Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Dealer service - problems & solutions.

So my bike's about to roll over 40,000km (about 24,000 miles for those who can't do metric) so I booked it in for a service. Dealer tells me it's a "Major Service" and checking the workshop manual confirms that. Dealer tells me it's AU$585 + $16/shim! and I tell the dealer I'll call them back later. After numerous phone calls I determine that I can't get it done anyplace significantly cheaper and I'm actually interested in protecting my extended warranty so I book it in. Very nicely they gave me an '06 speedmaster with about 700km on the clock as a loaner, and broke their own "no loan bikes out overnight" policy both of which made me feel a little better.

So I get the phone call saying my bike's ready to come back. I also get the good news that they've done it faster than the book says and they've saved me $45 in labour off the quoted price, and not needed any shims (they were done 10,000km ago). All good, I'm now feeling like a valued customer.

Bike's home and of course I'm going over it. First thing I check is the fork caps to see if the fork oil's been replaced as per the manual. I can tell the top yoke's been off for the steering head bearings but the fork caps look undisturbed. I ring the service dept and get "I'm sorry, the mechanic says he forgot, that's why I was able to save you the $45. If you'd like to bring it again in next week we'll do your fork oil for free." OK so I'm feeling pretty good now.

Then I see that the turn signal warning light and the led for my bike-watch aren't working, but since I've filled the console with custom wiring I just accept it and fix it myself.

The next day I see there's a bolt missing from the tow hitch (it was dark when I got it home) and since I'm just heading out for a long ride with friends and I'm still full of good humour over the fork oil solution I just grumble and fix it with some cable ties and get a bolt later.

When I get home from the ride I see that the pillion seat bolt's missing! Now that's bad enough with a standard one, however this was a custom made chrome-plated thumbscrew. Not a huge expense but still d*mn annoying. I ring the dealer AGAIN expecting to have a fight on my hands. Instead I get the response "I've asked my mechanic about it and he's sure he's replaced it, but we're not here to argue with you. Where can I get you a replacement? You're still coming in to get the fork oil next week right? We saw that tow hitch bolt was loose and meant to mention it to you but it slipped my mind and I apologise."

I gotta say that in the face of several problems stemming from the service (that really shouldn't have happened) the dealer (Team Moto Triumph, Springwood, QLD, Australia for those interested) has come through without a fuss, absorbed the costs for the $30 pillion bolt, the fork oil, and the mechanic's time for replacing it, and have fixed every problem I've thrown at them in a satisfactory manner without a fight.

It's good to hear they are making it right for you. That is the way customer service should be handled.
As they say at my dealer, "Customer service is not just a department, it's the standard." Mine has always been just as good to me, for the litte I use them, but always top notch in my book.

Hi,

My service department is top notch. They even know me by name, and it's not like I'm in there much.

Maybe it's that $3900 insurance check I brought them last month...

Nels

My service department knows me too and does a very nice job. What was that about a Triumph tax?

Good deal Matt. Sounds like they are VERY customer focused!!

The only excuse I could offer: were they very busy in the shop?

Post deleted by Grump

There's a mechanic there who was around when triumphs were first invented and I'm sure had a hand in their designing - he's brilliant and his work's always flawless. There's several "average" mechanics too. There's also an apprentice. Take a guess who did the service on my bike.

In their defence they're ALWAYS busy - I had to book it in for the service 2 weeks in advance. I'll be hanging round to watch it get done this time tho.

my dealer in the uk have been very good with me, ive had quite a few problems with my bike(see exploding air box link)ive had a loan bike off them for 3 weeks now and covered over 800 miles on it. every time ive had to leave my bike i get a loan bike ,and they just say dont worry about the mileage, just as well as i live 50 miles away, and my bike is my only transport, my wife has a car but its a case of 'fight you for it'. so if anyone is in the york area of the uk, a1 moto is the place to go

They saw that the hitch bolt was loose and couldn't bother to pick up a bloody spanner and tighten it? Real bonzer mechanic mate.