Bahnstormer

flatdog said:

What is puzzling me is 10 miles into your return trip, the fault returns, so it was not there when you left, how would the mechanic know it was not fixed when he finished working on it.

Posts like this just highlight to me how fukking spoilt some folks are becoming. Whinge whinge whinge. I'd be pleased to see the last of your type if I was in the trade.

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Because I hardly had to down shift, its a long straight road!!!! If I had been the mechanic I would have gone up and down the gears 10 times on the check ride They told me all fine running well etc etc, lesson learned from now on I double check everything. Don't think its spoilt to expect a job to be done correctly and fully checked, over and out

Bahnstormer said:

I think, on reflection, that we weren't bad on this occasion, we just weren't great.
Alistair

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What a fantastic statement. . You seriously should consider a career in politics in Ireland. But on a serious note dealers live & die on forums when service is being talked about. At least this has not turned into a slagging match.

Just for the record, I love Bahnstormers




Can I have a chocky biscuit next time I'm in?

I think Bahnstormers are Great!

R200GSA said:

Just for the record, I love Bahnstormers

Just as it looks as though it was getting one sided!

As the man said above, I would not hesitate to call on 'Stormers any chance I got!

I do a ridiculous amount of miles and tend to do a lot of servicing myself. If I didn't I would be in there every 6-8 weeks. That said Bahnstormers do all my major diagnosis and repair work, and I will tell you, there has been a fair amount over the years.

I always find them courteous, professional and willing to help. If I have an issue, I give them a quick call, and a loan bike is sorted that day.

My dealings with them culminated with me buying a GSA Twin Cam yesterday, and I was only to happy to give them the business and any further work that may arise.

Well done Bahnstormers!

Best regards

Dazlove

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ok so we are all not perfect
sometimes things get missed or over looked
in the 5 years i have known Bahnstormers this is not a regular occurrence - far from it
but having been on this forum you gotta admit that a director of this company has come forward - apologised - tried to put things right and do the right thing
that is quite rare on here, in fact i can't think many directors of a BMW dealership who would even reply to problems on here from pissed off customers.
damage limitation exercise ???? he's slated for his reply - and would be slated if he had a couldn't give a fuck attitude - its a no win situation for Bahnstormers - but at least they tried
we all learn from our mistakes - re-train if required - but lets not all jump on the band wagon of trashing a dealership cos something went wrong -

Bahnstormer said:

Strip the linkage, clean and grease and test ride and no charge are probably would you would expect for a first time offence.

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Part of the Bahnstormer reply puzzles me. Isn't the bike under warranty? If so, why would there be a charge?
And what offence are we speaking about?
Maybe I've picked up on this wrongly.....

Gazzabart said:

damage limitation exercise ???? he's slated for his reply - and would be slated if he had a couldn't give a fuck attitude - its a no win situation for Bahnstormers - but at least they tried
we all learn from our mistakes - re-train if required - but lets not all jump on the band wagon of trashing a dealership cos something went wrong -

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I don't think the dealer has been slated AFTER coming onto this forum and apologising. It is good to see some action to redress the situation, but unfortunately it shouldn't have happened in the first place. But mistakes will happen even with the best will in the world. Hopefully (I'm pretty sure, given their good reputation) Bahnstormers will look at their own procedures to try and avoid such incidences recurring.

Grey Beard

Grey Beard said:

Hopefully (I'm pretty sure, given their good reputation) Bahnstormers will look at their own procedures to try and avoid such incidences recurring.

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Bike is booked in, fault reported. Bike is passed to mechanic with card. Mechanic fixes fault, tests, and passes card back to service manager.

What happens after this isn't really anyones fault. The mechanic could have tested it 50 times and it'll still fail as soon as the customer gets on the bike.... it's called Murphys Law.

Then the Director asks the Manager, the Manager asks the Service Manager, and the Service Manager asks the mechanic "what was the exact problem?"
The mechanic tries to remember which bike out of the twenty he's worked on that day, tells the Service Manager..... I'm bored typing now.

The point is this: fixing any kind of machine is not an exact science. I've tested machines 50 times and they've been grand until five minutes after I've left. Information gets diluted & poluted.

And, in all fairness, none of us are privy to the phone conversation the OP had with whoever they were speaking to after returning home..... "I've still got a wee problem" "Can't take it in to next week" or "I'm extremely upset, as this issue hasn't been resolved" "Bring it back immediately sir, and we'll sort it"......

Bhanstormer came out to the bike I broke in the middle of a field with parts I was daft enough not to carry with me. THAT'S the can-do attitude to customer service that should be remembered, not some anal examination or what words they use to apologise for what may or may not have been a cockup

I rate Bahnstormer highly

It's all too easy to trash someone for a one off incident. Mistakes happen, we are after all human! It's what companies do to rectify the problem that really shows their worth.

I've had nothing but excellent service from Bahnstormer. Yes, things have gone wrong but they have ALWAYS gone the extra mile to fix them.

Is Ron still there ?

I've been really happy with the service I've received at Bahnstormer. Living in South London, I'm spoilt for choice in terms of dealerships but chose to buy my GSA from them based, in part, on the positive reviews in this forum.

I accept that you can't please 100% of the people 100% of the time, and things can and do go wrong. It's what happens after something's gone wrong that makes the difference. Bahnstormer's handling of the situation (damage control or not) further confirms that choosing them was the right decision for me.

Beemerman59 said:

By all means complain when its justified but we all have to take responsibility for our own actions and decision making rather than blame everyone else when you don't do things right yourself.

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My point is I was very specific about the work required on the phone and got a price for that work, I am fairly certain if anything it was Bahnstormers who made a mistake when quoting, and as already stated I was willing to accept misunderstandings may occur, but not be treated with contempt.

For the sake of @ £30 (or perhaps nothing as had they at least discussed the issue I may have been happy to pay in full) I would be returning for my next service, possibly my next bike, or maybe several bikes over time, and possibly recommending them instead of moaning about them.

I think the fact they came on here to try and rectify the issue is fair enough, but perhaps they should try to appease customer complaints in the store and not wait until someone is p***** off enough to start moaning on a forum as by this point it does look like damage limitation rather than genuine concern.

I do see generally most customers are extremely happy, and I would certainly stick with a dealer I like and has always done right by me, even is another customer is a bit unhappy (unless it was a very major issue / rip off)

Frankh said:

Took my 1 year old R1200GS to Bahnstormer today for an annual service and purchase and fitment of LED spots. Had one fault to report to them that in the last 100 miles gearbox selection starting to play up. When changing down the lever is not returning to normal position hence when trying to change down again its a no go, only way to correct to tap the lever up a little then down again. quite tricky when dropping 2 or 3 gears in quick succession.

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I think you failed to mention that the bike above is ex-off road school (ORS) as you have said elsewhere. The problem you are having would not seem uncommon given that many numpty people like me grind down quickly as the fear of god (and death) enters reality as we try to stop the machine from not hitting a tree or other rider while at the off road school. Your problem may have been as a result of me and I am sorry if I did cause it. Mentioning that the bike is ex-ORS would have been useful information.

Edventure said:

It's all too easy to trash someone for a one off incident. Mistakes happen, we are after all human! It's what companies do to rectify the problem that really shows their worth.

I've had nothing but excellent service from Bahnstormer. Yes, things have gone wrong but they have ALWAYS gone the extra mile to fix them.

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+1. Well said.

The OP response did seem a bit over the top and harsh IMHO considering it was ex-ORS. Never dealt with Bahnstormer as they are not in my neck of the woods. I might now if they serve chocolate biscuits. To slag off a Dealer in a such a large forum as this so early in the process is not cool. You may have felt better at the time but I bet you don't now. You got a good deal on the bike, with a warranty, and it is not unexpected that the bike may have problems. You should a little more patient in getting it fixed, especially from Dealers under warranty. Having been to the ORS I have seen what people do to these bikes. Example below is one gentlemen who managed to launch his 650 into a rock stream 15 ft away over a ridge (he was going a tad fast and luckily didn't get hurt seriously). Do you think other Dealers are going to go out their way to help you when they know your finger is on the button? If your not happy with the service take your business silently elsewhere. Perhaps consider not buying an ex-ORS bike? Nippy Normans sells these and maybe it would be a good idea to have one installed. Make sure you are well away from the bike when you use it.

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Rasher said:

They quoted me a price

but will not be returning.

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Beemerman59 said:

We have been through this complaint before - you only got the quote verbally, so maybe you misheard or just misunderstood the 6K/Annual service requirements as that was yet another thread of yours. By all means complain when its justified but we all have to take responsibility for our own actions and decision making rather than blame everyone else when you don't do things right yourself.

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Rasher said:

My point is I was very specific about the work required on the phone and got a price for that work, I am fairly certain if anything it was Bahnstormers who made a mistake when quoting, and as already stated I was willing to accept misunderstandings may occur, but not be treated with contempt.

For the sake of @ £30

(unless it was a very major issue / rip off)

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Never been to the dealer involved, but seeing as you have made up your mind about not going back why flog a dead horse.
Just looks like more spoilt bratishness because your bullying didn't get the desired result.

Growing Trend

There is something happening to my group of biking mates that is influenced by the way dealers behave (in general) and the growing complexity of new bikes.

We are have disposable income, and can all afford to buy new bikes. But we seem to be getting older and older bikes. We spend as much time in our garages as riding, all have more than 1 bike. The only time we need to visit a dealer is for an MOT. We don't have any "dealer angst', and bad feelings of poor service, no huge bills to pay.

Ok so we miss out on the new high tech bikes and gadgets. But I have to say I don't miss it, and have more fun now than any time I can remember over the past 10 years when I had a brand new bike every year. The satisfaction of ownership is raised, especially if you have managed to repair or service the bike yourself. Pre 2010 GS's are pretty simple machines. There is so much information and help available on this forum alone to enable most to have a crack at self maintenance.

So you don't get a stamp in the book? The money you save more than covers what you will lose come resale time. The behaviour of dealers over the past 5 or 6 years has drove me away for good. They flog you a bike that's "hard to get in as they are so popular", with little discount. Then when you want to px it, it's lost a huge chunk of it's value "There are so many of them around Sir". They fleece you on servicing and repairs. look down on you when you have a problem with your "premium brand" bike. The list goes on.

I realise that I may be in the minority with my views here. Not all of us have the time or inclination to have a go at servicing our own bikes. There are many fantastic dealers around (I haven't been to one yet). I understand they are running a business and need to make money, but the modern "Bike shop" has gone forever. When I was growing up, after work we would meet up at our local bike shop. (Alf England's in Bedworth). You could chat with the mechanic over a cuppa, Bore anyone who wanted to listen with tales of daring do, and generally hang out. But when it was time for me to buy anything related to Motorbikes, they had my Dollar, wether it was a pair of gloves or a bike. trying getting that at your average bike dealer now (even Alf England's). It is no mistake that most BMW dealers are attached to a BMW/MINI car franchise, and your treated exactly the same way. No thanks. that's not what bikes are about. I bang on about it, but few "get it".

I'll leave you with a parting thought to ponder.
Many of us are of a "certain age". We have rode bikes since we were teenagers. Was it fun for you then? More fun? Is it age that makes it seem less fun? Or is it really less fun. The bike I have now is 100 times better than the bikes i rode 30 years back. But the conclusion i have come to is the amount of fun you have isn't really directly related to what bike you ride.
It has taken me 30 years to finally understand that.

Apologies to anyone who read all that. Even i got bored

Just my 2 penneth really,

I'm afraid regarding car dealerships, i have to agree with all the negative comments

I started in the trade a fair while ago, worked for Guy Salmon (The gentleman, not the franchise). His philosophy was that the 'customer is king', although he did say the sales team was the most important part of a dealership blast) and the service bay were 'the money pit' D) he did like the workshop environment.

It is still my firm belief today, as inspired by Mr Salmon, that the sales dept sell the first bike/car, but it is the service dept who sell the second.......

He would be spinning in his grave today if he saw how some dealers treat customers. It seems simply impossible to get a good, honest job done nowadays. I had a bad experience with a dealer last year (wife's renault) and gave up in the end. They simply couldn't see or understand why i was complaining about the fact that they had left numerous things loose/off/damaged after fitting a new engine, bill total over 3000 pounds...

Unfortunately they are not in a minority. Except that is for some bike dealers...

Having dealt with Bahnstormer before i must say i have always been pleased with the service provided and really do believe that they genuinely care and do try hard to satisfy there customers. I know the guys in the workshop personally and can honestly say i would trust them with my P&J, as i have done in the past. Bikes are different, its a personal thing, not like a car, and bike dealers who have forgotten that recently have disappeared as we have seen with the likes of George White etc..

Wizard said:

SNIP

The mechanic could have tested it 50 times and it'll still fail as soon as the customer gets on the bike.... it's called Murphys Law.

Then the Director asks the Manager, the Manager asks the Service Manager, and the Service Manager asks the mechanic "what was the exact problem?"
The mechanic tries to remember which bike out of the twenty he's worked on that day, tells the Service Manager..... I'm bored typing now.

The point is this: fixing any kind of machine is not an exact science. I've tested machines 50 times and they've been grand until five minutes after I've left. Information gets diluted & poluted.

And, in all fairness, none of us are privy to the phone conversation the OP had with whoever they were speaking to after returning home..... "I've still got a wee problem" "Can't take it in to next week" or "I'm extremely upset, as this issue hasn't been resolved" "Bring it back immediately sir, and we'll sort it"......

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I would agree on the difficulty in diagnostics/repair IF THE FAULT IS INTERMITTENT. A decent skilled & experienced mechanic should be capable of fixing a fault, which manifests itself on a continuous repetitive basis.

I'm not party to how Bahnstormer's mechanics log repairs, but I would certainly expect my dealer's car mechanics to log electronically or in writing, as part of the quality control regime, exactly what he thought was wrong and what he did to correct the problem. After all we all pay a premium for garage work for dealer approved repairs and dealers go out of their way to warn and indeed we may void the warranty if we take the car or bike to a cheaper back alley non manufacturer approved mechanic.

Grey Beard

It sounds like the one they gave you is a dud, do you want to sell it? I give you £4,500 for your bike Frank! PM me. Serious offer.

Tom said:

It sounds like the one they gave you is a dud, do you want to sell it? I give you £4,500 for your bike Frank! PM me. Serious offer.

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No ta I am planning on keeping it, might take you up on your offer for it in 2016 when its got 120k miles on it

Frankh said:

No ta I am planning on keeping it, might take you up on your offer for it in 2016 when its got 120k miles on it

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Sounds like it won't make it to its 6k service without a flatbed (let alone 120k) and EVERYONE (inc Johnny) now knows its a ORS bike so it won't sell

Limited time offer as I have cash wanting to burn a hole in the wallet