Choice in Dealerships

[Gatineau_Guy]

I thought of this question when reading another thread (lost unfortunately ) dealing with the moral responsibilities of motorcycle salespeople. Having recently purchased a new bike I was wondering how people choose a dealership. More specifically are they willing to pay more for a bike if the dealership makes them fell comfortable? Where do you draw the line?

I bought a bike at a dealership in Calgary (2003 Ducati Monster 620). The dealership considers itself a 'boutique' (i.e., small/low volume sales). This was the same bike that a high volume dealer in Ottawa sold before I had a chance to make them an offer. I ended up paying approximately $300 more for the bike than if I would have bought it in Ottawa. I didn't mind this little bit extra because of the way the dealer in Ottawa treated me. They didn't try to steer me to a bigger, more expensive bike, they were enthusiastic about the bikes they sold and they took me around the whole dealership to show me how they operated.

So I guess my question is how much is customer service worth to you (both the purchasing and servicing of your bike)? I know High_Side (I think) tried to buy a Monster from the same dealership but he said they wanted almost $2k more for a new S2R than another dealership in Calgary. I wouldn't pay that much extra but I have no problem with $300 more I paid for my bike. When I move home to Alberta (most likely Edmonton) I will gladly ride my bike to Calgary for work that I am unable to do myself. Some of the other dealships came across as dishonest and I almost did not buy a bike because it was becoming an unpleasant experience. Thoughts?

[Itzamna]

Better customer service and an overall comfortable feeling with the people you're dealing with is definitely worth it. Luckily, I wanted a Suzuki, and the Suzuki dealership here is great. The owner is usually the first person to come up and talk to you. It helps I know a couple people that work there too.

I find them very helpful when buying things for my bike. For instance, when buying my new exhaust, I was looking at a more expensive version of the same exhaust I was getting. After discussing it with the salesperson, he actually steered me towards the lower priced one, citing that it would look good with the color of the bike. Things like this are nice when shopping.

[keysman]

When I was deciding on my bike it came down to the BMW and the Moto Guzzi Breva 750. One of the reasons I ended up with the BMW over the Guzzi was because the BMW dealership is always packed on the weekends and they sell a ton of bikes. They have a lot of people working there which is good and bad. The Guzzi dealer on the other hand was small, there was only one guy there, the same guy everytime I went in there. I was worried what would happen if that place closed it's doors for some reason. The next nearest Guzzi dealer is 100 miles away. I just didn't feel comfortable with the Guzzi dealer. Had the situation been different, I might have ended up with the Breva.

[Loonette]

I rarely "shop" at the dealership. Typically I first decide on what type of vehicle I'm wanting to purchase, then I call around to find out who has it available. I won't buy anything from someone if they're being rude or anything like that, but I'm more concerned with having a good relationship with a service department than with the sales staff. So far though, I've had great luck with one dealership in particular, and over the past year they have truly won my loyalties. Their entire staff has been great when dealing with me or my man. Thus, we've purchased three bikes from them (including three trade-ins) and we let them service the bikes as well.

I was only upset once by a sales manager at one shop. We had purchased our Rebel from this guy when we were newbies, and I remember that he was at best luke-warm in the transaction. But again, I was just buying a bike, so it didn't bother me too much. On this particular I had come in to have my bike serviced, but since the service guys were on lunch break, then sales manager decided to write up the service order. He was being a total jerk about it though - as if I was a big inconvenience to his day. He barely even spoke to me as he stormed outside to write up the bike. There was no reason for his behavior at all. It was a very small shop, and any time I saw a customer in there who was receiving decent treatment, it seemed as if they personally knew the folks working there. I don't want to belong to a "club", and since they apparently don't need my money, I don't need to go there.

Getting a good feel for these places can be difficult, but once you find the right place, it's golden!

Cheers,
Loonette

[muz]

Gatineau guy, IMHO your first mistake was to mention the words "moral" and "salespeople" in the same sentence. Apologies to those in the crowd that are in sales, but I think a deep-seated mistrust of all car/bike/vehicle salespeople is the right attitude. These people get paid to sell, not to know what they are talking about or to care how the product affects your life. I find that often if you do your homework & comparisons on products & prices, you end up knowing a lot more than the salespeople do about what they are selling. Sometimes you will run across someone who does care, or an independant enthusiast-owned shop where they know their stuff - but these are the exceptions.

Or maybe I'm just being too cynical

[oldnslo]

From the dealer's point of view, additional features of customer service are "value-added" selling. It can be any number of things to make the prospective buyer feel more confident in the dealer and satisfied he is being treated fairly and will be remembered in the future. The last new bike I bought was a Honda from a long-time, small dealer who treated me very well, and remembered me long after the purchase. For them, it pays off in the parts and accessories, and the shop. Good business practice.

[rwp]

Maybe it's just a coincidence but my experience is that the dealerships in Buffalo, NY where I used to live were staffed by people who knew what they were doing. By contrast, I've never had anything but grief from places in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Reno.

[TechTMW]

The Guzzi dealer on the other hand was small, there was only one guy there, the same guy everytime I went in there. I was worried what would happen if that place closed it's doors for some reason. The next nearest Guzzi dealer is 100 miles away. I just didn't feel comfortable with the Guzzi dealer. Had the situation been different, I might have ended up with the Breva.

I understand where you are coming from with this, Keys ... But it's also worthy to note that Guzzis are not High-volume bikes in the good ole USofA. This dealership is probably just scraping by (As many Guzzi dealers are.) This does lead to the concern that you mentioned, which is understandable. However, smaller dealerships like this often go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction in order to increase business, which is why I tend to steer clear of the High-volume places and go with the little guy. Your post does not seem to indicate that the Guzzi dealer was going out of his way for you (So you probably made the right decision - if he wasn't excited about his business, chances are his customer base wasn't either!)

At any rate, sometimes the little guy can be your best friend!

[madmax]

I haven't had any luck with Stealerships, I've owned one new bike that I got from a dealer. Paid way too much for the amount of bike, accessories were completely outrageous, and the warranty was such that if the bike broke in half I got to keep both halves. I have bought a couple of bikes from used car dealers ond did ok. They were used bikes (trade ins on cars) and the dealer just wanted rid of them. The rest I have bought from private parties, have gotten good deals and good quality on the bikes. Think I'll continue to ride the ol used stuff!!