My 1200 GS, bmw dealer, bmw assistance and AVIS

[Montrose Sun]

Hi folks,

want to vent some anger please and see what you lot think - bear with me please. Id also like to say that i have had plenty of bm's before - r's and k's but just not a GS. I've just sold my 2007 TDM 900.

Bought my 2006 GS 1200 from John Clark Tayside 2 weeks ago

Have done 300ish miles on it

Thursday past it starts to really stutter and cut out on acceleration - barely make it home

1pm friday after work i make first call to BMW assistance - am assured that a bmw tech will be with me shortly and will more than likely sort fault. I tell them that i need a bike if it gets recovered as i have a biking weekend the next day / yesterday and i rely on my bike for my work (instructor) from the moment i get back.

2pm local grease monkey turns up with no bike experience and just a flatbed to recover my bike to bmw in Aberdeen (the closest one)

Whilst at work earlier in the day i phoned aberdeen bmw for advice as to how to deal with problem and what it likely was and they said cant give you advice as our only tech is on 2 weeks holidays - tried to tell this to bmw assistance on first phonecall but they assured me it would be dealt with professionally and quickly.

I tell grease monkey, that i know that aberdeen is out the game and that it'll have to be Dundee - grease monkey goes in huff but agrees.

I phone bmw assistance re the mix-up and that i tried to tell them before so that they could perhaps make other arrangements

Felt sorry for grease monkey as he was meant to finish at 4pm which he almost would have but now probably finished at 7pm-8pm

Off bike goes having been strapped down in all directions as i grimmace watching the strain being put on it.

Phone bmw assistance who say that they do not have any bikes for me - i tell them thats unnaceptable as i have a bike weekend to go to and then i'll need bike for work asap and that its their 2 year old product that has let me down where every one of my 10+ year old bikes havn't - she doesn't budge.

I phone the salesman who sold me the bike and asked him to please sort me out a bike and have it delivered or taken back up by delivery guy - salesman talks to service manager and comes back and is pretty uncooperative saying that they can only get a bike to me monday at the earliest and that they didn't really want to do it and that their insurance wont cover me.

Suggested i just take the car that AVIS (who operate through bmw assiatnce) offered me - i say whether he thinks its fair / reasonable that i take a car to a bike meet and remind him that i cannot follow students in a car.

Have no choice but to take car and cancel bike trip and somehow hope that i have my bike back for tuesday morning - doubtfull.

Phone avis back on the number the avis man gave me origanally to accept and arrange car but no one answers - repeatadly.

Phone local avis branch who's number goes to another central avis desk. i explain the situation, get no reason why i couldn't get through and look for my name etc - cant find anything. Just kept getting asked whether i wanted to make a reservation by a dopey guy who obviously couldn't move away from his 'script'.

Phoned BMW assistance who then say that they'll get avis to call me straight back to arrange - 1 hour later still no call.

Phone assistance again, explain and get put through eventually to avis.

Time now roughly 5pm

Avis take a note of my drivers licence number and credit card details for fuel charges etc and say that there will be a car with me by 7pm.

7.45 pm comes and still no car.

Phone bmw assistance, vent anger again, they put me through to avis again.

Eventually, get through to someone. They say that they have been calling and leaving messages all evening. I say thats crap because ive been in all afternoon as has my wife and my mobile and ladline havn't rung - ever.

Say that they have to take my licence number and cc details again as they are the out of hours team and dont have these details - i go mad.

Eventually, i realise that after speaking to a manager that there is no way forward if i dont furnish them with these details again - even though, im well aware of security risks etc.

Right sir, they said (no mention of an apology by the way), we'll have a car on the way to you soon.

Sometime later, still no car. Phone bmw assistance again and get put through to avis. They said they cant get a car to me tonight. I say why not. They say that they've checked birmingham airport and london airports but there's nothing available. Im 35 Miles north east of ABERDEEN!!!!!!

Sir they said - do you stay at '................full address somewhere downsouth....................................' No i said. Oh they say - is your mobile number '.................' - no i said. Oh, they said - do you drive a freelander? No i said.

'but' i said.........i do now have details of someone else's mobile number, full address and type of car they drive - good security? I dont think so. Then i said, do you now realise why i didnt want to give you my cc details again - esp. if this is the kind of security procedures you have!!

Mega angry now - MEGA ANGRY.

Ask again to speak to another manager - she does apologies as i rage at her.

She instructs aberdeen aiprport branch to call me asap which they do - only to ask for my drivers licence number and cc details - madness again ensues.

Again i give them. Their drivers now are leaving (aparantly) with a car for me. It takes less than 1 hour at 11pm to get from airport to me - 1hr 45 they take - i should now be in my bed.

Next thing i hear is a car absolutely RACING through my village - yes, you've guessed it - my hire car.

Uninterested polish guy hand me keys and says sign here and here - i said 'are you gonna tell me what for?'

I then park car in front of my house and not my neighbours and find disgrunted drivers phone in dash pocket - says to him you'll be wanting this or this a freebie?

Oh - f*&c!! he said.

Its now midnight.

11 hours its taken to have a bike picked up and a rentacar deliverd.

BMW dealer customer service = poor
BMW assistance service = poor
Avis customer service = appaling

BMW for allowing avis to act on their behalf = stupid!

Im so annoyed and pee'd off at the whole thing.

Earlier in the day i also said to the dealer that i noticed that the front casing was badly corroded and that id like it replaced. He said, ok i'll get you a price. I said no, just fix it - im not paying for it, fix it.

He said, well without wanting to sound harsh you're gonna find some problems as its second hand. I said - too late it does sound harsh and totally unnaceptable.

The bike i bought is utterly utterly mint and its very clear that the previous owner had looked after it very well and the bike's only done 5300 miles and is 2 years old. I said, its obviously a manufacturing defect as the rest of the bike is mint - i'll ask the question but i cant guarantee that it will be replaced under warranty.

It better be.

I dont mean to moan and be all 'bloody bmw's' but not once have i have customer service like this and not once have i had a bike breakdown on me - not once and then 2 weeks after i get my 2 year old GS, the inevitable happens.

This is meant to be a premium bike manufacturer - THE bike manufacturer

So there should be premium customer service - no?

And goodness sake, whats gonna go wrong next? Will i be forever worrying?

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

 

[Norrie]

Turraloon

I would say yer right to be p'd off in the way you were treated by the parties concerned,you'll now be inundated with ye should hae bought a 1100/50
nae bother wee them

Hope your satisfied with the repair job and your warranty work is sorted oot for ye

Schultz

 

[Lord Snooty]

You have my sympathy I would be raging as well when faced with such incompetence and indifference. Useless twats

 

[doyle]

Sorry to hear o your problems,shudna happen. Hope you get it resolved ,dina gie up ,keep at them. The gs is a great bike worth persisting with ,hope its just teething trouble. shocking the way you were treated though.

 

[st247]

Sorry, lost me at the third 'grease monkey', Twat.

 

[Montrose Sun]

Sorry, lost me at the third 'grease monkey', Twat.

Who's a twat?

 

[wilbjr21]

I don't really know what to say.

I've been dealing with Avis at Aberdeen Airport for years - very courteous and no problems ...................... although I've never shouted at any of the staff.

Perhaps one reaps the seeds one sows.

 

[Montrose Sun]

I don't really know what to say.

I've been dealing with Avis at Aberdeen Airport for years - very courteous and no problems ...................... although I've never shouted at any of the staff.

Perhaps one reaps the seeds one sows.

Raising your voice is not shouting. Nor did i swear at them. Its the general situation im peaved about and the fact that bmw's service seems to be somewhat lacking esp. when employing avis to do their work for their customers - in this instance at least. I, for one, will not be using avis again.

 

[st247]

Who's a twat?

You.

.....2pm local grease monkey turns up....

......I tell grease monkey.......

......grease monkey goes in huff but agrees.....

.......Felt sorry for grease monkey.......

Blah ,Blah, Blah.....


And goodness sake, whats gonna go wrong next? Will i be forever worrying?

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

What next?

Fuel pump controller
Antenae Ring
Gear Position Indicator
Final Drive Failure
Gearbox input/ouput seal failure
Corrosion like you've never seen
Top box falling off
Abs failure
And on, and on, and on.......

 

[Blackal]

I'd be interested to know how many BMW Assist loan-bikes there are and where they are kept?

Does such a beast exist?

If you got your bike from John Clark - I reckon they should have kept you sweet with a loaner of their own. Did you approach them? I'd like to think a reasoned approach would have wrested a demo bike from them?

But - once dealing with BMW Assist...............
I think I would have persisted with BMW and asked them how "They" were intending on alleviating the situation, while suggesting that they deal with Avis for me?

Yeah - I know...... hindsight


Al

D'ye think that Aberdonians being "ticht-erses" works against you sometimes?

 

[Montrose Sun]

You.



What next?

Fuel pump controller
Antenae Ring
Gear Position Indicator
Final Drive Failure
Gearbox input/ouput seal failure
Corrosion like you've never seen
Top box falling off
Abs failure
And on, and on, and on.......

Thanks for your input and kind words of support - they've really been of use.

You must be one of those bmw through and through people are you? Hmmmm. well im one of that perhaps rare breed who just like their bikes to work - not much to ask for i dont think really? Especially when you depend on it for ££££

But thanks as ive now got a list to go through with my dealer to see if work on those parts has been done and if not, parts that i can add to my paranoid list so that i can look forward to loosing more money through lack of work.

And blackal - it was maybe in jest in which case im sorry, but i REALLY dont think spemding £8000 on a bike classes me as a tight arse, do you?

 

[Mav]

Doesn't sound like you had much luck

For future reference, I'm pretty sure that the Assist program only entitles you to a car, not a bike. The only way to get a bike is to have the work done by a dealer on a pre-arranged basis, and that is still at their discretion.

Speaking from my experience - I've had great service from BMW dealers, assist and Avis. I would like to think that you've just been unlucky... And while tremendously frustrating, I've had very little success getting angry - after all, they hold all the cards and, as the simply the warranty customer, you have very little leverage.

 

[Montrose Sun]

Doesn't sound like you had much luck

For future reference, I'm pretty sure that the Assist program only entitles you to a car, not a bike. The only way to get a bike is to have the work done by a dealer on a pre-arranged basis, and that is still at their discretion.

Speaking from my experience - I've had great service from BMW dealers, assist and Avis. I would like to think that you've just been unlucky... And while tremendously frustrating, I've had very little success getting angry - after all, they hold all the cards and, as the simply the warranty customer, you have very little leverage.

Hi Mav, according to the booklet i have on the assist they will always try their best to get you a bike first. I understand that a car may always have been beckoning but i spoke directly to my supplying dealership whom i bought it from just 2 weeks ago and nicely explained that i need a bike for work and my bike trip - i just thought that a premium manufacturer and dealership would try harder to get me a bike given my predicament due to their (albeit tempoary) shoddy bike. Its hardly as if they wouldn't have a demo they could give me or even a taxed used machine?

Leverage - no i agree but i always think you should be able to expect the best from the best no?

 

[Blackal]

And blackal - it was maybe in jest in which case im sorry, but i REALLY dont think spemding £8000 on a bike classes me as a tight arse, do you?

Course it was a jest, with nothing to do with your post - but yer all still "hale-ticht"

Al

 

[Mav]

Hi Mav, according to the booklet i have on the assist they will always try their best to get you a bike first. I understand that a car may always have been beckoning but i spoke directly to my supplying dealership whom i bought it from just 2 weeks ago and nicely explained that i need a bike for work and my bike trip - i just thought that a premium manufacturer and dealership would try harder to get me a bike given my predicament due to their (albeit tempoary) shoddy bike. Its hardly as if they wouldn't have a demo they could give me or even a taxed used machine?

Leverage - no i agree but i always think you should be able to expect the best from the best no?

Dealers typically book their demo/courtesy bikes quite a few days in advance - when I book my bike in for work, the lead time is often down to getting loaner. In terms of lending a used bike - I'm betting their are probably insurance issues

I agree that you should expect the best - the fact that your bike has broken down is already frustrating enough

A tip for next time - first try calling your dealer, as soon as you suspect your bike having an issue. This gives them the most time to try to work something out. BMW Assist is a system not geared up for going the extra mile and there is little benefit. Trying harder as a dealer can result in more business

 

[st247]

Thanks for your input and kind words of support - they've really been of use.

Your welcome

You must be one of those bmw through and through people are you?
Hmmmm. well im one of that perhaps rare breed who just like their bikes to work - not much to ask for i dont think really? Especially when you depend on it for ££££

Nope, first one (and more than likely last one). I think you'll find all manufacturers have there faults, regardless of how much they cost or wether you rely on them or not. How the failure is dealt with is another matter. Try getting warranty work for corrosion on a jap bike after two years

But thanks as ive now got a list to go through with my dealer to see if work on those parts has been done and if not, parts that i can add to my paranoid list so that i can look forward to loosing more money through lack of work.

That was by no means an exhaustive list, have a look around and you'll find plenty more. What you won't see though are all the people that are satisfied with their bike, who well outnumber the ones who aren't.

 

[Montrose Sun]

ST247

I have just sold my 2nd Yamaha TDM 900.

I complained bitterly regarding some finsih issue's on the bike and soon after i got -

two front brake discs and pads
two footrest hanger plates
two brand new downpipes
several nuts bolts, unions and clips replaced
and due to un-shiftable marks on the engine casing - a whole, brand new engine fitted

all under warranty, all free, all without stress.

Im more than willing to give the GS a second chance but i'll be regretting the day i bought it if it gives me anymore unexpected probs esp. when i can get that kinda service from a high street jap dealer.

Im sure you can see my point.

 

[Montrose Sun]

Thanks for the tip Mav, i'll bear it in mind for next time

 

[Uinneag]

I thought it was just me
Re J.C.'s I know another 3 on here that won't use them again One member pm'd me to say that his mate the salesman would do me a deal on my bike in a trade in but no way Jose' aftersales there is shocking.

Tash's bike broke down 1000 miles 2mnths old no courtesy bike trip cancelled and had to book flights. BMW said it was our bad luck that it broke down when we had a holiday booked.

My 12 broke down for the tenth time recovered fixed and sent back to me at 1am, scratched wheel and ratchet strap indent on mudguard. Of course they denied it.

Welcome to World of BMW

 

[ktmman]

customer service -forget it

I have had dealings with Parks of hamilton(used 320d car) nowt but problems , couldnt care attitude and tried to tell me they had refurbished the alloys when it was blatantly obvious they had power washed them!!
The bm bike dealers are probably no different , best to take out no fancy warranties and do the work yourself , at least you know its getting done and at a fraction of the cost.
Did however get a great deal on a twat jacket and arai lid from JC dundee.