Sorry for long post but these are the facts:
On July 9, 2014 I called ASK Powersports in Grove City, Ohio (near Columbus, Ohio) to make an appointment for an oil and filter change and 3000 mile first service on my Can Am Spyder 2014 RT-S. I explained that I would be traveling through from West Virginia (RoadRUNNER Magazine Rally) to St. Paul, MN (BMW MOA Rally). My appointment was made for Monday, July 21, 2014 at 10:00 AM.
I arrived at ASK Powersports on July 21[SUP]st[/SUP] at 9:45 am. The dealership, which sells and services Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Can-Am, Kymco and Arctic Cat opened and my bike was taken in at 10:25 AM. There was only one other bike (a 2012 Can-Am) there for service. There were 2 service technicians, a service order employee and at least 3 other employees answering the phones in addition to 2 sales persons.
I was asked to sign an estimate that indicated 3 hours of labor at $85 per hour plus an oil & filter change with miscellaneous parts and shop supplies totaling $321.84 including sales tax.
At approximately 2 PM I asked how things were going and was told fine. By 3 PM, after repeated questions, I was told that ASK Powersports did not have the oil filter and that they had requested one of their other store to send it. The service tech told me that the other store was about 10 minutes away. He apologized but said it was not up to him. I spoke to Sandra Ackers, who identified herself as being in charge, and she said that the runner was on his way. Well the runner did not show up until 4:25 PM - that’s 6 hours after ASK Powersports brought the bike in for the 3 hour service.
The service was finally completed by 5:15 PM and I asked Ms. Ackers what she was going to do for me for making me wait an extra 4 hours. After all, their website says “All you gotta to do is ASK” and “we pride ourselves on customer service” and they “have 3 locations to better serve you”.
Here are some of the customer service answers given to me by Ms. Ackers:
I am a real believer that things happen because they were meant to be - we probably saved you from an accident down the road (yes she really said that).
At least we got you done today and you did not have to stay overnight (yes she really said that).
We went out of our way to get you that oil filter and we are not charging the extra amount it cost me to have it delivered her (yes she really said that).
She asked me what I wanted and I told her that they should take at least $100 off the bill for the unnecessary wait and lost time they caused. She said that was impossible and she called her boss and he told her not to take my credit card for payment. That’s when I said I was calling the police. Ms. Ackers decided to take the credit card and offered me a bandana, which I did not take, for my “troubles” and because they are a “big believer in customer service”. By this time, I had enough and I told her I wanted to leave. I ended up paying $343.35 and left at 5:45 PM. Observations: During the entire time I was there, only one other motorcycle came to be serviced. Maybe half a dozen people walked in the show room (in a 7 hour period). The service tech working on my bike took a break (lunch ?) between appx. 2 and 3 pm. The phones were constantly ringing and the people who answered usually had no answers without putting the callers on hold for 5 minutes or more. Many times the answers were “I’m not sure”, “I don’t know”, “maybe you can Google that”. In my opinion, the treatment I received from ASK Powersports is a direct reflection on Can Am as well as all the other brands they carry. I believe my experience is also one of the reasons that people buy on line rather than frequenting or supporting their local dealership. Was I badly treated because I am from New York ? Was the service bad because I brought in a Can Am Spyder as opposed to a Honda or Yamaha ?
Did they mistreat me because they could ?
Do I have a different understanding or expectation of what customer service is or should be ?
Did ASK Powersports commit fraud or misrepresentation when they gave me an estimate of 3 hours ?
OR
Was ASK Powersports just incompetent in not having an oil filter available for a service which included changing the oil and filter ?
I hope that ASK Powersports is not illustrative of the service I will expect in the future on my Can Am Spyder.
Customer service is not just words used to draw customers into a business. Good customer service keeps customers coming to a business. One other motorcycle being serviced during the entire time I was at ASK Powersports seems to be indicative of what local Ohio people know.
On July 9, 2014 I called ASK Powersports in Grove City, Ohio (near Columbus, Ohio) to make an appointment for an oil and filter change and 3000 mile first service on my Can Am Spyder 2014 RT-S. I explained that I would be traveling through from West Virginia (RoadRUNNER Magazine Rally) to St. Paul, MN (BMW MOA Rally). My appointment was made for Monday, July 21, 2014 at 10:00 AM.
I arrived at ASK Powersports on July 21[SUP]st[/SUP] at 9:45 am. The dealership, which sells and services Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Yamaha, Can-Am, Kymco and Arctic Cat opened and my bike was taken in at 10:25 AM. There was only one other bike (a 2012 Can-Am) there for service. There were 2 service technicians, a service order employee and at least 3 other employees answering the phones in addition to 2 sales persons.
I was asked to sign an estimate that indicated 3 hours of labor at $85 per hour plus an oil & filter change with miscellaneous parts and shop supplies totaling $321.84 including sales tax.
At approximately 2 PM I asked how things were going and was told fine. By 3 PM, after repeated questions, I was told that ASK Powersports did not have the oil filter and that they had requested one of their other store to send it. The service tech told me that the other store was about 10 minutes away. He apologized but said it was not up to him. I spoke to Sandra Ackers, who identified herself as being in charge, and she said that the runner was on his way. Well the runner did not show up until 4:25 PM - that’s 6 hours after ASK Powersports brought the bike in for the 3 hour service.
The service was finally completed by 5:15 PM and I asked Ms. Ackers what she was going to do for me for making me wait an extra 4 hours. After all, their website says “All you gotta to do is ASK” and “we pride ourselves on customer service” and they “have 3 locations to better serve you”.
Here are some of the customer service answers given to me by Ms. Ackers:
I am a real believer that things happen because they were meant to be - we probably saved you from an accident down the road (yes she really said that).
At least we got you done today and you did not have to stay overnight (yes she really said that).
We went out of our way to get you that oil filter and we are not charging the extra amount it cost me to have it delivered her (yes she really said that).
She asked me what I wanted and I told her that they should take at least $100 off the bill for the unnecessary wait and lost time they caused. She said that was impossible and she called her boss and he told her not to take my credit card for payment. That’s when I said I was calling the police. Ms. Ackers decided to take the credit card and offered me a bandana, which I did not take, for my “troubles” and because they are a “big believer in customer service”. By this time, I had enough and I told her I wanted to leave. I ended up paying $343.35 and left at 5:45 PM. Observations: During the entire time I was there, only one other motorcycle came to be serviced. Maybe half a dozen people walked in the show room (in a 7 hour period). The service tech working on my bike took a break (lunch ?) between appx. 2 and 3 pm. The phones were constantly ringing and the people who answered usually had no answers without putting the callers on hold for 5 minutes or more. Many times the answers were “I’m not sure”, “I don’t know”, “maybe you can Google that”. In my opinion, the treatment I received from ASK Powersports is a direct reflection on Can Am as well as all the other brands they carry. I believe my experience is also one of the reasons that people buy on line rather than frequenting or supporting their local dealership. Was I badly treated because I am from New York ? Was the service bad because I brought in a Can Am Spyder as opposed to a Honda or Yamaha ?
Did they mistreat me because they could ?
Do I have a different understanding or expectation of what customer service is or should be ?
Did ASK Powersports commit fraud or misrepresentation when they gave me an estimate of 3 hours ?
OR
Was ASK Powersports just incompetent in not having an oil filter available for a service which included changing the oil and filter ?
I hope that ASK Powersports is not illustrative of the service I will expect in the future on my Can Am Spyder.
Customer service is not just words used to draw customers into a business. Good customer service keeps customers coming to a business. One other motorcycle being serviced during the entire time I was at ASK Powersports seems to be indicative of what local Ohio people know.
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