Waco, TX Dealer- Bad Experience/Story
I am from Waco, TX and I have had some difficulties with my dealer here. I was a loyal customer (have a Bonneville & an America) and when i decided to buy a R3 I went to him. We went through a buying process of getting what I wanted. As we were going through this process, we made agreements on accessories and such and when the bike was exactly what I wanted, the price was about $3000 ($20K and change) more than what i had figured. He had even charged me labor to change the tins to a "spare" set he had in the back.
When the price was presented to me I offered about $2500 less ($17500) and the dealer declined. I went to Ft. Worth the next day and got the same bike with Bettle bags, Upgraded seat, floorboards. To top it off, I got it for more than $4000 ($16k out the door) less than my local deal had offered. I had no hard feelings.
I went to talk with my local dealer abount a month later and he would barely say 2 words to me. I was disappointed. this was 2 years ago and the last time I went into the dealership that same bike was still on the showroom floor.
My next issue came when I had transmission problems. I took it in to the Waco dealer and left it there for nearly 2 weeks without a call. I called to check on it and was told they never even looked at it. Keep in mind that I made an appointment to take it in. I picked it up and took it back about a week later. Took them another 2 weeks to look at it and decide that 2nd gear was gone and needed to replace it.
They ordered parts and once the parts got there it took them 3 weeks to even start on the bike. Needless to say they took nearly 2 months total to get this issue taken care of. To just top all of this off and kick me right square in the nutt sack, he charged me $75 to take the Beddle bags off (for those of you who have never had to remove a set of Beddle bags, there are 2 acorm numbers and a bolt on each bag). I used a store credit I had donated to a charity and bought back for $100 in a silent auction. That dealer will never get another penny from just unless the owner and service manager personally apologize and give me that $75 back.
Next issue was workmanship. When they used wrenches to take the transmission appart, they chipped the paint (everywhere there is a bolt). Additionally, there is gasket sealer that has dripped over the edge of the transmission.
So, there are 3 problems:
1. Overpriced- I could potentially over look this as loyalty is more important than price.
2. Time- they had my bike for nearly 2 months and never an apology or anything else. All I got was a "tough ****" attitude
3. Crappy workmanship. No excuses for this.
I got so fed up and called Peter Carleo and he is the only bright spot in this whole story. As he exclaimed they do not have a lot of control of their dealership. That is fine because the ****ty economy will take care of dealers who do not take care of their customers. Peter took care of the issue and made it right and for that I stay a loyal Triumph owner.
it is very interesting, I have 3 Triumph motorcycles and In Waco, I would be considered a very loyal triumph owner. Therefore, people always ask me where they can get a good deal and what I think of the local dealership. I talk to people all the time and I am not shy to give my opinion about the dealer. I don't want anyone going in there to buy anything and get treated the way I have been treated.
I can say the dealers in Ft. Worth and Plano, TX have been awesome. I get everything through those 2 dealerships and I am looking at a sport bike now.
Some are great, but the bad apples like the dealer here in Waco give the rest a bad name.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to email me at
bp80884@gmail.com.
