[bulldogparts]

A couple of topics recently/currently running on here are about Honda dealers/stealers. The ONE BIG QUESTION I see most often asked is "does anyone know of a GOOD dealer?"

Then it occurred to me.....The owner of this forum is a bona-fied HONDA DEALER. I've worked for big truck dealers all of my life, and the people who own and work in them, almost always know who the decent dealers are in another state/area, or at least some of them.

Wouldn't it be a great help to everyone on ALL of DLP's forums, if they would list some of the better dealers that they know of in the USA?

Good idea? Bad idea?

 

[GLHart]

While I am sure there are good competent dealerships, I am afraid that would be a pretty short list.:shrug:

 

[bulldogparts]

At least we'd have a starting point.

 

[Buzz Lightyear]

The GWRRA magazine has a monthly section on "Good Dealer Experiences". Don't shoot the messenger .... just sayin' ...

 

[Snoopy]

I think Fredinga edits GWRRA editorials

 

[White Gold]

Problem with listing them is some can have good luck and one guy who happens to an arss hole will have bad luck and they will appear on the list. I think if they are continually bad their name will get out on the forum naturally. :shrug:

 

[NJREF]

What makes DLP an arbiter for such a decison/proclaimation?

 

[KiteSquid]

I would like to see it but I think a better idea is to do for motorcycle dealerships (four separate entries as they may have different managers.... 1: New bike sales, 2: Used bike sales, 3: Warranty work, 4: service, other than warranty work) written up like restaurant reviews on Yelp.com.


every once in a while a good restaurant has a bad day.

Every once in awhile a diner has had a bad day and takes it out on a restaurant .

Every once in a while a bad restaurant has a good day.


Replace motorcycle dealership for restaurant in the examples above.


a registered user posts a review. I can look to see if that person leaves 90% bad reviews because they are a bad customer, or if they only leave good reviews.


I will ignore all reviews if there are less than five reviews posted.......

As management/staff changes, reviews that are more than 3 months old may be overcome by events.....

If you write a good or bad review you should list the name of the employee you had interaction with.... read the below and see which one means more to you.


I had a bad experience at KiteSquid Honda.

or

I had poor service a KiteSquid Honda when on 15 June 2011 I met Biff at the service counter and he refused to let my 2010 GL1800 into the service bay because he stated that because it had aftermarket dual overhead fox-tails installed they could not work on it.

I hope you get the idea.

If I were to go to that service department I would try to talk to ANYONE but Biff....

In my experience, it is much easier for people to talk negatively than positively........

 

[Racer57]

If DLP has (for example) has 1,000 business that buy from them. If they were to list the top ten, the next day they would get 9,990 phones calls raising holy hell and threatning to take their business somewhere else.

 

[wi-winger]

Personally I think if Honda cared about the Goldwing dealerships and took more interest in them like they watch over their car and truck dealerships things would be a lot different.

 

[loren]

Bad plan

Your asking the site to rate a dealer by the experience of one person, who may or may not have told the story correctly.

Or worse yet, trusting a good rating based on someone who likes the dealer, or who has some stake in it.

 

[Firedup!!!]

Southern motor sports Chattanooga Tenn.

 

[ACDNate]

What makes DLP an arbiter for such a decison/proclaimation?

+1, They really shouldn't have anything to do with such a list. They would be rating their competition.

 

[alltimes]

I voted good idea simple because I would like to see such a list.

Unfortunately DLP would be biting themselves in the ass if they did something like that, and they are intelligent business people so I'm sure no such list will ever come from them.

 

[jd111]

What makes DLP an arbiter for such a decison/proclaimation?

Exactly!

 

[31261]

Well..........
I would guess that 99 percent of us have had enough frustrating experiences with dealers that we simply do not go there unless there is absolutely no other choice.

We are not all A.......holes, but if you take bike in for new tires and the front tire is installed backwards, or cables are mis-routed and or they take 3 weeks to repair some simple situation or you go in to the parts office and ask for a set of front rotor bolts and they tell ya, we can order them for you. Well I can order them to. I do not expect you to have the special bolt for the excraminator valve, but I do expect you to have rotor bolts, push pins, light bulbs and common service items in stock. I also expect you to have at least one alternator on the shelf, I really do not wish to wait three days to get one.

So with time we get trained. We already know it is pointless and frustrating to even go to a dealer. So we do not.

We resolve it ourselves, if at all possible.

Bottom line is with time we do get trained, a dealer is a source for a bike, but not a good source for service. Go elsewhere or do it yourself. Emergency situations only and with that also be frustrated many times.

An occasional shining star does show up, but that is very rare.

 

[bluestone]

Listing dealers recommended by riders is a good idea, however touchy it might be.

How about a list of Goldwing mechanics? A mechanics list with specialties, eg, engine, electric, etc., puts riders right in touch with the people who work on the machines.

 

[wi-winger]

Listing dealers recommended by riders is a good idea, however touchy it might be.

How about a list of Goldwing mechanics? A mechanics list with specialties, eg, engine, electric, etc., puts riders right in touch with the people who work on the machines.

I'll buy that, and by-pass those idiot service writers.

 

[PunkinDave]

Zero value...
I wouldn't give a negative review of a dealer by many of the bellyaching "victims" here any weight at all.. I know there's some who would also give positive reviews to pad their own experiance..
Just another venue for the politeness challenged "regulars" to slam each other..

 

[rjmelehan]

Well..........
I would guess that 99 percent of us have had enough frustrating experiences with dealers that we simply do not go there unless there is absolutely no other choice.

We are not all A.......holes, but if you take bike in for new tires and the front tire is installed backwards, or cables are mis-routed and or they take 3 weeks to repair some simple situation or you go in to the parts office and ask for a set of front rotor bolts and they tell ya, we can order them for you. Well I can order them to. I do not expect you to have the special bolt for the excraminator valve, but I do expect you to have rotor bolts, push pins, light bulbs and common service items in stock. I also expect you to have at least one alternator on the shelf, I really do not wish to wait three days to get one.

So with time we get trained. We already know it is pointless and frustrating to even go to a dealer. So we do not.

We resolve it ourselves, if at all possible.

Bottom line is with time we do get trained, a dealer is a source for a bike, but not a good source for service. Go elsewhere or do it yourself. Emergency situations only and with that also be frustrated many times.

An occasional shining star does show up, but that is very rare.

Mason City Honda, Mason City Iowa.
+100. They know Goldwings. They are exceptional.

RJ