[ST] RE: Triumph Digest V2005 #16

["Andrew F. Kay, Jr. " <captainquack@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Steve, I must contest your logic.  You are saying that you would rather
retain a dealer that might damage or at best do poor work on your bike
than have to travel to someone you can trust.  You also condone the
damage poor dealers to the reputation of the brand. Parts are not an
issue, they can be gotten in a variety of ways.

For years I went to a dealer 100 miles away to avoid the dealer 25 miles
away.  Fortunately, that dealer has improved, primarily due to a
buy-out.  Unfortunately, their labor rate is 50% higher than Palm Beach
Triumph, so they only get warranty work and parts orders.

Triumph MUST get rid of the dead wood.  The dealer IS Triumph to the
customer and a poor dealer means Triumph is a poor motorcycle.

By the way, something I forgot to mention on the original post.  Years
ago I had issues with an outboard engine manufactured by an undisclosed
firm with the initials Mercury Marine.  The dealer I took the engine to
told me and the factory that I had run a brand new 2 stroke engine
without oil.  They did this without a fuel sample, in spite of the fact
that I had been associated with 2 stroke marine engines for 35 years and
that the engine had a known problem picking up cooling water in heavily
weed-choked areas (Lake Okeechobee).  The short block needed to be
replaced and Mercury said my warranty was void.

I went to another dealer (Frank Brown, now retired) who helped me
resolve my dispute with Mercury.  He got me the parts and the warranty
restored.  He also modified the water pickup to avoid future problems.

Frank stated his philosophy:  "The dealer should be the customers
advocate with the factory.  Unless there is obvious evidence of abuse or
fraud on the part of the customer, the dealer should do everything
possible to replace or repair warranty problems at no cost to the
customer.  When it is not clear if the work should be warren tied, the
dealer should assume that it is and do everything in his power to get
the factory to acquiesce."

This is the kind of dealer we need selling and servicing Triumph's.  It
is the factory's (Newnan's) job to see that we get them and eliminate
those who don't measure up.  I think they are heading in the right
direction and urge them to be ruthless in getting rid of dealers who
don't measure up and very selective about who will win the right to have
Triumph on their signage.

Be well, ride well.

Andy

Andrew F. Kay, Jr.
Riders of the Lost Empire, LC,  13355 79th Street, Fellsmere, FL 32948
www.lostempire.com   andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
"Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife, throughout the sensual world
proclaim, one crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a
name." Thomas Osbert Mordaunt, 1730-1809



Andrew F. Kay, Jr. wrote:
> Since I don't want this to be a rant, I won't mention a dealer who 
> doesn't shape up.  If you have one, you already know of them.  What 
> you need to do is contact Triumph when there is a dealer problem.  
> IMHO Triumph has made strides in eliminating dealers who don't cut the

> mustard.  You might not like loosing your local shop, but from any 
> standpoint it is better for all, including Triumph, to have no dealer 
> rather than a bad one.

I'm with you except on this point.  If you had dealers in an area that 
had alreadyu sold bikes to customers, you're leaving them high/dry if 
you close all the dealerships.  Besides the fact that this makes the 
company look like it's in trouble and is therefore bad for PR, a bad 
dealer is usually better than no dealer at all.  Even a bad dealer can 
sometimes manage a basic tune-up or parts order.

Steve Manes, NYC


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