Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Lucas wrote:Strika
I deal with one of the dealers you may have
I purchased my 10R from them and get it serviced there and will only by my parts from there
i was treated well and continue to be by the staff and owner

Yes it's good that Kawasaki sent you an letter back so quickly
but it is easy for Kawasaki Australia to say this it is not taking blame for it's dealers

A few years back i dealt directly with Kawasaki with a part problem
it was rust in a almost new fuel tank
it took me months to deal with the problem and i was given a new tank but there was some cost to me ($190)
i just got sick of fighting with them over it

At the end of the day the dealers have to make money to stay open and believe it or not thay dont make that much out of a new bike
take off the on road costs and gst and my bike was 15000
so really what would i get for a trade


but at the end of the day it's whatever floats your boat

Yeah sure Lucas, I agree. And I am very well aware of how much a motorcycle dealership can make. I ran one for over two years. And I have also run car dealerships, which believe it or not are just exactly the same, only on a larger scale!

Often two people can walk into the same dealership, and be treated totally differently. Why??? It's called human beings! Funny things they are.

On the subject of Kawasaki dealings, I am sorry to hear about your fuel tank problem. However just as your dealer expereince was good, so was my manufacturer experience. When I first purchased the 636, the rear seat cowl flew off the back somewhere over the W.G. Bridge. I claimed it was a faulty latch, which Kawasaki aknowledged, and replaced as a warranty claim. So I have found there level of customer service to be second to none. The approval for the claim was lodged, and approved within 2 minutes. So I would say my experiences with them have been the total opposite.

My previous bike was a Honda, and I had to deal with Honda dealers... During that time I found that the service from Honda dealers was really good, it was Redwing Honda (the master importers) that were the problem... If you wanted parts, you had to wait 5 weeks to get them, the equivelant Suzuki part would take less than a week and cost half as much... Mind you, this is in NZ, but I believe it is the same master importer over here...

I have had mixed fortunes with Kwaka dealers and other bike shops in general. (most of you know what Top Gear did to my bike )

When i bought my 636 a went to a few bike shops (wont mention names but they were all in the SE suburbs) i got no service at all and actually stood looking at one of the sales people waiting for service (he was too busy talking and joking around with another guy who worked there) I walked out saying fark yahs, went down to Mornington Kwaka and rode out with a brand new bike that arvie.
I bought my bike from Mornington Kwaka, have had my services done there and have bought all my bits and pieces from there. John (the owner) is a good bloke, who looks after his customers. (well he looks after me anyway) So i repay that and support him and his business.

The funny thing was the owners of the shop where i stood around and got no service, asked me why i didn't buy my bike from them. So i was happy to tell them i stood in their show room for well over 10 mins without one ounce of acknowledgment.

It's like a good mechanic, when you find a good one, you stick with them.

Same lack of service buying the ZRX, Rob.

Nothing shits me like hanging around waiting for some idiot to finish a social chat while you are wanting to do a deal Happened to me in 1st Melbourne Kwaka dealer.

Then in followed in second dealer by "How much for the ZRX" ... "about 12K" ... "well can we get a bit more exact" ... "ohh cant really look at your trade now can you come back in 20mins".

Hung around for 20 mins and got nothing except more bullshit and more pissed off.

Bought that day so they missed out.

I was in a Kawasaki dealer on Elisabeth Street... (I wont mention any names).... a few weeks ago.... I have been in there before and have had really good service.... but this time the sales guy didnt even acknowledge me... I ended up going over to his desk.... He didnt look up until he had finished typing his Windows Messenger message...

I guess it would be a boring job... so I can understand that you would sit there and message your friends....

but when a customer walks in, it should be all business...

Blackzxr wrote:
John (the owner) is a good bloke, who looks after his customers. (well he looks after me anyway) So i repay that and support him and his business.

This is a good point, freqeuntly as consumers we are looking for the cheapest deal we can get, with some items (commodities like tvs, toasters, etc) it doesn't matter, but with other stuff like bikes, bike services it does matter, because you do need to deal with someone on a repeat basis who you can trust, in this case cheaper doesn't always mean better. With bike related stuff, if I get good service I go back, even if I pay more (how much more depends on the service).

Blackzxr wrote: It's like a good mechanic, when you find a good one, you stick with them.

Damn straight !!!!


Cheers
Matt

You will notice the majority of my complaints were customer service, not price related. I am also of the opinion that we can't tar all with the same brush. I have had excellent service from other Kawasaki Dealers. In particular, Kim Britten in rockingham WA had my business five times while living in Perth. He was fantastic to deal with, was more than price competitive, and usually I had the old bike off the tralier, the new bike on and was on my way within 1 1/2 hours of arrival. I would reccommend him to any prospective Kawasaki Purchaser.

I am sure I may have had I had the time, been able to visit other Kawasaki dealers in Metro Melbourne and perhaps gain some satisfaction. However after Dealer #4, I was a little jaded, and wandered into a few opposition brands to suss out the service. As the bikes I was considering were similiar, it came down to service, and of course the deal that was offered. In hindsight I am glad I did. I don't think I have ever recieved service on this level,since being in Perth, both pre, and post-sale! The small issues I had, have been dealt with promptly efficiently and without a lot of inconvenience to me.

Having a close association and small involvement in the setting up and maintanence, of some of the factory owned automotive retail networks, I am of the opinion that the sooner, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Aprillia, Ducati, etc, etc., launch there own retail dealerships, the better. It provides greater opportunities to create economies of scale in business, and provide a better level of customer service than most privately owned and run dealerships. It leads to a happier more economic buying experience, usually with a greater ability to choose required accesories and parts. Factory or manufacturer owned stores are required as part of the standards to adhere to certain processes, and practices including minimum stock levels and model ranges, as well as genuine parts, accessories.

Part of the success of the likes of Peter Stevens Motorcycles here in victoria, is not that they are good, or even sometimes neccesarily the best priced, but London to a brick, they usually have it. In the size/colour/configuration you want! And therefore they get the business.

I hear Victorian riders say of them all the time. "I hate buying there, but they had what I wanted, so i had no choice"

I can't wait to see when every metro city in Oz has a manufacturer owned store in town. It will keep the private guys on there toes and ensure they too are striving to achieve not only sales results, but also customer satisfaction too.




Here endeth the sermon!
__________________

Stereo wrote:My previous bike was a Honda, and I had to deal with Honda dealers... ...

honda dealers?? im still waiting for a new headlight, front tyre and speedo cable from 2 honda dealers for my XR600, which i sold in september, and ordered the bits in december 04 and feb 05....

turds... not even a call from either.

Wattie wrote:

Stereo wrote:My previous bike was a Honda, and I had to deal with Honda dealers... ...

honda dealers?? im still waiting for a new headlight, front tyre and speedo cable from 2 honda dealers for my XR600, which i sold in september, and ordered the bits in december 04 and feb 05....

turds... not even a call from either.

its probably ur own fault..cosa honda dealer wouldnt do ne thing wrong...

I just gotta say (and i never thought i would).

Team Moto Parramatta gave me great service last week....
I ordered a new fairing for the ZZR over the phone, they said they would order it for me and try to get it in the next day, and then the following day gave me a call to say it had come in.

They were polite and gave me an honest price.

My only trouble was the sales guys jumping on me as soon as i pulled up trying to go the deal, but i think he was just a little overzealous.

neka79 wrote:

Wattie wrote:

Stereo wrote:My previous bike was a Honda, and I had to deal with Honda dealers... ...

honda dealers?? im still waiting for a new headlight, front tyre and speedo cable from 2 honda dealers for my XR600, which i sold in september, and ordered the bits in december 04 and feb 05....

turds... not even a call from either.

its probably ur own fault..cosa honda dealer wouldnt do ne thing wrong...

my fault? how could it be my fault? i go in i always buy bits there, order the stuff, they write my nu,ber down and thanks for comin, "no worries give you a call in a few days when bits are in"
no call.... dickheads.

Ive bought both my bikes from Sydney City Motorcycles in Kogarah. The guys there are really helpful, know their stuff and when I went to buy the Z let me take 3 different bikes for a ride before I bought. No deposit, no charge. Did me a reasonable deal but I was really like a shot duck when I went in there... so many shiney tihngs! I didnt screw them to the wall, and asked them for a fair price which might not be a great tactic, but they threw in oggys and some other stuff. We need to remember that they have to earn a living to pay for the workshop, tools, wages etc. Im happy for them to make money from me, thats their job, and if you give them a hard time when buying, dont expect them to grovel at your feet when service comes around. Having worked in retail/sales all my life I know you get a lot further by giving up a little bit rather than scrabbling for the last cent.

Wattie wrote:

neka79 wrote:

Wattie wrote: honda dealers?? im still waiting for a new headlight, front tyre and speedo cable from 2 honda dealers for my XR600, which i sold in september, and ordered the bits in december 04 and feb 05....

turds... not even a call from either.

its probably ur own fault..cosa honda dealer wouldnt do ne thing wrong...

my fault? how could it be my fault? i go in i always buy bits there, order the stuff, they write my nu,ber down and thanks for comin, "no worries give you a call in a few days when bits are in"
no call.... dickheads.

don't worry m8, Neka has been abducted by aliens & the anal probe they inserted keeps him brain washed that honda's & all that are associated with them are actually good At 1 stage there was still hope 4 him cause he at least had a kwaka trail bike....but now all hope is GONNNNNNEE!!!!! He's a bit & needs some

I think you have to look at the wages that the salesman etc get paid, its just wrong. Until you increase wages in those area's it seems to attract alot more people. Some of the salesman I have met to date havent been the brightest cookies. Also agree if you have worked in that industry it seems to make you your own worst enemy when it comes trying to work out a deal.

I have found most bike shops quite pitiful when it comes to customer service...Noyes Honda will never be able to sell me anything - ever, local Zuki shop...undecided, not bad but they could try harder, local kwaka shop were really good, can't complain there, local yammy place suck badly.

I don't get it.

They make it very hard for me to willingly part with a wad of cash for a new bike with their "I don't give a stuff" attitude.