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| - There are so many missed opportunities with this business. When you're the biggest BMW dealer in the Carolinas, maybe you don't have to worry about customer service.
This is a VERY busy dealership and it appears they could use a few more mechanics and repair bays. This is NOT a place I'd bring my bike if I wanted it back quickly.
While they're HUGE (Ducati, BMW, Triumph, etc.), they don't have a handle on customer service at all. If there was ANY other place within 100 miles, I'd definitely go there instead.
In the middle of an 11,000-mile, around-the-USA motorcycle ride recently, I found myself in an unfortunate situation and I was hoping that this dealer would help me out and get me back on the road. It didn't happen.
Here's the whole ugly saga in painstaking detail:
I rolled into their lot first thing on Tuesday morning (I experienced mechanical difficulties on a Saturday afternoon and this dealer is closed on Sunday-Monday). I was immediately informed that there was no way they could take my bike without a reservation as they were backlogged since January. Having very limited options, I told him I would wait "weeks" if that's what it took. I then spoke with the service manager and settled into the VERY nice customer lounge upstairs. Snacks, drinks, a movie theater, billiards...very accommodating and that alone rated the two stars.
The dealer ordered parts on May 22, and, the next day, after $720 and 6 hours of labor, informed me that they were stumped as to the issue and would have to order more parts and spend even more time "figgering out what the heck is wrong" with my bike. Hmmm, that's not what I expected to hear from a BMW dealer.
They "guessed" that it "might" be the clutch and that they estimated $2400 in parts and labor, as well as another 2-3 days waiting. I asked if THAT would get me back on the road. (Remember, they'd already guessed wrong and cost me over $700). Nope, the service manager said that they were still not certain of the issue and that even after I spent $2400, he couldn't guarantee that it wasn't the final drive or some other issue. Really?
I briefly considered buying another bike (a BMW R1200GT they had on the floor) and finishing my ride and returning home 3,000 miles. However, after making me jump through numerous hoops, I realized that they did not want to fix my bike or sell me another one. They did offer me $2000 for my bike. Uh, no...
With all of that drama going on, I decided to cut my losses, hire a shipper to deliver my bike to my mechanic in San Diego and hop a flight back home. So off I went to the airport on May 24, a defeated and very disappointed rider. That ended my motorcycle ride, as well as my vacation. And there you have my Charlotte BMW experience.
It turned out that the problem was quickly -- and correctly -- diagnosed as stripped splines by my local mechanic. Why didn't this dealership diagnose and fix the issue? Instead, they charged me over $700 for unneeded and unnecessary repairs. If they would have correctly diagnosed and fixed my bike I could've been back on the road without paying for unnecessary costs. No good.
I can't speak for the actual repair service, as they never fixed my bike. Maybe the mechanics eventually are able to repair bikes, but I never saw it.
Maybe they will sell you a bike, but I never saw that, either.
I do want to mention that I met some really cool employees, to include the owner and his wife, who were nice but aren't involved in day-to-day decisions that really affect riders on the road.
This dealership really needs to look at their service department, and at their policies.
If this review helps another motorcycle enthusiast, then I feel that my time, money and aggravation weren't totally wasted.
I cannot recommend this dealer.
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