Repair shop decorum?

[nudemetalz]

Had at look at your previous post, Dodgyiti.
Good points in there.

S'pose she got him on a bad day, and that is entirely possible, but I do not know of any guy who would let there wife be talked down to like that.
Like i said earlier, it never got to the point of even discussing if he was prepared to look at it, he just said the bike is crap.
Now from the various PM's I've received, this has happened quite a lot so the "bad-day" excuse starts to stretch a tad....

Bridgy didn't even want me to post this, let alone go down and visit him (which may not have been very pretty..)

But thanks for your response D'Iti.

[Clivoris]

Interestingly,
I was in at Richard's today and yesterday to get tyres put on rims and some other bibs and bobs. He was real helpful and straightup. I have known him to be blunt in the past but generally the quality of his work seems good. His location is real handy for me compared to other options.

[hobdar]

Hmm sounds like he jumped to conclusions with no diagnostic work, and ran her bike down, i would be peeved with that too and taken my bike somewhere else to be worked on. He defiantly could have been um mm more diplomatic rather than disrespecting her and her bike

Everyones bike (in most cases) is there pride and joy and no matter how much of a pig it is you don't need to say it out loud to the rider..unless they have a scooter and then.......fair slather....(kidding)

[Wasp]

what an arsehole - reminds me of the time the motormart guys called my poor old vtz "a shitty little thing"

[Mr Skid]

"hm, RF400? OK, they're not a wildly popular model, some folk have reported issues with them. They're reputedly not great in performance, and expensive to run. Personally, I'd hesitate before buying one.What you're describing sounds more like what I'd expect from a mileage of 130000, not 30000, are you entirely confident of that mileage, bearing in mind that unscrupulous folk have been known to fiddle speedos? I'm suspecting here that investigation may turn up other problems."

That sounds like the sorta bullshit I'd expect from an IT consultant.

You're not an IT consultant, are you Ixion?

[Ixion]

Not any more. I've gone straight. Y'can't prove a thing.

Besides, if I was an IT consultant, (a) I'd charge. One days work to prepare the situational analysis. Another 2 days for a gap analysis against best practice. And another day to prepare the executive summary I posted. Total 4 days @$1500/day total $6000 . Plus disbursements. Plus media. Plus travel. Plus GST. Project management separtely billed. Plus support @10% . (b) An IT consultant would NEVER be so rash as to commit himself to a personal opinion.

[Lou Girardin]

And my stand is I don't like someone to be tried by judge and jury on this site without a chance of defence.Call me an unpaid defence lawyer.There are always two sides to a dispute,and on this site we seldom see the otherside.

On the other hand, there have been three complaints here about a certain Suzuki dealer. They monitor this site and yet have not written of word in their defence.
Could it be that there is no defence?
Face it Motu, bikers are generally poorly served by the repair industry. Even a highly regarded workshop left fairing fasteners off one of my bikes and shorted out the helmet speaker control fitted to it.

[Deviant Esq]

Face it Motu, bikers are generally poorly served by the repair industry. Even a highly regarded workshop left fairing fasteners off one of my bikes and shorted out the helmet speaker control fitted to it.

It's quite worrying for a biking newbie actually. Whenever I go into a bike shop to look at buying a bike, or take my bike to get it serviced, I always feel as though I'm not being taken seriously. I've been palmed off several times by various shops, and had others just not bother with me at all, not bother to return calls or anything. One trouble for me is I don't really know anyone in the industry, someone I can trust to look after my bike and charge a reasonable price. I don't mind paying for the right job, it's just hard to know where to go.

Where do Christchurch members take their bike when they want a job done on it? I don't mind dealing with someone who is a bit short, as in, not a diplomat, aye Motu, but so long as they do a good job they're alright in my books. And I'm happy to pay for the service as well. And come back to them in the future.

[Motu]

Face it Motu, bikers are generally poorly served by the repair industry. .

And if we go by reports on this site - the assessory industry,used bike sales,new bike sales,in fact it's a wonder these places are still in business.Come on Lou,you know what the problem is - communication! Nudemetalz says his wife says this guy said - oh come on,you can't hang a guy on this sort of heresay.The first bike shop that refused to work on older bikes was run by your boss,he realised more than 30 years ago there was no money or reputation to be earned working on shitboxes,even if the owners were insulted.It hasn't harmed his business and I don't think there is anyone in Auckland at least who has been in the game longer than him.

[Freakshow]

I have been taking my bikes to Richard and I would say he has a lot to work on with his social side and yes he is blunt. But each time he has done more than what i have asked. And like Wasp said about his comments on the VTR. I have noticed riding a 250 the service at the bigger bike shops was crap! Now I have moved up its a different story. Dont they know 250 riders are only on 250s to get bigger bikes when their time is done. You would have thought that they would want to hook them with great service when they are still on the 250.

[nudemetalz]

Perhaps it is all heresay, but as I have stated, I'm sure he is an excellent mechanic, but to draw customers in, you have to act at least a little bit diplomatic and professional. Otherwise, they don't come and you don't get work.

[Motu]

It's a problem that will probably hang around for a few years yet until some new young blood comes in.Most tradesmen are not people people,they don't go into business to have relationships with their customers,they want to do what they are trained to fix,not to engage in PC crap with customers.You will find most mechanics,like Lou,or Mike Pero....who have communication skills will move out of the industry and become reps or salesmen....and so the industry loses the very people it needs.I've been running workshops since 1980 when I was a workshop foreman,I still have poor people skills,and no desire to improve myself in this area as I have no interest in how people tick....but am interested in how engines tick.Young people have better people skills these days....but few are entering trades.I don't expect you to know very much about your car,that's why you bring it to me.....but don't expect me to know the finer points of how to fit into society,that is not my concern.

After more than 30 years my wife is still shocked with how I treat people,what I say and how I say it - ''Do you want people to think you are an idiot? You just can't say things like that!'' We could be generous and call it personality,I think it's just being myself.

[Paul in NZ]

After more than 30 years my wife is still shocked with how I treat people,what I say and how I say it - ''Do you want people to think you are an idiot? You just can't say things like that!'' We could be generous and call it personality,I think it's just being myself.

Bloody hell - you sure we are not related somehow?

[Ixion]

Perhaps you are both idiots? Like the old pub sign "The three loggerheads"

(Subtle , eh)

[bert_is_evil]

I've been taking my bike to Richard for about a year now and have only had good experiences, every time I go in he fixes or adjusts something extra without upping the bill. Just got a new tyre fitted and he matched the verbal quote I got from another shop without question. He is quite a straight talker of course - I called up when I first got the bike to ask about having the suspension softened so I could reach the ground properly, he said I should eat more pies instead and laughed....before adjusting it for me and showing me how to do it myself if I needed in the future.