Bad dealer experience....not once, not twice but thrice - Ducati.ms

Darkness · Dec 1st, 2006, 4:14 am

All this from the local Ducati dealer. One of two operating in Brisbane. All on seperate occassions.

First experience

Bike went in for its 1000km service (600 mile). 2000km later when it came time to change the oil I discovered that the oil filter had been cross threaded and severely over tightened. It subsequently had to be drilled out after considerable effort. The thread on the filter was completely destroyed along with the o-ring seal located at the top of the filter.

Second experience

A estimate/ quote was requested for a common part. The manager/dealer responded by saying that he couldnt provide a price because his computer wasn't "on".

Third experience

A quote was requested for a tyre fitment. A $600 quote was given for the supply of tyres and fitment (of one variety only). I bought a set of high end tyres elsewhere for $400. When the dealer was asked to take a booking for a tyre fitment with the tyres supplied by me, he then proceeded to say that he didn't want to because "that took away his profit". I explained that I would pay for the labour and very reluctantly he said he would do so for a $90 fee after much grumbling and "consulting with the workshop".

If only he seemed to understand the irony of his own comments.

The bottom line

The tyres are know being fitted by another dealer for $35 who was more than happy to take my booking. The party in question will never see my business again.

If Ducati really want to up their sales and their product perception, someone somewhere has to take some initiative with customer relations. Building a product base and network starts from the ground up, at dealer level and below. Its simply not enough to build nice bikes and forget about what happens to them after sale. Sure Ducatis are in their own class of exclusivity, but after all I was asking for a tyre change not a 24 hour engine overhaul.

Enough rambling.....

**YellowDuck** · Dec 1st, 2006, 7:57 am

There are good shops and there are bad shops. The question is, why do such poor ones stay in business? The answer might be that there are so many know-nothing pay-anything posers on Ducatis that they can't tell the difference.

Hopefully the other Ducati shop near you is one of the good ones.

860GT · Dec 1st, 2006, 8:02 am

I've had exceptionally good results from Atlas Cycle Sales in Tulsa, OK. He's been selling Ducatis since 1965. He also sells BMW, Triumph, Aprilia, and Guzzi.

rekloose · Dec 1st, 2006, 9:27 am

ROCKWELL DUCATI IN N.Y.>>the best around here(customer service,pricing) by>>>>>>>>>>>>>FAR! 100% Satisfaction..

Munk · Dec 1st, 2006, 10:39 am

I don't think I have ever heard a negative thing about Jeff, Peter, and Scott at AMS... They'rrrrreeeee Grrrrreeeaaaat! <In my best Tony the Tiger>

LiquidSilver · Dec 1st, 2006, 11:05 am

So there! Just run the bike up to Texas, Tulsa or NYC... they'll take good care of you! LOL

But seriously... hopefully there won't be anything after 'thrice' with that same dealer - cause... hell, what would come after 'thrice?' (??)

Ducoddy-SS · Dec 1st, 2006, 4:11 pm

As a driver of GM. Products from their dealers....I feel your frustration...
And I also MUST ask...How do these A$$HAT$ stay in business???
The short answer is they dont for l.ong...and when they go under it is because of their bad attitudes...but of course they blame it on stuck up customers that NO One could make happy...
The down sid eis that these dupe$ damage the brand...sometimes beyond redemption!!!
Witnes the upswing in Foriegn Autos in the US...
GM , Ford and Chrysler/DMX need to wake up..I drive GM as I am employed by them...and GM has really angerred so many consumers...
enough...find a good dealer and make him very happy to see you come thru the door..

**ColinMc** · Dec 1st, 2006, 4:43 pm

Not to take anything away from you, because that sounds like a lot of crappy experiences...but most dealers and shops will NOT install tires you buy anywhere else. This is more for liability than profit, they don't know where you got the tires, if they are new, new but have been sitting in a warehouse for 4 years, defects that you got for cheap but didn't realize they were defects. The fact that this guy SAID it was because he was losing his profit, now that is just lame and definetly bad business practice. So i'm with you on this one lol, even if it sounded like I wasn't at first. I convinced myself you were right I guess lol. Sorry to hear about all the bad luck.

HoustonRider · Dec 1st, 2006, 4:46 pm

I think all dealers are like that to some extent. I was hesitant to purchase the Duc because of all the negative press on labor rates/scheduled maintenance costs. however, I did see this on ducati.com:

50% less maintenance cost on every 2007 Ducati

We are proud to announce that all 2007 Ducati models require less frequent service, fewer parts and less labour during each service and, as a result, greatly reduced scheduled maintenance costs – by as much as 50%.

Reducing the cost of service when you visit your Ducati dealer for maintenance is one way to measure the new quality of Ducati. It also contributes immensely to making the Ducati ownership experience as satisfying as the Ducati riding experience.

Research and development is the number one investment at the Ducati factory. This investment in performance and quality includes our factory processes, machinery and the people who build each Ducati. By ‘engineering-in’ quality through design, materials and testing, every Ducati owner will enjoy significant and quantifiable improvements in every Ducati motorcycle.

To a rider, the best measure of quality is by the riding experience. You can feel a new smoothness to the legendary Ducati L-Twin, a more progressive nature to the powerful brakes and more confident road holding in every turn. Reliability and quality – one ride is all the proof you will need.

50% less – 100% Ducati – standard equipment in every 2007 model.

Darkness · Dec 1st, 2006, 6:08 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by YellowDuck

There are good shops and there are bad shops. The question is, why do such poor ones stay in business? The answer might be that there are so many know-nothing pay-anything posers on Ducatis that they can't tell the difference.

Hopefully the other Ducati shop near you is one of the good ones.

Good point. I think that this is very much the case. People put up with their crap because they don't know the difference and there are only two shops to choose from.