Coopers BNW - Kent (Spares Desk)

Needed a new part for my bike - checked price with BMW-Motorrad online. Phoned Coopers, ordered and collected Saturday. Price 25% higher than online

Me: Can you confirm the price? The website said X?

Coopers: That site isn't a BMW website

Me: Oh, who's is it then? It said BMW-Motorrad.co.uk?

Coopers: It's a German site. If you want to buy from them and there's a warranty issue we'll tell you to go to them - we won't be interested. (Delivered in a less than friendly manner)


Now I get that Coopers have overheads (free coffee and pot plants as a minimum) and they can't realistically match online pricing, it was the flippant confrontational attitude from the parts person I object to.

If I want consumables I'll buy at the best price since the end product is identical, but I will try and respect a dealer if they've sourced an item for me or provided a selection of clothing sizes I can try on prior to sizing. (I even feel a responsibility to use them since they've provided a test ride in the past).

But please, a civil explanation of differing prices doesn't cost anything and it may persuade me to accept the extra cost more readily in future.

What was it you were buying?

It was a BMW OE low seat. I've fitted it to the bike for sizing but it's no good as I end up sitting on the edge of the lowered bit so it's very uncomfy. It also 'scrunches up' slightly when fitted, putting creases in the material which I imagine would become splits given time and use.

I've spoken to the spares department this morning with a view to returning the seat -(it's unmarked). Reasons I was given that I can't return it, in order.

1. You don't have the box it came in - (it was a plain brown cardboard box that was too big to fit in my car - I've offered to find another for them)
2. You don't have the original packaging - (it was wrapped in a single sheet of polystyrene like paper using sellotape - you couldn't try it without damaging the wrapping)
3. It was a special order so BMW won't take it back - (would have been useful to have been told that at the outset)
4. BMW won't accept it without the box it came in (again)

After a bit of 'on hold' I've been told a return will result in a 10% handling fee. Better than a useless seat but not entirely great is it? Bit disaapointed TBH even accepting the packaging issue is my fault..

For a 1150 GSA, you need a Sargent low seat (if you are short of leg) or normal if not - superb comfortable seating and miles ahead of anything that the OEM BMW 1150GSA seat, made by SHAD in Italy

This was for my G450X JB, cheers though

g00ner said:

This was for my G450X JB, cheers though

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Seat Concepts then, from the USA......................superbly comfortable on my DRZ

If you want parts for any BMW motorcycle and have the part number go to ANY BMW car dealer and they will get the bits , in the case of Newcastle I have used Fawdington's car dealership on half a dozen occasions with delivery times much quicker than my local BMW motorrad dealer

Neil W said:

If you want parts for any BMW motorcycle and have the part number go to ANY BMW car dealer and they will get the bits , in the case of Newcastle I have used Fawdington's car dealership on half a dozen occasions with delivery times much quicker than my local BMW motorrad dealer

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I am also in Kent and no longer get items from the dealer as their version of customer service is somewhat different to mine. I have had three new bikes from them, but prefer to travel further than the current one and a half hour each way to get my 2014 RT serviced.

I can endorse Rainbow BMW in the north They have a good idea of how to treat customers and I have bought all sorts from them.

I also bought a comfort seat from a dealer East Anglia, and they wouldn't take it back when I called the day it arrived and said it was lower than the stock seat, I ended up selling it on ebay. I had the box and the rest of the boxes they needed to have ticked, but they said it had left BMW more than 10 days ago and they could not send it back.

I think customer service for motorcycles in general really stinks.

Have you tried Brian Giles in Paddock Wood for BM servicing?..does both of our bikes. always done a good job for a far better price than main dealers..

For servicing and replacement tyres Brian is brilliant. You don't get a coffee machine or pot plants, what you do get is superb service at a very reasonable price, a loan bike free advice and a bit of banter. Excellent, I wouldn't go anywhere else. He's about five minutes away from Coopers.