How pissed should I be?

[angler]

So I took my S2R800 to a local Mid-Atlantic dealer for a reflash, belts, valves and a new tank. They have done a fair amount of work for me in the past, including tank warranty number one about 2 years ago. I am picky, usually do all my own work and have a hard time trusting shops. I trusted these guys before and was not let down. They talked me into Caswell coating the new tank because it is the last one I will get. I dropped the bike off on April 5th. I picked the bike up today. They have had the bike for 12 weeks, but for 4 of the last 12 weeks, I have been out of town. They called at about week 9 to tell me it was done. They knew in advance that I would be away on work travel for the month of June. They have called and bugged me multiple times over the last three weeks to pay them and pick up the bike. They did waive any storage costs.

I get there today and they didn't install the new tank filler I picked out with the parts manager. That didn't end up on the repair order I signed, so I'm willing to chalk that my fault for not reading the 2 page repair order. Still highly annoying (and a missed opportunity to sell me more parts and service). I know I can get the filler cheaper and install is no big deal so whatever. But upon inspection of the tank coating, there are visible bubbles and pits on the portion of the tank that is visible through the filler neck. Is that normal?

While they are searching for the new key they cut for me (yeah they couldn't find it), the tech lets it slip that he knows for a fact that they made the key because he took the chip out of the new one and the old one and stuffed the old one into the ignition switch. WHAT?!?! I asked for a DP reflash and to have the immobilizer function completely removed. Good thing this was actually on the repair order. I could have hidden the chip years ago myself. And the new key doesn't work real well, but I'll hit with a wire brush and take the burs off it and hopefully that will help (strangely, if I had that key cut at my local hardware store, they would work on it until it worked perfectly every time).

Next, as we are loading the bike on the truck, I notice that the the oil cooler line clamp is just swinging free from the bottom of the oil line. Hmmm. Upon closer inspection the hose is routed wrong. The service manager gets defensive because they are the "wrong" oil lines. Interesting as the owner talked me into the multistrada (or is it hypermotard) oil line swap when I had my last tank swapped out because he had a take-off lying around. The same tech put those take-offs on there that was now under the bike complaining that it was non-stock. I don't care where it came from or who did it, a bike should be put back together the way it came in. We all have cell cameras.......

On top of all this, the service manager comes to me with a list of other service items that I need to have done. WHAT!?!?! The bike was there for 12 weeks? Why didn't he call me with these items and have them done while the bike was in the shop? They went ahead an replaced a belt idler that had frozen without authorization, so now I'm really confused. I'm not hard to get in touch with at all. But he already knew that because he called me so many times trying to get me to pick up my bike.

I'm so livid right now I can hardly see straight. I like those guys. I trusted those guys. I tried not to come unglued on their staff, but I'm afraid I got a little unprofessional when their service manager had the audacity to raise his voice to me defending the undefendable. All of his apologies we un-apologies. I wanted to talk to the owner, but he had left for lunch and I had no more patience.

To their credit they tried to resolve it. They are going to send me a new ECU reflashed with the DP flash and with the immobilizer completely removed. Trouble is, my round trip drive time to Winchester is 4 hours and I will need a TPS reset and adjustment once it is installed. They also tried to re-attach the oil line holder while it was tied down in my truck and I told him to give up because the line was obviously routed incorrectly and rubbing on the cooling fins of the forward jug.

How pissed should I be? Really the only thing they did right, that I can tell, is mount the new tires. I'm out $2k and I feel like I've been robbed. I figured I would do a gut check here before I go cuckoo bananas on the dealer on the interwebs.

[hbliam]

I think you should try to resolve your issues before you burn them publicly. Sounds like they haven't had a chance to resolve anything yet. Maybe delete this thread and reepost later if they fail.

[angler]

Fair enough. I removed the names. Post stays.

As far as resolution, perhaps I wasn't clear. They have offered all that they are going to offer. They are going to send me a reflashed ECU without the immobilizer. They will install and reset TPS for free. Trouble is, it is a 4 hour trip for me. That is a lot of time and diesel, and I'm not inclined to let them work on the bike anymore. They don't care about the tank (it could be fine). They don't care about the oil line (they blamed me for that). They don't care that it took them 9 weeks to fix it, they dropped the ball on some add-on parts, or that they didn't properly inspect the bike and service other items.

[zooom]

I think you should try to resolve your issues before you burn them publicly. Sounds like they haven't had a chance to resolve anything yet. Maybe delete this thread and reepost later if they fail.

+1

[zooom]

and I figured which shop you are talking about....and due to the growth they have experienced, it seems finding good staff to keep up with it is hard to do...but I was try and address it with Donnie as well...

[TitanMonsterS4R]

#FAIL. I'd be PISSED!  I know the shop you are talking about, the staff you are referring to and the owner in question. I went down that road with the about errors in service after purchasing a bike from them.  So not small dollars here.  Their staff doesn't admit to fault easily and in my experience will blame it on you (as you have seen).  The owner is no better in my opinion. You may come away feeling justified and the wrongs righted but they're gonna make you do all the work( i.e.: dont even ask them about picking it up). I and others I know have come away feeling more angry and enraged at their level of customer disrespect and the tone they take.   

Good shops are hard to find but despite their reputation for being one of the best on the EC, myself and other owners I know are no longer taking our bikes there for service or parts purchase. 

[hbliam]

Fair enough. I removed the names. Post stays.

As far as resolution, perhaps I wasn't clear.

No, you weren't clear. That's why I said what I said. I can see why you would be upset with some of the stuff but not with all of it. For instance, the time frame they had the bike. I dismissed thinking you have an argument there when you left it for a month after they were finished. And they didn't even charge you storage. Must not have been that big of a deal to you to get the bike back in a timely manner.

[angler]

No, you weren't clear. That's why I said what I said. I can see why you would be upset with some of the stuff but not with all of it. For instance, the time frame they had the bike. I dismissed thinking you have an argument there when you left it for a month after they were finished. And they didn't even charge you storage. Must not have been that big of a deal to you to get the bike back in a timely manner.

That is why I posted this - a gut check.

I've gotten over being pissed about the delay, long before I even left town. I knew they were a man down and I knew I should have brought it in earlier in the winter. They estimated 6 weeks. I said fine, I should have brought it in before April.  

Did you read the part of my post where I said I couldn't pick the bike up because I was on business travel for the whole month of June? Not really a question of how bad I wanted the bike back.  I really wanted the bike back BEFORE I left on my business trip and made that clear BEFORE I dropped the bike off and again at the time of drop off.

My point in bringing up the time frame is why didn't they take that extra time to provide better service and and make more money. I would have gladly paid them for the other things they found. I was also a little miffed that he hounded me to pick it up and asked me to pay the bill sight unseen when I couldn't pick it up until today. Each time he called I told him I would be in this week. Each time he called me he acted like he had no recollection of our previous call.

[suzyj]

Get ducatidiag, that way you can reset your own tps.

[angler]

Get ducatidiag, that way you can reset your own tps.

Brilliant. I wish I had known about this back in April, I'd have flashed the damn thing myself and saved $350 and a bunch of aggravation. Now I can just wait for the new ECU and never have to go back there again.

[DRKWNG]

Typical BS from Ducpond, now Ducati Winchester.  Donnie and his crew outright lied to me on multiple occasions, dealing with both of the bikes that I took out to him.  I understand the "increased business" and "good help is hard to find", but this shit has been happening out there since I moved into the area in 2010.  It's been brought to his attention many times, and he has had plenty an opportunity to straighten his shit out.  At the end of the day, he still goes to great lengths to take care of LONG TIME customers (thinking Gene here), but unless you've been dealing with him since he opened; you just can't trust him.  I will never be able to recommend his business in good faith, and will go out of my way to make sure other people know how he runs his shop.

[twolanefun]

I don't have enough knowledge of the current sutuation to have any comment. I'm not sure I get any special treatment, but I expect respect for me and my bikes and I give it in return. And part of that is I don't say much but when they work on one of my bikes I expect it to be done right and I have told them so. The few times, maybe 2 or 3 since 2004, there has been a minor issue I've gone straight to them and expressed not only my displeasure but expected immediate corrections. I'm a happy customer and I am of the opinion they are the best shop in this area and for that reason I want to see them succeed, telling them when they do things right and telling them when they do things wrong is part of ensuring their success. I also admit I go out of my way to try and devlelop a relationship with the shops I do business with, that has worked for me for 40+ years now. Just my $.02 - Gene

[Raux]

To me, the only way to get these dealers to service our bikes correctly and to treat us right is to get DNA involved. Eventually the dealer will either straighten out or DNA will take the franchise and give it to a dealer that desires it.

[twolanefun]

Really? That has not worked with one dealer in our area since the 80's, they are still in business, still a superstore that sells cheap but still has the same crappy approach to service and warranty. On a personal level they have some great people working there but success is measured in how much product they came move in all departments. But DNA did a bang up job on our plastic tanks didn't they? Left the dealers and owners holding the bag. - Gene

[Raux]

there is at least one DNA personnel on the board.