An employee of a certain Ducati dealer in my area, who I have stuck my neck out to defend on this forum, is really getting my meter in the red. 3 times now when I call for parts or tech information on the phone I've been treated so fantastically rude that I would want to smack the guy in the mouth if it happened in person. I was literally informed that I'm being a nuisance because they're busy with "customers"...as if I'm not one myself.
I'm hot enough right now that I want to get the guy fired if I could...and that's about as much of a prickish, low down thing you could do. I don't ask for an ass kissing from my Ducati dealer by any means but some human decency and common courtesy are not unreasonable requests.
Jealous of you guys that have awesome dealers to work with. I have this asshat and another one that sells about 6 other brands beside Ducati.
I'm pretty certain he doesn't know who I am when I call, which actually pisses me off more. Because I know he must do it to a lot of people.
I give people the benefit of the doubt 3 times.. then, it is open season
I'm gonna take a wild guess....starts with a K and ends with an evin?
Must be something in the air. Not sure where your from, but my parts dealer and service tech have been extremely far from personable as of late as well. My service tech won't even talk, he's to the point where everything has to be done via e-mail. I've chalked it up to them being busy. And my response to that is, I will buy as much as I can online and do as much service my self. F'em. I can get all of the knowledge I need from this board.
Quote from: scduc on June 28, 2013, 06:29:37 PM
Must be something in the air. Not sure where your from, but my parts dealer and service tech have been extremely far from personable as of late as well. My service tech won't even talk, he's to the point where everything has to be done via e-mail. I've chalked it up to them being busy. And my response to that is, I will buy as much as I can online and do as much service my self. F'em. I can get all of the knowledge I need from this board.
[thumbsup]
Having managed a couple of dealerships, I'd want to know if a valuable client was being abused. As long as YOU are not also an asshat, then I'd take the appropriate action. If the "other side of the story" didn't ring true, that employee would be history. Of course, even in this marketplace, good help can be hard to find.
Sorry to hear it Buck! I have a pretty darn good dealer. They remember my name when I come in, are super helpful and they even sent me a gift card for my birthday. Too bad not everyone can have the same experience. My dealer makes me feel like a valued customer and I buy a ton of my aftermarket stuff elsewhere!
Quote from: Curmudgeon on June 28, 2013, 08:51:19 PM
Having managed a couple of dealerships, I'd want to know if a valuable client was being abused. As long as YOU are not also an asshat, then I'd take the appropriate action. If the "other side of the story" didn't ring true, that employee would be history. Of course, even in this marketplace, good help can be hard to find.
I agree with that sentiment. I actually once got fired from a management position for standing up FOR my employee. The customer is not always right. But I'm honestly the anti-asshat. I always give the worker the BOTD over The Man.
This guy has a split personality. When I'm actually at the dealer he's about as nice as can be. And when I call to inquire about buying anything pricey he's A1. (big surprise). He just acts like a shit when I need something inexpensive and they're busy. I'm not even rude in response.
What chaps my ass is the whole; "I have CUSTOMERS to help" crap, all snarky and pissy like. I buy most of my aftermarket stuff online but I never ask them to service it or advise about it, and I've had all my major mechanical service done at this dealership. And I WANT to buy my M1100 there next year, I really do.
Quote from: Buck Naked on June 29, 2013, 05:53:54 AM
This guy has a split personality. When I'm actually at the dealer he's about as nice as can be. And when I call to inquire about buying anything pricey he's A1. (big surprise). He just acts like a shit when I need something inexpensive and they're busy. I'm not even rude in response.
You aren't describing a split personality, it's obviously all about him. If you are calling with something that will make him money or make him look good for making the sale then you are golden. If not then he doesn't have time for you. Typical short sighted douchebag.
And you failed to confirm my suspicion from above.
Quote from: Buck Naked on June 29, 2013, 05:53:54 AM
What chaps my ass is the whole; "I have CUSTOMERS to help" crap, all snarky and pissy like. I buy most of my aftermarket stuff online but I never ask them to service it or advise about it, and I've had all my major mechanical service done at this dealership. And I WANT to buy my M1100 there next year, I really do.
If you are saying that this employee is basically helpful but needs some serious training, then have a face-to-face word with him, and if that gets you nowhere, speak to the GM, provided he's "enlightened". No way I want potential big buck clients voting with their feet. As a manager, often you don't know until a survey reveals this by which time it's too late to correct.
I've been on the wrong side of this and been thrown under the bus too by J.D. Powers IQS which creates an absolute tyranny in the car biz for asshats. An enlightened manager can tell the difference between an isolated incident and a "pattern".
No idea how my dealer treats most. I give my name when I call. Usually that gets the desired result. My parts contact is the parts manager and he's so good, I think he holds the place together as he has extraordinary people skills whereas the dealer himself is a bit dry, although an exceptional mechanic/engineer. I appreciate people who can cut to the chase but some clients prefer a long slow dance. ;) That drives me bonkers but is an occupational hazard in retail.
If there are six people standing at the parts counter, your guy needs to take your number and then without fail get back to you when things quiet down. That dealership may also need another counter person or at least someone on the phones. I can appreciate that your guy may be flooded with calls from asshats and you've been thrown in there with them. If a client can't wait for a return phone call, the GM needs to decide whether that client is worth having and make staffing changes.
You'll need to "wing" this one because I'm not there to observe, but if it were my store, I'd want to know your POV. Unlike you, I'm more neutral in any dispute and just evaluate past employee worth/performance vs the merit of the slighted client's beef. In this case it appears some training is needed at the least and maybe some structural staff changes. If there is a pattern though with this particular employee and he can't made adjustments, then he needs to go.
Have you tried talking to him about his attitude on the phone? Maybe he doesn't even realize he's doing it. Maybe just take him aside and casually mention it to him in a non-confrontational way.
if he's an employee, he has a boss. It's not your job to coach him on how to treat people. That's his boss' job. Your job as the customer is to tell the boss he's acting like a delta bravo.
Chomp on the boss, and if that doesn't make things better, chomp on the dealer principal.
...Yet another reason to ditch the dealer and utilize the forums and their knowledgeable members for tech, and the sponsors and Indy shops for service and whatnot.
Yep yep. Gave the sponsors 4 figures of my cash this month and this board made my engine swap a reality. I dig this symbiotic relationship we have here. :)
I was just having a few thoughts about this person. given the previous allusion, let's call him kev for convenience.
what is kev's job at the dealership? you said you ask him for parts and tech info - surely both can't be his department.
are the phone calls directly related to what he does? ie, is he someone who should be on the phone? if he is a tech then customers shouldn't be able to talk to him. there's a service manager to insulate customers from techs, and then a senior tech for things over the service manager's head. just so it's not interrupting someone who is ideally not interrupted.
can he be overheard when he is on the phone to you? ie, if you throw in a question that an overhearing person might construe as part of a personal conversation, it might get him a hard time.
does he get paged when you call? ie, does everyone know kev is on the phone? in which case, if he's not meant to be on the phone and the boss knows he is, kev may be getting a hard time for being on the phone.
if he is a tech, does he get paid (like I know a lot of us techs do) on a wage or on contract (hours billed is hours he gets paid). if he is a tech on contract then your "free info" calls to him will be costing him a measurable amount of money.
complaining to his boss may get you a response of "it's not kev's job to talk to you".
just some possible thoughts (or not) on kev's side of it.
sometimes I get people ringing me who tell me they know I'm busy and they'll be quick and won't take up too much of my time and we're 5 minutes into the conversation before they even ask me the f**king question. and I get to the point where i'll say what I need to to shut them up. and then they ask me how my weekend was.
He's def not a tech. The "tech info" is more like queries about lead time on jobs, whether or not the dealership handles such a job, etc. He's the parts/service manager, and he's the one who answers the phone 90% of the time.
where it all started going south was when I was doing the engine swap. I called about motor mounts and he naturally asked the question; "for what make and model of bike"; to which I had to explain that I had a 1996 900ss engine but a 2001 frame.
This was tricky because prior to 2001, Ducati had 2 different part numbers for the engine lugs. There was a short one and a long one, both 10mm thick. I needed 2 of the long ones to make it work (something that hadn't previously been documented on any thread on any forum that I could find.) But I never could get to explaining this because he snapped at me that he "had customers" in front of him and with an exasperated sigh grudgingly agreed to call back. (never did call back).
I needed help with this because I didn't know which part number represented the longer bolt. Had I known it would have been a smooth call because I'd have asked for 2 of "xxxxxx". As soon as I started saying anything other than a simple answer to his question of "for which year and model" was when I became a pain in the ass idiot that was taking up his time. Had he not been a prick he may have learned something interesting.
Used parts guy @ Pinwall hooked me up that day.
Quoteif he's an employee, he has a boss. It's not your job to coach him on how to treat people. That's his boss' job. Your job as the customer is to tell the boss he's acting like a delta bravo.
+1
take your money elsewhere !
none of the following is justification, it's just the way it tends to be, from my experience at a dealership. dealerships never have enough staff ime. even the really flash ones.
if he's the parts and service manager and answers the phone 90% of the time it's either a tiny dealership or he's massively overworked. and probably the boss doesn't give a rat's arse. the easiest way for management to turn good employees into bad employees is to treat them like you don't care. sounds like we can tick that box.
who knows, maybe he'd just been chewed out by the boss after someone who'd just bought a new diavel and spent an outrageous amount on accessories complained he didn't get priority service at the parts counter that he feels he is owed. and he was in a bad mood already when he got to work because his wife screamed shit out of him over brekky, etc. you know, all that shit that we take to work, but every expects us to put aside and smile.
(digressing) I remember billy connelly saying the really tough side of being a professional comedian is going on stage when you've got a thumping head cold, or when someone you know has died, or your marriage is falling apart, and making people laugh.
(back on track) and there might have been 10 people standing at the counter looking at him with that "get off the phone dude" look people give you when they're standing at the counter waiting for you to get off the phone.
you say you know him. did you introduce yourself? when you ring and someone answers and says it's kev, you know exactly who it is. but he has no idea who you are. I have customers ring me and they say "hi brad, it's steve. steve who? could be one of about 4 steve's I have who do that. talking to as many people as he does, he's very unlikely to pick your voice unless you're very distinctive.
the problem with your question is few fold.
it's a dealership. it's 2013. to them, a 1098 is an old model. asking complicated questions about a bike that is old to someone who doesn't have the bike in front of him is going to get you nowhere.
the parts system often will have only "bolt" as the description. which one is longer? wtf knows. certainly not him.
it's not interesting to him, and apart from your call, investigating it is of no benefit. maybe someone else will ask the same question in 10 years. or not.
the only way he can find out the answer is order one each of every part it can be (as he won't have any on the shelf) and see which one turns out to be correct. and then put the others on the shelf in the hope that one day someone will want them as he can't send them back. ever been to a dealer liquidation sale and seen all the old parts in dusty bags that have been there for ever and you think "wtf did they have one of them on the shelf?"
the guy at pinwall could probably go and get the variations of what you needed and tell you there and then what the deal was. for him, it's easy.
the dealership man had no hope of helping you without costing himself more than he'd make. maybe they would have made it back on a new bike sale, but depending on what new bike sales are like where you are, often there's no money in them either. and he'd have no way of knowing that. and you'd be amazed how many people will tell you "you've just lost a bike sale" just because they had to stand at the counter for longer than they feel they needed to.
never underestimate how liberating stepping outside the dealership system can be in almost every way.
and, in so many ways, retail sucks.
so while throwing kev under the bus might make you feel better, it might not do much that is helpful for him.
If it is the Kevin I referred to its not a complicated issue. It's a douchebag issue.
Yea Brad I can dig what you're saying. I don't expect humans to be service drones and never have a bad day. You'll take note however is the fact that it never was complicated and I never had the chance to bend his ear or ask those questions; as soon as I needed more than ten seconds of his time that wasn't going to result in a big ticket or easy sale he was having none of it. And he wasn't just rude, he was a flat out @$$hole and completely unprovoked. I'm actually a pretty damn nice guy. And I don't want retribution- I want other people to not have to experience it.
You should keep personal attacks off the forum. There are two sides to every story.
Quote from: Armor on July 01, 2013, 09:40:16 AM
You should keep personal attacks off the forum. There are two sides to every story.
I don't view this as a personal attack...more as venting looking for some form of verification...and while hbliam has had his issues with his named person, he isn't going off attacking, just merely stating his personal viewpoint for a confirmation of said person in case it was one and the same.
Quote from: Armor on July 01, 2013, 09:40:16 AM
You should keep personal attacks off the forum. There are two sides to every story.
Toss him under the bus, but do it in a review on google.com, yelp.com, Angie's list, or something like that. I use those reviews in a lot when purchasing goods or services.
As an example, a few years ago I went in for a regular service to the local dealer. They quoted me about $300, then charged me $500+ when I went to pick it up. I asked them about it, they gave me some technobabble, not too contentious, but I left never to go back. A couple of months later I went for a ride with several monster riders and, during a rest, one of the guys mentioned this happening to him at the same dealer. I spoke up and so did another guy. The last guy had complained enough that they gave him a $300 store credit. The fact that the exact same thing happened to three duc owners who happened to end up talking together at some point indicates that this is probably common practice at that particular dealer. It sure would be nice to have some kind of forum where experiences with vendors can be discussed and responded to. For my interests, the DMF would be a nice place to do it, but the sponsor situation makes it complicated. google, yelp, etc. work for me. I should have posted a review to help out my monster bros and sisters.
Flounders, how about creating a "Carmela's List" discussion board? ;D That'd be a can of worms!
Pissing and moaning on the net doesn't solve the problem, and this forum is not the place.
The OP has mentioned the dealer and I know the person in question won't respond as he took his ball and went home when called out on spamming for the dealership.
This is done.