BajaRon
02-20-2009, 09:21 PM
Picked up my Spyder from Alcoa Good Times this afternoon!
It was sitting right outside of the Service Department's front door. Clean and ready to go just like Ben said it would be.
Stepped inside and Ben was at the customer desk. To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect. If you've been following the previous (Closed) thread you might know what I mean.
I expected Ben to be professional, he always has been. But you know what I mean. Once there is blood in the water, sometimes things are never quite right.
Ben was very cordial and we had a good, frank discussion. Something that I wish we'd done sooner.
I thanked him for pulling the steering unit out of a brand new floor model to fix my Spyder. And for the hydralulic brake service they did which was not part of my original complaints for repair.
Then I asked if I could talk to the owner, Charlie. Lamont told me he was a great guy and easy to talk to. But regardless of that, I just wanted to tell him thank you for going the extra mile to get me back on the road.
Ben called Charlie to let him know I was there and that I'd like to talk to him. I'd intended to walk down the hill to Charlie's office but in just a few minutes, Charlie was walking in the service department door.
We discussed everything that any of us had a concern about. It was an open and candid conversation. Yes, we talked about mistakes, miscommunication and possible bad feelings. We talked about why I thought I wasn't getting the straight story. And, of course, we talked about the extended repair time.
I am now convinced that through all of this, Alcoa Good Times was doing what they felt they could (and in the end, above and beyond the call of duty) to get my Spyder done.
Mistakes and problems happen. A bad dealership would stonewall and get an attitude. This is not what happened here. The worse things seemed to get the harder AGT's tried to make me happy. Both the service department and the owner did step up to the plate and they got it done.
It may sound like I am changing my tune, and I suppose I am. To be honest, I thought I was getting the run-a-round. But after getting all the cards out on the table I have to say I believe I was jumping to a wrong conclusion and I don't mind admitting it.
The beautiful new Spyder that they took the PS unit out of is still sitting in the shop dismantled. Say what you might but they did not have to do that.
Charlie told me that BRP was following all of this on SpyderLovers.com (That's You and Me!). Because this took way too long to resolve, Alcoa and BRP have been working on changes that will streamline the parts situation making it quicker, easier, and less expensive for all dealers to get (at least warranty) issues resolved.
With this post I am trying to call it as I see it. Giving credit, and blame, where it is due. We all have our opinions. I'm hoping we can all learn from this, move on and enjoy life.
Bottom line is, I feel that we are all in this together. No one person or group is going to make or break the Spyder. I'm not against telling it like it is if something isn't going right. And I think we should be as quick to give credit where it is due.
Ok, so stuff happened... But I feel good after talking to the people that make things go at AGT's. Life is a process, so is getting something fixed.
I admitted to my wrong speculations posted on this forum and they took credit for their errors.
They say "All's well the ends well". This is the end of this episode and I am a happy camper. Progress was made and I am ready to move on.
By the way....Riding my Spyder with Power Steering for the 1st time was a TRIP! And my Parking Brake works as sweet as it possibly can. I tried it several times and not 1 glitch, smooth as silk! My average try to release my PB before was at least 3 pushes.
Daytona Bike Week here I come! Hope to meet you there! I'll be the guy with the BIG GRIN! But then you probably won't be able to tell me from any other Spyder Rider just by that alone.
It was sitting right outside of the Service Department's front door. Clean and ready to go just like Ben said it would be.
Stepped inside and Ben was at the customer desk. To be honest, I didn't really know what to expect. If you've been following the previous (Closed) thread you might know what I mean.
I expected Ben to be professional, he always has been. But you know what I mean. Once there is blood in the water, sometimes things are never quite right.
Ben was very cordial and we had a good, frank discussion. Something that I wish we'd done sooner.
I thanked him for pulling the steering unit out of a brand new floor model to fix my Spyder. And for the hydralulic brake service they did which was not part of my original complaints for repair.
Then I asked if I could talk to the owner, Charlie. Lamont told me he was a great guy and easy to talk to. But regardless of that, I just wanted to tell him thank you for going the extra mile to get me back on the road.
Ben called Charlie to let him know I was there and that I'd like to talk to him. I'd intended to walk down the hill to Charlie's office but in just a few minutes, Charlie was walking in the service department door.
We discussed everything that any of us had a concern about. It was an open and candid conversation. Yes, we talked about mistakes, miscommunication and possible bad feelings. We talked about why I thought I wasn't getting the straight story. And, of course, we talked about the extended repair time.
I am now convinced that through all of this, Alcoa Good Times was doing what they felt they could (and in the end, above and beyond the call of duty) to get my Spyder done.
Mistakes and problems happen. A bad dealership would stonewall and get an attitude. This is not what happened here. The worse things seemed to get the harder AGT's tried to make me happy. Both the service department and the owner did step up to the plate and they got it done.
It may sound like I am changing my tune, and I suppose I am. To be honest, I thought I was getting the run-a-round. But after getting all the cards out on the table I have to say I believe I was jumping to a wrong conclusion and I don't mind admitting it.
The beautiful new Spyder that they took the PS unit out of is still sitting in the shop dismantled. Say what you might but they did not have to do that.
Charlie told me that BRP was following all of this on SpyderLovers.com (That's You and Me!). Because this took way too long to resolve, Alcoa and BRP have been working on changes that will streamline the parts situation making it quicker, easier, and less expensive for all dealers to get (at least warranty) issues resolved.
With this post I am trying to call it as I see it. Giving credit, and blame, where it is due. We all have our opinions. I'm hoping we can all learn from this, move on and enjoy life.
Bottom line is, I feel that we are all in this together. No one person or group is going to make or break the Spyder. I'm not against telling it like it is if something isn't going right. And I think we should be as quick to give credit where it is due.
Ok, so stuff happened... But I feel good after talking to the people that make things go at AGT's. Life is a process, so is getting something fixed.
I admitted to my wrong speculations posted on this forum and they took credit for their errors.
They say "All's well the ends well". This is the end of this episode and I am a happy camper. Progress was made and I am ready to move on.
By the way....Riding my Spyder with Power Steering for the 1st time was a TRIP! And my Parking Brake works as sweet as it possibly can. I tried it several times and not 1 glitch, smooth as silk! My average try to release my PB before was at least 3 pushes.
Daytona Bike Week here I come! Hope to meet you there! I'll be the guy with the BIG GRIN! But then you probably won't be able to tell me from any other Spyder Rider just by that alone.