Time to vent and ask a question...or two....

[Biosafena]

I usually read the posts on a daily basis and maybe I am missing something. Is there a prohibition against including the actual name of a dealership whether it is about something positive or negative? The exception would be those posts about Cowtown and Pitbull. Some of us are not fortunate enough to live close enough to have these folks serve our needs. I just read a great write up about the experience an owner had after traveling some distance to a different dealer after a poor experience at a local dealer. What I don't understand is the name of either was not mentioned. I wish there was a location where owners could post their reviews of the dealerships for all to read and digest. Sort of an "Angie's List" for Spyder owners. If this information does already exist, I apologize in advance and kindly ask that someone point me in that direction. I am on my second dealer and am sick and tired of it taking a week to get a simple part and technicians telling me that a problem is "just the nature of the beast" when I know better. When you drive another Spyder and the problem does to exist, that is what we call a clue that there is in fact a problem with my machine. It just burns me to pay $30,000 for a machine that the manufacturer and their representatives (that would be the dealerships) don't really seem to care about after the sale. While on the topic of the manufacturer, do all parts come from HQ in Canada? Or are there stocking warehouses strategically placed around the country to speed the delivery of parts? I waited a week for a $49.00 part, the dealer installed it and....wait for it....it was defective. Guess what....wait another week! And the dealer is unable to look into a vibration problem until he gets the first problem fixed. I would think that BRP would overnight a part if there was an issue with the first one they sent and it has a customer dead in the water. These are wonderful machines and I normally praise them to those that ask, but that it getting harder to do. I guess the question that is slowly creeping into my mind is "does BRP really care?" They got the money on the sale of the machine, but I mostly read about the problems after the sale. The dealers are the face of BRP and one would think that they would monitor their performance and clamp down on those that do not meet standards. Has anyone ever received a customer satisfaction survey from BRP after a service visit?
I appreciate everyone's patience while I blow off some steam and hopefully learn something.


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[Bob Denman]

Wellllll...
There's no prohibition against naming names... Nut since most dealers aren't in here so that they can tell their side of the story; it just doesn't seem quite right to slam them...
And you'll never solve a problem with a dealer out in an open forum; you'll just make them madder...
But if somebody asks for a name; you can always throw it out in the forum, OR PM it to them...

[Biosafena]

Bob,
I agree with your comments, but I am not looking to solve a problem in an open forum. I was looking for solid information on those dealers that have proven themselves reliable and the same on those that have a track record of being unreliable or price gouging or other things that consumers should aware of. A dealer doesn't have to "defend" himself if his work is solid and he treats customers the way they should be treated. While you can't please everyone all the time, customer reviews will find their own level. Kind of like the bell curve. I am just tired of the "pot luck" experience with this machine. When is BRP going to realize that this is really starting to hurt them?


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[GloryRyders]

In regards to your question about a survey after a service visit.......................I have gotten them several times, they are sent by e-mail with a link to a web site. I happen to be one of the blessed ones with two great dealers in the state, Cowtown (80 miles one way) and Pitbull (225 miles one way)! I was just at Cowtown today for an oil change, new rear break, and a general check-up before we leave for the Owners Event!

[ARtraveler]

Another suggestion: put the dealers name in the search engine and see if they have come up before. There have been a few "bad" ones that come up repeatedly.

Another suggestion: Ask for dealer recommendations from people in your area. That usually results in some good information.

Another suggestion: When a problem does arise, you need to go through the "process" to give the dealer a chance to resolve it. If the problem is not solved, you contact BRP customer service and get their help. It is usually at that point that it is presented to the forum for help, discussion, etc.

[asp125]

I see no problem with naming the good ones. More publicity will drive business to them.

[Biosafena]

Not sure why they have never sent me one. And my machine is fully registered with the selling dealer and BRP.


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[Biosafena]

Asp125,
I agree with you, but also naming the bad ones will hopefully drive them out of business. Or at least keep innocent people from falling victim to their evil plans.


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[rabtech]

Two good dealers that can get the job done. Cullman Powersports in Cullman Alabama and in Hamilton Alabama it is Motor Sport Super Store. I know the Can Am Mechanic at both of these places and they are pretty dang good.


The bad ones are Big Number 1 in Birmingham AL and Olive Branch Can Am in Olive Branch Mississippi. These two dealers just lack a knowledgeable service department. Like everyone I have my own facts about the four that make me feel this way. Don't get your panties
in a bunch if you happen to like or dislike one of them. Just the way I feel.

[boomerkc]

I'm not 100% positive but believe BRP's has a parts warehouse located in Wisconsin. Sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong. Now, with saying that, I have also experienced a long wait for parts to be shipped to dealer (glad they weren't causing me to be shut down) so not sure if this warehouse has limited inventory or doesn't stock all the parts, then they would have to come over the border, through customs, etc.

[Bob Denman]

Jim,
How'd that leg of yours heal up?

[spyderpoop]

I totally agree with you BRP has a poor service after the sale attitude and the few that have a great dealership in their area is very Lucky and don't understand all of us that don't have one BUT for the most part all the THOUSANDS of ISSUES on this site is from BRP and Dealership lack of concern to keep the customer happy and is poor way to run a Business BUT I Love my Bike but we all got to deal with the poor BIKE issues BRP lack of quality has and Like you said they don't care I spoke with JULES (BRP REP) in Canada a few times and its like ok let her hang the phone up so she don't have to deal with it attitude glad you wrote this and you was not afraid to ruffle some peoples feathers and now you,ll get critized I,am sure like I do when I post something like this but $25-30 K for a bike that breaks down is crazy

[Biosafena]

I took the advice in the previous post and searched on the names of my two closest dealers. I found one post where the question was asked about experiences, but no one replied. The info on the second only consisted of the fact that the machine was purchased from them. I thought about other Spyder owners around me and there is only one that is really close and I know that he drives or trailers his machine to New York from Ohio to have work done it. As far as following "the process" I read far too many posts where "the process" comes into play. For a dealer to tell an owner "that is the nature of the beast" and no matter how much I protest they stand their ground. I don't want to do business with them and I would hope to avoid a similar experience at other shops by having information on their performance in advance. I did try following the "process" on my vibration issue and was told by BRP that these type of issues are best resolved through the dealer. When I told them I was not getting anywhere with the dealer, I was told that the dealers are trained to diagnose and remedy these problem and to go through them. Can anyone say "deaf"?
I am not looking to start a fight with anyone. I just have a hard time understanding why such a (large?) number of people are having the problems they are, myself included, and it remains status quo with the manufacturer and their representatives.

Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[stevedfive]

Name names if you choose to. They have ever opportunity to voice their side if they want. Every dealer I have visited knows of this site, as well as some of the others sites Spyder owners use. Like Sgt. Joe Friday use to say, "Just the facts..."

[Farmbanker]

The auto manufacturers seem to have figured out a rating system for their dealers that they incent based on their results from sales and service satisfaction surveys. Better ratings mean better pricing for units bought and thus more profit if they rate high by the customers. Can I assume that BRP does NOT have this in place? If so, wouldn't it be a win win if they did so? Five star dealers get the best deAl, three stars less so.....? Would address the issue at hand and would seem to be the fairest. BRP, are you listening?

[Pennyrick]

I took the advice in the previous post and searched on the names of my two closest dealers. I found one post where the question was asked about experiences, but no one replied. The info on the second only consisted of the fact that the machine was purchased from them. I thought about other Spyder owners around me and there is only one that is really close and I know that he drives or trailers his machine to New York from Ohio to have work done it. As far as following "the process" I read far too many posts where "the process" comes into play. For a dealer to tell an owner "that is the nature of the beast" and no matter how much I protest they stand their ground. I don't want to do business with them and I would hope to avoid a similar experience at other shops by having information on their performance in advance. I did try following the "process" on my vibration issue and was told by BRP that these type of issues are best resolved through the dealer. When I told them I was not getting anywhere with the dealer, I was told that the dealers are trained to diagnose and remedy these problem and to go through them. Can anyone say "deaf"?
I am not looking to start a fight with anyone. I just have a hard time understanding why such a (large?) number of people are having the problems they are, myself included, and it remains status quo with the manufacturer and their representatives.

Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

I have named the dealer I am most satisfied with in my area (Mountain Motorsports in Conyers Georgia) several times in past posts. They also own dealerships in Kodak, TN (where my Spyder has been serviced on trips) and Marietta, Georgia. I have heard several positive comments about those dealerships as well. I have also heard good things about Extreme Propulsion, the dealer in Cartersville, Georgia.

I am not a big fan of running lists of poor dealers because I always believe there are two sides to every complaint and there isn't much opportunity to hear the other side. Despite that I have no problem with one or more unhappy SpyderLovers communicating via Private Messaging to someone looking for what dealers to trust or to avoid. You show your location as northern Ohio.... that is a pretty broad geographic area. Perhaps if you would narrow the location down a bit and ask members to provide dealer information via PM they may help out. We did this recently for a SpyderLover in East Tennessee and he ended up with several dealer recommendations within riding distance.

[Biosafena]

After due consideration, I believe it is time to put my cards on the table. I purchased my machine from Powersports Cleveland. Talk about kiss my behind during the purchase! Free hat for wife and I. Discount on accessories. Blah. Blah. Salesman told me numerous times that I did not need an extended warranty because "these things never break". Ain't even gonna dignify that claim with a response. They wanted $1200 for the warranty. Saw that a dealer in Colorado was selling the BRP warranty for $899. Did the right thing and called my dealer and asked if he could/would try to meet that price. Never called me back. Call again. No response. Took the bike in for a vibration problem and was given the "nature of the beast" line. Have ridden other machines and the vibration is not there, so something ain't right. Tried to talk with them about it. No luck. Call & email BRP. No luck. $30k and still vibrating.
With that said, I must say that I did stop by Hattiesburg Cycles while on vacation in hopes hey could find the cause of the vibration while I waited. They did agree that there is a problem, the owner of Hattiesburg Cycles (Mr. Larry ?) even loaned me his own Spyder use to get lunch while they looked at my machine. In the end, no quick solution, but they were honest, didn't treat me like my IQ was below room temperature and told me that if I could leave the bike they "would find the problem and fix it quickly". Talk about a can do attitude. The only issue was that I was on vacation and could not leave the bike.
I use Tapatalk and just noticed that in the about 8 topics visible on the left margin, not including my post, there are two others that deal with very unhappy people. Coincidence?? I think not.


Sent from the corner of walk and don't walk....

[Netminder]

We have dealer rating here in Quebec. One thing that bugs me though, is they build them right here and they are still 5k cheaper for you guys! And Robert sport in Lake Placid, says BRP says they are not allowed to sell to Canadians! What the heck is up with that!You would think we would at least get the same price!!OK my vent over, back to the original posting!

[Bob Denman]

Easy fix: Dual citizenships!

[Buttsy]

I usually read the posts on a daily basis and maybe I am missing something. Is there a prohibition against including the actual name of a dealership whether it is about something positive or negative?

Not that I am aware of...........however I personally don't place a great deal of importance or value in "customer reviews". I have read someone say the worst experience they have ever had in their life was at "so and so" and then the very next post will say "That's weird I was given the best experience of my life". It's all subjective the expectations people have are all over the map and as such their reviews will always be as well. Quite frankly I have read some customer expectations on here that are laughable. Others exhibit so much patience I want to shake the poster and say "Don't take that BS". So post the names up I can't see the problem at all but personally I don't see any value in it. Good Luck with your problems and I hope someone can sort them out for you.

[Buttsy]

Has anyone ever received a customer satisfaction survey from BRP after a service visit?

Sorry almost forgot but the answer is Yes to this one............had mine a year, two maintenance visits to the dealer and two surveys from BRP. The dealer actually commented on my survey so I know the dealer gets them as well. Also received a survey shortly after purchase to express my feelings about the purchase experience from my dealer.

[MountainSeaDog]

A previous post mentioned an unnamed dealer in Colorado selling the extended warranty for $899. I just took delivery of a 2013 RT limited last Thursday and paid $749 for the BRP US Inc 36 month extension to 5 years. Naturally I can't address service yet but they seem to know what they are doing and the two Spyder owners I talked to while I was loitering in the parking lot seemed very happy with the service setup. The dealer is Fremont Motorsports in Florence (home of the Federal prison where the stateside terrorists are serving their terms). Head out West from there and you are soon into the Arkansas River Gorge on US 50 where you can get a great dose of twisty curves while watching white-water rafters and serious fisherfolk along the way.

[Netminder]

Easy fix: Dual citizenships!

Wish I could! Want to adopt me BoB!

[bruiser]

As some have said, there are two sides to every story. I will be glad to supply both dealer names by PM. My reason for not mentioning names on the open forum is simple. I don't want to dissuade anyone from going to a certain dealer just on my opinion of that dealer. And vice versa. I will tell you what I think and the experiences I have had with them.

Customer satisfaction surveys are at best, ok. Most all are answered emotionally not objectively. Few that ask for further comment actually have comments included. I say this from personal experience as the company I worked for before retiring had a program run by an outside source. The powers that be finally realized, after several years, that the survey was unreliable.

We have received both mailed surveys and phone surveys from BRP. However, not in awhile. I would gladly and objectively complete a survey either from the dealer or BRP. I hope this helps answer some of your (y'alls) questions.

Wanted to add this. I went to my local dealer just before Spyderfest to purchase oil and filter. I was greeted by the service manager pretty quickly. We talked about oil changes and our pending trip to Spyderfest. He was very cordial. Even gave me a discount on the oil. On my next visit shortly after Spyderfest to order a part for BBs Spyder, it was as if I was invisible. No one acknowledged me as I waited to place the order. Not even the service manager who walked by me twice. I waited almost twenty minutes just to order that part and there was one person ahead of me. When I went back to pick up the part it was the same thing. I did manage to snag the service manager and ask about an appointment for a state inspection. He said to bring it in and they would try to get to it if I wanted to wait.

[rabtech]

As some have said, there are two sides to every story. I will be glad to supply both dealer names by PM. My reason for not mentioning names on the open forum is simple. I don't want to dissuade anyone from going to a certain dealer just on my opinion of that dealer. And vice versa. I will tell you what I think and the experiences I have had with them.

Customer satisfaction surveys are at best, ok. Most all are answered emotionally not objectively. Few that ask for further comment actually have comments included. I say this from personal experience as the company I worked for before retiring had a program run by an outside source. The powers that be finally realized, after several years, that the survey was unreliable.

We have received both mailed surveys and phone surveys from BRP. However, not in awhile. I would gladly and objectively complete a survey either from the dealer or BRP. I hope this helps answer some of your (y'alls) questions.

I posted the names of the dealers above because of gross lack of skill. If there had been some small issues I would have held back. I would hope no one goes thru what I did with the service department of these. I posted because I feel that people need to know. Kinda like posting a sign on a electric fence. I want people to know it hurt when i touched it....