[Houston_Rider]

Just left a local Kawasaki dealer (I'm not in Houston now, but thats still my screen name)... looking at an '06 10R.

This is a small dealer, but one of only 2 dealers in the city, and the ONLY Kawasaki dealer in the city. Says he sells for list (which sometimes smaller dealers do)... The sales rep said "I have to mention this.... we will only service/warranty what we sell"... After trying to get clarification, he said I could speak with the GM. He clarified that if you were "price shopping" and bought a bike cheaper somewhere else, it was at his discretion to whether or not it would be serviced and/or warrantied.

I asked.."what if I recently moved to town and I already owned a bike I purchased somewhere else?" ... he said it was completely up to him and he would take those case by case.

I called Kawasaki Consumer Affairs. They told me he was under contract to warranty their products, but they couldn't dictate when he would do it (scheduling etc.) He said the only thing I could do is if I ever brought it in for service was to call them if they in fact refused to do warranty work.

what a bunch of BS.... I'm gonna friggin buy it somewhere else, and just trailer it 200 miles if I ever have a service issue.

 

[LiViN's Easy]

I think that is total bs I would of said well we will see what kawasaki has to say about that.. I think its probally under some agreement to be an official dealer they have to service them. He is full of shit I'd tell him to straight up go fuck him self! What a prick. He is just trying to force you to buy it at that location for a higher price.. If he said it was up to him on whether he would allow new people to get worked on then he was more then a rep trying to be a hardass, he must of been the manager or something. Go to another dealer what a ****

*Edit* I didn't read all your post... I have a habit of just replying to my first reaction then going back and reading the rest.. I see you allready called kawi.

 

[hybrid]

This kinda ties in to a thread earlier about flatout using the internet to fuck over dealers.

First off the guy is a fuck stick. Thats simple, but let me explain to you why he would use an antic like that in the first place.........

Almost all dealers view "service" as a necessary evil. For the amount of money you have involved the turn around isnt necessarily there. You have employees that constantly eat up money and time and if you fix something, you arent buying a new one all the time.

This guy is basicaly keeping you from going out and price shopping him to death and then expecting him to try to make a profit off of WARRANTY repair or maintenance. Its not a lucrative thing to have happen.

One thing I would suggest is that you should check his prices and when you price shop him..........if he is close at all, you should buy it from him. Think of your situation. In the long run, will you not save those couple hundred dollars in gas by staying local?

I know its shitty but I get the idea that the guy feels like his back is against the wall. He is trying to make a profit and some dealers know that they really dont need a service department so they sell out at cheap prices and expect to never see you again. Then again I live in a place where one guy has a pretty fucking good monopoly on DEALERSHIPS and wont sell shit for less than sticker and still ass rapes you on everything you could imagine. That guy makes me a lot of money...........Im pretty fair for the most part. Loyalty has its priviledges

 

[ZX636Skiv]

Actually, hope you aren't expecting much from Kawasaki on this subject either. ALL of the local shops where I live are crooks. This is a big military town (Norfolk, VA) and they all see new blood all the time, so they don't really care if they piss you off or not.

Anyway, I was always a big Kawi fan until my latest bike, a 2003 ZX6R. Don't get me wrong, I love the bike and it gives me a stiffy every time I ride! The problem is that there was a recall on the exhaust and I took it to the dealership I bought it from. The replacement cans were on back order and my bike sat at the dealership for 2 months! The dealership wouldn't work with me on either giving me a can off a new bike, or getting me an aftermarket one. From frequenting KawiForums, many of the dealerships gave people cheap aftermarket cans due to the back order from Kawasaki.
I contacted Kawasaki on the problem and even told them that the dealership wouldn't release my bike due to it being a safety recall...they basically said sorry about your luck.

I won't buy so much as a sticker from that dealership, and am not sure that I would buy another Kawi at this point. Neither the dealership or Kawasaki gave a damn about me or the bike, just the bottom line and profit margin.

 

[OFFICER737]

I was in Chicago with my Triumph and went to change the oil. Went to the local shop ( I live in TN. and that is where is my bike was purchased). I asked something about the warranty on the bike and they told me even if I was traveling and something happened to my bike.....just take it to the nearest Triumph and they fix it. Seemed simple enough to me.

 

[RayOSV]

If a dealer service shop is busy, it can take weeks to get your bike in. In general, they can pick and choose to whom to give first appointments. If they are a franchised dealer (Kawasaki for example), they are obligated to do warranty work. They may not be happy about it, but they have to take care of you (eventually).

 

[bzbatl]

I was in Chicago with my Triumph and went to change the oil. Went to the local shop ( I live in TN. and that is where is my bike was purchased). I asked something about the warranty on the bike and they told me even if I was traveling and something happened to my bike.....just take it to the nearest Triumph and they fix it. Seemed simple enough to me.

I would think that has to do with a couple of things:

1. They sell a hell of a lot more Kawis than Triumphs - probably not a good idea to piss off the Triumph customer.

2. It might have a lot to do with the Corp's mentality too. Triumph is a much smaller company - they might actually care about the customer more.

3. I assume you paid more for that Triumph than you would for a comparable Jap bike. Like cars - the Euro companies like BMW and Mercedes are typically better with their customer service than the other dealerships with less expensive cars. I've had fantastic experiences with Atlanta Triumph-Ducati, but the Honda guys down the road could care less if I'm in their store. (been actively lookin for the wife!)

4. You're a cop - who wants to piss off a cop? :lao

 

[bzbatl]

Oh - back on topic! That kind of attitude would make me never go back in the store. It sucks it's close, but that's the type of person I am.

I bought my bike from the shop downtown, instead of the dealership (Moto Britalia) directly across the street from my office. No BS - it is across Windward Parkway. Make that "was". After them treating me like ass, I bought my Duc from downtown and intended on riding it to MB on it to talk to the owner. MB has closed up.

I still feel really lucky that they were dicks to me every time I ride by that place.

 

[madman748]

I would think that has to do with a couple of things:

1. They sell a hell of a lot more Kawis than Triumphs - probably not a good idea to piss off the Triumph customer.

2. It might have a lot to do with the Corp's mentality too. Triumph is a much smaller company - they might actually care about the customer more.

3. I assume you paid more for that Triumph than you would for a comparable Jap bike. Like cars - the Euro companies like BMW and Mercedes are typically better with their customer service than the other dealerships with less expensive cars. I've had fantastic experiences with Atlanta Triumph-Ducati, but the Honda guys down the road could care less if I'm in their store. (been actively lookin for the wife!)

4. You're a cop - who wants to piss off a cop? :lao

I agree w/all your points. I bought my 748S in Charlotte and later moved to Alpharetta. And ATL Triumph-Ducati hadn't a single issue performing warranty work. They are a bunch of good guys. On the flip side, I had a hell of a time getting Roswell Fun Machines to give me the time of day when it come to service.

 

[04zx6r]

I've worked in automotive dealerships for the last 4 years, mainly doing warranty work, and this isn't something new- they absoloutly will treat customers better that buy from them, it's a perk. BUT! it really depends on how you approach the dealership as well, most people think that the dealers are out to screw them right off the bat, and in some cases that may be true. but if you go in and try to work with the dealer, I can almost gaurantee you that they will go out of their way to help you out.
However if you go in there demanding things and threatening to call the manufacturer, "sorry sir but it looks like our schedule just closed up for another 3 weeks" and it's perfectly within our rights to do so.
Like the original poster had said, they cannot refuse warranty work, but it is up to their discretion as far as scheduling goes, unless it is a safety recall, then they must do it in a reasonable amount of time, other than that, if you're an ass to them, good luck getting anything done.
The thing people don't get, is that service writers are people too, and they can only take so much verbal abuse before they have no problem giving you a rape job. Again this is not a blanket statement, I totally agree that there are dealers out there that will rob you blind no matter what attitude you come with, but generally these are larger dealers like the one mentioned earlier where there is so many new people all the time they don't have to worry about pissing off people.
Bottom line, try the nice way first.

 

[OFFICER737]

I would think that has to do with a couple of things:

1. They sell a hell of a lot more Kawis than Triumphs - probably not a good idea to piss off the Triumph customer.

2. It might have a lot to do with the Corp's mentality too. Triumph is a much smaller company - they might actually care about the customer more.

3. I assume you paid more for that Triumph than you would for a comparable Jap bike. Like cars - the Euro companies like BMW and Mercedes are typically better with their customer service than the other dealerships with less expensive cars. I've had fantastic experiences with Atlanta Triumph-Ducati, but the Honda guys down the road could care less if I'm in their store. (been actively lookin for the wife!)

4. You're a cop - who wants to piss off a cop? :lao

You are right bro! I have been to places that treated me like shit and I have been to ones that really help me. The ones that help I go back to, the ones that don't I never go see them again and when someone asks me where to go I give them the good places. My local Triumph dealer sells and services Kawis and Hondas also and over the years of dirtbike racing and atv racing I have been there a lot and spent a lot of cash there. After a couple of years going there they started giving me discounted prices and they try their hardest to get anything I need. When I was there Monday I asked about the new 675 and said if I wanted one they would put me on the list for a gray one that would be delivered in a couple of weeks.

 

[PWGUNNY]

I usually give my local dealership first crack before looking elsewhere on the net. The problem is their selection of gear sucks, practically non existent. The other thing is of course their prices are most often out of the ballpark. If I encountered the dealership you're describing, I would already feel negative towards them and would shop elsewhere. It seems as though a service adventure with this dealership would only wind up bad. F them.

 

[Süsser Tod]

Just left a local Kawasaki dealer (I'm not in Houston now, but thats still my screen name)... looking at an '06 10R.

This is a small dealer, but one of only 2 dealers in the city, and the ONLY Kawasaki dealer in the city. Says he sells for list (which sometimes smaller dealers do)... The sales rep said "I have to mention this.... we will only service/warranty what we sell"... After trying to get clarification, he said I could speak with the GM. He clarified that if you were "price shopping" and bought a bike cheaper somewhere else, it was at his discretion to whether or not it would be serviced and/or warrantied.

Well, that happened to me, here in Mexico with my Yamaha RXZ135. I got the bike on a dealership that, while not being far from home, is really hard to get to using public transport (so it is really hard to go drop the bike for service and return home on public transport, and then use public transport to go pick up the bike next day), but they had the bike on stock, while the closest dealership to my house said Yamaha wasn't selling those bikes anymore...

Well, I thought, buy the bike on the dealership that has it on stock, service the bike on the dealership near home, perfect plan, right?

Well, on the first service I also took it for a warranty repair, fork seals. And they refused to fix it!!!

Man, I was really pissed off! They accepted to do the first service, but not to fix the forks. So I called Yamaha and explained the situation, also opened a case on their website. Two hours later I was with a Yamaha representative on the line, along with the manager of that dealership.


They fixed the bike in a record time, I was able to pick it up the same day they had refused to fix it!


Untill today the manager knows me by my first name :lao However, I've taken it only to that dealership, and I've also got all the 2 smoke oil from them, so they don't hate me anymore.