Cycles 128 Sucks Again

[PPS26]

Just wait till you see the post I make when I cant go as fast as you on the bike you sold me.

thats not funny ritchie i bet ur faster than me this year

[Awesome]

I like how in the previous thread there were 80 people with bad experiences and two spoke up and said their experience was not bad.

The most amazing thing is elis was one of them. Now the stats instead of being 1 in 40 satisfied, would be 1 in 80 satisfied. I'm sure people will come in and see that those 79 were wrong compared to the one that was right and be more than happy to give the shop their business.

PPS, you're not helping your own shop if you're saying that the customer service offered here was acceptable.

[elissama]

Mellissa answer me this:

Why didn't you just go to the service desk like most customers, say you were out on a group ride with a bunch of people, my battery is dead, I need to get home, can you fix my bike so I can ride home.

If in fact your battery was dead and the bike wouldn't start and as you say you would have bought a battery, then would leaving it to get the battery replaced and getting a ride to your house, it's not far from Andover, and picking your bike up when it was done not a viable option.

KB

The battery is in the process of dying - with high beams on it kills it. Without highs on it charges enough while riding to start again. - Not sure if it was battery or what which is why we stopped at Cycles to check with the meter. Over time became more sure it was crapped out battery - left high's off and was able to keep riding. We push started it once before going to cycles then it started using button. Just doing the clicking noise this afternoon so the conclusion is battery.

I left and said fuck it we'll try to keep riding and if I have to push start it again so be it because I got fed up with having to beg someone in service to help before they were willing to do anything. I would also probably try to install my own battery - I'm mostly useless around bikes but if I can change oil I'd like to at least try to be functional enough to change my own battery - but yes if they had been helpful from the start and not resistant to being helpful I would have bought it there and either installed it there myself or strapped it to the back of the bike - tried to keep riding and fixed it when I got home.

[elissama]

I like how in the previous thread there were 80 people with bad experiences and two spoke up and said their experience was not bad.

The most amazing thing is elis was one of them. Now the stats instead of being 1 in 40 satisfied, would be 1 in 80 satisfied. I'm sure people will come in and see that those 79 were wrong compared to the one that was right and be more than happy to give the shop their business.

PPS, you're not helping your own shop if you're saying that the customer service offered here was acceptable.

HA! I forgot about that. You're right...the last cycles 128 bashing I defended them saying I'd had good luck and they were helpful got what I needed... so much for that.

[PPS26]

PPS, you're not helping your own shop if you're saying that the customer service offered here was acceptable.

i dont work there

[bigred875]

Not that this is a funny thing, but that made me LOL

[Awesome]

i dont work there

You don't work at plaistow power sports?

[KB]

I'm not taking side Melissa just curious is all. I think it's BS that they wouldn't have helped you out.

I'm not a fan of any dealerships. I try to avoid them unless I have to.

I used to go to Naults all the time cuz the parts guys knew me. I'd get a great discount which kept me coming back. I would buy everything there. Then they revamped the staff, no more discounts, no more repeat customer discount, nothing. So now I order everything I need online and eff them. They won't even give the usual 10% racer discount. So eff them.

KB

[ScottyGixxer]

no one likes to work for free...but in situations like this you have to remember all $ you made from teh rich customer that come in and blow $10k everytime they walk in the door.

Not true.

Nothing is free.

That 15 minutes is the price they pay for "goodwill", they WILL recoup, and exceed the price of that 15 minutes in future dividends. Worst case, she never buys anything there anyway, and never posts up about her great service, BUT she does NOT start a thread like this.

Either way, the dealership wins with material gains.

[elissama]

I'm not taking side Melissa just curious is all. I think it's BS that they wouldn't have helped you out.

I'm not a fan of any dealerships. I try to avoid them unless I have to.

I used to go to Naults all the time cuz the parts guys knew me. I'd get a great discount which kept me coming back. I would buy everything there. Then they revamped the staff, no more discounts, no more repeat customer discount, nothing. So now I order everything I need online and eff them. They won't even give the usual 10% racer discount. So eff them.

KB

Figured as much - wasn't being defensive just explaining best I can since I'm still not 100% on what's wrong. If it looks like a battery, sounds like a battery and smells like a battery it probably is... least that's what I'm hoping. I'm taking Sheppo up on his offer to help - maybe find myself a new local shop to work with.

[bigred875]

Not true.

Nothing is free.

That 15 minutes is the price they pay for "goodwill", they WILL recoup, and exceed the price of that 15 minutes in future dividends. Worst case, she never buys anything there anyway, and never posts up about her great service, BUT she does NOT start a thread like this.

Either way, the dealership wins with material gains.

you said not true then proceed to to spell out the same point i have been making? interesting tactic

[OreoGaborio]

Melissa, lemme know if you can't get it to Sheppo before next week, I'll throw my multimeter at it and see if it helps

[bigred875]

Figured as much - wasn't being defensive just explaining best I can since I'm still not 100% on what's wrong. If it looks like a battery, sounds like a battery and smells like a battery it probably is... least that's what I'm hoping. I'm taking Sheppo up on his offer to help - maybe find myself a new local shop to work with.

look at the bright side even if it wasn't originally your battery that was the problem, you've probably killed it by now

[Stoneman]

Okay...Melissa? IT'S YOUR BATTERY! GET A NEW ONE AT BATTERIES PLUS!

Bring your bike up & while you & Big Shirl are down at the stable I'll swap it out for you...

[PPS26]

yes. and yes i work in service..i am not defending cycles128 just making a comment on how fast word spreads on the internet.. i am a service advisor and i feel that i would have handled the situation a bit different, i prob would not have dropped what i was doing but perhaps if the customer didnt mind waiting for a little while i would have tried to lend a hand and if it was somthing i couldnt do on my own i would have asked to have the bike left for a little while or w.e the situation was. Im sorry the person had a bad experience with that shop. And for the record plaistow powersports is owned but not operated by the same people we operate independantly and should not be included with the bad experiences had at other shops.

[Degsy]

Gotta chime in a little here.

I have a small motorcycle related side business that I work in with a couple of other guys. On Monday and Tuesday this week we held an event that made us WAY busier than any motorcycle dealership service dept would normally be (even at this time of year). If someone came to any of us during the event and asked us to check a battery we would have said "Sure, pop the seat off and tell me when you have done that and I'll check it."

Note: we don't sell batteries so we could not have made a penny doing that job. It's one of our customers asking though, so it's our duty to help if we want to promote ourselves as friendly and helpful.

However, I would not lend a multimeter to anyone. It is easy to blow up a meter and it's easy to arc a lead out and it's also a liability thing. Better to check the battery out myself for the few seconds it takes.

We had two guys show up at our trackday on Monday, late (after the rider's meeting). They had not booked but wanted to ride. We told them the cost and took them to the classroom for a briefing after telling them that they MUST show up on time next time. They asked for video of themselves and we got on track and took some video of them. Then they needed a tire changed (their own tire, not one they bought from us) and they had no stands. We took their bike to a garage, took off the rear rim and changed the tire and put the rim back on. The charge was very nominal ($40 I think).

They came to us later in the day and and said they were so happy they wanted to buy 2 of our hats and a few stickers for their bikes AND they both wanted to sign up for the second day. Total sales? close to $500. They also posted good things about us on their local online forum. That's advertising you just cannot buy.

Having said that, you sometimes must say "hey, I'm really sorry, can you wait a while until a tech is available to help you?"

Having a bad attitude is the complaint here, not the fact that they couldn't come right out with a meter and check the battery right away.

IF cycles 128 or an employee of their wanted to answer this thread, the reply should have been:

"I'm very sorry that you had a bad experience at our dealership. At this time of year during the first nice weather of the spring we are extremely busy in the service department. What can I do for you to change your opinion of cycles 128? How about free battery installation and and $20 off retail for the battery?"

The replies in this thread would have been along the lines of "Nice that this guy is offering to at least go the extra mile to apologize and rectify the problem."

Having said that, I am glad to see that you are trying to take a better stance on this now after realizing that you kind of went off in your first post.

derek

["Dangerous" Dan K]

Melissa,

I see you're in Andover. If one of your rides takes you through Newburyport between 8AM & 6PM before you get a chance to get it to one of the guys that have offered to help you out, I've got a multimeter you can have. Even after that, for that matter. Seems like you already have this issue licked, but it's a damn handy tool to have around and sort of a must have for anyone interested in doing their own electrical troubleshooting. I upgraded to a digital that will do high amperage DC readings and don't need my old one anymore.

[bigred875]

yes. and yes i work in service..i am not defending cycles128 just making a comment on how fast word spreads on the internet.. i am a service advisor and i feel that i would have handled the situation a bit different, i prob would not have dropped what i was doing but perhaps if the customer didnt mind waiting for a little while i would have tried to lend a hand and if it was somthing i couldnt do on my own i would have asked to have the bike left for a little while or w.e the situation was. Im sorry the person had a bad experience with that shop. And for the record plaistow powersports is owned but not operated by the same people we operate independantly and should not be included with the bad experiences had at other shops.

sounds like you dont get it either

"i prob would not have dropped what i was doing"

the first rule in customer service is service the customer in front you first

that means if someone walks up to you while working on another customers bike you take a couple of minutes to see if you can help..

if you are on the phone with a customer you put them on hold and help the customer that just walked up

it's not a hard fast rule and there are exceptions but thats how customer service should be handled...imo

[Degsy]

P.S How the hell can a motorcycle service tech afford a $350 multimeter and what would you need one for on a motorcycle?

[elissama]

Okay...Melissa? IT'S YOUR BATTERY! GET A NEW ONE AT BATTERIES PLUS!

Bring your bike up & while you & Big Shirl are down at the stable I'll swap it out for you...

I thought you were complaining you couldn't go for rides b/c there was still to much ice by you. How am I supposed to make it? :-)

Batteries plus looks like a good thing. 70 bucks shipped.

I suppose putting in the battery could be considered fair trade for horse spring cleaning

[KB]

I thought you were complaining you couldn't go for rides b/c there was still to much ice by you. How am I supposed to make it? :-)

Batteries plus looks like a good thing. 70 bucks shipped.

I suppose putting in the battery could be considered fair trade for horse spring cleaning

He has many many many reasons he doesn't go for a ride!!

KB

[OreoGaborio]

"I can't go riding, someone put their ball sack on my throttle grip"

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

Lets Just say
#1 I hate Dealerships, Motorcycle, Car, Best buy ect.
#2 Some of my real good friends Work at Dealerships (Motorcycle)
#3 I have had Terrible service at "good" Dealerships and Good Service at the so-called Bad Dealerships.

The Key to Dealing with the Dealships Is to form a relationship with the people you want to deal with there.

It sucks that it works like this. But it does. I am sure If Melissa Goes to 128 and goes and finds John and tells him about her problem I am sure John would have Taken her down to His "Buddy" in service and things most likly would have been Diffrent.

It sucks bit that is how it it (for Me)

[PPS26]

sounds like you dont get it either

"i prob would not have dropped what i was doing"

the first rule in customer service is service the customer in front you first

that means if someone walks up to you while working on another customers bike you take a couple of minutes to see if you can help..

if you are on the phone with a customer you put them on hold and help the customer that just walked up

it's not a hard fast rule and there are exceptions but thats how customer service should be handled...imo

so what is it that you dont think I get? there have been mornings on a sat there are 8 people infront of me..I let them all know i will be with them in one moment and move on.

[Ericthejet]

For what it's worth:
My last year working back home was at a busy GM owned/attached collision center.
Our manager was a top notch fellow who empowered us to do the best we could while dealing with a customer. On occasion a customer would return with a minor issue relating to some work recently done by us. I could walk into the body shop and fetch one of the lads and seek some advice or if needed walk over to the car with me. If it was going to take a few minutes we had tokens for the coffee machine in out waiting area to help keep the customer occupied. In most cases I could handle the issue, sometimes with the help of a technician and in some cases our manager was called in. As a group we realized that being in a large city did not assure us of being busy all the time so it was communicated to us that this attitude was key in the eyes of the customer.

One day a brand new Tahoe shows up, deep red in color and the owner is dressed in a suit. I was available and we went out together to see what the issue was or write an estimate for repairs.
The vehicle had a very light scratch all down the right side and it traveled the length of that rig. I took a good look and it seemed it was only the clear coat affected by the car wash it had just come from. I sent the customer to the waiting area as I sought out our detailers. One fellow who I trusted came up and determined it could be buffed out in say about 20 minutes. I gave the customer the update and we started on the job. In a short while we all went out to the vehicle and inspected the job. The scratch was gone and the truck looked fine.
Back inside the owner asked what was owed and i said it was on us. He then showed me 2 estimates for repairs involving paintwork etc. Anyways he was happy and continued on his way. My coworker asked if the truck had been purchased from our dealership and I mentioned that I failed to notice if it had one of our stickers on the tailgate.

My manager's phone rang about 1 hour later with the owners on the other end. It turns out the truck was occupied by GM's eastern customer service agent or something like that. Needless to say it looked good for all of us and nice letters soon arrived in the mail. It was a good day.

Customer service can be a test but we seemed to pull it off often as it was a policy with us to go that extra "kilometer" and they supported it 100%.

End of story.