Anonymous Donates so Original Grip Buddies Can Become a Sponsor

[Adirondackjack]

I got a pair of OGB have had them on my spyder for less than a month and they are starting to fall a part like there wearing out already

mastertek2000-

Good to talk to you on the phone today. I think the solution we worked out for you will be much better. It's always more effective when I can talk to customers one-on-one and find out about their particular situation.

Again, good to talk to you, and please keep me in the loop as you test the Super Shark demos on your trip.

Best,

Dave R.

[Adirondackjack]

This is what they look like on the RT

Grandpa Spyder-

That's a real nice photo of my OGB's on your bike. Please let me know if you have any problem with my using that photo, as I don't have a lot of CanAm Spyder product application photos.

Best,

Dave R.

[mastertek2000]

mastertek2000-

Good to talk to you on the phone today. I think the solution we worked out for you will be much better. It's always more effective when I can talk to customers one-on-one and find out about their particular situation.

Again, good to talk to you, and please keep me in the loop as you test the Super Shark demos on your trip.

Best,

Dave R.

it was great you taking you also and thank you for time to talk to me on a holiday and thank you for the great service will let you know how i make out with the new ones thanks again

[memphisdan]

I posted earlier that I loved the Grip Buddies but the glue let the grips rotate while on a ride in the high heat. I have gotten two phone calls From Dave the owner to get the small issue resolved. I am very impressed by the great customer service this is unhead of. I have delt with six or seven Spyderlove venders and they are all great. Lemont has done a great job of finding quality venders, or he is lucky.

[oheresy]

I ordered OGB two days ago. Can't wait to get them on my RT-S.

[Sarge707]

I ordered OGB two days ago. Can't wait to get them on my RT-S.

You will like them! I had Grip Puppies (Foam ones) for a year and the Grip Buddies are far superior in Quality, Looks and function .

[Firefly]

I'm wondering if the unique riding characteristics of the Spyder may be causing undue stress on the Buddies? It is a different grip and riding than a conventional bike--- at least when you're doing some crazy riding in the twisties--- more lateral stress on the bars due to not counter steering, etc.....

[Adirondackjack]

I'm wondering if the unique riding characteristics of the Spyder may be causing undue stress on the Buddies? It is a different grip and riding than a conventional bike--- at least when you're doing some crazy riding in the twisties--- more lateral stress on the bars due to not counter steering, etc.....

Actually, I am developing a new model of my grips called "Super Sharks" with the agressive Spyder rider in mind. This model will debut in September, and we are greatly looking forward to its appeal to Spyder riders.

Stay tuned. . . . . . . . . . . .

Best,

Dave R.

[Flight Risk]

Actually, I am developing a new model of my grips called "Super Sharks" with the agressive Spyder rider in mind. This model will debut in September, and we are greatly looking forward to its appeal to Spyder riders.

Stay tuned. . . . . . . . . . . .

Best,

Dave R.

[Firefly]

Actually, I am developing a new model of my grips called "Super Sharks" with the agressive Spyder rider in mind. This model will debut in September, and we are greatly looking forward to its appeal to Spyder riders.

Stay tuned. . . . . . . . . . . .

Best,

Dave R.

[mnefred]

I ordered mine on Saturday, shipping confirmation on Monday and in my hands on Thursday, a day ahead of expected. Super service going from coast-to-coast! Installed in minutes, and feel great so far. We've got a 5k mile trip starting next week, so they'll get a stress test.
I like the way they make the grips almost as large as Kuryakin's. Actually a nice fit for me.

[memphisdan]

I used a set of Extrem Duty Original Grip Buddies on my 6,500 mile trip from Memphis to Newfoundland and Labrador. This was a great trip on everything from the Supper Slab to great twisties and all kinds of conditions. The Original Grip Buddies were great on my hands, my hands use to bother me on long rides not any more. These grips did not move and show no wear. Great product.

[1551retired]

I am still waiting to get a shipping confirmation on the order I placed noon Monday. I've sent two emails with no response

[Adirondackjack]

I am still waiting to get a shipping confirmation on the order I placed noon Monday. I've sent two emails with no response

Mr. Tolson-

You actually got an order confirmation, plus a payment confirmation on Monday, the day you ordered. In an effort to be sure the manufacturing process would be disrupted the least, I got back from my trip to pick up the new industrial sewing machine to replace the one which broke on Monday, on Tuesday night around 10pm. I don't know what your daily business pursuit is, but running a small business is both expensive and time consuming.

Our typical time from ordering to shipping is anywhere from 1-2 days, and the USPS takes another couple of days (if we are lucky). At the point of shipping, an email is automatically generated informing our customer that his/her grips have been shipped. 99.9 % of our customers are thoroughly satisfied with this level of customer service. Needless to say, your grips shipped today (2 days after you ordered them), and you got an automatically-generated email from me informing you of the shipment and the tracking information. Your experience here is identical to the vast majority of my satisfied customers, yet it was not satisfactory to you. I am very sorry for that.

Again, I am not sure what your business pursuit is, but I can assure you that in my world of small manufacturing, incidences like the breaking down of a major machine necessary to do our work happens all too often, and more than we would like. Instead of simply dropping off the machine to be repaired, I made the difficult financial decision of spending $3,000 for a new machine so I could be back up and running right away. In fact, it is what I used today to complete the stock necessary to take to Spyders in the Adirondacks, tomorrow. Also, you sent me emails twice on Tuesday without waiting for a response. Candidly, I have not had a moment to make phone calls, return emails, eat a meal, or even take a break to think.

I would respectfully request that you try to be a little more empathetic toward a 1-man business. I am very responsive to my customers as shown by the plethora of positive feedback on this and many other forums about me and my grips, and I am very sorry that my approach to customer service is not up to your standards. In reading the many emails you have sent me since yesterday (a total of 7), I am baffled by all of the standards of good customers service you have quoted as being "set in stone". Where exactly did you get such rigid rules of customer service?

Since founding this business last year, I knew that a customer would eventually come along whom I would not be able to satisfy, regardless of how hard I try. You may , in fact be that customer. If that is the case, I would reluctantly admit this to myself, as it would be very disappointing to me, and I would be happy to refund your purchase price. Sometimes it is best to admit when a situation is too much for you.

Please advise as to whether you would like to return your grips for a full refund, with my regrets that I finally met a customer I couldn't satisfy with my very caring approach to customer service.

Respectfully,

Dave R.

[1551retired]

Mr. Tolson-

You actually got an order confirmation, plus a payment confirmation on Monday, the day you ordered. In an effort to be sure the manufacturing process would be disrupted the least, I got back from my trip to pick up the new industrial sewing machine to replace the one which broke on Monday, on Tuesday night around 10pm. I don't know what your daily business pursuit is, but running a small business is both expensive and time consuming.

Our typical time from ordering to shipping is anywhere from 1-2 days, and the USPS takes another couple of days (if we are lucky). At the point of shipping, an email is automatically generated informing our customer that his/her grips have been shipped. 99.9 % of our customers are thoroughly satisfied with this level of customer service. Needless to say, your grips shipped today (2 days after you ordered them), and you got an automatically-generated email from me informing you of the shipment and the tracking information. Your experience here is identical to the vast majority of my satisfied customers, yet it was not satisfactory to you. I am very sorry for that.

Again, I am not sure what your business pursuit is, but I can assure you that in my world of small manufacturing, incidences like the breaking down of a major machine necessary to do our work happens all too often, and more than we would like. Instead of simply dropping off the machine to be repaired, I made the difficult financial decision of spending $3,000 for a new machine so I could be back up and running right away. In fact, it is what I used today to complete the stock necessary to take to Spyders in the Adirondacks, tomorrow. Also, you sent me emails twice on Tuesday without waiting for a response. Candidly, I have not had a moment to make phone calls, return emails, eat a meal, or even take a break to think.

I would respectfully request that you try to be a little more empathetic toward a 1-man business. I am very responsive to my customers as shown by the plethora of positive feedback on this and many other forums about me and my grips, and I am very sorry that my approach to customer service is not up to your standards. In reading the many emails you have sent me since yesterday (a total of 7), I am baffled by all of the standards of good customers service you have quoted as being "set in stone". Where exactly did you get such rigid rules of customer service?

Since founding this business last year, I knew that a customer would eventually come along whom I would not be able to satisfy, regardless of how hard I try. You may , in fact be that customer. If that is the case, I would reluctantly admit this to myself, as it would be very disappointing to me, and I would be happy to refund your purchase price. Sometimes it is best to admit when a situation is too much for you.

Please advise as to whether you would like to return your grips for a full refund, with my regrets that I finally met a customer I couldn't satisfy with my very caring approach to customer service.

Respectfully,

Dave R.

If you had explained to me yesterday in your first email reply at 10:38 am that your "industrial sewing machine" had broken and that was the reason for the delay in shipping I would have fully understood. But nowhere in your three email replies to me did you state that information. You only said I needed to specify "expedited shipping" if I expected the product to be shipped sooner than it was. Instead you come back on this forum and state such. I don't think I am any different customer than anyone else on this forum and just expected the product to be shipped in less than 48 hours assuming it was in stock. I am sorry you felt the need to rant about customer service and me on this forum. I only posted on this forum to hopefully get your attention and reply to my email and apparently it worked since you did reply via email one hour later. Regarding your last sentence, are you already assuming I will not like the product? My only complaint was shipping and you explained the reason on this public forum. I sure hope your customer communication skills continue to improve as your company moves forward.

I look forward to trying out the grips and hope to receive them by the end of the week.

Please consider this issue closed and I wish you and your business success in the future.

[TimmieTheGeek]

I ordered my Original Grip Buddies recently and I could swear I had them in 2 days. I know that's not the case but they sure got to me quicker than I expected. I have sold a lot of items on eBay and always use priority USPS shipping and send the same day as I receive payment. I receive many thanks for shipping so quickly and I certainly thank Dave for getting my order shipped so fast.

I have large hands and the skinny stock grips on my RT are too small for me. I have to keep opening and flexing my hands to prevent cramping. With previous bikes I have replaced the stock grips with fat Kuryakyn grips. Much better for me and I was going to look into those for my RT but then noticed there were many posters on SpyderLovers who had the Grip Buddies. So I gave them a try and I love these things. It makes the grip the perfect size for me and now my fingers fit well. The stock grips are hard and these offset that and give me the softer feel I was used to before.

I'm trying different positions for the Velcro to find the best fit for me. I have a 400 mile trip coming up next month and by then I will be very used to them. It will be interesting to see how much better the grips are over a decent day's trip.

I'm very happy with the Grip Buddies and agree with other posters here about the ease of installation and the quality of the product. I will be interested in the next generation of Grip Buddies and also the wallet. Great job Dave and congratulations on becoming a sponsor.

By the way, I work for a major tent and custom products company and we have hundreds of used industrial sewing machines such as Juki, Consew, Brother and Singer that we offer for sale. They have 220-volt motors but we pull those off and install new 110-volt motors and sell the machines for $250 each. I'm not trying to push buying these, I just wanted to share with you what industrial grade (used) machines sell for here so you would have some info for comparison shopping.

[Adirondackjack]

I ordered my Original Grip Buddies recently and I could swear I had them in 2 days. I know that's not the case but they sure got to me quicker than I expected. I have sold a lot of items on eBay and always use priority USPS shipping and send the same day as I receive payment. I receive many thanks for shipping so quickly and I certainly thank Dave for getting my order shipped so fast.

I have large hands and the skinny stock grips on my RT are too small for me. I have to keep opening and flexing my hands to prevent cramping. With previous bikes I have replaced the stock grips with fat Kuryakyn grips. Much better for me and I was going to look into those for my RT but then noticed there were many posters on SpyderLovers who had the Grip Buddies. So I gave them a try and I love these things. It makes the grip the perfect size for me and now my fingers fit well. The stock grips are hard and these offset that and give me the softer feel I was used to before.

I'm trying different positions for the Velcro to find the best fit for me. I have a 400 mile trip coming up next month and by then I will be very used to them. It will be interesting to see how much better the grips are over a decent day's trip.

I'm very happy with the Grip Buddies and agree with other posters here about the ease of installation and the quality of the product. I will be interested in the next generation of Grip Buddies and also the wallet. Great job Dave and congratulations on becoming a sponsor.

By the way, I work for a major tent and custom products company and we have hundreds of used industrial sewing machines such as Juki, Consew, Brother and Singer that we offer for sale. They have 220-volt motors but we pull those off and install new 110-volt motors and sell the machines for $250 each. I'm not trying to push buying these, I just wanted to share with you what industrial grade (used) machines sell for here so you would have some info for comparison shopping.

TimmieTheGeek-

I thank you for your very kind comments. As you know I try very hard to satisfy the needs of all of my customers. What I appreciate most about your approach is that because of your experience in business, you allowed me to perform services for you without assuming that I would let you down. Unfortunately, I occasionally meet "difficult" customers who have been badly treated by other internet-based companies and who assume (incorrectly) that I am the same way. Thanks for fairly giving me a chance to assist you with your "motorcycle gripping" needs. I truly enjoy reading that I have genuinely helped a fellow motorcyclist. Also, thanks for the heads up about the used machines. Unfortunately, the machines I use are a little special, and I need the services of the specific person from whom I bought my new machine on a fairly regular basis.

Thanks again for your very thoughtful comments.

Best,

Dave R.

P.S. BTW my Adventure Touring Wallet has just come out of the testing phase and should be ready in September for sale. We have incorporated some very cool new features specifically for the adventuring touring motorcyclist. More on this soon. Also, the new "Super Sharks" will be out in mid September, and I promise that if you like my original Sharkskins, you will love my Super Sharks.

Dave R.

[oheresy]

I've had my OGB's for a few hundred miles now. Definitely an improvement! Ordering was simple, and shipping was fast.

[Camdenlake]

Count me in for the new ones in sept. They worked great in the rain today no sponge effect. Great stuff.


Josh

[Adirondackjack]

Count me in for the new ones in sept. They worked great in the rain today no sponge effect. Great stuff.


Josh

Camdenlake-

Josh-

I will be definitely announcing it when the new Super Sharks are ready to ship in September. Judging by my recent experience at SITA where we got about a foot of water in our booth after a 1 hour downpour, it's a good thing my Sharks and Super Sharks are water resistant. What an adventure!

Best,

Dave R.

[memphisdan]

This summer I took a trip from Memphis to Newfoundland /Labrador this was about 6,500. It was agreat trip great, great roads and great people. I used the Original Grip Buddies, these made life much easier for myhands, they are very comfortable. The originalgrips are very small and hard for me and the Grip Buddies are much morecomfortable. I have had them on my 2010RT for about 8,500 of the 45,000 miles I have gone on the Spyder and are stillin great shape. Recently when I got toride a brand new 2012 RT the two things I missed are the Elkas and the GripBuddies.

[TexasSpyder]

Anyone know what the expected life span is for the grip buddies? I have a spot showing alot of wear, got them in May. Looks like replacement time is approaching.

[Adirondackjack]

Anyone know what the expected life span is for the grip buddies? I have a spot showing alot of wear, got them in May. Looks like replacement time is approaching.

20Limited12-

The good new is that we are now shipping SUPER SHARKS, so longevity should be excellent on your next set of Original Grip Buddies. We haven't announced this officially yet, but when you order on my site HERE I will simply fill your order with the SS's. Thanks for your brand loyalty, and I know you will be very happy and satisfied with the new grips.


Best,

Dave R.

[Cruzr Joe]

Just my luck, i bought a week ago


Sent by morse code from a hidden bunker

[Sarge707]

Mine have been on ALL summer and are showing some wear on the left hand while the throttle hand is perfect?
I,m not concerned as I will be putting my Oxford Hot Hands on in another month for the winter and buy the Newest Pair of Buddies in the spring.