
One of the problems with dealership servicing , or in a lot of cases anyway is that the mechanics there are usually employees , so they dont really give a rats if they're having a bad day whether you come back or not as they're only working for a wage , whereas if you can find a guy or guys as I have working for themselves they're more likely to take some pride in their work as they rely on your return business and you passing on good will for them , my case with Sunstate was apparently a disgruntled employee , whereas my brothers problem was caused by the old , get the apprentice to slip a tyre on that guys rims , its an "easy " job , Im a very easy going sort of guy and Ive cut a lot of slack to places with bad service over the years but its starting to get beyond a joke lately .
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Post by kenmoore on Jan 9, 2015 20:06:29 GMT 10
That's exactly why I try and do everything myself.
The things I can't do I usually know someone who can and do a barter system with them .
Has worked for me for years.
I very rarely let any bike out of my sight as I just don't trust anyone to do things the way I would want them to be done.
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Post by colinlinz on Jan 14, 2015 16:37:45 GMT 10
It is a big issue in general. Business in general, seems to have moved away from the idea of meeting customer expectation. Even the supermarkets no longer stock a range of products. They have reduced products and reduced stocked brands. It isn't the customer demand shaping the business, it is now the business shaping the customer demand. One problem is pay. A fully qualified mechanic will only get about $21 per hour (even the good ones). You can get $24 per hour working in Bunnings or a supermarket. The industry suffers a very poor career path, and most mechanics choose not to stay in the industry. Further is the bonus system that some places use. It rewards short cuts and short term gains. I was very impressed with the Team Moto shop I bought my MT-09 from, the bike sales and accessory sales safe were excellent. I haven't used their service department yet, I'm still deciding what I will do there. I only have to concern myself with factory warranty, I never buy extended warranty.
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vtrstormer
Admin
I feel the need, the need for a few twisties and a latte!
Posts: 1,663
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Post by vtrstormer on Jan 14, 2015 16:51:46 GMT 10
Very true mate.... Short cuts to boost profits but what they don't realise is the less service they offer the less people they will have to service their profits as they will obviously look else where. Where this comes undone is when your the only mechanic shop or service dept in that location and that's when it really gets poor as they know people won't travel 100km to go somewhere else.
Under promise and over deliver, that's what I live by.
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binny
Senior Member
2001 - Blue
Posts: 362
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Post by binny on Jan 14, 2015 18:12:51 GMT 10
Its not just bike dealers it seems to be society in general now. Driven by greed and will happily try and screw you over for more money. I'm so over it. My car is due for a service in about 2 weeks and I honestly can't decide where to take it because everywhere I have tried the last few years had tried to screw me over. 2 dealers have stamped the book and not actually done anything except change the oil, then charged me for Air and fuel filters, spark plugs, transmission services etc. And every service provider we engage at work promises everything and delivers nothing. I am constantly having to battle with them to get what we paid for. Back on topic. I use Ozzy Graf at OzRacing in Brisbane. He runs his own business from home with a dedicated workshop out the back that has a dyno and is sound proofed and pressurised. His workshop is meticulous and he treats your bike like its his own. He will never be the cheapest but he only uses the highest quality fluids etc. I also trust him enough that if he says something needs to be done I believe him without question because I know he won't rip me off. www.ozracing.biz/I just wish I could find a car mechanic like him.
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Post by colinlinz on Jan 18, 2015 14:49:24 GMT 10
Did you guys catch the story on a Brisbane Hyundai dealer last year. A woman got her i30 serviced, and they hit her with a list of other things that needed doing. On the way home she stopped at another workshop to get a second opinion. Apart from telling her that most of those listed items didn't need doing, he commented on her bill. They had charged her for a power steering flush, the problem being that the i30 has electric power steering. Business owners probably do want good quality work output, but then the the policies of on selling and time based bonuses create pressure on poorly paid staff to risk short cuts.
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vtrstormer
Admin
I feel the need, the need for a few twisties and a latte!
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Post by vtrstormer on Jan 18, 2015 20:09:12 GMT 10
Talking about bad services...did you see the news a few nights back with the car on fire....it was being driven home from just being serviced.....burnt to the ground
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Post by Fozzy Bear on Feb 13, 2015 15:59:24 GMT 10
I bought my bike brand new. It went back to the dealers for the 1000km service (which is crap and just to cover the warranty) and the bike has never seen the inside of a dealers since (except the recall on the fuel tap which they were happy to do as they charged Honda for it) . 77000kms later , the bike runs like a swiss watch (A noisy swiss watch, but thats the nature of the storm)
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vtrstormer
Admin
I feel the need, the need for a few twisties and a latte!
Posts: 1,663
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Post by vtrstormer on Feb 13, 2015 17:13:06 GMT 10
I find my little mechanics shop better than the larger branded shops anyway but mine will only see their floor if I am at my wits end...
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