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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 36
Florida | I cant believe what just happened to me today and I wanted to put this on all the Victory forums as well as file a complaint with Polaris.
I just bought my bike a couple weeks ago from out of state since i could not find what i wanted in state. I took it up this morning to Best Buy Vehicles in Ft. Pierce Florida for its 500 mile service. The owner takes a look at my bike and asks me where i got it from. When i told him it was from Connecticut, he literally through me out of the store. He said " Get out-i wont work on your bike since you did not buy it from me!" It blew me away. I was actually in his store a month earlier to buy the vision but he was almost $3000 more than the bike i bought and had a finance rate of 3% higher than i got. He didnt even want to hear that. I thought i was lying to him. On top of that i was planning on installing additional items on the bike. I said that even though i didnt buy it, i was still bringing him service business. He was very unprofessional, among other things, but i will keep this clean. I just wanted to share this with you and warn any one from dealing with him. There is another dealer on the west coast that was shocked with what i told them and they are happy to provide service to me. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 132
Durango, Colorado | And by the time you ride to the west coast for an oil change and back to Florida it'll be due again. Good excuse to ride though!
Edited by paulhu 2010-06-22 5:17 PM
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Iron Butt
Posts: 804
Perry Hall, MD | Good that you found out just how bad a situation you were facing right away. Might need to revisit the Victory dealer list and add a column for remarks such as Black Listed. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 54
| don't forget to share this with Polaris |
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Tourer
Posts: 388
Salisbury, NC | <p>I know that Melbourne is several miles up the street, but there is a great dealer there. FERRARAS GARAGE INC 670 S WICKHAM RD MELBOURNE, FL 32904 321-984-2271 www.ferrarasvictory.com When you get there, tell Tony that Eddie with Good Year sent you. ET </p><p>PS: I almost forgot to tell me that the other dealer is an ass and do not blame you for the hard feelings. </p>
Edited by etspastimes 2010-06-22 8:12 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | drdarren - 2010-06-22 4:49 PM
I cant believe what just happened to me today and I wanted to put this on all the Victory forums as well as file a complaint with Polaris.
I just bought my bike a couple weeks ago from out of state since i could not find what i wanted in state. I took it up this morning to Best Buy Vehicles in Ft. Pierce Florida for its 500 mile service. The owner takes a look at my bike and asks me where i got it from. When i told him it was from Connecticut, he literally through me out of the store. He said " Get out-i wont work on your bike since you did not buy it from me!" It blew me away. I was actually in his store a month earlier to buy the vision but he was almost $3000 more than the bike i bought and had a finance rate of 3% higher than i got. He didnt even want to hear that. I thought i was lying to him. On top of that i was planning on installing additional items on the bike. I said that even though i didnt buy it, i was still bringing him service business. He was very unprofessional, among other things, but i will keep this clean. I just wanted to share this with you and warn any one from dealing with him. There is another dealer on the west coast that was shocked with what i told them and they are happy to provide service to me.
I just went to Best Buy Vehicle's web site and in the contact tab left them a little note that the word is out about their terrible service and that we are spreading the word to go anyplace else but to their dealership from now on. Everyone should do the same, maybe they will get the picture that the customer really is king in the internet age. |
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Tourer
Posts: 446
East TN | Just go to Polaris of Gainesville...A little further but OH WHAT GREAT SERVICE!!!
Edited by joe schmoe 2010-06-23 6:23 AM
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Cruiser
Posts: 118
Capitol Region of NH | I think he meant the west coast of Florida. |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | That is bullshit. Hope you find a better dealer and let everyone you know down there about the Jackass dealer............... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 203
Rapid City, SD | I also left them a message. Not that it will help. People like that are often too bull headed to even see their own errors even when they are pointed out. |
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | hoosiervic - 2010-06-22 9:14 PM
drdarren - 2010-06-22 4:49 PM
I cant believe what just happened to me today and I wanted to put this on all the Victory forums as well as file a complaint with Polaris.
I just bought my bike a couple weeks ago from out of state since i could not find what i wanted in state. I took it up this morning to Best Buy Vehicles in Ft. Pierce Florida for its 500 mile service. The owner takes a look at my bike and asks me where i got it from. When i told him it was from Connecticut, he literally through me out of the store. He said " Get out-i wont work on your bike since you did not buy it from me!" It blew me away. I was actually in his store a month earlier to buy the vision but he was almost $3000 more than the bike i bought and had a finance rate of 3% higher than i got. He didnt even want to hear that. I thought i was lying to him. On top of that i was planning on installing additional items on the bike. I said that even though i didnt buy it, i was still bringing him service business. He was very unprofessional, among other things, but i will keep this clean. I just wanted to share this with you and warn any one from dealing with him. There is another dealer on the west coast that was shocked with what i told them and they are happy to provide service to me.
I just went to Best Buy Vehicle's web site and in the contact tab left them a little note that the word is out about their terrible service and that we are spreading the word to go anyplace else but to their dealership from now on. Everyone should do the same, maybe they will get the picture that the customer really is king in the internet age.
Well you folks will love this. The company president, Jim Buchheit, responded to my email to him as I referred to above. Here is his confirmation of drdarren's accusation:
Re: Contact Request
From:
Best Buy Victory-Polaris
View Contact
To: ..............@att.net
Dear Chris,
You have that option. Please see our side of the story. This man purchase his motorcycle from another dealership not ours. He did not want to do business with us and that is his right. So now he can take his motorcycle to his selling dealer for his 500 mile service. We service (our) customer very well. I'm not a Internet service center.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Buchheit (Pres.)
Best Buy Vehicles, Inc
Now how's that for dealing with a trouble making Vic owner.
Needless to say you all can take this for what its worth. As for me I will now forward the above information directly to Polaris Industries.
By the way this was my follow up response to Mr. Buchheit:
Mr. Buchheit,
I'm amazed you even responded, needless to say the wrong response. I would have expected at least a small amount of humility, rather instead you have just confirmed the allegations that your supposed disgruntled customer have leveled against you. Apparently you need to update your web site to make it clear that when you say, "We service every brand we sell and others as well....." you really mean, when they are purchased from your dealership.
I won't preach to you about "good business sense" because you obviously don't think or work that way. I will say that I care about the Victory brand and we all know that the dealer network is probably the biggest complaint for those hesitating to switch to the Victory line of bikes. Business people like you sir are the nails that will build the "Victory coffin" if you continue in these methods and tactics as a Victory representative.
No need to respond again, we got the message loud and clear.
Chris Neuhaus
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Tourer
Posts: 520
Simi Valley, CA | Unbelievable... I hope Victory Corporate takes action on these guys. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 68
LONDONDERRY NH | Each Victory dealer is an independent owned franchise. What he did may not seem fair but it is in his right. A lot of smaller dealerships are having this same problem. You buy your bike somewhere else to save a few bucks and expect the local guy to stay in business to serve you with parts and service. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 203
Rapid City, SD | HONDAFIXER - 2010-06-23 10:24 AM
Each Victory dealer is an independent owned franchise. What he did may not seem fair but it is in his right. A lot of smaller dealerships are having this same problem. You buy your bike somewhere else to save a few bucks and expect the local guy to stay in business to serve you with parts and service.
I disagree. Sure they might be a little sour about someone buying a bike elsewhere with service and attitude like this then we can see the results.
There is plenty of money to be made on service and parts. Even if they were a little more expensive but still treated their customers with a little respect then they might find more people would purchase bikes from them.
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Cruiser
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guelph ontario | Dealerships cant live on sales alone-they need the service end so this guy is shortsighted. Do the franchise agreements not require the dealer to service the brand regardless of where it was purchased-car dealers are obligated to do so and I would think so are the bike dealers. This guy should lose his victory franchise but it probably wont make a difference to him because he hopefully will go out of business anyway with that type of attitude. What would he do if someone moved into his area that already owned a Vic-make them go back to NY to get it serviced. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | not to put a pin in anyones balloon I find that this type of complaint has been around for a very long time, with the threat to Victory, aka Polaris, and I'm just curious how many "dealers" have been closed because of the complaint?
Also, if that be the case, learn to do your own service, or take it the extra mile or so to get it done. I figure it this way, if they are as bad as you say they are their doors will close soon, or they will be dropping the Victory line all together. Just as it is their perogative to refuse service to you, it is your perogative to take alternate measures. Forcing them, if it were possible to do, to work on your bike now would only cause greater heartache in which will cost you the most in the long run. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 19
| I dont post on here all that often, mostly because I do not own a Vision anymore but Darren had emailed me about this and I thought I would give my two cents. It is Jim's right to refuse service to any customer and Victory/Polaris can not do anything about that. If Darren goes in for warranty work and gets denied then Best Buy would be in default of their dealer agreement and Victory can and will step in (VA dealer is a good example).
My personnal opinion is Jim's way of doing business is crazy. I purchased my first two Vic's from Ride Now and was not happy with the service. I went to Andy @ Volusia Motorsports and did not get turned away. I have since purchased two bikes from him and taking delivery of a third next week, in August/September a new Vision will be in my thoughts. Now just think if Andy had turned me away how much business he would have lost?
But again, Jim has every right to treat people this way and we have every right not to do business with him.
Don |
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Cruiser
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Rapid City, SD | E-mail exchange between myself and Mr. Buchheit. Just like some people aren't cut out to be parents I feel this guy just isn't cut out to be a dealer. If I were Victory I would pull this guys franchise. My apologies to anyone that has got decent service from this dealer. Regardless his customer service views are seriously skewed.
Mr. Buchheit,
Well I asked you not to respond because I knew this would be the response I got. You chose to use THE WORST analogy in history as Sears does operate a universal appliance repair service. They don?t care if you purchased your TV from COSCO, Walmart or any store because they are a service oriented store that cares about its customers. That is why they are still in business.
If you want to have any prayer of staying in business you might want to consider treating your customers better. A customer is a customer whether they spend $5 or $20K. Obviously the word of mouth in an internet based society is huge as you are currently finding out. Treat one customer like this and you lose a multitude. With your response you?ve lost yet another one in me. True I don?t live near you right now but being in the military I could one day be in that area. Rest assured I will drive the extra mile rather than spend my $5 or $20K with your store.
In the end it is your company and you can do with it what you want but I doubt you last two years with customer service and an attitude such as yours.
Good luck,
John Hart
From: Best Buy Victory-Polaris [mailto:@bellsouth.net]
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 2:00 AM
To: johnhart@
Subject: Re: Contact Request
John,
We are a charter Victory Dealer and let me assure you if you are ever in Fort Pierce and need assistance we will take care of you like you purchase it here. The problem in this case is the customer lives here and decided they did not want to be our customer. That is their choice and I respect it. But please if I buy a TV at Walmart I do not take it back to Sears to have it repaired. It was his choice where he wanted to do business with. Have a great day.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Buchheit (Pres.)
Best Buy Vehicles, Inc
www.bestbuypolaris.com
Victory & Polaris Dealer
________________________________________
From: "NoReplyEndeavorContact@endeavorsuite.com" <NoReplyEndeavorContact@>
To: bestbuyvictory@
Sent: Wed, June 23, 2010 10:41:47 AM
Subject: Contact Request
A new contact request was placed from your website (http://www.bestbuypolaris.com/) on 6/23/2010 at 9:41AM.
This request is for: Customer contact
Name: John Hart
Address:
City:
State/Region: South Dakota
Country: United States
Postal Code:
Email: johnhart@
Message: I pray I never need anything Victory related when I am riding in Fort Pierce, Florida. Kicking customers out of your store because they didn't purchase a bike from you. Great (not) customer service. Treating customers like this it is a wonder anyone purchases a bike from you. Don't feel the need to respond. I am sure it will not be sincere.
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Tourer
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Indianapolis, IN | dsjr70 - 2010-06-23 12:57 PM
I dont post on here all that often, mostly because I do not own a Vision anymore but Darren had emailed me about this and I thought I would give my two cents. It is Jim's right to refuse service to any customer and Victory/Polaris can not do anything about that. If Darren goes in for warranty work and gets denied then Best Buy would be in default of their dealer agreement and Victory can and will step in (VA dealer is a good example).
My personnal opinion is Jim's way of doing business is crazy. I purchased my first two Vic's from Ride Now and was not happy with the service. I went to Andy @ Volusia Motorsports and did not get turned away. I have since purchased two bikes from him and taking delivery of a third next week, in August/September a new Vision will be in my thoughts. Now just think if Andy had turned me away how much business he would have lost?
But again, Jim has every right to treat people this way and we have every right not to do business with him. Don
I agree completely, both with you and varider. Point being made to the dealer and that we all can take to heart, is that in the internet age, every Vic' owner and potential owner that surfs this and other forums can learn about a terrible dealership in just hours. It's up to us to choose where we will do business, I'm guessing most would choose to go someplace else, having read the dealer's response.
My disappointment was that the dealer responded with the same arrogance to me directly that he apparently displayed to Darren. What and opportunity to save face, wasted. I know there is no way to change this guy's business philosophy. It's just a shame he's got to stain the Victory brand with his lousy attitude toward the customer.
And you're probably right that Polaris won't do anything either. But it's not Polaris that the dealer needs, he needs a steady supply of customers. I'm guessing Chris is right and time and the law of averages will settle this issue in the long run.
Bottom line, in the modern age, the customer holds the keys to a business's success or failure. All we have to do is spread the word.
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Tourer
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Chattanooga, TN | af goalie - 2010-06-23 12:52 PM HONDAFIXER - 2010-06-23 10:24 AM Each Victory dealer is an independent owned franchise. What he did may not seem fair but it is in his right. A lot of smaller dealerships are having this same problem. You buy your bike somewhere else to save a few bucks and expect the local guy to stay in business to serve you with parts and service. I disagree. Sure they might be a little sour about someone buying a bike elsewhere with service and attitude like this then we can see the results. There is plenty of money to be made on service and parts. Even if they were a little more expensive but still treated their customers with a little respect then they might find more people would purchase bikes from them. FYI, our local Victory/Polaris dealer went out of business last spring because they were trying to move vehicles, offering the best and lowest prices they possibly could, which essentially only covered the cost of their inventory. They offered stellar customer service and repairs. They just sold the product at a low price so they could hopefully service it in the future. It didn't work out too well for them, unfortunately. This is America, where we all have choices, as long as those choices don't infringe upon other peoples basic liberties. I wish the dealer had a different attitude towards this particular customer, but in the end it is his own right. Nobody, government or otherwise, should have the right to force someone to do something against their wishes in this instance. No civil rights were violated, it is just a matter of exercising his God given free will. Personally, if Victory forced him to work on this guy's bike, if it were mine I wouldn't trust them to do a good job, and would respectfully decline the offer. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 203
Rapid City, SD | Point taken about not wanting the guy to even touch my bike. That is essentially my point. If this is how he treats a potential customer then I don't want him working on my bike. Which as you mentioned is also my God given right. If even the good dealers are not surviving I would be amazed if this guy lasts very long. It's a tough market right now and an attitude like this is pretty ballzy. Sure he didn't buy from him but treat him right and build a relationship and possibly he would purchase his next bike from him. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | hoosiervic - 2010-06-23 9:55 AM
hoosiervic - 2010-06-22 9:14 PM
drdarren - 2010-06-22 4:49 PM
I cant believe what just happened to me today and I wanted to put this on all the Victory forums as well as file a complaint with Polaris.
I just bought my bike a couple weeks ago from out of state since i could not find what i wanted in state. I took it up this morning to Best Buy Vehicles in Ft. Pierce Florida for its 500 mile service. The owner takes a look at my bike and asks me where i got it from. When i told him it was from Connecticut, he literally through me out of the store. He said " Get out-i wont work on your bike since you did not buy it from me!" It blew me away. I was actually in his store a month earlier to buy the vision but he was almost $3000 more than the bike i bought and had a finance rate of 3% higher than i got. He didnt even want to hear that. I thought i was lying to him. On top of that i was planning on installing additional items on the bike. I said that even though i didnt buy it, i was still bringing him service business. He was very unprofessional, among other things, but i will keep this clean. I just wanted to share this with you and warn any one from dealing with him. There is another dealer on the west coast that was shocked with what i told them and they are happy to provide service to me.
I just went to Best Buy Vehicle's web site and in the contact tab left them a little note that the word is out about their terrible service and that we are spreading the word to go anyplace else but to their dealership from now on. Everyone should do the same, maybe they will get the picture that the customer really is king in the internet age.
Well you folks will love this. The company president, Jim Buchheit, responded to my email to him as I referred to above. Here is his confirmation of drdarren's accusation:
Re: Contact Request
From:
Best Buy Victory-Polaris
View Contact
To: ..............@att.net
Dear Chris,
You have that option. Please see our side of the story. This man purchase his motorcycle from another dealership not ours. He did not want to do business with us and that is his right. So now he can take his motorcycle to his selling dealer for his 500 mile service. We service (our) customer very well. I'm not a Internet service center.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Buchheit (Pres.)
Best Buy Vehicles, Inc
Now how's that for dealing with a trouble making Vic owner.
Needless to say you all can take this for what its worth. As for me I will now forward the above information directly to Polaris Industries.
By the way this was my follow up response to Mr. Buchheit:
Mr. Buchheit,
I'm amazed you even responded, needless to say the wrong response. I would have expected at least a small amount of humility, rather instead you have just confirmed the allegations that your supposed disgruntled customer have leveled against you. Apparently you need to update your web site to make it clear that when you say, "We service every brand we sell and others as well....." you really mean, when they are purchased from your dealership.
I won't preach to you about "good business sense" because you obviously don't think or work that way. I will say that I care about the Victory brand and we all know that the dealer network is probably the biggest complaint for those hesitating to switch to the Victory line of bikes. Business people like you sir are the nails that will build the "Victory coffin" if you continue in these methods and tactics as a Victory representative.
No need to respond again, we got the message loud and clear.
Chris Neuhaus
SO what if i broke down on a trip and he was the closet dealers? would he tell me to go to my dealer? so his dumbass turned down the chance to make some money for pride? we should let him know. he will basically be RED FLAGGED on the victory vision site. . he probably wont care but it might make him think twice before turning someone else down for such a silly reason..
I just had warranty work done by a dealer i NEVER purchased a motorcycle from, and they were happy with help me!! |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 11
| Thanks for the info, since I bought mine in Texas I know not expect help from your service dept. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 20
Middleboro Ma | I bought my XC from my local dealer as his reputation is stellar. My brother in law bought his KP from him and had 5 great years of service on it. He gave me a fair price on my trade and was great on the sale & service. It will be the service during the life of my XC that will make me a repeat customer. Let's see...sale price + all that service work+ acc & apparell= a pretty penny from just one customer!!!
Armarnds MotorSports -Halifax Ma |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 36
Florida | Hey guys, thanks to all of you for your support and those that emailed him. As i stated in my email, i did try and buy a bike from him first and because of his pricing and financing and could not afford it. In fact, another friend of mine may be interested in a Vision and this jerk will never see the deal. You are right,he does have the choice to service me but it was his arrogance that surprised me. He couldnt care less that i tried to buy a bike there. The fact that i did not buy it is what pissed him off. He blatantly told me to get the hell out of his store. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 36
Florida | By the way, after that experience, I called Victory Lane, which is about 2 hours away from me(20 min farther than Best Buy) and they were happy to have me as a customer. They were shocked to hear what happened. I am going there tomorrow. |
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | Not that anybody needs any additional proof but after I responded to the Mr. Buchheit's original return email to me which is posted earlier, in which I closed by saying he needn't respond again because we are getting his message loud and clear, he apparently felt compelled to sling a little more my way. You've got to love this idiot!! Here's his comments about me personally in his last email along with what I said earlier which must of just lit him up:
Re: Contact Request
From:
Best Buy Victory-Polaris <bestbuyvictory@bellsouth.net>
View Contact
To: Chris Neuhaus <............@att.net>
Chris,
The quote on our web site is WE GIVE EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE TO CUSTOMERS THAT PURCHASE FROM US. I know now that your comprehensive skill are low. You have no idea what business is about. I"m a charter Victory Dealer and you can preach to anyone that think you have all the answers. Have a great day.
Sincerely yours,
Jim Buchheit (Pres.)
Best Buy Vehicles, Inc
www.bestbuypolaris.com
Victory & Polaris Dealer
From: Chris Neuhaus <............@att.net>
To: Best Buy Victory-Polaris <bestbuyvictory@bellsouth.net>
Sent: Wed, June 23, 2010 10:36:18 AM
Subject: Re: Contact Request
Mr. Buchheit,
I'm amazed you even responded, needless to say the wrong response. I would have expected at least a small amount of humility, rather instead you have just confirmed the allegations that your supposed disgruntled customer have leveled against you. Apparently you need to update your web site to make it clear that when you say, "We service every brand we sell and others as well....." you really mean, when they are purchased from your dealership.
I won't preach to you about "good business sense" because you obviously don't think or work that way. I will say that I care about the Victory brand and we all know that the dealer network is probably the biggest complaint for those hesitating to switch to the Victory line of bikes. Business people like you sir are the nails that will build the "Victory coffin" if you continue in these methods and tactics as a Victory representative.
No need to respond again, we got the message loud and clear.
Chris Neuhaus
Can you believe this guy, I think he's a nut case. By the way the quote which I included which he says I got wrong, I cut and pasted from his web site unedited. I think it all speaks for itself. Darren you were the poor bloke that got to expose this fool for his lack of character and integrity. |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 37
SE Florida | I bought my Vision from Jim at Best Buy and I have never been treated better buy any dealer of any product, time and time again he has gone above and beyond to help me. You may not be happy about being told that if you went out of state to save money you are on your own but put your self in his place. He is trying to keep the lights on by selling Motorcycles not changing oil. I am sure this will have most of you howling at me but he is a good guy and doesn't deserve all of the scorn. |
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | Travler - 2010-06-23 8:26 PM
I bought my Vision from Jim at Best Buy and I have never been treated better buy any dealer of any product, time and time again he has gone above and beyond to help me. You may not be happy about being told that if you went out of state to save money you are on your own but put your self in his place. He is trying to keep the lights on by selling Motorcycles not changing oil. I am sure this will have most of you howling at me but he is a good guy and doesn't deserve all of the scorn.
Hint: if you don't want scorn, explain your position with humility. Then everybody will have sympathy and it all blows over. Telling somebody that's trying to spend money at your dealership to, "...get the hell out....", don't work too well. And the additional stuff is just idiotic. He's digging the hole not us. Humility and professionalism wins customers, period. Maybe he should just stop answering and shut his yap.  |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 39
Brighton, MI | Hey drdarrin, I own three companies in Detroit MI, and each one has a couple of lines of equipment it sells. We would like and appreciate it if someone in our area would purchase our equipment from us and let us service it, but truth be known- there is more money in parts and service then the purchase,we get evaluated by factory on number of units sold along with parts, but more for units sold. With that being said i don't care were you buy your equipment as long as we can service you /ALL MAKES AND MODELS. He was dead wrong and will pay the ultimate price - can he say GOING OUT OF BUSSINESS SALE |
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Cruiser
Posts: 54
| post his email |
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Cruiser
Posts: 54
| most of the time we deserve EXACTLY what we get! and this case is no exception |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1158
Richmond, Virginia | My two cents
1. Travler dude you are DEAD WRONG ! and here is why.
As a retailer of high end specialty products, at my company we want you to buy the product AND come back for the support. In a perfect world, making the sale and keeping keeping my customer coming back for support and services would be ideal. We are lucky in that what we sell, most people do this. However just the other day, we had a customer who came into the store because they did an internet search for the dealer of the product that they were interested in buying. They bought the item in an unusual closeout of a business not located near us that was going bankrupt. Could I compete with a 200.00 price tag they were offered when the same product at my store sells for 1099? NO, I couldnt stay open. The customer came to us because 1. they didnt know how to use the product and needed help 2. they were only able to buy the machine not any of the required accessories 3. they needed us because we were the only supplier of the fuel.
Now, what would you think if you were that person coming to my store and I said since you bought it elsewhere, i wont help you. That would be a stupid move on each of those 3 reasons listed above. Instead my staff gave the family a 20 minute course on how to use their machine and i ended up with a 269.00 sale on accessories and upgrades. Lets do the math they spend 200.00 somewhere else. Then they spend 269.00 with me. This product will require the customer to come back to me at least once every 4-5 weeks to buy more fuel.
Over the course of a year, he will have spend 1200.00 with me vs my disappointment that he spend 200.00 somewhere else.
I would have been curious in this Victory Dealers situation had we gotten to do it over and slightly changed the scenario.
Lets say instead of walking in there and telling him that you bought your bike from a near by competitor, you had told him " I just moved here from out of state, and need someone to service my bike". I suspect the sting from him not getting your sale wouldnt have happened, and he would have serviced it. A slight change in the circumstance can offer insight to the dealers perception and your outcome. Am i justifying his behavior ABSOLUTELY NOT. The man is an idiot who is so relaxed in his own business mind set that he
has ceased to grow and alter his own work ethic based on "the good ole days and how things used to be". Well we arent in those times anymore and I would challenge him to invest in some new management strategy classes. As we all know good news rarely travels, but bad news travels at lightning speed. In conclusion, lets hope this dope sells other brands other then Victory to keep his doors open.
There is simply NO justification to his actions what so ever. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | My grandfather, an Italian immigrant who had a 6th grade education, started a construction business in the 1920's with his brother about 15 years after arriving in the US. Living in Arizona (Copper Mines) and then San Antonio, he learned Spanish, English and took business courses by mail out of Chicago to learn bookkeeping and what it takes to run a business.
"You take care of your customers and you will be OK" he would say in his broken English.
Both his daughters were successful in business (Real Estate and Construction Finance) and both his sons graduated from Texas colleges and went on to run the businesses.
At the time of my grandfathers death, in the early 1970's, his sons, and the son of his brother, were running the companies that the old men had started. Back then (in the 1970's) the company was building a 3.1 million dollar project, the lumber company was doing well and the cranes they owned were building structures all over the area.
After all of these years the company is still in the family and doing well. My cousin and his wife are fine stewards of my families 80+ year old legacy in building San Antonio.
My grandfather was right...take care of your customers! If you do, you will have a customer for life.
Edited by radioteacher 2010-06-23 11:37 PM
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Tourer
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Indianapolis, IN | VaParadox - 2010-06-23 10:01 PM
My two cents
1. Travler dude you are DEAD WRONG ! and here is why.
As a retailer of high end specialty products, at my company we want you to buy the product AND come back for the support. In a perfect world, making the sale and keeping keeping my customer coming back for support and services would be ideal. We are lucky in that what we sell, most people do this. However just the other day, we had a customer who came into the store because they did an internet search for the dealer of the product that they were interested in buying. They bought the item in an unusual closeout of a business not located near us that was going bankrupt. Could I compete with a 200.00 price tag they were offered when the same product at my store sells for 1099? NO, I couldnt stay open. The customer came to us because 1. they didnt know how to use the product and needed help 2. they were only able to buy the machine not any of the required accessories 3. they needed us because we were the only supplier of the fuel.
Now, what would you think if you were that person coming to my store and I said since you bought it elsewhere, i wont help you. That would be a stupid move on each of those 3 reasons listed above. Instead my staff gave the family a 20 minute course on how to use their machine and i ended up with a 269.00 sale on accessories and upgrades. Lets do the math they spend 200.00 somewhere else. Then they spend 269.00 with me. This product will require the customer to come back to me at least once every 4-5 weeks to buy more fuel.
Over the course of a year, he will have spend 1200.00 with me vs my disappointment that he spend 200.00 somewhere else.
I would have been curious in this Victory Dealers situation had we gotten to do it over and slightly changed the scenario.
Lets say instead of walking in there and telling him that you bought your bike from a near by competitor, you had told him " I just moved here from out of state, and need someone to service my bike". I suspect the sting from him not getting your sale wouldnt have happened, and he would have serviced it. A slight change in the circumstance can offer insight to the dealers perception and your outcome. Am i justifying his behavior ABSOLUTELY NOT. The man is an idiot who is so relaxed in his own business mind set that he
has ceased to grow and alter his own work ethic based on "the good ole days and how things used to be". Well we arent in those times anymore and I would challenge him to invest in some new management strategy classes. As we all know good news rarely travels, but bad news travels at lightning speed. In conclusion, lets hope this dope sells other brands other then Victory to keep his doors open.
There is simply NO justification to his actions what so ever.
Great job Va, and spoken from somebody in the retail and service business, although I must say this isn't rocket science
I will just restate one thing I said earlier and then let this go. This brand is young. The motorcycling public is still skeptical of the product, but most of all the biggest reason people state for not buying in is weakness in and lack of numbers of quality dealers. I couldn't care less what happens to this guy's business. But he can and probably is doing a measure of harm to the brand. What an a$$. We all know that this product line is so good it will sell itself if a person will just take a test ride. But if people continue to hear and experience that some Vic dealers are nothing but a bunch of jerks, well that kind of news spreads fast as well. |
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Puddle Jumper
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Florida | I have to say, you all are straight to the point and correct. You have to take care of your customers/clients.Just to re-iterate, i did try to buy a bike from him first. I always like to offer my support to local businesses but i am not going to overpay for a product in order to support them. And, like several of you have stated, he would have made a lot more money off me in service and accessories than he would have in the bike sale. His loss is someone elses gain.
On a positive note, I did go to Victory Lane, another dealer, today, and they were great and very professional.
Darren |
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Cruiser
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Tavares, Fl | Do a google search for his business. If you have a google account you can log in and post a review there, more people will see it then.... |
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Tourer
Posts: 400
| Myself and hoosiervic bought our Visions from the same dealer, Indy-PowerSports. I bought my Vision from them because they serviced my other Victory - a 2002C Deluxe, which I didn't buy from them. The service was good, and the dealership was upfront and honest. Honest meaning sometimes I was told things I didn't want to hear, but at least they were honest. Providing service for a bike they did not sell = me buying a new bike from the dealer 2 years later + a 4 wheeler + a friend bought a kingpin + accessories. Add it up, servicing a bike my dealer did not originally sell me = $40,000 + in sales for him. |
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Simi Valley, CA | This is the email address on their website.
bestbuyvictory@bellsouth.net |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 27
| I am looking forward to becoming a Vision owner soon. This dealership thing never really crossed my mind until this site (This will not deter me from buying a Victory). I currntly ride an HD and can say that I've never been treated poorly from any dealership. I think this is a lesson that Victory needs to learn. I feel this is one of the things that's makes Harley so popular. My bike has been serviced at three different dealerships (convienience reasons at the time) and all three were good. In fact the one dealership just picked up the Victory dealership and that's where I will wind up buying mine. What surprises me is that Harleys and Victorys are side by side in the same showroom. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 208
Edmonton Alberta, Canada | As a comsumer we are able to purchase anywhere we want to. Which this gentlman did. However as a bussinessman he also has right to refuse to do work for you. All I know is there usually os more, much more to the story. I am not defending or accusing anyone, but there is more to the story. I have kicked people out of my shop. I allow you in the shop, however, do not try to help my technician, do not attempt to tell him how to do his job, and don't tell me how to run my bussiness.
I just returned from a 3100 mile trip to the grand canyon. On my trip I needed a set of skins. I had to call 3 dealerships to find one that had stock. That dealer also his mechanic meet myself at the door and took my bike away before anything was signed. Service such as that will be rewarded. I will buy parts and have them shipped. My own dealer last year was unable to supply me a tire, thus waiting to have them installed down South. |
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Visionary
Posts: 1484
LaPorte,Tx. | I don't know the dealer that is the issue, but I'm betting he is a multi-brand dealer. So even though he said he is a charter dealer, that mean pretty much nothing to him other that what he tells people. I know a dealer that WAS a charter dealer until he got pissed off at Victory. I bought my KP from him...good dealer until he dumped me. Oh, he said he would still service my bike, how is that when your not a dealer. Anyway the dealer you've been discussing is a jerk, always will be, because he knows he can be and not go hungry. If you become hungry then you become humble. I'll bet when you go to his show room, there will be several different brands...of stuff he sells, and Victory is probably the lowest selling item on the floor. So when he told you to leave..he really ment it. And if he has been around for a long time selling the other stuff, his Victory stuff could probably leave and not really bother him in the least, he won't go hungry. Oh and the Victory dealer that I bought my 04 KP from that told Victory to go F...themselves...still in business and doing great. You know why, because he has Kawi, Yama, Sea Doo, Polaris, Can-Am, and chain saw, generators, and a whole bunch of other stuff. There are good dealers and there are bad...you didn't know that already. Ok, I've got to go now...VAryder, where are you!   |
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VA | I can't believe this guy acted like this. I agree that this was an extremely short-sighted action on his part, and honestly, he deserves not to get people's business. Chances are if this is how he acted, he doesn't treat his own customers that great either. I think he had every right to put "his" customers service before yours, and that could be a perk of buying from him, but what happens when you want to buy another Victory, it won't be from him I am sure. So, in essence, he probably lost two sales, and countless others if you tell your friends who want to buy a Victory after seeing how awesome it is and wanting to buy one themselves.
I bought my bike from another dealer who later turned out to be pretty bad on customer service. My dealer now treats me like Gold and I didn't buy from them. I wish I had but I didn't even know about them when I bought the bike. But, I buy from them whenever I can, even if it's just ordering a T-shirt which I could do online. I'd rather they make that money because of the way they treat me every time I come in the door. Maybe he should call my dealer and ask how you run a business and gain customer loyalty. |
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Visionary
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New Bohemia, VA | VisionTex - 2010-06-25 12:16 AM
....Ok, I've got to go now...VAryder, where are you!
somewhere in Illinois... |
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Cruiser
Posts: 126
Meadow, Texas | I had a similar problem with local dealers - yes I'm lucky to have a couple of dealers within 50 miles of home. The first one I went to was only about 10 miles from home and after talking with the saleman about purchasing a 2010 Vision and requesting some more information, I waited for the phone call. Didn't come. Called him back and was told he would call me. No call. Got frustrated and went to a dealer about 60 miles away. (Victory of Southern Maryland) This salesperson showed me their entire shop, introduced me to the owner, mechanics, parts person and the shop cat. Then she asked me if I wanted to go on a ride on their demo, told her I had one before with the previous dealer, she said "no problem" but you want one so why not. I agreed and we went on a ride. After the ride I asked her the same questions I had asked before and she said to wait while she called the main office. I immediately got my answers and ordered my Vision through them.
I have since gone back to the first dealer and finally was able to meet the owner, since he saw me on my new VV, and asked where I got it. I told him the dealer and explained the "why". Since that time he had fired that salesman because of other complaints and had wished others had told him earlier. This guy is decent and I have bought some stuff from him. Very good clothing section.
So like my problem it was due to one bad employee at this one dealer that cost him the sale for a new VV. So I blamed the entire dealership for one bad employee and I should have tried to locate the owner and talk to him. If the owner is the one that gave you grief then you did the right thing about not going back.
Hope you don't let one dealership keep you from the best damn bike around. Love my VV and get more questions about it from HD riders than Wingers (for some reason, I get the snob routine with them - oh well.).
"O"
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Puddle Jumper
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Florida | norcan - 2010-06-25 12:02 AM
As a comsumer we are able to purchase anywhere we want to. Which this gentlman did. However as a bussinessman he also has right to refuse to do work for you. All I know is there usually os more, much more to the story. I am not defending or accusing anyone, but there is more to the story. I have kicked people out of my shop. I allow you in the shop, however, do not try to help my technician, do not attempt to tell him how to do his job, and don't tell me how to run my bussiness.
I just returned from a 3100 mile trip to the grand canyon. On my trip I needed a set of skins. I had to call 3 dealerships to find one that had stock. That dealer also his mechanic meet myself at the door and took my bike away before anything was signed. Service such as that will be rewarded. I will buy parts and have them shipped. My own dealer last year was unable to supply me a tire, thus waiting to have them installed down South.
Norcan, normally I would agree with you that there is usually more to the story, but in this case there is not. If you read earlier posts, one of the members here emailed the owner and he responded confirming that the only reason he would not service my bike was that i did not buy it there. He did not care that i was there earlier to buy his bike. It was also the way he did it. He was rude and arrogant about it. Not only did he lose all future service from me and anyone i know that has a Victory, he also lost any future sales, by being so pig headed. |
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Cruiser
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Tavares, Fl | This is one of the reasons I sold my Vision. You see, I didn't have a local dealer, all three in the Dayton area went out of business shortly after opening. The closest Vision I found was in Louisville Ky. I spend three months in Ohio, three months in North Carolina and six months in Florida. When I had issues with my 2008 Vision My 08 stalled on me in six lanes of rush hour traffic coming out of Daytona Beach. I didn't know of Kevin at Gainsboro yet so I called the nearest dealers. THe first obviously wasn't interrested in looking at my bike, too busy working on bicycles. The second in Longwood agreed to take a look at it when he got the chance and they eventually repaired it. As far as both of them knew I was from Ohio and stranded on a broken down Vision. |
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New user
Posts: 3
| Regardless of how many sides of the story there might be, it appears as though Jim Buchheit is an absolute idiot, especially in this economy. Undoubtedly, we'll read about his demise in the not too distant future! Kinda sux, since there already are too few Vic dealers out there and we all hate to see one fall, but who needs knuckleheads like this anyway? I bought my '05 Anniversary Edition Vegas from a private seller near Titusville, FL in June of '09 - had 4100 miles, was in like new condition and I paid $6,500 for it! Some say I stole it, I say I just got lucky!! I had a few questions about the bike before I bought it; I called Volusia Motorsports and got a luke-warm response, Ferrara's Victory in Melbourne, who totally blew me off and Billy at Kissimmee Motor Sports near Orlando; of all contacted, he answered all of my pre-purchase questions thoroughly, informatively and to my complete satisfaction. I ultimately bought the bike, took it to Billy at KMS for a good going-over/early 5000 mile service and was completely satisfied with the service I received. I scheduled my appointment in advance for Saturday morning at 9:00, was about 20 minutes late since I was coming from Tampa and was done and on my way by noon, which was within the approximate amount of time Billy estimated. The price was also almost right on the money too, so no complaints here! Obviously, there's always someone who's had a bad experience with a service provider that everyone else has had nothing but stellar service with; that will continue as long as there are consumers requiring service from others. The bottom line, and this is a quote from my Mom, who started a small picture framing business 34 years ago and is still in business today "Though the customer may not always be right, they are still the customer and if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be here!" Maybe "Mr. Best Buy" should get his head out of his ass and realize the importance of customer service and the power of "word of mouth"! Thanks for the heads-up on the loser dealership - I'll definitely go out of my way to not go there!!! If need be, give Billy at KMS a try - but don't blame me if goes south! Enjoy the new ride! I sure am - 1st road bike in over 35 years & lovin' every minute of it! Stay Safe!!
Edited by Dute 58 2010-06-25 7:26 PM
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Tourer
Posts: 492
Indianapolis, IN | Welcome to Vic-world Dute. Glad to hear you found a great deal. Sometimes we get lucky and l'd say you definitely did. This is a great place to "hang out" as you can see. Great bunch of folks here too.
Ride safe and ride often! |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 19
| rlreed - 2010-06-25 10:41 AM
This is one of the reasons I sold my Vision. You see, I didn't have a local dealer, all three in the Dayton area went out of business shortly after opening. The closest Vision I found was in Louisville Ky. I spend three months in Ohio, three months in North Carolina and six months in Florida. When I had issues with my 2008 Vision My 08 stalled on me in six lanes of rush hour traffic coming out of Daytona Beach. I didn't know of Kevin at Gainsboro yet so I called the nearest dealers. THe first obviously wasn't interrested in looking at my bike, too busy working on bicycles. The second in Longwood agreed to take a look at it when he got the chance and they eventually repaired it. As far as both of them knew I was from Ohio and stranded on a broken down Vision.
I live in the Orlando area and just want to say I know the dealer you are talking about (the first one) and allot has changed there recently. I would have to say they are one of the better Vic dealers now that they are concentrating more on the product. The other one in Longwood has since went out of business. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 639
Tri Cities, WA | I just posted some of whats going on here to Victory on thier facebook discussion section. Trust me folks they do read there facebook and maintain it very well. I hope this helps drdarren....... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 639
Tri Cities, WA | I just recieve a very nice message from a Victory employee and they are now very aware of this situation and are going to presonnaly contact drdarren and see what they can do to fix this. GOT TO LOVE VICTORY. Thanks guys for reading and caring..
Edited by VisionNWRider 2010-06-29 1:28 PM
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Puddle Jumper
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Florida | i didnt think of that. thanks for the posting. i did get an email from him and i am sending a response to him.
thanks
darren |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 10
| Dear Darren,
I am very sorry that I got upset with you. I have no excuse. We know it is slow and I was having a bad day. To show my thanks for making me a better dealer and seeing the light I will try to attach a free complete service for your Victory Vision at our Dealership. If you every have a issue with your bike I will treat you the best we can. In closing if you do not forgive me I will understand. Ride Safe. Jim Buchheit Owner Best Buy Victory Fort Pierce, Fl. I do not know how to attach this thing but it hear waiting anytime you want it. Again Thanks Darren. |
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LONDONDERRY NH | Now that's a stand up guy |
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Cruiser
Posts: 205
| My my my... I have been watching this one since the first post. Darren-- I do believe you and I have spoke via email many times regarding the possible purchase of my bike. I am happy you were able to get one! I too agree the dealer was wrong for taking that stance. Although he has a right to deny service and be a turkey-- he also gets the luxury of embracing the consequences... Freedom is fun that way. You have the right to be stupid.
However-- For that dealer to come in here publicly and ask forgiveness is AWESOME. After the beating he took, he still came in here and faced the music. Good job. I am not certain I would have the guts to do that. I seem to be the type to go down with the ship. I am impressed.
Everyone deserves a second chance. This dealer should get his now.
You both felt betrayed by each-others actions. In the end, you both can win with a mutual respect and love for the bikes and the freedom you have to own, ride, and enjoy them.
Let's be honest... we certainly have "nice" problems don't we... It is hard to get sympathy when the complaint is that our "Ferrari dealer is a jerk. " Or, "Damn this cash, it is just sooo heavy, and I got a paper-cut in the second million..."
Ego's are tuff.... let's all learn from this one.. and get back out there and rock and roll.
Well, except me. I sold mine to Joe (who is new on here) and will be picking it up Thursday. But, I will beeeee baack!!!!
Joe sounds like a great guy and will be a terrific new Vision Pilot. If Joe is ever in Florida, he should stop by this dealers' shop for a cup of coffee.
I would.
Cya on the next one guys..... |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | Wow, I would have liked to have been a fly on the wall during that discussion! I don't know who "got his attention" but that is a huge change in his tone and probably a bitter pill to swallow. Based on his other responses, I can't believe he saw the light all on his own. Let's see if it sticks. Vision Riders - Do you have any idea who you're f@&#ing with!? |
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Visionary
Posts: 2118
Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | Mfoster - 2010-06-29 4:07 PM Everyone deserves a second chance. This dealer should get his now. ..... +1 |
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Puddle Jumper
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Florida | It is nice of him to publicly apologize. I just hope he remembers this experience, should a similar situation occur in the future. |
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Tourer
Posts: 520
Simi Valley, CA | Wow. Now that was a surprise. Good to see however. Give them another chance. |
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Tourer
Posts: 388
Salisbury, NC | Plus one on the second chance. ET |
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Indianapolis, IN | BBV - 2010-06-29 4:50 PM
Dear Darren,
I am very sorry that I got upset with you. I have no excuse. We know it is slow and I was having a bad day. To show my thanks for making me a better dealer and seeing the light I will try to attach a free complete service for your Victory Vision at our Dealership. If you every have a issue with your bike I will treat you the best we can. In closing if you do not forgive me I will understand. Ride Safe. Jim Buchheit Owner Best Buy Victory Fort Pierce, Fl. I do not know how to attach this thing but it hear waiting anytime you want it. Again Thanks Darren.
Apology accepted all around!! Mr. Buchhiet I would gladly stop in as a Vic owner and do business with you. I'm as proud of my Vision as I'm sure you are of the brand in general and would love to get to know you folks when I'm down that way. By the way we had a conversation about the 10th anniversary Vision you have in stock several months ago. Unfortunately I decided to buy from one of my local dealers in stead of driving to Florida.
Good luck with everything from here forward and I hope business just gets better.
Chris |
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Cruiser
Posts: 203
Rapid City, SD | Maybe we need to incorporate the Vision-Riders as a lobby organization like the AARP or NRA. Infringe on the rights of Vision owners and suffer the wrath.
If the dealer can maintain this new attitude I do hope things go well for him. I do make every effort to make purchases from my local dealers. Sometimes it is hard with so much internet competition. I can see how a brick and mortar dealer can become frustrated.
I do think there is a balance though and generally there has to be some flex on the part of the buyer and the seller. And often times you just can't please everyone. Some customers are just too far gone to help. Maybe I could have factored this in when I first heard the story but at first glance it didn't seem to be the case.
I'll just finish up with I do agree that it was admirable that the dealer stepped up in the way he did. Heck, I had a blowout at work last night. We all have bad days and it's how we recover from them that defines us. I do wish you and your dealership the best. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 639
Tri Cities, WA | Well I'm glad to see that jim took the time to come here and make it right with darren. I hope i had a little hand in making that happen since I spoke with the victory rep about this incident.. I would now do business with them in FL in a heart beat. |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Looks like Mr. Buchheit has gone a long way to mend fences. Darren, if I were you I would take him up on his offer.
Ride safe everyone! |
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Visionary
Posts: 2300
Georgia, west of Atlanta | Have to say, the dealer no matter what the reasons sounds like He's seen the light. A sale is one thing and continuing service is another, money is money and shops make it on service and sales. Good fortune to both of you........... |
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Fountain Inn, SC United States | I invite BBV (and all dealers) to become an active participant in these forums. Their perspective (popular or not) can give owners a peek into the day-to-day pressures they are up against. And hopefully, dealers will also gain insight into owners' perspectives of what they believe are qualities of a great dealer. Together we'll both win.
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Cruiser
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West Knoxville TN | drdarren I would go in and thank him for his offer of the free service but I would not take it. This was never about getting something for nothing. He deserves his profit just as you deserve to be treated fairly. This may actually lead to you and him developing a decent relationship. Good luck.
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Visionary
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Pitt Meadows, BC Canada | Jedi Jeff - 2010-06-30 4:44 AM I invite BBV (and all dealers) to become an active participant in these forums. Their perspective (popular or not) can give owners a peek into the day-to-day pressures they are up against. And hopefully, dealers will also gain insight into owners' perspectives of what they believe are qualities of a great dealer. Together we'll both win. For 2 years I have been trying to train my dealer in the advantages of a) spending time reviewing the forums here and b) telling new owners about the site. I have not been sucessful because "the views expressed on the site are biased and therefore not relevant nor good for sales". Every time I go to the dealer, I go to each computer terminal and add the site to Explorer, both in favorites and as a tab. I think they have their 'tech' remove this after I have left.... It amuses me to keep putting the site back on each time! And they WERE amused at SongFan's MOTIVATIONAL POSTER thread.... |
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Cruiser
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Arizona | I'm obviously pissing in the wind here.
This past February, I purchased a 2008 Vision Tour Comfort Premium from a dealer about 3 hrs north of me. Saved me 5-6k of my hard earned money. My 08 vision pulley and belt were squeeking badly soon after, so I took it up to the local Phx dealership where I had my other bike serviced regularly. Mind you, that's where they make the money after the sale. Parts and Service, DUH! Even though I had a 5 yr factory warranty. They made me pay the shop time up front! Mind you, I brought my other bike up there regularly for any maintanance needs. So I'm not a new customer.
They said, well if you would have purchased the bike here. Then we wouldn't have charged you upfront? WTF! They get reimbursed from the factory for any warranty work at their shop rate. So needless to say, they have lost all my business moving forward. I've got the guys up in Prescott area that are great, and there is also Lk Havasu to share the love. Thanks guys, this therapy session went well. What do you mean I have to pay upfront, I've got insurance with no co-pay! |
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Puddle Jumper
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Florida | This was not about free service but about treating customers right. Jim did call me again, and sincerely apologized, which I accepted. It was not a personal thing between him and I but a poor business decision. Thankfully, he realized his mistakes and made it very clear, that no one else would undergo that experience in the future. I kindly refused his offer for free service, as i was very happy with the other dealer. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 156
dinwiddie, va | Another curve ball. We had a customer buy a KP from us a few years ago, then moved to that area for work. He refused him service also. Customer has gone to him multiple times for work and is denied. When this first happened, we contacted the delaer representative for florida, and he said "I can't really stand most of my dealers here in Florida, Unfortunately alot of them are like that." I was behooved when I heard him say this. The customer did try 2 more dealers before finding one to service him. Before he found a dealer to service him. We loaded the things we needed in the trailer when we went to bike week when the vision was released. We serviced his bike, installed handlebars, highway bars, exhaust, and driving light in the trailer in walmart parking lot! |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 10
| If you have this persons contact information Please send it to me so I can make it right with them and also apologize in person. Thank you. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I know my comments are not popular concerning dealers and forums, but this is not a venue to resolve issues. Above all it is not professional for either owner or dealer to vent on these forums, and I have been wrong myself. I feel this post thread should have never prompted a "public" apology, or anyone NOT directly related to the situation to prompt one. This becomes a reason that makes me want to hang up the forum all together and for mass would be better for it.
The forum is for familiarization of our machines and to share what we've done so the reader can make their own assessment. Most dealers do not have time for the forums, I would hope, they are fixing their customer problems. Nothing would burn me more than waiting for my bike to get fixed and find my tech hanging out on a "riders" forum reading a bunch of chit chat. Now, if that same tech was on a forum specifically geared toward techs getting answers from one another that is a different story.
I have read a ton of wrong information on here and a few basket full of good information, a dealer tech has no time to sort through and listen to people bitch about something that may or may not be true.
Even if this particular post is true and prompted a positive response, it is in poor taste and not professional IMHO!
Edited by varyder 2010-07-02 12:06 PM
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 36
Florida | Varyder, you are totally out of the ballpark on this one. These forums are about everything related to the Victory, good and bad so members can learn, grow and contribute. The Best Buy dealer learned an important lesson, which never would have happened had i not posted my experience. I did not ask for help from anyone or for anyone to deal with this dealer. I only posted my experience, but as you can see by reading the posts, there is a close knit bunch of people here who support eachother and Victory strongly and they chose to help out. That is what this is all about. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 639
Tri Cities, WA | Kudos to you guys for stepping up. I'm very impressed and if I knew what dealership your from I would send folks to you in a heart BEAT. Thanks for thinking outside of the box.
nightvision - 2010-07-02 6:27 AM
Another curve ball. We had a customer buy a KP from us a few years ago, then moved to that area for work. He refused him service also. Customer has gone to him multiple times for work and is denied. When this first happened, we contacted the delaer representative for florida, and he said "I can't really stand most of my dealers here in Florida, Unfortunately alot of them are like that." I was behooved when I heard him say this. The customer did try 2 more dealers before finding one to service him. Before he found a dealer to service him. We loaded the things we needed in the trailer when we went to bike week when the vision was released. We serviced his bike, installed handlebars, highway bars, exhaust, and driving light in the trailer in walmart parking lot! |
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Visionary
Posts: 3204
Memphis | Sorry varyder, I can't back you on this one. At this stage in my life, the number one thing I am looking for is customer service. I can buy everything for my bike online but I use my dealer every chance I get because it always comes back to me in spades. We all know that we are not Victory's customers, our dealer is their customer. There is no direct pipeline between us and Victory/Polaris. When issues like this come up, this forum is the only avenue people have to get the word out. If I ever got disrespected by anyone at Victory I would use this forum to blow the lid off of it. I have zero tolerance for it. It is one thing to buy a product from someone else then go to your local dealer and not get preferential treatment. That is fair. If I bought from them, I expect a certain level of favoritism. But to be basically thrown out and refused service for a product that you sell is way over the line. You have the right to do that as a businessman but I have the right to name names when the story comes out. Having said all that, I am really impressed with Jim's ability to man-up and apologize to all of us here. He didn't have to do that. I think the change is genuine and am confident that his business will be better because of it. Four pages of responses and nearly 4,000 hits on this topic prove that this forum works, even if it is painful to watch sometimes. |
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Visionary
Posts: 8144
New Bohemia, VA | I stated up front it don't matter if anyone agrees, and maybe one in a thousand might. But let us not assume that we will change the world on a forum, or rely upon any real good information as a whole be found here. If I became dependant upon data here on the forum and seperated out what I only wanted to know about the Vision I could discern that it is the worse bike on the planet, but I know better personnally the reality of it.
I came across a dealer along the "Victory Highway" who offered a VMC discount but never frequent the forum. They were unaware that the V2V would be rolling through in front of their shop, nor were they aware that it even came their way. To me, not a big deal as I would hope they were dealing with their customers fairly and not surfing the web. Given how I feel about this, there's a lot of negative experiences that I no longer feel necessary to share on the forum and know personally, face to face, that other feel the same. To smear it on a forum like this would not serve any good purpose. However, a letter to the manager and a letter to Victory with a copy sent to the manager is a more professional manner. In essence, my feeling only, you ganged up to virtually beat this guy up until he humbled himself and "saw the error of his ways". Okay, mission accomplished, is that how we are going to deal with every disagreement with every dealer?? Have at it gentlemen.... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 880
Orlando, FL | Travler - 2010-06-23 9:26 PM
I bought my Vision from Jim at Best Buy and I have never been treated better buy any dealer of any product, time and time again he has gone above and beyond to help me. You may not be happy about being told that if you went out of state to save money you are on your own but put your self in his place. He is trying to keep the lights on by selling Motorcycles not changing oil. I am sure this will have most of you howling at me but he is a good guy and doesn't deserve all of the scorn.
If I buy a car I can go to any dealer (usually more than 50 miles from the selling dealer) to get my car serviced. ALL motorcycle dealers should have the same requirements as a "dealer" or "franchise" holder. Yes, those franchise and dealer contracts can and do have requirements. If you think I should be restricted to buying my car from my local dealer you are an ass. It's a GLOBAL world. If Victory does not REQUIRE their dealers to perform warranty work on any Victory no matter where bought they need to change their franchise contract. And why would I let someone do warranty work on my bike if they aren't willing to do my oil change and normal service. Shop rates these days at dealers are not cheap and most dealers want the service work. It's CASH FLOW! |
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Visionary
Posts: 3773
Pittsburgh, PA | varyder - 2010-06-23 12:13 PM
not to put a pin in anyones balloon I find that this type of complaint has been around for a very long time, with the threat to Victory, aka Polaris, and I'm just curious how many "dealers" have been closed because of the complaint?
Also, if that be the case, learn to do your own service, or take it the extra mile or so to get it done. I figure it this way, if they are as bad as you say they are their doors will close soon, or they will be dropping the Victory line all together. Just as it is their perogative to refuse service to you, it is your perogative to take alternate measures. Forcing them, if it were possible to do, to work on your bike now would only cause greater heartache in which will cost you the most in the long run.
One of the dealerships I dealt with victory pulled away from them ! And they had a nice show room! Now there is a new much smaller victory dealer up the street. I don't know the truth about why, all I know is that dealer is still selling Honda's and when you ask them
Why thy dont sell victory they won't talk about it... |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 785
Mt. Vernon, WASH. | Have you contacted the better Business Bureau and filed a complaint with them? Also drop a nastygram on the Consumer Protection Dept. of the states attorney Generals Office., Every time you talk to another rider put the gris-gris on the dealer and tell folks you wouldn't send your ex wife's new husband there.
You and a couple friends as witnesses, might even consider standing on the sidewalk (public space) in front of the dealership on a nice day with a short but unhappy message about the dealer, isn't a thing he can do if you are on public property, just mention the first amendment if he comes out and tries to mess with you. You can really mess a dealership up with the 'jungle telegraph' style of diss-ing them. |
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Tourer
Posts: 500
| Having been in the retail business for over 45 years before I retired, If all the facts on this incident are correct, this arrogant jerk deserves to go out of business ASAP...He is not doing Victory/Polaris any favors with his "stick it up your ass" attitude cause you bought the bike elsewhere...Maybe he should check his pricing stuctures, if indeed, the same bike was purchased considerbly cheaper elsewhere....I know a lot of times on this board the actual facts and other pertinent info get left out.....Maybe there was an "attitude" problem on both sides of the equation?????? |
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Puddle Jumper
Posts: 45
San Antonio Texas | Mr B at Best Buy Victory,
I doubt that I ever meet you in person as I live in San Antonio.If I am ever in the area I will certainly stop in and visit. You have publicly admitted to your mistakes and have offered to make amends. That is a hard thing to do and I commend you. As with most of us here, we ask only for fair treatment at a fair price. I wish you good luck with your new attitude. And to my friends on this site, please give this dealership a chance to prove they have changed. Everybody deserves a break in this economy.
JB |
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Hello everyone....This old thread was started in June of 2010 and resolved rather quickly. It is an interesting read for its history but it is not an active issue for any of the parties originally involved with this post.
Just thought I would put this thread in its proper context.
Ride Safe |
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Cruiser
Posts: 51
Edmonton AB, Canada | It's obvious that you had an argument with this dealer and he won the argument.
He and his staff are probably busy making excuses and blaming you for the mistake.
His argument that you chose not to be his customer is invalid, it is he that chose not to service you.
I am certain that his motivation is purely pride before the fall.
Yup he may have won the argument but he will learn a valuable lesson;
You can only win an argument with an ex-customer. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 105
| In the HD world it is common to work on bikes purchased at other dealers. The general rule is if you bought the bike at the dealership, yours is first in line for service. If you didn't buy it there, then you have to wait at the end of the line. That is a fair way to handle the situation. Why would any dealer send service AWAY from his shop?? Do they not price their service work to make a profit? What a small minded asshat. Remember you don't have to pass a test to get a business license.
Jim |
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Cruiser
Posts: 152
Litchfield Park, AZ | radioteacher - 2011-08-20 7:08 PM
Hello everyone....This old thread was started in June of 2010 and resolved rather quickly. It is an interesting read for its history but it is not an active issue for any of the parties originally involved with this post.
Just thought I would put this thread in its proper context.
Ride Safe
+100......This thread should be locked immediately. The issue was addressed last year. |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 965
New York State | Hey Rapid City Honda / Victory is a top shelf dealership I was broke down and was clueless to what happened and they had me out the door in under 2 hours. I was easy prey and they just did the right thing.
Maumee Honda/Victory another class shop great folks very friendly.
I'm glad I have not run in to a bad dealer it would suck being far from home and stuck.
Keep your VRA up to date the tow is a blessing when needed.
I also suggest putting the 800 # in your phone because the cards deteriorate |
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Iron Butt
Posts: 1109
| I'll have to admit I've never heard of a dealer treating a customer that way. I spent 30 years in new car dealers, saw some crazy owners but this takes the cake. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 92
Fort Walton Beach, FL | drdarren - 2010-06-23 6:42 PM
Hey guys, thanks to all of you for your support and those that emailed him. As i stated in my email, i did try and buy a bike from him first and because of his pricing and financing and could not afford it. In fact, another friend of mine may be interested in a Vision and this jerk will never see the deal. You are right,he does have the choice to service me but it was his arrogance that surprised me. He couldnt care less that i tried to buy a bike there. The fact that i did not buy it is what pissed him off. He blatantly told me to get the hell out of his store.
Happens all the time here on the Emerald Coast... All the brands... Harley, Honda, Victory... they all seem to take it personally like they own your business and if you buy somewhere else it's personal. In a smaller market the dealers are less willing to negotiate, partly because they are less educated and don't know how to and partly because they figure that they have you trapped.
Buy a bike somewhere else for $3000 less and your're the bad guy... so it's fzxz you get your service somewhere else. I have given in... I put out the $129.99 for a service manual and am doing my own warranty and any other work on my bike. Just wish Polaris would refund the part of the bike price that covers the warranty repairs. Have already fixed my rear brake problem that 3 dealers couldn't... my cruise control problem that Polaris is ignoring as a whole... of course though I am a troublemaker and should just grow up and quit complaining.
PS... Chattanooga has 5 dealers within a 100 mile radius... maybe the dealer who went out of business did so for reasons other than price... maybe he was just stupid. |
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Tourer
Posts: 373
Lansing, MI | Idiots! I wonder if they / him are related to the dumbasses here in Lansing at Full Suckle Motorsports? Full Throttle...
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Cruiser
Posts: 102
Parkersburg WV | Hi, on a positive note.....there are dealers just the oppisite out there. I was shoping 2 dealers when I decided to buy a Vision. I HAD to have an '09 Blue Ice. Both dealers had to call other dealers and find one. They both found one but the Ohio dealer was much cheaper than the WV dealer. Needless to say I bought my bike from the Ohio dealer but have been in the WV dealer since and him knowing I bought a bike somewhere else he still treats me well and has even gave me some discounted parts. He has never once acted like he had a grudge and because of his attitude he has me as a customer as long as I own Victory's.
I must say that all the Victory dealers I have been in so far have been far more friendlier than other brand shops. That's one of the things that swayed me to Victory.
Maybe we should all have a ride in Florida and go in his dealership as a group and see if he tells us to get out. We could act real interested in buying something he has in stock and then tell him....naw I'll find it cheaper somewhere else.
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Cruiser
Posts: 92
Fort Walton Beach, FL | XRsteve - 2010-06-29 11:10 PM
Have to say, the dealer no matter what the reasons sounds like He's seen the light. A sale is one thing and continuing service is another, money is money and shops make it on service and sales. Good fortune to both of you...........
In regards to second chances and seeing the light... Leopards cannot change their spots. Buyers beware!!! |
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Visionary
Posts: 1359
New Bohemia, Va | radioteacher - 2011-08-20 9:08 PM
Hello everyone....This old thread was started in June of 2010 and resolved rather quickly. It is an interesting read for its history but it is not an active issue for any of the parties originally involved with this post.
Just thought I would put this thread in its proper context.
Ride Safe
Thanks RT. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 92
Fort Walton Beach, FL | phoenix9 - 2011-08-20 9:58 PM
radioteacher - 2011-08-20 7:08 PM
Hello everyone....This old thread was started in June of 2010 and resolved rather quickly. It is an interesting read for its history but it is not an active issue for any of the parties originally involved with this post.
Just thought I would put this thread in its proper context.
Ride Safe
+100......This thread should be locked immediately. The issue was addressed last year.
The specifics of this thread may have been about an incident that occurred a year ago, but this self righteous behavior by dealers, especially here in Florida continues to be a sore spot for many Victory bike owners. Why are you so anxious to lock the thread? Are you the mighty censor come to save the day? If you don't want to participate in this particular thread you may make a free choice not to click your mouse on it... leave and opt out of follow up. I would be more interested in whether or not this dealer is keeping his bargain or not... the dealers over here on the Emerald Coast continue to deport themselves as self righteous assholes on this issue.
Edited by Handyhoward 2011-08-25 3:05 PM
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Visionary
Posts: 3006
San Antonio, TX | Handyhoward,
This issue was resolved because the drdarren named the dealer, location, what happened and the date it happened in a NEW post. He did not tag along on many existing posts.
Have you tried this method of correcting the problems at the dealerships you visit? It was effective for drdarren it could work for you!
In the end it was resolved by the dealer after Victory inquired about the incident. Yes, Victory can help. Everyone learned something from this incident.
Like you, I am just a guy that posts info here. I try to be open and helpful in every way by keeping my posts on topic and constructive in nature.
When I die, hopefully many decades from now, I would like people to remember me as that guy who helped them solve an issue they were having...........not as a big pain in the rear that whined all of the time.
God Bless and Ride Safe |
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Cruiser
Posts: 92
Fort Walton Beach, FL | radioteacher - 2011-08-25 4:20 PM
Handyhoward,
This issue was resolved because the drdarren named the dealer, location, what happened and the date it happened in a NEW post. He did not tag along on many existing posts.
Have you tried this method of correcting the problems at the dealerships you visit? It was effective for drdarren it could work for you!
In the end it was resolved by the dealer after Victory inquired about the incident. Yes, Victory can help. Everyone learned something from this incident.
Like you, I am just a guy that posts info here. I try to be open and helpful in every way by keeping my posts on topic and constructive in nature.
When I die, hopefully many decades from now, I would like people to remember me as that guy who helped them solve an issue they were having...........not as a big pain in the rear that whined all of the time.
God Bless and Ride Safe
First of all, my issue is with Victory/Polaris directly not necessarily any of their dealers... second of all, CEO Wine and his management team at Polaris has chosen to ignore my complaint without even the courtesy of a response. I wonder where the dealers get this kind of behavior??? Thirdly, if I choose to continue to "whine", would you please just skip my posts and go on with your wonderful life... thanks. |
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Cruiser
Posts: 232
| Just emailed the DEALER as we have a place down there. live in ky. bought my vision here but go down there alot. Wonder what he will say in his response to me? |
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You wont believe what this Victory dealer did to me!!READ THIS