Dealerships and YOUR relationship with them... MAKE IT HAPPEN!

[Spazz]

Time and time again.... I hear of people having issues with dealerships... for whatever reason. For those of you with this dilemma... I am truly sorry.

I know some dealerships are better than others and then you have those... well.... no so good.. to be nice.

Many of you know....I have a GREAT relationship with my dealer.. from the GM, to the sales guys, to the finance guys, to the parts guys, to the service guys.....down to the detailers in the back. I know just about all of them by name and THEY KNOW ME. I have had the service dept CALL ME to talk to their techs about questions on audio flashes.. lol! How does that fly!?!?!

I made it a point to show my face time and time again... saying hello.... asking questions... getting advice.... etc. After a while, I was treated much better than the average customer... in all ways.. not that I was treated badly to begin with, but you kinda get a relationship established.

This pays off in many ways, from parts to service and anything else you need/want.

To see the service and treatment that my dealer gives out... not just to me, but people I know that THEY KNOW know me..... it saddens me that there are some out there that treat their customers the way they do.

All I am saying is try to get a good relationship with your dealership... dont just show up when you need something..... be a 'friend'......it pays off in many ways......


I'm off my soapbox now.....

 

[cajun1_us]

Spazz, I totally agree. I have heard of horror stories at the dealer I use but I have not had any problems. I started to get to know everyone in the dealership before I even bought my bike. I believe that people deal with people they know better than with people that just "need " something. I have also made it a point to offer my business's services to the employees at the dealership. Sometimes I feel like Norm from Cheers, every time I walk in somebody screams my name. Lol.
But this is good advice to everyone. Get to know the people at the dealership, if they don't spend the time to get to know you as well, then it is probably not the right dealer for you to use.

 

[Scott14SG]

Good post Spazz! Glad to hear you have a good dealer.

When I bought my bike I went to the closest dealer, 10 minutes away, figured I would support my local business. It was ok at first, but after a few visits I got a better feel for the place. Sales guy was a tool and pretty unhelpful unless you were there to actually buy a bike, no help otherwise. Parts manager was nice I'll admit, the only person I met there that was. Service department, that's another story, completely unhelpful and arrogant. I had my bike in for some work, they messed something up and then the service manager became a bigger tool about it and told me I had to pay for them to diagnose the problem that they created. That was my last visit there, EVER.

Now I drive 35 miles if I need the dealer to do something. Great people like your dealership, they know me by name and always take time to talk to you even for general conversation. Parts people are great if I have a question, even if I don't buy the part there. Service department is great, found an issue with my bike one day that it wasn't even in for, got it fixed under warranty and away I went. I took a few minutes and wrote a letter to the owner & GM about the quality of the people there and the way they treat people. Scored a few brownie points. It's really a shame that some dealerships don't understand how good customer service would bring in more business, instead of the "you need us more than we need you" attitude many seem to have.

Rant off.

 

[TomA]

I try and pop in to several different dealerships because of my location. Being 230 miles from Reno and 260 miles from Carson city makes this kind of hard for me. Have the best relationship with the Reno dealer but I think Spazz helped with that a lot. Will start visiting the Elko dealership more often as it's only 75 miles away now. The Elko dealership belongs to the Twin falls dealership in Idaho at 300 miles and they don't have a very big store or shop and any big job gets hauled to Twin falls. I bought my bike at Carson city but haven't been very pleased with the service and that could be my fault as well not spending anytime there building a relationship. Only really took it back for recall stuff and the 5000 mile service but people were pretty stand offish to answer my questions when I was there.

 

[BluesBelly]

Our town is small 13k but our dealer has a good size customer base. The owner, his wife, son, and daughter all work there and are hands on, very friendly, and accessible. Employees are friendly and helpful, They support the community and mak sure all customers are satisfied. This dealership should be a model for all dealers.

 

[buckshot85]

I have a great relationship with my dealer till lately. It seems there had been a lot of new faces showing up on the staff. Have also had a few problems with the quality of the service. As I type this I am at my dealer right now having them redo their work from my 15k service. Very frustrating. The owner doesn't seem as cordial as he used to be either. My sales guy us always top notch. Not sure what going on or what to think.

 

[Spazz]

My dealer in Reno was awarded the Platinum Circle of Distinction for 2014.... only 6 dealerships are awarded this per year.... They are like family to 99% of there customers....cuz there is always that 1%

Chester's 5 Dealerships:

Mesa, AZ, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Reno, NV and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

 

[buckshot85]

Mine was the Gold award in 2014. I believe 25 are awarded this. Things still can change though.

 

[Michael R]

I am fortunate to have a great dealer less than 5 miles from me, I have a very good relationship with people in all departments. I worked there 3 years ago for 6-7 months (left by my choice) riding is my thing .. selling is not lol. I find that you get back what you put out .. if you're a prick, that's how you'll be treated. Ride Safe

 

[wildchld]

My dealer in Reno was awarded the Platinum Circle of Distinction for 2014.... only 6 dealerships are awarded this per year.... They are like family to 99% of there customers....cuz there is always that 1%

Chester's 5 Dealerships:

Mesa, AZ, Idaho Falls, ID, Pocatello, ID, Reno, NV and Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Love Chester's but Ft. Lauderdale is just to far

 

[Mojo]

I'm glad this subject was brought up. I've read the nasty posts on other forums over the years and I agree there are some really complacent HD dealers in the land. It all boils down to common courtesy and ATTITUDE. And I'm talking about both sides of the coin here. I bought a new '07 from a dealer near my house and when I had a boneified warranty issue I was treated like the proverbial Red Headed Step CHild!
Short story here, I was lied to by the service Mgr. and I sold the bike within 9 months. Fast forward 4 years and I end up at a dealer 35 miles from my house on a sleet filled 29 degree day and purchased a new RK. I ended up knowing just about everyone in there including their immediate families! It's a five store Family owned business and they treat everyone like they are the most important customer in the land. They have a to die for discount program, throw lots of venue bashes to get floor traffic and really help the communities in which they have stores. The customers here are extremely loyal and would do anything to support this family and their business.
You know I go to the dentist twice a year, my eye doctor once a year and my physician 1-3 times a year. I maybe spend $700 in doing so. But, in the past 4 years I've spent over $78k at my dealer (No CVO's either) and I'm not treated any different than someone just in buying a shirt! I like that!!! Everyone is important here and when I walk in the store I'm always greeted by first name, if I special order a part - no payment required until the part is picked up. Its just a great business relationship I like that approach because for me I believe everyone wants to be treated like you care about them as a person first and a business relationship second. I use this approach in my career with great success. I believe you can treat everyone with dignity, respect and a smile and that puts everyone at ease. Attitude in all aspects of life is the key to having a great day or a just getting by day. If you had "an impossible" dealer that conducts business with a bad attitude, it's time to drive just a bit further and find one that actually cares that you showed up!
My dealer network is Bumpus Harley Davidson spread thru-out the state of TN. and by the way I know about Chesters in Reno and they ARE everything Spazz professes they are! We are fortunate Spazz!