Poor collection experience

[Wag]

Having read the initial comment and some of the subsequent responses, it just shows how some dealers treat customers like shite, and do their very best to do as little as possible once the deals closed.
I called a beemer main dealer more than 24 hours before travelling over 35 miles to view a used bike, not anything special.
Having got there, the "sales executive" disappeared for about 20 minutes. He came back and informed me the bike had a flat battery, BUT, if I waited about 2 hours they'd charge it up and I could get my test ride. I left. As an aside, I'd been a customer there since about 2014.
The next day, the "sales executive " had the cheek to call and try and book another test ride. Reiterated what I said just before I left the day before.
I think dealers, and staff don't realise how much their jobs rely on customers, and just because they sell "top quality" products they think they'll sell themselves.
Your bike should have been full of fuel, properly serviced, and clean beyond washed. No arguing!!

 

[Ex-Call Centre Chimp]

I had a similar experience at a JLR dealer in Hull. Contacted them in advance of viewing a £40k F Pace, booked a viewing time and when I got there the battery was flat so I couldn't open the boot let alone do anything else. It was also dirty and badly scratched all of which would 'definitely be sorted if I bought it'.
If it had only come in a day or 2 beforehand I would have been more sympathetic but it had been there at least a fortnight if not longer.
I didn't buy it.

 

[Wag]

I had a similar experience at a JLR dealer in Hull. Contacted them in advance of viewing a £40k F Pace, booked a viewing time and when I got there the battery was flat so I couldn't open the boot let alone do anything else. It was also dirty and badly scratched all of which would 'definitely be sorted if I bought it'.
If it had only come in a day or 2 beforehand I would have been more sympathetic but it had been there at least a fortnight if not longer.
I didn't buy it.

Good decision not to buy.

 

[Neil W]

Some main dealers are just a bunch of arses , good few years back an Audi dealer about 70 miles from us had an A3 in stock that I was interested in (correct colour, spec ,engine and miles ) so I popped down on the bike and gave it a quick once over , this was at about 3pm and as the car was for my wife who was at work that day I organised a a test drive for 9am the following day , they were made fully aware the distance I was travelling .

Set away the next day with my wife and at 8.50 am the following day as we pulled in to the industrial estate where they were based get a phone call saying the car was sold the previous afternoon. No apology for wasting my time or diesel .

Drove home , but got a customer satisfaction call a couple of days later so let rip on them and got an apology from a senior member of the dealership who was not happy .

Couple of weeks later the car is advertised at the dealers site in Sunderland so get one of my work colleagues to pop in and ask about it , turns out the buyer of the car was 17 or 18 years old and found out the day after he "bought it" (the day I booked a test drive ) that he could not afford the £2500 that the insurance companies were asking for cover .

They had moved the car to the other branch and my work colleague told them the story of what had happened , cheeky b*stards there said that if I was interested I could have the car , The answer to that offer was a comprehensive F.R.O .

BMW Motorrad dealers in the UK will struggle with the price of their products and the parlous state of the economy as the number of people who can continue to buy new £20,000 plus "toys" every few years is shrinking and there are so many cheaper options out there .

Even PCP deals are becoming increasingly less palatable to a great number of punters

 

[Ectopic]

A friend bought a brand new R1200RT From BMW in Tunbridge Wells a few years ago. It had clearly not been through a pre-delivery inspection. Some brake caliper bolts were finger tight and it still had the tie-down straps from the crate it was delivered in around the headstock. He obviously complained and was offered apologies and a free service, plus complimentary tickets to the Bike Show that year as compensation.

When he went back for the free first service he had to argue the toss over it. And when he asked for the mythical complimentary tickets they just looked at him blankly. Appalling service, but this was obviously some time ago.

I'd bought three couple of used bikes from them (all low mileage, under a year old) - a K1200GT, an F700GS and a K1600GT. The sales staff were OK (apart from saying the couldn't wheel the K1600 out of the showroom for our test ride appointment because it was "too heavy"!). But every service I had there was always beset with problems. Loan bikes not being available, the service not being completed the same day, and never EVER getting a phone call to say when it was ready.

The dealership changed hands and I bought a brand new 1250GS - my current bike - from them. This was in 2021. The sales staff were great, explained that the new owners had brought in staff from other branches to improve customer service. The blokes who delivered it were a little surly and seemed to blame me that they had to collect TWO bikes in part exchange as it would be very tight to fit int he van. And as they loaded the 1600 I could see they were bending the exhaust mountings as they picked the rear of the bike up by the silencer to shift it in the van. Anyway, as soon as my bike was delivered, it was as if I no longer existed. Trying to book it in for a service was impossible; no-one answered the phone, no calls were ever returned. I spoke to the sales manager (who'd sold me the bike) and said how disappointed I was that the service department were so shoddy. He said he'd sort it and someone would call be back within 30 minutes. You can guess the next bit...

I needed new tyres at the next service. Acknowledged e-mails from them confirmed that I'd asked for new tyres, but obviously when dropping the bike off on a Monday morning on my way to work, this was a total surprise to them. Long story short, I didn't get the bike back until Friday evening. And that was only because I refused to return the loan bike until mine was ready, even though they called me at 5pm on Friday afternoon to ask me to return the bike because it was booked for a test ride! I collected it after hours on Friday. When I got the bike home I discovered they'd put dirty great scratches on the rear wheel, which they denied doing and said I should have checked it before I left, despite me having to collect it from the car reception because the bike bit was closed. I had to take out a Small Claims process to get them to reimburse me for a new wheel. BMW UK were useless too, saying it was between me and the dealer.

I won't be buying another BMW bike. I'm only keeping this one because I love the bike!

 

[Wag]

A friend bought a brand new R1200RT From BMW in Tunbridge Wells a few years ago. It had clearly not been through a pre-delivery inspection. Some brake caliper bolts were finger tight and it still had the tie-down straps from the crate it was delivered in around the headstock. He obviously complained and was offered apologies and a free service, plus complimentary tickets to the Bike Show that year as compensation.

When he went back for the free first service he had to argue the toss over it. And when he asked for the mythical complimentary tickets they just looked at him blankly. Appalling service, but this was obviously some time ago.

I'd bought three couple of used bikes from them (all low mileage, under a year old) - a K1200GT, an F700GS and a K1600GT. The sales staff were OK (apart from saying the couldn't wheel the K1600 out of the showroom for our test ride appointment because it was "too heavy"!). But every service I had there was always beset with problems. Loan bikes not being available, the service not being completed the same day, and never EVER getting a phone call to say when it was ready.

The dealership changed hands and I bought a brand new 1250GS - my current bike - from them. This was in 2021. The sales staff were great, explained that the new owners had brought in staff from other branches to improve customer service. The blokes who delivered it were a little surly and seemed to blame me that they had to collect TWO bikes in part exchange as it would be very tight to fit int he van. And as they loaded the 1600 I could see they were bending the exhaust mountings as they picked the rear of the bike up by the silencer to shift it in the van. Anyway, as soon as my bike was delivered, it was as if I no longer existed. Trying to book it in for a service was impossible; no-one answered the phone, no calls were ever returned. I spoke to the sales manager (who'd sold me the bike) and said how disappointed I was that the service department were so shoddy. He said he'd sort it and someone would call be back within 30 minutes. You can guess the next bit...

I needed new tyres at the next service. Acknowledged e-mails from them confirmed that I'd asked for new tyres, but obviously when dropping the bike off on a Monday morning on my way to work, this was a total surprise to them. Long story short, I didn't get the bike back until Friday evening. And that was only because I refused to return the loan bike until mine was ready, even though they called me at 5pm on Friday afternoon to ask me to return the bike because it was booked for a test ride! I collected it after hours on Friday. When I got the bike home I discovered they'd put dirty great scratches on the rear wheel, which they denied doing and said I should have checked it before I left, despite me having to collect it from the car reception because the bike bit was closed. I had to take out a Small Claims process to get them to reimburse me for a new wheel. BMW UK were useless too, saying it was between me and the dealer.

I won't be buying another BMW bike. I'm only keeping this one because I love the bike!

Your experience was awful, and should never have happened. Regardless of how much is being spent on a bike (or any other product for that matter) the performance of the people dealing with the sale and after sale are pivotal.
Prior to my earlier experience, highlighted above, I always had excellent service from the said beemer dealer, especially in the service department.
However, salesmen changed and the service guy left for pastures new.
The dynamic changed for the worse, hence my post above.
I ended up buying a used Tracer from Alf England. A family business that's been yamaha for years. All the staff were attentive and nothing was too much trouble.
To my knowledge, there's little or no staff turnover, that says a lot about a dealership.

 

[Wapping]

It’s tricky to beat the ‘experience’ of a friend, whose brand new K1600GT was written off at BMW Park Lane, Battersea, whilst he waited in reception to pick it up from its 600 mile running in service. Bike bought on Tuesday, run in over two days and written off on Friday. Hey ho, that’s life.

 

[Wag]

It’s tricky to beat the ‘experience’ of a friend, whose brand new K1600GT was written off at BMW Park Lane, Battersea, whilst he waited in reception to pick it up from its 600 mile running in service. Bike bought on Tuesday, run in over two days and written off on Friday. Hey ho, that’s life.

Blimey, that's unlucky. I'm assuming the dealer did that? How?

 

[Wapping]

Blimey, that's unlucky. I'm assuming the dealer did that? How?

They had washed the bike. Whilst my friend waited and chatted at the counter, they heard a loud screaming of the big six-cylinder engine, followed by an almighty crash.

They, as is not uncommon, put the bikes in gear and walk alongside them, to move the bikes around the large car park. The fellow who washes the bikes, stood to the left of the bike, put it into gear, let the clutch out and applied a little throttle.The bike moved forwards, quite safely, until his foot slipped in the soapy water. He started to fall and in doing so, opened the throttle right up.

The bike hit about 10,000 RPM and shot away from him, hitting several bikes as it charged across the car park area, stopped only when it hit the wall.

My friend simply said to the fellow behind the counter, as they heard the row: “I think that’s my bike”.

 

[Wag]

So unlucky. A lot of dealers move bikes like that, shows how dodgy it can be.

 

[Santa-2512]

It’s tricky to beat the ‘experience’ of a friend, whose brand new K1600GT was written off at BMW Park Lane, Battersea, whilst he waited in reception to pick it up from its 600 mile running in service. Bike bought on Tuesday, run in over two days and written off on Friday. Hey ho, that’s life.

Go on, you cant leave it there - spill the details !!!!

 

[Wapping]

I part exchanged my first Honda Blackird for the updated fuel injected model, via the the very small Honda dealership in Stamford le Hope, Essex.

I happened to be there when the new owner of my old bike was there, all excited and collecting his new purchase. I wandered over, just as the fellow was about to ride off and said to the shop owner “Hello Brian, we never fixed the problem with the third gear did we…..”.

I am convinced the new owner spent many hours wondering what the non-existent third gear problem was.

 

[JohnnyBoxer]

They had washed the bike. Whilst my friend waited and chatted at the counter, they heard a loud screaming of the big six-cylinder engine, followed by an almighty crash.

They, as is not uncommon, put the bikes in gear and walk alongside them, to move the bikes around the large car park. The fellow who washes the bikes, stood to the left of the bike, put it into gear, let the clutch out and applied a little throttle.The bike moved forwards, quite safely, until his foot slipped in the soapy water. He started to fall and in doing so, opened the throttle right up.

The bike hit about 10,000 RPM and shot away from him, hitting several bikes as it charged across the car park area, stopped only when it hit the wall.

My friend simply said to the fellow behind the counter, as they heard the row: “I think that’s my bike”.

Bad practice
Elementary mistake

 

[Wapping]

Bad practice
Elementary mistake

That much is obvious.

 

[G&T]

Did we ever get a BMW response to this debacle?

 

[GrumpyNortherner]

Did we ever get a BMW response to this debacle?

Be interesting to know although the initial point about 'potentially dangerous' zero fuel range was I think totally barking up the wrong tree from the OP as it was reserve counting up from 0, not 0 range, so the bike left the dealership not on reserve (and has no fuel gauge), there was possibly around 40 miles range left when panic set in.

 

[Neil W]

It’s tricky to beat the ‘experience’ of a friend, whose brand new K1600GT was written off at BMW Park Lane, Battersea, whilst he waited in reception to pick it up from its 600 mile running in service. Bike bought on Tuesday, run in over two days and written off on Friday. Hey ho, that’s life.

In the good old days when the new regd nos came out twice a year it was not unusual for local garages to open at midnight so new owners could pick up their car so their neighbours would see it on their drive the next morning.
Punter drives his new d regd Vauxhall Astra Merit from Bristol St motors in Sunderland , less than one mile later a drink driver on Toward Rd jumps a red light ,hits the Astra and writes it off .
It was about 12.04 am so ptobably a record of some kind

 

[parkys100]

I travelled from Southampton to Lincoln to look at a 10 month old Mazda MX5 Homura .
The Mazda dealership where fully aware I was travelling a few hours to look and see .
When we turned up at the agreed time the car was absolutely filthy ,covered in dust .Not what you expect from a main dealer on a £28K 2nd hand car? 10-15mins to quick clean ?
When I suggested can we test drive the battery was absolutely dead ,they struggled to get into the car and had to jump start it.
I thought all's not lost if we can do a good deal ,and we didn't .

Purchased a Mazda MX5 from an independent dealer in Peterborough ,it was prepped and sitting in the inside showroom
when I turned up .Pleasure to deal with .I reiterated the experience to the independent dealer ,as he suggester his gain .