Worst experience EVER!!!

Discussion in '6th Generation 2002-2013' started by Nutswithtwins, Apr 3, 2009.

  1. Nutswithtwins

    Nutswithtwins New Member

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    What happened to customer service in America? What happened to Honda? Let me set the stage..... I bought an 07 leftover RWB last fall in NY from a dealer that wanted my snowmobile as a trade. I picked the bike up 3/21/09, paid in full, cash in hand, 0.0 miles on the odometer. The weather here, in PA, has totally sucked for the past 2 weeks so it has sat in my heated garage waiting. Well, yesterday it was in the upper 60s so I gear up for the cold ride home and head out for my maiden voyage to work. I am VERY consious about the break in cycle....let it warm up before leaving, vary the RPMs, brisk acceleration and deceleration to seat the rings, keep it under 7g...as wholesome as I could possibly be on a brand new motorcycle. Well, I make it a whopping 4...yes count them 4....1...2..3...4 miles from the house and that is it for my beautiful new bike. As I accelerate from behind a stopped car, it quits....shuts down is such a manner that I almost dump it....no lights, no nothing. The clock resets to 1 am but dies if I key it to the on possition. Here is where the nightmare really starts... I am sitting on the side of the road....completely discgusted that my new bike is dead, so I call the wife and get the number to the Honda Rider's Club and the wonderful roadside assistance they offered me in the packet that came with the bike. When I called, I was informed that it is no longer covered. I told her if it was only good for 12 days or 3 miles it should say it somewhere and I would have saved the phone call. Apparently they stopped this in 08 and had no interest in taking care of me and my brand new bike with 4 miles on it.....even as a good will gesture seeing I have a card that says I am entitled to it. She wouldn't even look up the phone number to the nearest dealer for me. Next I called the dealer I did buy it from.... I knew this would go nowhere as I am out of state, but at least he wished me good luck. I did look up the number for the local dealer, and I have to give kudo's to Matto Cycle as they were the ONLY people affiliated with Honda that I have spoken with that has actually tried to resolve this. At 4:50pm, these guys hooked up a trailer and came and got my bike for me. Good customer service in my world as I haven't spent a dime with them yet.
    Today I call Honda Motorcycle of America customer service. The woman appologized I had such a horrible experience and said that if it is a manufacturer defect, it will be fixed at no charge. BIG RED FLAG....it has a whopping 4 miles on it..... I didnt even have a chance to break it yet! When I asked what that meant, she said that if it were an issue related to a poor PDI, Honda will not pay and it would be my responsibility. Are you freekin kidding me???? I may actually have to pay for a new battery on a bike that is 13 days old with 4 miles on it??? YES, I can ask the dealer in NY to pay, but it is at their descression whether they do or not. When I flipped out on her, she was offended that Iwould be upset that I expected Honda to provide roadside assistance, and then cover the problem with no questions asked. 4 miles!!!!! 13 days!!!!! What am I missing here???? I asked her if she bought a brand new car and it broke down with 4 miles on it, would she expect it to be towed and fixed at no charge? I can honestly say I have never been so disappointed in my whole life.
     
  2. xeipher

    xeipher New Member

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    Really sorry to hear this. Hope your bike gets fixed soon. But I think your dealer is at fault too. Its an 07' bike which you bought in 09. From the looks of your post, looks like your battery died. Read somewhere that VFRs standing for a long time without any movement might require a trickle charger connected to the battery. Maybe the dealer in NY did not take care of your bike well.

    My other question is, did you not test drive the bike at the dealer before buying it? You said you bought the bike at 0.0 miles.

    Like I said hope your bike gets fixed soon, and when finally everything is working riding a VFR will make you forget this ever happened.

    Xeipher.
     
  3. stewartj239

    stewartj239 Member

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    I completely understand your frustration. Once you put a fresh battery in it, you will forget all about it. You can't judge the bike based on this experience. Unfortunately, you will probably be on your own with this one. Honda is pretty good with warranty repairs though. When my '07 was just a few weeks old, the rear shock lost all of it's gas / oil. Honda fixed it free of charge within just a few days. I bet that your bike won't let you down again. Honda is at the top of the charts for reliability. My problem was a fluke, yours was improper maintenance / judgement by your dealer. Let us know when you're back on the road.
     
  4. Rev

    Rev New Member

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    This applies to pretty much every vehicle with a battery.
     
  5. hotrodwolf

    hotrodwolf New Member

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    Sorry to hear of your troubles. I think you'll find that honda really can be helpful. If you had bought locally, you could have gotten a new battery right from them in a hurry. I work at a Multi line shop in WI called the Engelhart center, and have seen first hand the trouble Honda dealers- if not Honda themselves will go through for customer service. If you were to come to our shop, as well as many others that are Honda, They would do a claim on your battery at no charge. The warranty starts at the date of the first sale of the machine. So as long as the battery was the original, you'd be in good shape. It should be a yuasa battery. If not, then someone put a cheap one in it. Yuasa direct should also be able to help you being that their warranty is also one year from date of sale. So you really are in good hands. If it comes down to it, get me your vin# and call our shop. I'll do the warranty through honda myself if you ship me the battery, just in goodwill. good luck!
    Braden Wolf
    608-274-2366
    Engelhart Parts.
     
  6. btay67

    btay67 New Member

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    That just sucks and even if it is the dealers fault/responsibility, Honda F@cked up! Honda has now made a weary customer that will tell all of his friends and as seen here, post up his "Honda experience". For what? A battery that may cost them $15.00 (they do buy bulk).

    I have been out of the automotive business for a long time now but I think the stats are something like this: One good customer experience may tell three or four people of their GOOD experience with a dealer or brand VS One bad customer experience may tell fourteen or fifteen people of their BAD experience with a dealer or brand. Just not worth the Negative publicity. I think the stats were also something like the average person will spend around $350,000 to $400,000 in their lifetime on their vehicle and maintenance. I'm sure this has changed by now because these stats were around 19 years ago.

    I'll agree; where is the customer service? Sorry to hear you're having problems but once you get it fixed I'm sure you will love the bike. RWB's are beautiful....
     
  7. btay67

    btay67 New Member

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    Customer service redeemed:
    Hotrodwolf, that is an extremely nice gesture on your part and should have been the response from the dealer he bought the bike from. Thanks for being an upstanding dealer and restoring some faith...
     
  8. hotrodwolf

    hotrodwolf New Member

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    I agree 100% with you Btay67. That is why problems like this bother me so much. The truth of a poorly handled situation is that it will spread like wildfire to hundreds of people, but a well handled one will instill confidence in buyers. Our business has a "Goodwill Sales" account set up just for this reason. If Honda or Yuasa wouldn't rectify a problem like this, we bill it to our customer relations account. It all comes back in no time. Your valued customers come back if you help them. A VFR battery these days may go for about $119.98, our cost being around $75.00 or so; Well sell a battery tender plus at $69.98 and you've completely rectified all of it!!!!!! The customer wont have any more problems like this because their battery will be maintained from this point on. Sorry to carry on but this is exactly what can't be happening these days. We need CUSTOMER ORIENTED DEALERS.
     
  9. Nutswithtwins

    Nutswithtwins New Member

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    That is absolutely awesome! I really needed to vent.... I must say that it was a sweet 4 miles lol. I did not test drive the bike when I bought it. I know that isnt the most inteligent thing to do, but I have ridden bikes forever, and I always wanted one like this..... Besides, how do you go wrong buying brand new? I knew how I fit on it (I am a big guy) that this is the bike for me....when I rode it, it was even better than I imagined. I was absolutely floored when Honda customer service said they wouldn't warranty the battery if it was a PDI mistake. I talked to the dealer in NY and he did say it was charged before I took the bike. My guess is that it sat for 2 years and then they threw a charge on the battery. For all I know they put a used one in there (it looked new but I didn't remove it). From my life as a snowmobiler, I know the battery tender trick and I have and use one. I didn't put it on this because it was only waiting for the weather to break (less than 2 weeks). It is good to hear that I will be taken care of in the end. I have faith in the dealer down here..... I just thought that Honda would be more concerned. I told the dealer to spend an hour (two at the most) on my dime to check this thing over.... to me, it will be money well spent to keep me off the side of the road. Again, thanks to all.... I feel alot better now.....Hopefully by the middle of next week, I will be on the road again..... Anyone ride in Northeast Pa?
     
  10. mrbugfish

    mrbugfish New Member

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    Now that is why this is the single BEST forum on the internet today. Way to look out hotrodwolf!
     
  11. Big3

    Big3 New Member

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    what happened to the paragraph?:tsk:
     
  12. hotrodwolf

    hotrodwolf New Member

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    LOL!!!!

    I agree 100% with you Btay67. That is why problems like this bother me so much.
    The truth of a poorly handled situation is that it will spread like wildfire to hundreds of people, but a well handled one will instill confidence in buyers. Our business has a "Goodwill Sales" account set up just for this reason. If Honda or Yuasa wouldn't rectify a problem like this, we bill it to our customer relations account. It all comes back in no time.
    Your valued customers come back if you help them. A VFR battery these days may go for about $119.98, our cost being around $75.00 or so; Well sell a battery tender plus at $69.98 and you've completely rectified all of it!!!!!! The customer wont have any more problems like this because their battery will be maintained from this point on.
    Sorry to carry on but this is exactly what can't be happening these days.
    We need CUSTOMER ORIENTED DEALERS.
    Any Better?!?! LOL. You rock BIG3!:thumbsup:
     
  13. MrDen

    MrDen New Member

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    i'm really glad to hear that your problem has been resolved. mad props to hotrodwolf for stepping up, and for understanding what customer service is about and being willing to put it into practice. we need more like him!!!
    you've purchased what, in my opinion, is the best all-around motorcycle money can buy. i've had my 07 for six months now, and i couldn't possibly be happier with it. i'm certain yours (and mine) will provice years of hassle-free pleasure. ride safe my friend.
     
  14. cheyanne9

    cheyanne9 New Member

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    Customer Service and more....

    Good to hear you’re fixed-up. The VFR is truly a magnificent piece of equipment.

    When I purchased my Honda VFR 2006, it too was a left over. We sealed the deal and the dealer asked if I could return in 24 hours and let them do the necessary preparation work on the Honda. A day later I went to dealer to pick-up the bike. The sun glistening off the pearl glitters was impressive. There it was. I waited years nursing my old bike along until I could make one payment for that new VFR. The salesman reviewed the paperwork but the manual was missing. I happened to check under the seat for the wayward manual and discovered the battery hold down was not attached. Furthermore the incorrect battery was installed, the plastic terminal cover was torn and no rear hand grips were installed. Looking surprised the salesman went inside and….Honda service was summoned.

    The young mechanic shuffled/strolled to the parking lot and exhibited the classic look and actions of the “ah yea like whatever dude generation” has created; he was the poster boy. I was not sure if he was a Honda mechanic or an escaped exhibit from the local side show. His neck and face so stretched from gauges, pins, bolts, he could have had a Helibar kit in there in there and think I just missed it. He spoke. Seconds into our conversation, my mind was wandering……this kid was buying his ink in bulk, he successfully covered areas of his head, neck, ears and tongue I thought were unattainable. Suddenly my eyes drew shut; the laser like reflecting sun rays off visibly displayed devices above the shirt line were too much. I was able to refocus after donning my shatter resistant polycarbonate lenses, for if one of those bolts let loose from his forehead, I didn’t want to lose an eye before I was able to enjoy my new VFR. My vision clear now, yet still unable to focus on how to properly attune my anger from the lack of prep work to the bike. The distractions had controll of my clear thoughts. His incoherent ramblings reminded me of a Barney Frank speech, scary I tell you, downright frightening. The zenith of this rambling explanation was fast approaching, I could feel it, he let loose a verbal discharge of the words similar to thin watery feces, usually symptomatic of viewing 10 minutes of MTV, - it drew my mind straight, I thought I was back - as he went on he attempted to explain why the VFR no longer comes standard with the rear hand grips and offered to price check them for me. Thinking Nurse Ratchet had let one get away and knowing McMurphy didn’t make it, Cheswick and Billy had to be close by…. I had to do something.

    I had to ask for the manager. I think he threatened to heat-up the mechanics piercings with his company issue gamma-ray iPhone and “the Honda mechanic” lurched sideward in an effort to reach his trousers that were doing battle with gravity as well as swipe over the thin gooey brown substance dripping from the corners of his perforated oral cavity. The “Famous race car driver dealership” sent the grips to my home and put a new battery in and I never returned for anything. I just could not take it.

    Customer service and attitude is key to many businesses. You folks are correct, I have spent a lot of money on accessories, filters, oil, grips, shields, tires, jackets and boots. No amount of money will get me back.

    Any of you younger folks out there that dont know McMurphy, Cheswick and Billy - its a great movie! :thumbsup:
     
  15. cebuVFR

    cebuVFR Member

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    man, i feel your frustration!

    KUDOS to hotrodwolf! the secret of success is in THE service you experience. make people happy, they go spread the news, more come:
     
  16. Donnie Junior

    Donnie Junior New Member

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    That sucks

    Hi, that's one of the worst bike problem I've heard of makes me think of mine when I bought it last March 08,it was still in a crate leftover 2005 vfr.Heard it run but didn't drive it until middle of April, runs well. Bought it out of Province no problem yet 12000 km.later.But when I had to replace the back tire the dealer that I didn't buy it from said there was a recall on the whole wire system! I thought,here we go---got a lemon! But it turned out that the dealer I bought it from changed it before I picked it up,actual all turned out well,got good service from both Honda dealers! Sorry to here about the bad experience!
     
  17. Nutswithtwins

    Nutswithtwins New Member

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    The bike is home now! Everybody was so supportive that I figured I should at least let everyone know how it ended. The battery was the problem. The dealer that came and picked the bike up went through their district manager and redid the PDI after putting in the battery. It was a real nice feeling when I walked around the building to pick up my bike, the mechanic came out and told me how awesome this bike was. He said he hadn't been on one in years and it was so much nicer than the CBRs that they sell a ton of. When I got home, the dealer in NY called to tell me they gave me roadside assistance for my troubles (wish they thought of that when I was standing on the side of the road lol). All's well that ends well. I can't wait for the weather to break so I can get to know my new best friend. Thanks to all!
     
  18. mrbugfish

    mrbugfish New Member

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    Congratulations on the happy ending!
     
  19. CheebaNinja

    CheebaNinja New Member

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    PDI=? Sorry to hear about your troubles but i promise you'll love the bike if you can keep the batt charged.The neato clock is the culprit i believe. Battery Tender FTW!:thumbsup:
     
  20. VT Viffer

    VT Viffer New Member

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    Pre Delivery Inspection.
     
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