Jackspyder
New member
Customer satisfaction
My apologies in advance, as this is a long one, but just my 2 cents and personal experience...
As I read through this thread, I am reminded of one of my previous new motorcycle purchase and ownership experience. I purchased a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This was my very first Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In less than a week of ownership, the check engine light would come on and the bike would stall and die. Within that same week, Harley-Davidson issued a recall on voltage regulators, and my particular bike was affected. Needless to say, it left a very sour taste in my mouth, as I had just purchased a brand new bike, and it already had issues. I was not happy. I contacted the dealership and Harley-Davidson, letting them know, by email, that this was the very first H-D motorcycle I have ever owned, and having issues and recall in less than a week of ownership was not giving a good first impression, and this might be the first and last H-D I will own. Within an hour I received a call from the dealership through H-D. They asked if I can take the bike to them and they will take care of everything. I took the bike to the dealership and they had everything fixed within hours. They were very professional and courteous, and made sure I was happy and satisfied. To top it off, the dealership gave me a $500 gift card/credit, as well as discounts on purchases made in the shop that day. This experience changed my feelings toward H-D. The company and dealership sacrificed a little for a customer that day, and it paid off for them. I was referring them to others looking to buy a motorcycle. I also kept going back and bought accessories and apparel, as well as another bike. I even joined the local Harley Owners Group and became one of their officers.
Now, fast-forward to my first ever purchase and ownership of the Spyder. I purchased my current RTS in August 2013. I was very happy and excited about the purchase...until I found out that BRP issued a recall in Canada that same day. I found out about the recall when I got home from the dealership and signed up in BRP's community website. The excitement was gone. In my mind I thought, "Here we go again". I immediately called the dealership, but no one answered in the service department. So I left a message to call me back. Several days went by with no call back. I called again and no one answered, so I contacted the salesman. The salesman indicated that he had heard about the recall and would get me to service. Again I left a message. I finally got a call back after several attempts and they indicated that they did not know about a recall and cannot do anything. I was not happy and very irritated at that point. I just spent a lot of money and going nowhere. I ended up reading more info about the recall and found out that it was a potential fire issue, plus I was having the boiling sounds and tremendous amount of gasoline fumes in the garage. This got me scared and more irritated. Since I wasn't going anywhere with the dealership, I started emailing BRP. The recall work was finally set up a couple of months later, but found out it was not done properly. Upon finding out the recall was not performed properly, I notified Steve with BRPcare and he stated that my dealership would be contacting me to get it redone. To this day, I am still waiting on a call. Granted, the weather has been a factor lately, but an acknowledgement from the dealership that something will be done would be nice.
From these experiences, I can see there is a big difference between how responsive each manufacturers/dealerships are to their customers. BRP must realize (and I believe they do) that the customers are sometimes their biggest and cheapest advertisers. I do love the vehicle, with its innovation and comfort. It is also very aesthetically pleasing, and the handling is great. But all of these great properties about the Spyder is currently overshadowed by the lack of response from the dealership and what appears to be the inability to resolve the heat issue, although I do have hopes that the current service bulletin will ultimately resolve the issues.
Customer service and satisfaction of ownership really goes a long way, and a customer's satisfaction with the product is vital to a company and their dealers' image. Do I like my Spyder RTS? The answer is Yes! I love it! Am I satisfied with owning one?...the current answer would have to be a hesitating Yes to No. Strictly speaking from my experience, there is a night-and-day difference with H-D and BRP's customer service through their dealerships, as I now have experienced both. Would I recommend H-D motorcylces?...Yes. Would I recommend BRP Spyders?...currently...Yes, but with a disclaimer.
Do I want compensation from BRP?...No, but if it was offered, I will take it. Do I want an incentive to trade up?...Sure! as long as I get to keep the same payments at the same length of time or better. Do I want free and/or discounted accessories and apparel?...No, but if offered, I will take it.
The bottom line... I just want to enjoy the ryde with peace of mind.
hyea:
My apologies in advance, as this is a long one, but just my 2 cents and personal experience...
As I read through this thread, I am reminded of one of my previous new motorcycle purchase and ownership experience. I purchased a brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This was my very first Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In less than a week of ownership, the check engine light would come on and the bike would stall and die. Within that same week, Harley-Davidson issued a recall on voltage regulators, and my particular bike was affected. Needless to say, it left a very sour taste in my mouth, as I had just purchased a brand new bike, and it already had issues. I was not happy. I contacted the dealership and Harley-Davidson, letting them know, by email, that this was the very first H-D motorcycle I have ever owned, and having issues and recall in less than a week of ownership was not giving a good first impression, and this might be the first and last H-D I will own. Within an hour I received a call from the dealership through H-D. They asked if I can take the bike to them and they will take care of everything. I took the bike to the dealership and they had everything fixed within hours. They were very professional and courteous, and made sure I was happy and satisfied. To top it off, the dealership gave me a $500 gift card/credit, as well as discounts on purchases made in the shop that day. This experience changed my feelings toward H-D. The company and dealership sacrificed a little for a customer that day, and it paid off for them. I was referring them to others looking to buy a motorcycle. I also kept going back and bought accessories and apparel, as well as another bike. I even joined the local Harley Owners Group and became one of their officers.
Now, fast-forward to my first ever purchase and ownership of the Spyder. I purchased my current RTS in August 2013. I was very happy and excited about the purchase...until I found out that BRP issued a recall in Canada that same day. I found out about the recall when I got home from the dealership and signed up in BRP's community website. The excitement was gone. In my mind I thought, "Here we go again". I immediately called the dealership, but no one answered in the service department. So I left a message to call me back. Several days went by with no call back. I called again and no one answered, so I contacted the salesman. The salesman indicated that he had heard about the recall and would get me to service. Again I left a message. I finally got a call back after several attempts and they indicated that they did not know about a recall and cannot do anything. I was not happy and very irritated at that point. I just spent a lot of money and going nowhere. I ended up reading more info about the recall and found out that it was a potential fire issue, plus I was having the boiling sounds and tremendous amount of gasoline fumes in the garage. This got me scared and more irritated. Since I wasn't going anywhere with the dealership, I started emailing BRP. The recall work was finally set up a couple of months later, but found out it was not done properly. Upon finding out the recall was not performed properly, I notified Steve with BRPcare and he stated that my dealership would be contacting me to get it redone. To this day, I am still waiting on a call. Granted, the weather has been a factor lately, but an acknowledgement from the dealership that something will be done would be nice.
From these experiences, I can see there is a big difference between how responsive each manufacturers/dealerships are to their customers. BRP must realize (and I believe they do) that the customers are sometimes their biggest and cheapest advertisers. I do love the vehicle, with its innovation and comfort. It is also very aesthetically pleasing, and the handling is great. But all of these great properties about the Spyder is currently overshadowed by the lack of response from the dealership and what appears to be the inability to resolve the heat issue, although I do have hopes that the current service bulletin will ultimately resolve the issues.
Customer service and satisfaction of ownership really goes a long way, and a customer's satisfaction with the product is vital to a company and their dealers' image. Do I like my Spyder RTS? The answer is Yes! I love it! Am I satisfied with owning one?...the current answer would have to be a hesitating Yes to No. Strictly speaking from my experience, there is a night-and-day difference with H-D and BRP's customer service through their dealerships, as I now have experienced both. Would I recommend H-D motorcylces?...Yes. Would I recommend BRP Spyders?...currently...Yes, but with a disclaimer.
Do I want compensation from BRP?...No, but if it was offered, I will take it. Do I want an incentive to trade up?...Sure! as long as I get to keep the same payments at the same length of time or better. Do I want free and/or discounted accessories and apparel?...No, but if offered, I will take it.
The bottom line... I just want to enjoy the ryde with peace of mind.
hyea:
