Sunday, January 29, 2012
Porkslap?
Saturday, January 28, 2012
No Stout But An Excellent Porter!
Back In The Saddle Lighter In The Wallet
Friday, January 27, 2012
Hallelu...wait...HOW MUCH???
The dealership has finally given me the green light to come get the bike. The weather gods have had their laughs at my expense and have seen fit to play nice once again. Pick up will occur tomorrow morning (Saturday) and the forecast is calling for brisk, but clear weather. It's even pouring out today, but clearing tonight, so the roads should be nice and washed clean by tomorrow morning.) Could it be that my luck is finally turning?
Nope!! The bill is $1,8XX (I didn't catch how much the "XX" part was because my brain was stuck trying to wrap itself around the words "eighteen hundred".) When my mouth was able to form words again, it repeated the "eighteen hundred" back...followed by a pause, and then concluded with; "...yeah, we're gonna go through THAT bill when I come in!!"
The service guy cheerfully replied "Sure thing, no problem!" because he knows that at the end of the day; he has my bike, and I'm not getting it until I pay up. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to drag him through the painful process that has been my experience with dealing with these guys. I've outlined my entire timeline, phone calls, days, times, what I said to them, what they told to me, etc. And when that's all said and done, I'm going to ask for a customer survey to fill out and send in. If they do not give me one, I will write a letter and send it to the company. Do I expect anything to come of this? Hell no, but at least I'll feel a little better....ok, not that much better, because my bank account is still going to be reeling from this hit.
In some fairness, I realize that a portion of this bill is for the new rear tire, as well as the new rear axle bearings which (allegedly) had to be replaced. And I realize that I will still be charged the full piece-meal price for both jobs, even though the rear tire was already off the bike, due to the transmission work being done. I get that. But that still leaves an enormous amount of unexplained expense in my head.
Stay tuned...
Nope!! The bill is $1,8XX (I didn't catch how much the "XX" part was because my brain was stuck trying to wrap itself around the words "eighteen hundred".) When my mouth was able to form words again, it repeated the "eighteen hundred" back...followed by a pause, and then concluded with; "...yeah, we're gonna go through THAT bill when I come in!!"
The service guy cheerfully replied "Sure thing, no problem!" because he knows that at the end of the day; he has my bike, and I'm not getting it until I pay up. But that doesn't mean I'm not going to drag him through the painful process that has been my experience with dealing with these guys. I've outlined my entire timeline, phone calls, days, times, what I said to them, what they told to me, etc. And when that's all said and done, I'm going to ask for a customer survey to fill out and send in. If they do not give me one, I will write a letter and send it to the company. Do I expect anything to come of this? Hell no, but at least I'll feel a little better....ok, not that much better, because my bank account is still going to be reeling from this hit.
In some fairness, I realize that a portion of this bill is for the new rear tire, as well as the new rear axle bearings which (allegedly) had to be replaced. And I realize that I will still be charged the full piece-meal price for both jobs, even though the rear tire was already off the bike, due to the transmission work being done. I get that. But that still leaves an enormous amount of unexplained expense in my head.
Stay tuned...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Missing Minion!
Those of you who have seen the movie Despicable Me will know what the minions are; they're the loveable, bumbling 'worker bee' assitants to Gru. When I bought the DVD for this movie, it came with an inflatable Minion. How cool! So I've had him inflated and sitting in my kitchen, greeting all who enter.
This past Sunday (during the monster football partay!), Ed & Sue got a big kick out of him, but I didn't give it any thought...until much, much later in the evening (after most folks had left) when I received a text from Ed. That was the start of a tense exchange between us, which I shall now unfold for your entertainment... (You should click on the pics and expand them, so you can see the effort these guys went through to put different faces on the Minion. Really funny stuff!)
Ed: If you ever want to see the Minion alive again, you will bring home made Kahlua and jello shots to (street address withheld), Easton, MA.
Me: You're dead to me! How dare you mistreat my hospitality that way! LOL, I will have to organize a rescue party.
Ed: We are very serious about this situation...
Me: If those are panties over his face, he won't want to come home!
Ed: (just a pic, no text)
Me: If that duct tape pops him, I'm going to duct tape your sensitive parts!!
This past Sunday (during the monster football partay!), Ed & Sue got a big kick out of him, but I didn't give it any thought...until much, much later in the evening (after most folks had left) when I received a text from Ed. That was the start of a tense exchange between us, which I shall now unfold for your entertainment... (You should click on the pics and expand them, so you can see the effort these guys went through to put different faces on the Minion. Really funny stuff!)
Ed: If you ever want to see the Minion alive again, you will bring home made Kahlua and jello shots to (street address withheld), Easton, MA.
Me: You're dead to me! How dare you mistreat my hospitality that way! LOL, I will have to organize a rescue party.
Ed: We are very serious about this situation...
Me: If those are panties over his face, he won't want to come home!
Ed: (just a pic, no text)
Me: If that duct tape pops him, I'm going to duct tape your sensitive parts!!
Ed: We like our Minion well done, how to you like yours?
Me: You start treating him better or I'll wait until 9:30am, when you're both at work, and I'll come over and kidnap him back!! Have fun watching the SuperBowl, wherever that may be, 'cause it sure ain't gonna be here!
Ed: That's ok, we will have fun watching it with Minion.
Me: Duct tape is off, he's reinflated. It's about time you started coming around. Keep going in that direction and I won't have to come over there and kidnap Harley and Marcie (their dogs).
Ed: You are in no position to be calling any shots. Meet our demands or the Minion gets it.
Me: He's a Minion. Didn't you see the movie? There's thousands of them. You overestimate your guests' worth.
Ed: Ok then, since you don't appreciated Minion, he can stay with us.
Me: He doesn't look very comfortable with you so close to him.
Ed: Minion seems to be doing fine. He's already making new friends.
Me: He's obviously displaying signs of Stockholm Syndrome.
Ed: I don't think Minion agrees with that.
Me: He's so pissed at you. All he wants is for you to go to sleep. Just 2 minutes. That's all he needs. I don't know why you're even talking to me. You should be talking to him, and your first sentence should begin with 'I'm sorry'.
Ed: Nite nite, Dave
Me: Yeah, you'd better be nice. Tell him everything'll be alright...and then tell yourselves that everything will be allright, once you return him!!
But that was the end of negotiations, as Ed & Sue apparently went to sleep. I can't blame them, those of us still partying should have gone to bed, too. But, we didn't. And we paid the price the next morning.
So where do things stand now? Well, Sue sent me another pic of him earlier this week, saying hello from him. So you can imagine that this is far from over!!
To be continued...
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Lord please
Never-Empty Empty Pile
Brady May Have Sucked But The Ravens Still Got Plucked!
Equipment Check
Saturday, January 21, 2012
That Boy Ain't Right In The Head
Friday, January 20, 2012
Protecting Me From Myself?
Spoke to the dealership, the bike is all back together and things look good. However, they won't release it until they do a road test on it, and they refuse to road test it unless the roadways are clean and clear. (They're not - last night's snowstorm took care of that.) I asked if they'd be able to road test it tomorrow and they said no, not with the other storm that's coming in. So as of right now, they're looking at middle-to-late next week...
[Insert scream here]
.
[Insert scream here]
.
Sacrificial Offering
Mark sent me an email in regard to my post about riding the bike home in a snowstorm. It was too funny not to post, so here you go...
Dear Bonehead,
If anyone else proposed riding their newly repaired bike in a blizzard, I would take it as idle rantings. I expect you will take the long way home. In an earlier post, you wondered about offering a sacrifice to the gods. Good idea. May I suggest Ziggy?
Dear Bonehead,
If anyone else proposed riding their newly repaired bike in a blizzard, I would take it as idle rantings. I expect you will take the long way home. In an earlier post, you wondered about offering a sacrifice to the gods. Good idea. May I suggest Ziggy?
Thursday, January 19, 2012
My Humblest Apologies
I’m afraid I owe sincere apologies to those of you who have been enjoying this fantastic extended riding season. After all, this has been the best winter EVER ON RECORD for those who like to roll on two wheels for as long as possible before having to put them away once the ‘real’ winter arrives. Yes, it’s truly been quite a run. A run which I’m sure will never be repeated during our lifetimes. It’s been amazingly awesome, hasn’t it?
But alas, all great things must come to an end. And as I’ve suggested previously; the great weather would come to an end once my bike was ready, and you all would have to retire the bikes for a while.
I talked to the dealership yesterday and they had the parts and would need two more days to get everything assembled, test-ridden, and ready for my pick-up. That puts it at possibly tomorrow (Friday) but most likely Saturday that I can pick it up.
Forecast for tomorrow (Friday); 3+ inches.
Forecast for Saturday; 6+ inches.
I hate my life.
I don’t care if it’s a fcuking blizzard, I’m riding the fcuking bike home as soon as I get the green light from the dealership.
The weather gods can go fcuk themselves.
But alas, all great things must come to an end. And as I’ve suggested previously; the great weather would come to an end once my bike was ready, and you all would have to retire the bikes for a while.
I talked to the dealership yesterday and they had the parts and would need two more days to get everything assembled, test-ridden, and ready for my pick-up. That puts it at possibly tomorrow (Friday) but most likely Saturday that I can pick it up.
Forecast for tomorrow (Friday); 3+ inches.
Forecast for Saturday; 6+ inches.
I hate my life.
I don’t care if it’s a fcuking blizzard, I’m riding the fcuking bike home as soon as I get the green light from the dealership.
The weather gods can go fcuk themselves.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
German for; 'Trouble'
Round II !!
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Lined Up & Ready!
Round And Round We Go
FOOTBALL YOU BET!!
Friday, January 13, 2012
Stout!
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Baby Steps
Just called the dealership to get a status on things. The backordered seals are no longer backordered. Wonderful! So we're back on track, yes? Well...no.
According to the dealership; "The status in the system is that the seals are off of backorder, and are packed for shipment".
Great, so they're being shipped today?
"There's no way of knowing. Technically, if they're packed for shipping, they should have shipped already. I don't know why they haven't, or what the hold-up is, and there's no way to find out when they will."
There's no way to find out? No method of checking with them to see when they'll go out the door?
"It's the Corporate location, they don't tell us these things."
I see, so it's not you, the dealerships, that crap on us, it's the Corporate location that's to blame. (I didn't say this of course. No sense in ticking them off when they have my transmission in many tiny pieces.)
So anyway, we're inching along slowly at least. (Very slowly.)
Winter has been giving riders an unprecedented reprieve this year, holding off the snow and ice for weeks now. I don't know how much longer it can keep that nasty stuff at bay, though (we just had a snow-sleet storm last night, but it's turned over to rain at this point). The weekend is supposed to be bitter cold, I believe, but precipitation free.
Here's hoping that trend continues!
According to the dealership; "The status in the system is that the seals are off of backorder, and are packed for shipment".
Great, so they're being shipped today?
"There's no way of knowing. Technically, if they're packed for shipping, they should have shipped already. I don't know why they haven't, or what the hold-up is, and there's no way to find out when they will."
There's no way to find out? No method of checking with them to see when they'll go out the door?
"It's the Corporate location, they don't tell us these things."
I see, so it's not you, the dealerships, that crap on us, it's the Corporate location that's to blame. (I didn't say this of course. No sense in ticking them off when they have my transmission in many tiny pieces.)
So anyway, we're inching along slowly at least. (Very slowly.)
Winter has been giving riders an unprecedented reprieve this year, holding off the snow and ice for weeks now. I don't know how much longer it can keep that nasty stuff at bay, though (we just had a snow-sleet storm last night, but it's turned over to rain at this point). The weekend is supposed to be bitter cold, I believe, but precipitation free.
Here's hoping that trend continues!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Temp Check!
Friday, January 6, 2012
And It Continues II
The dealership has managed to find things to keep themselves busy while they're waiting for the backordered bearings to show up. What kind of things, you ask? Well, according to them, my rear axle seals and bearings are seized to the rim, meaning they have to be replaced. I asked for an explanation on how this is possible on a bike with only ~21k miles on it, and they said it's not uncommon, especially on bikes that are ridden hard. (Ahh, playing to my weakness, I see.)
I gave them the go-ahead to replace them since the tire is off already, and then did some internet searching. Turns out it's not unheard of for this to happen, even on bikes with much fewer miles. While this put me a little more at ease in terms of my own bike, it bothered me on a grander scale. If the factory knows this is a potential issue, then why aren't they using an anti-seize product, rather than grease? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with ensuring future revenue generation, could it? (Cue mock shocked-face.)
Anyway, the best winter ever (for riding) rolls on while my bike sits useless in a garage far, far away. And the forecast for this weekend? 50 degrees and sunshine. (I'm figuring the backordered bearings' arrival will coincide with the first major snowstorm.)
I can't see how I might have pissed off Karma...and me and the Riding Gods are like this (holds two fingers together), so I don't get it. Is it possible there's a minor demi-god of parts inventory that is mad at me for some perceived transgression? Should I make some kind of sacrifice to appease their displeasure? What does one sacrifice to a spoiled "god wanna-be" with a grudge? I'm open to suggestions...
I gave them the go-ahead to replace them since the tire is off already, and then did some internet searching. Turns out it's not unheard of for this to happen, even on bikes with much fewer miles. While this put me a little more at ease in terms of my own bike, it bothered me on a grander scale. If the factory knows this is a potential issue, then why aren't they using an anti-seize product, rather than grease? It couldn't possibly have anything to do with ensuring future revenue generation, could it? (Cue mock shocked-face.)
Anyway, the best winter ever (for riding) rolls on while my bike sits useless in a garage far, far away. And the forecast for this weekend? 50 degrees and sunshine. (I'm figuring the backordered bearings' arrival will coincide with the first major snowstorm.)
I can't see how I might have pissed off Karma...and me and the Riding Gods are like this (holds two fingers together), so I don't get it. Is it possible there's a minor demi-god of parts inventory that is mad at me for some perceived transgression? Should I make some kind of sacrifice to appease their displeasure? What does one sacrifice to a spoiled "god wanna-be" with a grudge? I'm open to suggestions...
Thursday, January 5, 2012
And It Continues
Had another call from the dealership; 4 bearings which are needed, are on backorder (and cannot be found at any even-remotely close dealership). Therefore, things are at a standstill until further notice.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Repetitive Pattern
It seems that every time I put my bike into the shop, things just grind to a standstill. Wait, there was that one exception at Jamestown Harley, out in NY. They were awesome. But every other dealer I've ever dealt with has just been horrendous. Sit back and listen to my latest tale of woe (I'll rehash things a bit, if you don't mind.)
I dropped the bike off on December 7th. PRIOR to dropping it off, I inquired about their workload/schedule, to see what kind of delay I might be facing. I was told that due to the time of year, things were very slow in the shop. "No appointment is needed, just bring it on down!" came the cheerful voice on the other end of the line. (The voice was so cheerful and jolly, I half-envisioned a brotherly clap on the back from the service guy, while he hoisted a mug of ale to my health).
Fast-forward to the drop-off. No brotherly back-claps and no hoisted mugs of ale. In their place, I got "Customer appreciation" days, weekend closures, and other annoyances. Instead of "We'll get right on it", I received notice that it would probably be a week before they started looking at it. WTF? (You'd think I'd learn by now, and that when these warning signs appear, just take my bike and leave. Just leave, dummy!!)
After not one, but TWO weeks had gone by, I called the dealership and was told I was #2 in line to be looked at. Whoa, whoa, whoa...first, I called and was told to bring it right in, no lines, no waiting. Then, I was told there was going to be a week delay. Now it's been over two weeks, and nothing?? What are you guys doing down there??
This catches you up to where you already were, but wait, it gets even better! Here's what you missed during last week while I was out of the office!!
I gave them another week, but after again not hearing anything, I called again. This was SEVEN DAYS after my last phone call - the phone call where I was told I was #2 to be looked at. Guess what? After those 7 additional days had gone by, my bike had moved all the way up to....wait for it....wait..for..it...my bike had moved up to #1!!! I was next in line to be looked at!!
I almost lost it right then and there (I think my questions were understandable, under the circumstances); "You mean to tell me that in a whole week, you've only worked on one bike?? How can you have worked on only one bike in an entire week?? How does a factory-authorized Harley service department work on one bike per week and not catch hell from the factory for not turning in revenue???" His reply was that it was merely a slow time of year, so a lot of the techs take their vacation now. Fine, WHATEVER, just get going on my bike, please.
The next day, the dealership calls me to let me know they test-rode my bike, and yes, I was correct; there was a sound coming from the tranny. Excellent, now we're getting somewhere. Ok, so what did you find, I asked. Well, says he; you didn't give us authorization to work on the transmission when you dropped the bike off.
WHAT!?!?!?!? Of course I did!!! I signed the work order right in front of you!!! (At this point, I'm looking around for Candid Cameras to see if I'm on some kind of lunatic comedy show or something, because this guy has got to be frikkin' kidding me. Sadly; no cameras to be found, so I guess this is all really happening.) Ok, can I give you verbal authorization over the phone, to please start working on my bike?? I can? Excellent; PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE START WORKING ON MY BIKE!
Are you sitting down? Because luckily, I was, when he said his next sentence.
"Great, that'll be $680 dollars, just for the labor. We'll know what the parts will be, once we get in there and see what's going on."
Wait, wait, wait...how the hell can you know it's going to be $680 dollars in labor, when you haven't even turned a bolt or screw yet??
His reply; well, that's the most it could be, if we did a full tear-down and reassembly.
Me; "So you don't know yet if it's going to need a full tear-down and reassembly, so it's entirely possible that the labor won't even come close to that, right?" He agreed, and off he went to start working on things.
(How many guesses would you like that I'll hear; *SURPRISE!!* Sorry Mr. Magraw, you did need a full tear-down and reassembly after all.)
I'm so sick and tired of the Harley BS. There are a lot of other companies out there that are really working to keep their customers happy. Maybe it's time I start thinking about one of them.
I'll have time to mull things over. The current bike is paid off, so it'll be a while before I make a new purchase. If I do wind up making the break, I know Harley won't miss me in the least.
Believe me, the feeling will be mutual.
I dropped the bike off on December 7th. PRIOR to dropping it off, I inquired about their workload/schedule, to see what kind of delay I might be facing. I was told that due to the time of year, things were very slow in the shop. "No appointment is needed, just bring it on down!" came the cheerful voice on the other end of the line. (The voice was so cheerful and jolly, I half-envisioned a brotherly clap on the back from the service guy, while he hoisted a mug of ale to my health).
Fast-forward to the drop-off. No brotherly back-claps and no hoisted mugs of ale. In their place, I got "Customer appreciation" days, weekend closures, and other annoyances. Instead of "We'll get right on it", I received notice that it would probably be a week before they started looking at it. WTF? (You'd think I'd learn by now, and that when these warning signs appear, just take my bike and leave. Just leave, dummy!!)
After not one, but TWO weeks had gone by, I called the dealership and was told I was #2 in line to be looked at. Whoa, whoa, whoa...first, I called and was told to bring it right in, no lines, no waiting. Then, I was told there was going to be a week delay. Now it's been over two weeks, and nothing?? What are you guys doing down there??
This catches you up to where you already were, but wait, it gets even better! Here's what you missed during last week while I was out of the office!!
I gave them another week, but after again not hearing anything, I called again. This was SEVEN DAYS after my last phone call - the phone call where I was told I was #2 to be looked at. Guess what? After those 7 additional days had gone by, my bike had moved all the way up to....wait for it....wait..for..it...my bike had moved up to #1!!! I was next in line to be looked at!!
I almost lost it right then and there (I think my questions were understandable, under the circumstances); "You mean to tell me that in a whole week, you've only worked on one bike?? How can you have worked on only one bike in an entire week?? How does a factory-authorized Harley service department work on one bike per week and not catch hell from the factory for not turning in revenue???" His reply was that it was merely a slow time of year, so a lot of the techs take their vacation now. Fine, WHATEVER, just get going on my bike, please.
The next day, the dealership calls me to let me know they test-rode my bike, and yes, I was correct; there was a sound coming from the tranny. Excellent, now we're getting somewhere. Ok, so what did you find, I asked. Well, says he; you didn't give us authorization to work on the transmission when you dropped the bike off.
WHAT!?!?!?!? Of course I did!!! I signed the work order right in front of you!!! (At this point, I'm looking around for Candid Cameras to see if I'm on some kind of lunatic comedy show or something, because this guy has got to be frikkin' kidding me. Sadly; no cameras to be found, so I guess this is all really happening.) Ok, can I give you verbal authorization over the phone, to please start working on my bike?? I can? Excellent; PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE START WORKING ON MY BIKE!
Are you sitting down? Because luckily, I was, when he said his next sentence.
"Great, that'll be $680 dollars, just for the labor. We'll know what the parts will be, once we get in there and see what's going on."
Wait, wait, wait...how the hell can you know it's going to be $680 dollars in labor, when you haven't even turned a bolt or screw yet??
His reply; well, that's the most it could be, if we did a full tear-down and reassembly.
Me; "So you don't know yet if it's going to need a full tear-down and reassembly, so it's entirely possible that the labor won't even come close to that, right?" He agreed, and off he went to start working on things.
(How many guesses would you like that I'll hear; *SURPRISE!!* Sorry Mr. Magraw, you did need a full tear-down and reassembly after all.)
I'm so sick and tired of the Harley BS. There are a lot of other companies out there that are really working to keep their customers happy. Maybe it's time I start thinking about one of them.
I'll have time to mull things over. The current bike is paid off, so it'll be a while before I make a new purchase. If I do wind up making the break, I know Harley won't miss me in the least.
Believe me, the feeling will be mutual.
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