Carlo Called

[Studybaker Bob]

Self proclaimed, the most famous spyder in the world, spyder from hell, lemon of all lemons.
Sorry, I haven't been back on line for a few days, but, I got food poisoning and had been down for the count. I'm feeling much better now and ready to get back in the ring.
On or about 1-19-11, Carlo from BRP called about 11:00 am, and we talked for about 15 or 20 minutes, and as always, he started out very nice & concerned about all the trouble we are having. He still wants us to wait another 3 to 4 months when the weather warms up & he can send his high teck mechanics down with their high teck on board diagnostic equipment that only they have. That would have been a great Idea a year ago.
That BRP would furnish a spyder like ours so I can ride along with them and that they could watch me to see if I am doing something wrong. I've been in the saddle for over 50 years and I know how to ride a motorcycle. Besides, How could my riding affect it being a high teck computerised electronic nightmare that they can not fix. Looks like they are trying to find a fall guy.
Why don't they admit that its a lemon and step up to the plate and do the right thing
I told Carlo I was tired of waiting and sick & tired of our spyder sitting in the service dept all riding season and us making 275.00 per month paymentsfor nothing.
I told him to take it now & send it down south now where they will have 2 to 3 months to check it out & to try to fix it, but No, they gotta do it there way, that they will only let Tousley Motorsport work on it, because they know that the mechanics know our spyder best. The poor mechanics there have thrown every new part that they can think of at our spyder & they can not f at 5 ix it, because it is jinxed.
The customer service people at BRP, Carlo, Crystal, are very smart & very well trained. They are like American politians, they can talk all day & never say anything. Never answer a question, never make a comment, never make a promise.
They are very well trained in keeping control of the conversation and not letting you make a point, by bullying you, intrupting you, by over talking & trying to shout you down. With me, they loose the shouting match.
I told Carlo I was not satisfied & did not know what I was going to do, but that they would not like it.
I am not a dumb, dumb that just fell off the turnip truck this morning at 5:00 am this morning.
War is on , I have not yet begun to fight.

[Dudley]

He still wants us to wait another 3 to 4 months when the weather warms up & he can send his high teck mechanics down with their high teck on board diagnostic equipment that only they have. That would have been a great Idea a year ago.
That BRP would furnish a spyder like ours so I can ride along with them and that they could watch me to see if I am doing something wrong. I've been in the saddle for over 50 years and I know how to ride a motorcycle. Besides, How could my riding affect it being a high teck computerised electronic nightmare that they can not fix. Looks like they are trying to find a fall guy.

Here is my two cents. By your reaction to their offer, you have shown them that you do not want to give them another chance. True, according to what you say, everything but the kitchen sink has be put on, taken off, replaced, etc., and nothing works. I think the dealer service department is over it's head on trying to fix this. I believe that if you don't accept BRP's offer, then you just might be considered as unwilling to work with them even one more time...work with THEM not the dealer service department. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by accepting their offer. If, after their techs have worked on it and it still cannot be repaired, you stand a lot better chance of being made whole.
Your attitude now is taking you on a one-way street to despair.

[musicarcade]

Here is my two cents. By your reaction to their offer, you have shown them that you do not want to give them another chance. True, according to what you say, everything but the kitchen sink has be put on, taken off, replaced, etc., and nothing works. I think the dealer service department is over it's head on trying to fix this. I believe that if you don't accept BRP's offer, then you just might be considered as unwilling to work them them even one more time...work with THEM not the dealer service department. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by accepting their offer. If, after their techs have worked on it and it still cannot be repaired, you stand a lot better chance of being made whole.
Your attitude now is taking you on a one-way street to despair.

I have been down this road myself.
Everyone thought I had the "lemon of lemons".
I certainly understand the frustration....
I feel that they will try to compensate you for your downtime somehow- perhaps add time to your warranty or something...

[bcspyder]

Although I feel your pain I think you are taking a path that will NEVER lead to your satisfaction. I have had some serious issues with mine as well, but with the help of the dealer and Carlo all is good now. BRP got parts here quickly and the dealer was awesome picking up and repairing my Spyder. After I had a DPS meltdown Courtenay Motorsports picked up the Spyder the next day. BTW I am three hours away from them. BRP was also understanding about time lost and I was able to get an extension on my warranty. You may have lost that opportunity.

Getting pissed and accusatorial towards Carlo isn't going to get you anywhere. Many on this site have had great help from him. If your phone calls go the direction that your posts do, I would not be particularly excited to help you either. In matters like this you are always better served by being calm and becoming part of the solution, not making the problem worse for everyone. We are dealing with a machine, and a very complex one at that. If you have a Lemon Law in your state I would consider that. No one would blame you and that would be a rationale response rather than lashing out over and over and over......

[ARtraveler]

Reprinting the same complaint on a weekly basis, under a different thread heading is not doing your cause any good. You should listen to the members advice for all the previous threads.

[bone crusher]

Self proclaimed, the most famous spyder in the world, spyder from hell, lemon of all lemons.
Sorry, I haven't been back on line for a few days, but, I got food poisoning and had been down for the count. I'm feeling much better now and ready to get back in the ring.
On or about 1-19-11, Carlo from BRP called about 11:00 am, and we talked for about 15 or 20 minutes, and as always, he started out very nice & concerned about all the trouble we are having. He still wants us to wait another 3 to 4 months when the weather warms up & he can send his high teck mechanics down with their high teck on board diagnostic equipment that only they have. That would have been a great Idea a year ago.
That BRP would furnish a spyder like ours so I can ride along with them and that they could watch me to see if I am doing something wrong. I've been in the saddle for over 50 years and I know how to ride a motorcycle. Besides, How could my riding affect it being a high teck computerised electronic nightmare that they can not fix. Looks like they are trying to find a fall guy.
Why don't they admit that its a lemon and step up to the plate and do the right thing
I told Carlo I was tired of waiting and sick & tired of our spyder sitting in the service dept all riding season and us making 275.00 per month paymentsfor nothing.
I told him to take it now & send it down south now where they will have 2 to 3 months to check it out & to try to fix it, but No, they gotta do it there way, that they will only let Tousley Motorsport work on it, because they know that the mechanics know our spyder best. The poor mechanics there have thrown every new part that they can think of at our spyder & they can not f at 5 ix it, because it is jinxed.
The customer service people at BRP, Carlo, Crystal, are very smart & very well trained. They are like American politians, they can talk all day & never say anything. Never answer a question, never make a comment, never make a promise.
They are very well trained in keeping control of the conversation and not letting you make a point, by bullying you, intrupting you, by over talking & trying to shout you down. With me, they loose the shouting match.
I told Carlo I was not satisfied & did not know what I was going to do, but that they would not like it.
I am not a dumb, dumb that just fell off the turnip truck this morning at 5:00 am this morning.
War is on , I have not yet begun to fight.

Take them up on their offer...however, ask Carlo for financial help...meaning, if you can't ride it and they are making you wait a few months, maybe he can help by off-setting your payments on the vehicle. I'm sure they'd prefer you be happy and riding...however, they might have protocol that they cannot deviate from...

By the time you do anything else, a few months will have passed...if you are overly adversarial, Carlo and BRP will likely not want to do anything to help you going forward...there is fighting a fight on principle, but there is also the more important task of getting your bike up and running properly. Don't let your frustration get the better of you.

I'm sure everyone here would rather you be happy and riding...however, you do have limited options, and it's obvious you are not happy with what's been offered. How about asking Carlo what they'll do if they come down and still can't fix it...

[pitmon]

Carlos and BRP were VERY fair and worked diligently to get my spyder back up and running after my issues with the DPS. I also had to go through the techs being flown down and checking it out and riding it, exchanging parts, etc. It took a while but they finally figured out what it was and got it fixed. I understand your frustration but I believe that if you work with them and not against them then it will all work out in the end. Good luck to you.

[IWN2RYD]

Well I have tried to not comment on this. But I have had enough.

It is the attitude and the chosen type of communication that is causing the issue. Not BRP. Period.

I know first hand how a "mature" "conversations(s)" returns very positive results from BRP. I have had no less than nine separate issues with our RT-S SE5 ryde starting from mile #4...

I am more than happy to get on any soap box any day and say BRP does listen to their clients and responds appropriately. They stood shoulder to shoulder with us until we had been satisfied. Not only did they do that, they also took very good care of our Dealer as well.

We are so pleased with the end results of how BRP took care of us we plan on getting a third Spyder (Just got the second one a few weeks ago).

For all you pilots out there... A bad approach is a bad approach. And a good approach is a good approach. Same rules apply with BRP. And that is a fact.

[bruiser]

As a field rep for a major equipment company I can relate to the issue at hand. I try to work with my customers on warranty issues. However, as with BRP and most companies, there are guidlines that must be adhered to. I will work with a customer who is willing to work with me. But when I get someone who is unwilling, abusive, loud etc. I tend to turn a deaf ear. I have bent the rules to help a willing customer. Not so with the unwilling. I just had a recent issue with my dealer on service and repair to my RTS. I was not at all happy. I went to the dealer and calmly showed them my concerns. Yes, the has been there since Tuesday evening, the shop manager called yesterday with an update and we had a face to face today, all in a calm, gentlemanly manner. My is being taken care of.

[Gordy]

not saying your doing anything wrong.I was a service manager at a ford dealership a few years ago and had a customer with a complaint about stalling,we did every thing we could possibly do to this car and could not repair it.I finaly went out with the customer driving and found that he didnt push in the clutch when he stopped,never had any more problems

[wyliec]

not saying your doing anything wrong.I was a service manager at a ford dealership a few years ago and had a customer with a complaint about stalling,we did every thing we could possibly do to this car and could not repair it.I finaly went out with the customer driving and found that he didnt push in the clutch when he stopped,never had any more problems

Unbelievable. The customer knew to use the clutch to shift; but, not when stopping.

[boborgera]

not saying your doing anything wrong.I was a service manager at a ford dealership a few years ago and had a customer with a complaint about stalling,we did every thing we could possibly do to this car and could not repair it.I finaly went out with the customer driving and found that he didnt push in the clutch when he stopped,never had any more problems

How did he start the car with out stepping on the clutch pedal?
Let alone shift though the gears' ''Scary''

[krb1945]

It would be a good idea to let the BRP super techs have a go at it. If they can't find the solution to the problem(s)... I bet they would be willing to replace it.

Also as stated in an above post... since you can't ride it for 3 or 4 more months ask Carlo if they have a program to help with the payments until it is repaired or replaced. Good luck with what ever you decide. Ken krb1945

[IWN2RYD]

Also wanted to add... I have never had any communication with Carlo. All of my communication was through my dealer and directly with BRP. And as many here have read, it took BRP a month before they made first contact with me. But once the contact was made it was a pleasurable experience.

Additionally... No one should ever have any vehicle over a certain purchase price (Eye of the beholder there) be unusable and be in this situation.

@ the OP.... I would take Carlo up on his offer and let them see for themselves what is happening. I bet a LOT of $$ that if they too can duplicate this issue the egg will be all over their face and they will have no other choice than to make things right.

[SilverSurfer]

I have had nothing but positive experiences when dealing with BRP customer service. I am not saying they always tell me what I want to hear. They do listen however, and on the couple of issues I've addressed to them for action ... they acted! The most recent one was in December re the availability of DPS units for the ongoing voluntary recall. My dealer hadn't received any (after swap-out) for a month. I called BRP, spoke to Carlo ... after about a week, I received a call from my dealer who then had three. BRP is a fine company; their products ... BRP ATVs, SeaDoo, SkiDoo and Can Am ... all reflect the same sophistication and excellent engineering that goes back decades. They certainly aren't in business to throw "lemons" in the mud, water, snow or upon the asphalt.

While sympathetic to the credible reports of isolated disasters and mystery problems, and always ready to provide any real information or advice to help a bro/sis SpyderRyder overcome the problem, I agree with IWN2RYD, Bruiser, Dudley and BCSpyder: Basic avoidance of being 'sour grapes.' It accomplishes nothing. Bad Karma through accusations, emotional half-facts, not even being clear in this thread what the problem was ... stresses everybody out and alienates anyone from wanting to help you.

In addition to alienating BRP, the behavior casts a pall over the reputation of our community and viability of what we ryde ... which in actuality is one of the safest, most reliable motorcycles on the road. People who are considering their next open-road bike or trike look at these forums. All this grief throws off more heat than light; asks more questions than provides answers. Those of us who have been on this forum for a while become quickly uninspired by the nails-on-chaulkboard screeching of naysayers and conspiracy theorists.

I do wish for you the dust to settle and that the issue is calmly and intelligently resolved for this year's ryding season.

[SpydermanCT]

SilverSurfer

Well said..........

[Firefly]

Just because Carlo doesn't answer questions or is vague doesn't mean they are dodging anything - he simply may not know the answer. When asked technical problems and reasons why something failed - remember he is not a technician - he is in customer service.

To achieve positive results, both parties must be willing to put forth an effort - get the bike to the dealer NOW. You're not using it right now anyway - might as well be at the dealer getting tested. Perhaps BRP will fly a tech in to assist. Rather than wait a few months for the nice weather so they can do further testing - let them work on it NOW at your local dealer.

One question --- are their any aftermarket modifications done to this Spyder? HID's ?

I must agree with others that I don't think the manner in which you're going about this is going to be the most productive. Why choose to work against them when you can work with them?

[wyliec]

His mind is made up in the direction he wants to go. He wants the 2009 red SE5 that has been sitting on his dealers show room floor for 2 years.

I believe in another one of his posts he mentions he has made contact with an attorney that specializes in the "lemon law."

Good luck to him. Over and out.

[bcspyder]

You've hit the nail on the head. While Carlo has certainly helped some owners get through difficult situations, what most folks fail to see is that Carlo is there for BRP's benefit, not the consumer's......Carlo helps BRP by helping you-but only when it's beneficial for BRP.

Carlo doesn't magically appear because someone is having a problem, he magically appears when someone's problem is becoming a problem, and getting too much 'bad press'. It's readily apparent that he's all about damage control, as opposed to consumer advocacy.

I had a similar experience with Carlo about a year ago. He will not commit to anything, it seems that vague answers to direct questions are the standard operating procedure. He, and his manager, both promised that they would answer a question I had before the start of LAST year's riding season. I still haven't heard from them. Imagine that.

Unfortunately, and much to the chagrin of many fellow forum members, the only thing that got me any response from BRP was to continually voice my displeasure. Eventually, Carlo came calling......

There have been Spyders that BRP has replaced, I wouldn't give up. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, as it's said. I'd talk about it at every opportunity, eventually Carlo and BRP might learn how to listen............

Another example of how not to deal with a situation. Let's not open up this ancient rant again.

[SpyderDog65]

I've said some bad things about Carlo on this site over this thread and after thinking about it I was wrong as much as I want to side with the underdog as much as I can feel his angst over all this. I have to admit it does you no good not too work with BRP like everyone says if you say screw it then what choice do they have but to not work with you. I apologize for misjudging Carlo

[Motavar]

drama +1

And what makes you think the spyder on the showroom floor is any better?

I would rather spend the time and send my spyder to BRP on my own cost to have them look at it, research it, fix it , and drive that spyder.. than a spyder that is sitting on a showroom floor that could have other issues.

I'm sure if you give 100% of your time and send the Spyder to them and there is truely a fault, they will cover the expenses. Part of negotiation is agreeing on BOTH sides. Sometimes you have to GIVE a little to get something in return. Bad mouthing the only support contact you have with BRP is going to get you no where man. Man Up.

Do we have anyone on the forums out in MN that could stop by his house and look at the spyder to assist? Damn, I'll even send you some friggin relays for you to replace just so the posts end PM me your address and I'll order some on my debit card bro.

This is a recreational vehicle not a Lex or Mercedes...

[musicarcade]

[Roger]

The way i see it you have two choices 1. wait for carlo to send the tech
2. fight it in court with the lemon law. Now i don't know for sure but i think if Carlo sends a tech down and successfully fixes it you still won't be happy because all you will do is dewll on the fact that it took so long to fix it. I see you live in MN so the odds are you probably are not riding it now (if you could) because of the weather. You have every right to be upset nobody disagrees with you on that. Goodluck to you and i hope it works out the best for you.

[bone crusher]

drama +1

And what makes you think the spyder on the showroom floor is any better?

I would rather spend the time and send my spyder to BRP on my own cost to have them look at it, research it, fix it , and drive that spyder.. than a spyder that is sitting on a showroom floor that could have other issues.

I'm sure if you give 100% of your time and send the Spyder to them and there is truely a fault, they will cover the expenses. Part of negotiation is agreeing on BOTH sides. Sometimes you have to GIVE a little to get something in return. Bad mouthing the only support contact you have with BRP is going to get you no where man. Man Up.

Do we have anyone on the forums out in MN that could stop by his house and look at the spyder to assist? Damn, I'll even send you some friggin relays for you to replace just so the posts end PM me your address and I'll order some on my debit card bro.

This is a recreational vehicle not a Lex or Mercedes...

Good take on stuff..... +1

[SilverSurfer]

Maybe we can conclude Studybaker has digested the general consensus; we can all now sing Kumbaya, wish him the best in getting his Spyder back on the road; and give him bro' and sis hugs when we see him at the next event.

Let's all move on home now .... nothin' more to see here ... go on home ... Ya'll can reclaim y'allz guns at the edge o' town.

~ Surfer