Vic's HD, Augusta, GA - WOW!!
JEE
grill at my place as well). In fact, seem's the booteeks have caused
themselves to become a central theme among many.
Let me tell you about my encounter with Vic's HD in Augusta, GA from last
Sat thru today. I thought I was dazed then, I am completely stunned now!
Incredible thing #1 - There I was, laying on the ground after doing the
t-bone thing with a Ford pickup. Up walks this guy, Rodney, and introduces
himself as the service manager from the local HD shop about 4 blocks away
and asks if he can help.
I tell him, yeah I need help - I need to get my bike dis-entangled from the
pickup and somehow get it to his shop. He breaks out his tools, gets the
bike apart from the truck and has one of his employees ride (the damn thing
started, bent some parts around to make it drivable) it to the shop.
I meet him at the shop awhile later after the cops and EMS are thru with me.
Later in the week, me and the other guy's insurance company (he wsa the
cited one) are having our difficulties (asked me if I was wearing my
seatbelt - maybe that's an option where he lives?) so I decide NOT to have
the work done in Augusta but down in Savannah where I can get in between the
adjuster, the ins rep and the shop doing the repairs - 40 minutes away makes
me feel more in control and a bit more comfortable than 3 hours away if'n
you know what I mean.
Incredible thing #2 - I call back and tell Vic's that I'll be up the
following Sat to pick up the bike; that I'd just feel better being able to
watch the repairs myself (not to mention the ins company bs). I get up to
Vic's this AM, Rodney helps me load the bike into the truck I brought and
says good luck. Good luck? What about the bill, the tow fee, the service
fee, the storage fee, the hello fee etc etc? He says, no charge, just glad
we could help, and please come back and buy something someday! I see sign
where (norm-does not apply to me) HOG members get a discount but also (NOT
norm-does apply to me) ABATE members get a rebate, too, On top of that, the
dealership was getting a ride going at the same time to help a downed rider
that lost part of an arm etc.
WTF?!? Did I miss something here? Didn't the sign on the wall say
"Authorized" HD dealer? Buy something? Shit, I may be taking a 3 hour ride
to get my oil changed in his shop!
The guy with me says it's because Vic's is one of the old dealers from the
old school. Whatever, I would give anything to have this man and the
dealership he worked in near me. That attitude, I would bet, would be found
throughout the shop.
Anyway, I know that this got kinda long, but I was surprised by the service
and how else to describe it but 'friendship' I felt there. I still feel
better about having my scoot where I can monitor its rehabilitation but I
would have loved to have been able to let this MoCo authorized shop get my
insurance check.
Wonder how his prices are on new bikes. Hummmm, 2000 ought to be a year to
concider another purchase.......
JEE(whiz) and (golly)JEE
bmf
[ good stuff snipped 8< 8< 8< ]
> What about the bill, the tow fee, the service
> fee, the storage fee, the hello fee etc etc? He says, no charge, just glad
> we could help, and please come back and buy something someday!
[ a little more snipped 8< 8< 8< ]
> The guy with me says it's because Vic's is one of the old dealers from the
> old school. Whatever, I would give anything to have this man and the
> dealership he worked in near me. That attitude, I would bet, would be found
> throughout the shop.
>
> Anyway, I know that this got kinda long, but I was surprised by the service
> and how else to describe it but 'friendship' I felt there.
There's just not enough of this sort of thing in the world today.
Vic is wise, it's good karma. In the long run he will prosper from this
action.
If he woulda shafted you, you would be singing a completely different song to
this
group (and probably many others). Word gits around.
Now if only more shops didn't run their business this way...
- b
Hrlyrdr1
>Date: Sat, 19 June 1999 10:49 PM EDT
>The guy with me says it's because Vic's is one of the old dealers from the
>old school. Whatever, I would give anything to have this man and the
>dealership he worked in near me. That attitude, I would bet, would be found
>throughout the shop.
> I still feel
>better about having my scoot where I can monitor its rehabilitation but I
>would have loved to have been able to let this MoCo authorized shop get my
>insurance check.
Sounds to me that If Vick had your bike you would not have to monitor a damd
thing except to pick it up when done. Ill bet your going to waist a hell of a
lot more time trying to make shure the shop you took it to, that does not give
a shit about you or the bike, fixes it right than the three hour ride back to
Vic`s Ifn ya let him fix it. Ill also bet you would have gotten a better trade
in from Vic If he had done the repair to your wrecked bike when ya get ready
for a new one. Yea just let Vic` change the oil after all that help thats the
thing to do.
" Hwy 129 in the Smokeys . What a ride!"
JMB...@webtv.net
think about building relationships with customers rather than focusing
on transactions. A lot of dealerships have forgot what a down cycle
looks like for HDs. Could be coming sooner than marketing forcasts are
showing. The survivors wll be the dealers that offer service at a
reasonable profit and build relationships with customers. Sometimes
this means making the customer feel like they got a freebie or a deal
and not feeling like a victum.
JEE
message was intended so let me try a quick shot here.
> Sounds to me that If Vick had your bike you would not have to monitor a
damd
> thing except to pick it up when done. Ill bet your going to waist a hell
of a
> lot more time trying to make shure the shop you took it to, that does not
give
> a shit about you or the bike, fixes it right than the three hour ride back
to
> Vic`s Ifn ya let him fix it. Ill also bet you would have gotten a better
trade
> in from Vic If he had done the repair to your wrecked bike when ya get
ready
> for a new one.
At the time, I knew NOTHING about Vic's other than he was an authorized
shop, I've had some experience there. The wrench that has my bike is one
that I know and trust (an independant). I was trying to say that now, after
my dealings with Vic's, I would have felt good and safe leaving my bike
there - but that is pure hindsight - didn't have that at the time I was
loading up my bike.
Meant my post as a 'testimonial' and good advertising. At the same time, if
Rodney et al had been at my local stealership for me to base my past 2 yrs
of local experience on, I probably wouldn't have a clue that the local
wrench even existed. Like I said, I was damned surprised after we got the
bike loaded and I went in to settle up.
> Yea just let Vic` change the oil after all that help thats the thing to
do.
ummm, that stung a bit. Not sure what you meant there, But I dind't mean to
be petty or patronizing to Vic's. What I tried to say, was if that after
all that help and service, I'd even be willing to ride 3 hours for stuff
that I would normally do myself, buy the extra doodads, etc. However, truth
be told, it probably won't happen 'cuz anybody that knows me know that I am
very big on supporting the local shop (guns, bike, car, hardware, whatever)
if I find the local guy to be honest and customer oriented; even if that
means the price is just a bit over the chain megastore that I have to drive
an hour to get to. That also means that I use mailorder catalogs only for
ideas and only if I can't get the same item local. But, hey, that's mu
bluecollar upbringing and I'm able to support my habit.
HOWEVER, if there is a reason I need a MoCo sponsored shop I have found one
that I will definitely go to. When the time comes that I give in to family
pressure and trade the Dyna for the 'Glide Classic, I know where I will head
first. Don't know how his prices are nor how he has to deal with folks with
a mailing address in another 'district', but with the built in support I
saw, I hope there will be a way we can strike a deal.
It seems that some others got the drift I meant to send. I usually don't
make this kind of reply. But I felt strongly enough about Vic's, that I had
to say something. If this note is outta line - please, let it go. There's
enough 'stuff' in the rmh to let a misunderstanding start a 'good intent'
thread to lose its intent. I know that tone of voice and eye twitches are
sometimes lost on the net. Try giving my original post a re-look with this
in mind and see if it sounds the way I intended.
JEE
chett
> says good luck. Good luck? What about the bill, the tow fee, the service
> fee, the storage fee, the hello fee etc etc? He says, no charge, just glad
> we could help, and please come back and buy something someday! I see sign
> where (norm-does not apply to me) HOG members get a discount but also (NOT
> norm-does apply to me) ABATE members get a rebate, too, On top of that, the
> dealership was getting a ride going at the same time to help a downed rider
> that lost part of an arm etc.
>
> WTF?!? Did I miss something here? Didn't the sign on the wall say
> "Authorized" HD dealer? Buy something? Shit, I may be taking a 3 hour ride
> to get my oil changed in his shop!
>
> The guy with me says it's because Vic's is one of the old dealers from the
> old school. Whatever, I would give anything to have this man and the
> dealership he worked in near me. That attitude, I would bet, would be found
> throughout the shop.
>
> Anyway, I know that this got kinda long, but I was surprised by the service
> and how else to describe it but 'friendship' I felt there. I still feel
> better about having my scoot where I can monitor its rehabilitation but I
> would have loved to have been able to let this MoCo authorized shop get my
> insurance check.
>
> Wonder how his prices are on new bikes. Hummmm, 2000 ought to be a year to
> concider another purchase.......
>
> JEE(whiz) and (golly)JEE
I'm lucky to have a good dealer here as well (Chick's in Albuquerque). I have
found there are a few good ones out there. I bet Vic will see you in his shop
soon. :)
Best,
chett 98flht
JMark
>
> I want to make sure that what I said was what I meant.
> I would have felt good and safe leaving my bike
> there - but that is pure hindsight - didn't have that at the time I was
> loading up my bike.
>
> Meant my post as a 'testimonial' and good advertising.
<snip>
> Try giving my original post a re-look with this
> in mind and see if it sounds the way I intended.
>
I got your drift JEE.
I also made sure I have the phone number for Vic's HD on my "cheat
sheet" just in case I need their support on the driveby we'll be doing
in that vicinity soon on the way to NC.......HOWEVER....I hope like hell
I don't have to use it!
--
JMark
88FLHS, SENS Bud
http://ddi.digital.net/~jmark/netscum/
[return addy spam deterrent, digit=digital]
Wayne Clement
>WTF?!? Did I miss something here? Didn't the sign on the wall say
>"Authorized" HD dealer? Buy something? Shit, I may be taking a 3 hour ride
>to get my oil changed in his shop!
>
>The guy with me says it's because Vic's is one of the old dealers from the
>old school. Whatever, I would give anything to have this man and the
>dealership he worked in near me. That attitude, I would bet, would be found
>throughout the shop.
>
>Anyway, I know that this got kinda long, but I was surprised by the service
>and how else to describe it but 'friendship' I felt there. I still feel
>better about having my scoot where I can monitor its rehabilitation but I
>would have loved to have been able to let this MoCo authorized shop get my
>insurance check.
>
>Wonder how his prices are on new bikes. Hummmm, 2000 ought to be a year to
>concider another purchase.......
>
>JEE(whiz) and (golly)JEE
>
sells at MSRP. 6 month wait on a fatboy.