Dealer Support or the lack of...

[CROSSBOLT]

Exchanged e-mails with Bruce Ramsey, VP Sales & Operations about dealers that don't support us, the customers. He has agreed to monitor this forum to see what we have been griping. I would say it would help him to help us if we state our problem that is now in progress, where we are, who is the dealer and where he is. He then can zero in on which regional rep needs to contact the dealer. This would help us all in "ganging up on the dealer" who are in that area. This is "making lemonade out of lemons" to reverse the apparent trend of dealers that want to sell bikes but not supporting them after the sale---like all those "trailer sales" of chinese bikes.

The gal who answers the phone is more than happy to give extension number and e-mail address for Bruce or his subordinates who are in charge of the Regional Reps that signed up the dealers.

Karl

[bluesin]

What about giving Kudos to the Dealers that do as they should..like mine ( Bangor Motor Sports in Bangor,ME ) ??

 

[BettinANDlosing]

What about giving Kudos to the Dealers that do as they should..like mine ( Bangor Motor Sports in Bangor,ME ) ??

 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! But of course it's easier to give ridicule than praise. My thoughts on this, and this started from our shops' Yelp reviews; people that get great service tend to just be happy with things, people that get what they think is horrible service get PISSED and have somewhere to vent, YELP. This is why I NEVER use Yelp to pick a business, it's a biased way to view a business. That's why Kymco USA will never ever have someone call them and say "hey I went to such and such shop and they were really good!!!" But I'm aight with this, just the way of the world I guess.

[AMAC1680]

What about giving Kudos to the Dealers that do as they should..like mine ( Bangor Motor Sports in Bangor,ME ) ??

 

I'm with you here. I stopped buying scooters from the Japanese big three because they, in my experience, treat the scoot as a step-child.

Not a problem with Solano Cycle of Florida. Nothing but good things to say about these folks.
Sorry I don't have a bitch but it is what it is.

Be Big,
AMAC

[Stig / Major Tom]

What about giving Kudos to the Dealers that do as they should..like mine ( Bangor Motor Sports in Bangor,ME ) ??

 

Thanks for the reminder.
I'm going to send an email to Kymco and leave a message on my Kymco area rep's phone thanking them for his help in getting my little scooterin' issue resolved with a positive outcome.
I did thank the mechanic when I picked up my scooter from the service desk last w/e.
I think he was glad to see me and my scooter's tail light going down the road.
Stig

[LidoCA]

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! But of course it's easier to give ridicule than praise. My thoughts on this, and this started from our shops' Yelp reviews; people that get great service tend to just be happy with things, people that get what they think is horrible service get PISSED and have somewhere to vent, YELP. This is why I NEVER use Yelp to pick a business, it's a biased way to view a business. That's why Kymco USA will never ever have someone call them and say "hey I went to such and such shop and they were really good!!!" But I'm aight with this, just the way of the world I guess.

 I agree with B & L. I screened dealers with yelp before I bought. I too realized that happy customers just go on their merry way. Pissed off people want the world to know. Face it, no one is happy with the salesman. Every dealer has the extreme example of a bike in their shop for months waiting for something. Realize that if it were my bike waiting for 3 months, I would scream from the mountain top as well. I was not unhappy with the dealers salesman or the service department. I would buy from them again, as well as get my scoot fixed there. This dealer is just a little farther away than a few others.

[CROSSBOLT]

Do both. Highlight the good guys in detail and tell Kymco that your guys are the best. Post here and tell Kymco at the first sign of trouble. From this I see that Kymco USA is more than trying to be transparent while not being shy about taking action. What ever works in our favor. Who knows, maybe we will have some input for some of the really great ideas found on this forum.

Fact of Life: Happy customer MIGHT tell 10 people; Unhappy WILL tell 20 in a loud voice. This was related to me in the late 70's when I was an applications engineer.

Karl

[Stig / Major Tom]

Probably like a lot of folks --- there is only one Kymco dealer anywhere near where I live. The SYM dealer (which have the scoots I was most interested in, for price & value and "Taiwan made") was a sad affair in a garden shed with no mechanic  & being sold by an HVAC shop next door to the shed. Beautiful scoots and a bike, but no hope of dealer support.

Plenty of motorcycle shops around. H-D is where I was supposed to shop for a 2-wheeler.
Hondas were a bit steep for a first timer on a scoot.
The LIKE was priced right....and this forum seemed to back up their reliability as a daily work commuter.
Stig

[NeoGenesisMax]

In kind of a typical fashion for these forums. Th OP was looking for bad examples so he gets the oposite. I am all for praising people when they do well but could this stay more on topic please? I was unhappy with Reno Powersports for giving me incorrect information about two scooters I was looking at. But I do not believe they are a Kymco dealer. If they are then Kymco needs to make sure they arent selling scooters based on lies. I was specifically told my People GT 300i had ABS. I knew better though.

[CROSSBOLT]

NGM, we had a similar experience when we were considering a People GTI300 for the Mrs. The scoot had a tag that boasted ABS. Having learned here that ABS was not available in the US on 300cc and below I looked for two tone rings and found only one. I pointed this out to the shop owner and he checked and admitted he made a mistake, corrected it on the spot. Don't know how this got started. don't care. It got corrected.

So far I have no beefs with my dealer but he has not been tested on warranty by us. He is willing to deal when we get the "hots" for a scoot. That is good enough so far. We have not had any warranty issues except for the battery clamp on the Yager. The dealer was unresponsive in that problem but KymcoUSA pried him off his dead center and the problem was relatively solved.

I guess this is mostly a personal problem with me since I don't like to be handed a line of hot air and be expected to "buy" it. Dealers and their "techs" will tell people anything to get them off the phone or out of their faces. Many of these "tall tales" have been posted on this forum. The one that really impressed me was "that plug in the battery compartment (of a Like) was the connection for a battery tender." The only acceptable response would have been, "I don't know but I'll find out." It seems my attitude is shared by many at KymcoUSA based on conversations I have had with several regional reps, their supervisors and of course, Bruce Ramsey. I truly believe they are all interested that WE are happy campers. I also suspect they would be happy campers to hear of dealers that do the right thing  in a timely manner.

Karl

[bluesin]

NGM, we had a similar experience when we were considering a People GTI300 for the Mrs. The scoot had a tag that boasted ABS. Having learned here that ABS was not available in the US on 300cc and below I looked for two tone rings and found only one. I pointed this out to the shop owner and he checked and admitted he made a mistake, corrected it on the spot. Don't know how this got started. don't care. It got corrected.

So far I have no beefs with my dealer but he has not been tested on warranty by us. He is willing to deal when we get the "hots" for a scoot. That is good enough so far. We have not had any warranty issues except for the battery clamp on the Yager. The dealer was unresponsive in that problem but KymcoUSA pried him off his dead center and the problem was relatively solved.

I guess this is mostly a personal problem with me since I don't like to be handed a line of hot air and be expected to "buy" it. Dealers and their "techs" will tell people anything to get them off the phone or out of their faces. Many of these "tall tales" have been posted on this forum. The one that really impressed me was "that plug in the battery compartment (of a Like) was the connection for a battery tender." The only acceptable response would have been, "I don't know but I'll find out." It seems my attitude is shared by many at KymcoUSA based on conversations I have had with several regional reps, their supervisors and of course, Bruce Ramsey. I truly believe they are all interested that WE are happy campers. I also suspect they would be happy campers to hear of dealers that do the right thing  in a timely manner.

Karl

Could not have said it better myself .

[luckychucky]

There was a nice Kymco shop around San Antonio, because of him, later in life back in Missouri I've bought two different Xcitings and have great luck with Kymco!

[blackhawkfan]

I will post here again briefly about my problem dealer, Mineola Yamaha Suzuki on Long Island.  Bought my S8, and while making the deal spoke to the salesman about how I'd be going back there for service.  Well, soon after buying the scoot get told by them that they're no longer handling Kymcos because they're upgrading to sell Indian motorcycles.  And the last time I looked KymcoUSA still had them listed as a dealer.  I had asked KymcoUSA to try to find another dealer to sell and service Kymcos in Nassau  County where I live, no luck so far as I know.

[AMAC1680]

I will post here again briefly about my problem dealer, Mineola Yamaha Suzuki on Long Island.  Bought my S8, and while making the deal spoke to the salesman about how I'd be going back there for service.  Well, soon after buying the scoot get told by them that they're no longer handling Kymcos because they're upgrading to sell Indian motorcycles.  And the last time I looked KymcoUSA still had them listed as a dealer.  I had asked KymcoUSA to try to find another dealer to sell and service Kymcos in Nassau  County where I live, no luck so far as I know.

That's a problem that needs to be addressed by the "mothership"

IMO when Kymco, or any any other scooter mfg, piggybacks on a motorcycle dealership it's bad news. Same if you got to buy a kymco from a place called "Vespa of....."

Cycle dealers are in the business of selling what sells. In the US that's not scooters. In your case with both yamaha and suzuki in the scoot game what's the incentive to push/service the kymco?

Be Big,
AMAC

[Stig / Major Tom]

That's a problem that needs to be addressed by the "mothership"

IMO when Kymco, or any any other scooter mfg, piggybacks on a motorcycle dealership it's bad news. Same if you got to buy a kymco from a place called "Vespa of....."

Cycle dealers are in the business of selling what sells. In the US that's not scooters. In your case with both yamaha and suzuki in the scoot game what's the incentive to push/service the kymco?

Be Big,
AMAC

Agreed, but if you want a Kymco (to get into scootering at a bargain price and on a quality product) you have to buy from a piggy-backed dealer. Don't think there are any other kind in 99% of N.America.
....and then be ready to do a lot of your own servicing!
As I said when I stepped out onto the sidewalk.."Toto, this ain't Barcelona."
Stig