[YogiBear]

This post comes short on the heels of a recent post relating to pricing on brakes pad difference between UK and Ireland, so please forgive me if it appears if I am just jumping on a band wagon here.

The background first! Yesterday, needing tyres for my GS I thought I would try someone new, just to see if how they would be and if their service was any good. The dealer I am talking about is a certain BWM dealer (Not Platinum Motorcycles) in the Bray area whom I understand to have reasonable if not a cheap reputation. Knowing this I expected to pay a small premium for the tyres, but hey, I heard they have free snacks served on a Saturday for waiting customers and what more could a bear ask for?

I confirmed a price via telephone, hopped on the bike with Booboo in tow on her Gladius, expecting to have tyres fitted to both. On arrival they quickly wheeled my bike into the workshop which, by the way is cordoned off with big signs, "No Customer Access". In the meantime Booboo is on the showroom floor being brain washed by the Metzler/Pirelli rep telling her that the tyres she wants are not right for her and she should try something else. The net result of this is that when finally convinced by them of the tyre she needs as opposed to what I had suggested they proudly inform her that they do not have the sizes for her bike, but will order them in. Strange, though they did have sizes in the tyre I had been suggesting. Unfortunately at this stage she had her heart set on the Angel STs and would not budge so off to Cotters we would go. Strange way of doing business if you ask me, I thought they would have tried to bag her right there and then, but rather let us go somewhere else. Just so you know I was suggesting a slightly sportier/softer tyre Pirelli Diablo Rosso Corsa, which I had used myself on my K1300S to great effect giving me great grip and a very reasonable mileage of just under 5000 mls/8000kms.

Back to my bike and why I really was so angry. After 10 minutes or so of waiting, Paddy, one of the folk from the dealer comes into the showroom with a broken socket saying that they had broken it on the wheel nuts on my bike while trying to remove them. He announces that they are going to have to heat the wheel hub to remove the nuts and was I ok with this. My answer was that it would have to be done sometime and today may as well be it.

Almost an hour later they still had not finished and we decided to go for a cup of coffee up the road. On our return, Paddy proudly announces that he has good news and that the wheel was taken off and they would soon be finished. What he so cleverly forgot to mention is the surprise I was to get when they printed my invoice.

In addition to the price for fitted tyres quoted (Euro 305) to me on the phone they had the cheek to add Euro 15 for tyre disposal (I know this is a standard charge but should be included when quoting), and wait for it............................... Euro 65 extra (Bear in mind they already charged Euro 25 per tyre for fitting) for the difficult wheel removal plus Euro 25 for the socket they broke.

Now, I understand the business logic behind trying to make money on a job, but I don’t understand the logic of making sure a customer never, never, never returns for future business. By this I mean they made an extra Euro 90 out of me yesterday which will be the last they will see from me and following that my rant on here about a poor experience.

Far be it for me to suggest that you folk don’t use this dealer as that remains your choice, but honestly I do believe that they don’t deserve business from anyone I know if that is the way you get treated as a new customer.

[alanlouth]

Sorry to hear about your experience Greg. They certainly appear to have been very heavy handed with the charges. IMHO they should not have charged you for the socket that they broke and €25 seems a very high price for a socket anyway. The extra charge for the difficult removal is also something that they should have absorbed and learned from.
Charging extra for the tyre disposal certainly made the initial price of their tyres seem good value.
Hope that you have lotsa fun on your new rubber.

Regarding the service and the bill that you received....don't just tell a friend, tell everybody!

[Snoopy]

What rubber did you put on the GS?

I just got a new set of Tourance EXP fitted for 260.00 Euro.

It's my third set and I find them very good.

Do not belive that they charged you for the socket they broke.

Always found Maddocks hard to deal with.

[Nori41]

They certainly rubbed it in there Greg. They wll probably wonder why you never returned after that.

[Shinwacker]

Jesus wept, it's had to believe this stuff goes on. I would have had a stand up row and told them to take the tyres back off again. I would only have paid the price quoted, never heard of this trye disposal, stupid green party. As for the socket wrench, how in God's name where you responsible for that, you didn't break it. €90 over priced and I would have told him to shove it.

Next time quote in writing, €305 is very, very expensive for two trye.

Shins

[skipper]

That's shameful
I wouldn't let them put heat on a bike that new either if it was mine that's a new one on me
have you seen this
My link

[delooney]

If he broke the socket, it means he was using the wrong socket for the job, his fault. End of story.

I never heard of a mechanic with the gall to charge a customer for breaking his own tools! I'd be embarrassed to have taken so long to change a wheel, I'd certainly be red-faced if my tools weren't up for the job!

If it's the dealer I'm thinking of, I got a front tyre fitted to a bike there years ago, you'd want to have seen the palaver trying to get the front wheel raised safely to do the job, about an hour of goonery with cranes and bricks. Never again.

€15 per tyre for disposal? More bullsiht.

What amazes me is if they treat all their customers in this manner on a regular basis, who is keeping them in business?

This post has been edited by Tazzzie: 17 April 2011 - 08:07 PM
Reason for edit: bad word filter acting the maggot

[vstrom]

Jayus Greg
That takes some beating , no manners .
Call me old fashioned but I like a cuddle before I get screwed
That guy has some neck
as for the socket Id have asked him for it as most tools now come with a lifetime warranty
Looks like he tore you a new one

[Linda]

Murky paddocks strikes again! You either get on with the shop and staff, their are those you swear by him or you swear at him. I guess from your post you'll fall into the latter category. i heard really good stories about the place and some real horror stories as well but charging you for broken tools is a joke you have to try really hard to break decent tools. Stick with Cottors

[Iggy]

This topic raises a lot of issues, some valid and some just plain uninformed. But before I go any further, I have a couple of questions for Yogi Bear :

What tyres did you have fitted ?

Did the original price quoted include fitting ?

[The Sheriff]

I simply would not have paid the extra charges , certainly not the damaged socket ..!! As fir the disposal charge , he didn't mention it it the quote so it was never part of the Agreed price . Verbal contract and he broke it ...
Report him to the consumer right crowd , in this day and age , daylight robbery is not an option ...

[Pilot]

Thats ridiculous behaviour, you can consider me another person that'll steer clear of them from now on.

[John Bulleteer]

Thats why I ride a Bullet.
Its simple & I just fit them myself in my back garden.
I couldnt afford to be hit with a bill like that.
I'd just tell Paddy to flog the bike & give me the change.

[PurpleC]

Talk about a shafting!!! I am sorry to hear this happened, tyre disposal & incompetence mechanic charges?

Tell everybody you know, the thievin so and so's.

[daveyc]

Thought it was just me, one service dealing was enough for me before I saw the light, steer clear, no wonder they are no longer official BMW dealers !

[Pagan]

€15 euro to dispose of a tyre? Pretty sure I only got charged €5 any time I had to get tyres changed...

[Larry]

If the hub had to be heated to get it off, were the seals and bearings checked afterwards?

And as for the "broken socket charge" I would have told him where to shove it.

[Darkcloud]

As I said to you today Greg, twas crazy stuff...last they'll be seeing of you ......



Now as for this p!ssed of bear stuff....here's a really p!ssed off bear....and a stupid woman

[YogiBear]

Snoopy, on 17 April 2011 - 07:06 AM, said:

What rubber did you put on the GS?

I just got a new set of Tourance EXP fitted for 260.00 Euro.

It's my third set and I find them very good.

Do not belive that they charged you for the socket they broke.

Always found Maddocks hard to deal with.

I also had the Tourance EXP fitted. You have just managed to make me feel worse telling me the price you paid. I knew Maddocks were pricy, but no idea they were that over the top.

Well guess you live and learn.

[Philip J Fry]

Sorry to hear that Greg, wish I had told you this......... I rang yer man last week and he was a right Aufer Daly.
First he says my bike takes a 180 rear, I tell him no then he says he'll put on what ever I want ( in a I dont care way ) then he tries to push hard another brand saying they are the same just branded differently.
Then the quote comes 370 fitted ( pair) no mention of disposal. I says I can get them €100 cheaper up in Dublin near where you would mount a bally.
He says I shouldn't be able to get that price cos if he can't do it for that price no one can and that the must be seconds or that somethings up with them.
Luckly I don't scare easy imagine a complete noob talking to this guy. (chi ching)
So next day I roll up to where you mount a bally and I get fitted and disposed of for the previously quoted €100 or so less.
Happy days tyres are brill, got the rosso corsa's and would recomend them.
Didn't get anything in Bray and wouldn't