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Formal Complaint



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Kari,

I drove 30 miles out of my way to buy my Sprint, because CalBMW has a
spectacular reputation for service.  I could have walked from my house
to Monroe Motors to get the same bike, but I chose to go with what I
perceived as quality over convenience.

What has happened to the shop?  My experiences suggest that neither
quality nor service are a high priority.

About a year ago, I picked the bike up after having one of numerous
fuel senders replaced, only to discover that it had an oil leak bad
enough to leave a 1" spot on the pavement after being parked for only a
few minutes.  I brought it back the next day, and it took a couple of
days before the problem was identified and fixed.

On March 30 of this year, I brought the bike in for 6K service.  The
next day when I picked it up, it died on the way home, with what was
clearly an electrical problem.  I had it towed back to the shop, and
your technicians were unable to reproduce the problem, even though it
failed within half a mile every time I rode away from the shop on it.
A few days later, the shop had cleaned some minor corrosion off the
battery terminals, checked every connection, rode the bike for 40
miles, and concluded that it was fixed.

I picked the bike up, and got as far as Palo Alto before I discovered
the strong smell of burning oil, and a small puddle under the bike.  I
brought it back the next day, and the problem turned out to be that a
technician had folded the clutch cover gasket over when reinstalling
it.  A couple of days later, I had the bike back.

On May 9, I was riding through Death Valley, and the bike died with
exactly the same symptoms as before-- the bike stops running, the fuel
gauge and temperature gauge flat-line, the check engine and low fuel
lights come on at half brightness, and the bike won't start.  As
before, I could sit on the bike and wait for the gauges and lights to
behave normally, and then the bike would start.  This was repeated
about ten times before I gave up, hitchhiked to the nearest gas
station, and had the bike towed 150 miles to Las Vegas.

A comedy of errors ensued, the outcome of which was that I rented a
U-haul to get the bike back to its "home" shop for repair, albeit with
a broken shift linkage after the bike jumped off the sidestand while
being towed.  I dropped the bike off on May 16, and was told that the
bike would be ready on May 30, "at the worst case, but given the
problems that you've had with it, we'll move it up in priority."

I called about a week later, and was told that the shift linkage had
been replaced, and that they hadn't been able to reproduce the problem
in the shop, and was it OK if one of the techs put some miles on it to
see if they could get it to fail.  I agreed.

Today is May 30.  When I spoke with Eli this morning he said, "we
haven't been able to get it to fail in the shop, and we're going to
have someone put some miles on it."  The bike sat for an entire week,
and nobody could find the time to take it for a ride?  And nobody has
had the courtesy to even give me a phone call with a status update?

I'm both shocked and saddened by this.  I understand that intermittent
problems are very difficult to diagnose, especially electrical ones,
but I can't comprehend a lack of effort.

I've owned this bike for 15 months.  During this time, it has been
completely rewired, had a dead battery, leaked fuel on at least three
occasions, leaked oil twice, both times immediately after picking it up
from being serviced, and died on me twice with the current problem.
The latest fiasco cost me $400 in towing, over $200 in cab fares and
rental cars, and $250 in truck rental and fuel charges.

I will be leaving town Thursday afternoon, and returning over the
weekend.  I expect that by Tuesday, June 5, I will have a clear
description of what the problem is, as well as a specific estimate of
when it will be repaired.  If this does not happen, a copy of this
letter will be sent to Triumph of North America (who I have already
been in contact with), and the Better Business Bureau.

I am also in regular contact with several hundred Triumph riders via
the Sprint mailing list maintained by Eric Sheley, and I would very
much like to give them a positive message.

Thank you for your attention to this matter,

Patti Beadles 
415/305-0501 
(sent via email and overnight mail)


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