A good dealer story

Biker_ded said:

So what is it about dealers who don't necessarily do warranty work without a hassle? Don't they get paid for doing warranty work from the company? Or, do they get a commission for every warranty work request they turn down?

If they do get paid for warranty work, why do they not all look to warranty requests with open arms? Please advise!

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I can answer this. It's because people are involved. And I really mean it.

It's a fairly common occurrence for me to be astounded at the invisible hurdles and walls people will suddenly 'grow' when they discover they will be inconvenienced by something. What's more astounding is that usually the level of inconvenience, and as it pertains to this thread a phone call and maybe a form to fill out, is small compared to the potential to be paid for overcoming this 'hurdle'.

That's why.

If this issue (extended warranty vs. dealership) is something that is problematic for you call the extended warranty company and ask them which dealer in your area plays nice with them. Go there.

As an aside, my dealer waives the deductible if I bring the bike to them for any service needed that is covered by the warranty. That's how you create captive clients.

Biker_ded said:

So what is it about dealers who don't necessarily do warranty work without a hassle? Don't they get paid for doing warranty work from the company? Or, do they get a commission for every warranty work request they turn down?

If they do get paid for warranty work, why do they not all look to warranty requests with open arms? Please advise!

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There can be a few reasons. And none of them are what the customer wants to hear. The manufacturer's warranty and extended warranties figure there payments based on minimal labor hours and parts prices that come from a time guide. And they are not negotiable. When the job is paid for by the customer, these restraints do not apply and the P&L estimate can be adjusted to make the job more realistically reflect what it actually takes to do the job. If the customer approves that estimate, the dealer and the technician can come out better. They would rather do the job as customer pay than a warranty job. In addition, there is more clerical work involved in making the warrany claim and getting paid for it. In many cases also, the warranty company is a harder "sell" than a customer.

The better dealers are like Fury's example above. They realize that handling warranty work willingly creates customer goodwill and loyalty, that in the long run is very valuable.

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Biker_ded said:

Thanks, Dangling Fury. That does make sense - sucks - but makes sense!
I have a rear speaker that sounds blown in my 14 Ultra. They won't just fix it, because it doesn't do it when at their shop. Of course
I'm like - just fix it anyway. You'll get paid!

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I don't know how much audio experience you have (experience above and beyond just listening) but a blown speaker usually doesn't produce sound at all. If it's muddy or you hear a lot of popping and other scraping noises it's defective for sure. This assumes you are not OVER DRIVING IT. This is very common in the audio world.

I would inspect the speaker for tears or obvious signs of damage. If you find damage, hopefully it's not damage you did by using the hard bags. The cone should move equally up and down, all the way around. No noises etc. If it scrapes and doesn't have free travel you might have a case.

One other thing. Disconnect the speaker you think is blown, play the same song on the same volume level and listen to the good speaker. The disconnect the good speaker, rinse and repeat on the speaker you think is blown. If it sounds different (worse)...simply go up to the dealership (again)...and repeat this procedure in front of the service manager.