Monday, October 02, 2006

Harley Davidson - A reader concern....


harley
Originally uploaded by Oldmaison.
Ann Wilson - Pissed Off Harley Owner has left a new comment on your post "A message from Charles!!!!":

Charles :

I understand the problems you are having and understand your frustration :

Can you do a poll or possibly ask for comments " If people who read your site and own Harley Davidson Motorcycles Are Happy with their respective dealers here in New Brunswick :

We worked long and hard to own these Motorcycles, and when you have a problem with these vehicles, some of the Dealers treat you like crap, and give you the feeling as if to say

" what are you doing here Bugging me "

The sales people are all over you like flies when they think you're going to buy one, and treat you like Crap when it comes to get something fixed Poperly.

This is no Joke, someone you know told myself and others, to bring this to your attention.

It's not right, and some of US do not complain, for just the sake of complaining.

Your blog is powerful, Yes, you do have people reading. Just maybe some of the Harley Dealers will read this is as well,

Some of us, have even called Harley Davidson Canada, and still no satisfaction.

This is not right :

God Bless :

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I as well am a pissed off Harley-Davidson owner. I bought a brand new 2003 Sportster and even bought an extended seven year warranty.

I have had an oil leak for the past 3 years, and the dealer here in Saint John still hasn't been able to Fix the Damn thing right. I live in St.Stephen

To your reader Mr. Leblanc, if you are planning on buying a Motorcycle, Don't Buy A Harley or even a HONDA, buy a Yamaha or Kawasaki.

The above letter that the person sent you, is indeed true.

My profession is a nurse :

Thank heavens for an avenue to tell people what exactly is going on.

Anonymous said...

I do not know about the other dealers in New Brunswick, but it indeed is true,

That the HD dealership in Saint John is not the same as it once was, when the original owner ran it, but sadly was killed in an Auto Accident back in October of 2004.

There truly are a lot of very un-happy and un-satisfied harley owners here in the port city.

Nissan car service has gone down the tubes as well here in Saint John, since the Local Toyota people took over the Nissan dealership.

You cannot win, their all a buch of crook's in my personal opinion only.

Anonymous said...

Check this out Charles :

Notice Harley Davidson Canada doesn't even have a e-mail address. What does that tell you ??

Here's their web site url

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Utility/hd_contact_us.jsp?locale=en_CA

The only toll free number is for the Harley Owners Group, and all that is, is the Harley Bike Club that Harley Sponsors.

They can't and do not handle complaints Charles :

To request additional information about programs and services, fill out the info request form.

The Help section contains a frequently asked questions list that may have the answer to your question.

H.O.G. Canada
830 Edgeley Blvd.
Concord, Ontario L4K 4X1

Toll free from within Canada: 1-800-668-4836
Outside Canada: 905-660-3500
Fax: 905-660-3372

Contact your local retailer for additional information about products and services.

Visit the Harley-Davidson Retailer Locator to find your retailer's contact information.

CONCORD
830 Edgeley Blvd.
Concord, Ontario
L4K4X1
Canada

TEL: (905) 660-3500

FAX: (905) 660-3372

RICHMOND
13500 Verdun Place
Richmond, British Columbia
V6V1V4
Canada

TEL: (604) 273-5421

FAX: (604) 273-2029
To contact the Motor Company directly, please write:

Harley-Davidson Customer Service
3700 W. Juneau Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53208

To speak with a Harley-Davidson customer service representative call (414) 343-4056.
Sorry, we're unable to receive e-mail at this time.

© 2001 - 2006 H-D. All rights reserved. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy. We Care About You.

The funniets part is, WE CARE ABOUT YOU.

IT should be, WE CARE ABOUT YOU, WHILE WE'RE STICKING IT TO YOU

Blogger Charles LeBlanc said...

I posted the reader concerns about this issue and I hope that I don't have a group of Hell Angels bikers at my door?...lol

I don't have no opinions on this issue but it's the People's Blog so I posted the blog.

I hope this is not a set up????...lol

Anonymous said...

No Charles, It's no joke or set up, the service really is bad.

Hopefully more HD-Owners will express their opinions. If they read your site, and have had a bad experience and don't say anything about it, Then They Have No Right To Complain.

Anonymous said...

I think its a great post, at least very entertaining for us non motorcyclists. I think more people with other concerns should use the blog as well. I think thats the most comments we've seen on a post in a long time.

All I can add is that I wish those motorcyclists would turn down their engines-you'd think it was armageddon sometimes when they pass by!

More to the point, does anybody know any good cyle fixers to help these people out?

Anonymous said...

Follow this link Mr. Leblanc to see for yourself this information.

http://www.hdottawa.com/sales_xwarr.htm

It's called Fender To Fender Protection on A Harley Extended Warranty :

What's covered
What's Not
O.K. Gas is not the only thing that is not covered.
* See bottom for full details

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The best motorcycle deserves the best protection. That's the Harley-Davidson Extended Service Plan, available for new and used motorcycles. Extend your protection beyond the one year factory warranty on new motorcycles for up to 6 additional years. Protect your used Harley for 1 to 3 years. Our Extended Service Plan also gives you something that's more valuable than your bike…peace of mind.

FENDER TO FENDER PROTECTION
If it breaks we will fix it. After the first year of a multiple year Extended Service Plan you pay only a $50.00 deductible.

GENUINE HARLEY
Don't take a chance with your most valued possession. Protect it with the only factory-approved extended service plan - the Harley-Davidson Extended Service Plan.
IF A BREAKDOWN OCCURS
We'll take care of you even if you're stranded far from home. Reimbursements are provided for rental vehicles, pickup charges and even lodging and meals in the event of a breakdown resulting in a covered repair.

ACCESSORIES CAN BE COVERED, TOO
An optional touring package is available to cover your radios, tape deck, saddlebags, sidecar or other accessories.

FREE TRANSFERS
The extended service program goes with the bike. If you sell it, it costs you nothing to transfer the remaining coverage to the new owner. That helps assure the highest resale value.

EXTRA CONVENIENCE
Pay for the plan any way you like, but for extra convenience, include the plan on your Harley-Davidson Credit motorcycle HD VISA, or charge it on your Harley Card™.

HERE IS THE REAL FINE PRINT AS YOU'LL SEE FOR YOURSELF AS TO WHAT THE HARLEY EXTENDED WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER ?

HOW CAN THEY CALL IT FENDER TO FENDER WARRANTY MR. LEBLANC


*THE FINE PRINT THAT MAKES OUR LAWYERS HAPPY
You must have routine service and maintenance provided for your motorcycle and keep good records of the work perforned--the actual detailed work orders. We don't cover some of the things that wear out in normal use, including spark plugs and plug wires; brake drums, pads and lining; belts, hoses, lines, clamps, control cables and levers, batteries, fuses and fusible links; shock absorbers, tires, wheels and spokes; exhaust system rust-out and discoloration; mufflers or baffles; filters and filter housings; antenna mast, mirrors and windshield wipers; glass, lenses, sealed beams and light bulbs; trim, upholstery and paint; body parts, windshields, fairings and their mounts; audio speakers and wiring; cellular telephone; final drive chains or belts and rear sprocket; and on used motorcycles, seals and gaskets (unless they're required with the replacement of a covered part). We also don't cover scheduled maintenance; tune-ups; transmission service; replacement of fluids or lubricants; fuel system cleaning; removal of carbon, sludge, varnish or other contaminants; ignition/fuel system adjustments and calibrations, wheel balancing or spoke adjustments; corrections of air and water leaks; corrections of wind noise, squeaks and rattles; alignments of glass, bumpers and body parts, or replacement of non covered parts. And finally, this agreement doesn't apply if you use the motorcycle for livery, delivery or emergency purposes; competitive driving, racing or contests of speed; or overloading beyond weights specified in your owners manual. We also don't cover damage caused by collisions, accidents, storms, riots, rust or acts of God. We don't cover expenses for repairs done before we approve them, or repairs done under limited or manufacturers' warranties, recalls, campaigns or other guarantees. We don't cover parts that have been determined by the Environmental Protection Agency to be emissions related, or expenses to modify or alter parts that are obsolete or superseded. And, finally, we don't cover breakdowns caused by sludge buildup, contaminants, foreign objects, improper amounts or types of fluids, lubricants, seal or gasket failures in used motorcycles. Read the actual service contract for full details of the entire plan.

Anonymous said...

This is one of the best blogs you ever posted. Harley-Davidson is now trying to make some of their bikes in China.

Here's the web site url to prove what I state. Its a CBS News article published earlier this year.

Harley-Davidson Plans China Dealership

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/01/19/world/main1223010.shtml

Maybe Harley Owners won't have to put gasoline in them, instead throw some rice in them to make them operate [ lol ]

(AP) For Ray Ma, freedom on the open road means riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle behind two police cars through the Chinese countryside.

The 53-year-old Hong Kong dental surgeon and members of his 35-bike riding group had to pay $1,290 per bike in escort and paperwork fees last fall to make their trip to Guilin city a reality.

"We have to follow the rules in the place where they have the rules," Ma said. "And I regard that as free."

But Ma said he yearns for the day when he can escape the cramped city for the Chinese mainland without the hassle.

"We really hope that we can ride through the border like anywhere else, like in the States or Canada, or Europe," said Ma. "So that we can just plan a weekend trip, three days and two nights in China. That is really the best for a Hong Kong rider."

For years, iconic motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson Inc. has pushed hard to find ways to sell its motorcycles in China. Now, the Milwaukee-based company says it plans to announce before summer that it will open its first retail outlet in the country since at least World War II.

"Mao said that a thousand-mile journey begins with the first step," said Timothy Hoelter, Harley-Davidson's vice president of government affairs. "I guess we're taking some baby steps already."

The company says there are still major hurdles — some 170 Chinese cities limit or ban motorcycle use or ownership, largely because they are viewed as underpowered, cheap, polluting machines that clog traffic and endanger others.

"We are not encouraging motorcycle use," said Miss Huang, who only gave her surname, a spokeswoman for the police force's Shanghai Public Security Policy Consultation Office.

Motorcycles have been banned from almost all the main streets in Shanghai, Huang said, and the city stopped accepting motorcycle registrations in 2002.

After China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001, import restrictions, quotas and tariffs dropped substantially against foreign motorcycle manufacturers, but municipal traffic ordinances have remained, Hoelter said.

"The problem is although we can now sell our motorcycles in China, the Chinese can't use them, at least if you live in an urban area," he said.

Foreign manufacturing advocates say the policy, while somewhat justified by safety concerns, has created an unfair barrier to access.

Harley-Davidson estimates small Chinese manufacturers build some 17 million motorcycles a year — most for domestic consumption — but most are small and used in rural areas, so they evade many of the restrictions on Harley-style heavyweight bikes. Other bikes such as 1950s-era Chang Jiang 750, which are still used by the Chinese government, are considered three-wheelers because of a sidecar, Hoelter said.

In contrast, BMW, which entered the Chinese motorcycle market in April 2003, said it sold only 70 bikes on the mainland last year.

(AP) The main barriers the German company has faced are riding bans in big cities and motorways, high customs duties, poor insurance coverage and the huge gap between legally sold and illegally imported motorcycles, said Stefanie Lowenstein, spokeswoman for the BMW Group.

Liu Xintong, secretary-general of China Motorcycle Industry Association, said the result is that pent-up demand for large motorcycles is going unfulfilled.

"Motorcycle riding fans are still eager to get top machines like Harley-Davidsons," he said. "But the government policy seems not motorcycle-friendly at all."

Alan Tonelson, a research fellow at the U.S. Business and Industry Council, said all U.S. manufacturers still face a "very formidable array" of barriers to gaining access to the Chinese market. "U.S. government attempts to reduce, much less eliminate, these trade barriers, has been woefully ineffective," he said.

For now, Harley-Davidson is going to drive around them.

The company's managing director for China, Dave Foley, said the company has selected a dealer and that before summer, "more specific communication will be forthcoming."

He declined to say where it would be, but noted the Beijing area had the highest concentration of riders of imported heavyweight motorcycles in the country.

Motorcycles may not be operated within Beijing's Third Ring Road, a 30-mile highway that encircles the city, so Hoelter said a likely dealer location would be outside the city core.

But the company will have to sell its products, which can exceed $20,000 retail, in a country where most Chinese make around $1,000 a year.

"The potential is enormous but it's up to us to really develop that leisure-oriented market," Foley said. The company said it was too early to forecast sales, but estimated there were more than 1,000 heavyweight motorcycle riders in China, most of whom acquired their bikes through unofficial channels.

Analyst Timothy Conder of A.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc. said it may be slow-going but Harley-Davidson should eventually win out.

"What they're selling is Americana. I think they should do well," he said.

Chen Lexing, a 37-year-old real estate worker in Guangzhou, said he and his group of Harley riders leave the city before dawn on weekend outings in Guangdong Province. They can't obtain license plates in the city of Guangzhou because their bikes are some five times the allowed engine size of 250cc.

Chen said he worries that Guangzhou will ban motorcycles altogether next year, but is hopeful at news that Harley is making inroads.

"I hope Harley-Davidson moves into China, sells more motorcycles and works with the government so that more roads and places will open up to motorcycle riders," he said.

Hoelter said the road into China will be a long one.

"China is certainly today from the market-access perspective, our most daunting challenge," he said. "It's going to be a long-term effort, it will no doubt be a multifaceted effort and we're going to have to be patient."

IS IT AMERICAN MADE - OR MADE IN CHINA [ LOL ]

Anonymous said...

Charles here's another complaint from Complaint.com, just you'll know people aren't messing with you about this issue.

Here's the Url for the Below Story:

http://www.complaints.com/september2002/complaintoftheday.september25.8.htm


Complaints.com received the following consumer message on September 24, 2002:

From: Southzylas@aol.com

RE: Harley-Davidson - upset with quality of motorcycle parts purchased directly thru H-D - also upset with experience with TSI Harley-Davidson, CT

I own a 2001 Fatboy. I purchased some items through HD, despite the additional cost, thinking the parts would fit better coming from the bike manufacturer instead of from aftermarket sources. Man, was I wrong!

I receive the parts, and the lay down license mount had a Made in Taiwan sticker on it, the HD reflective decal was only half on, and crooked besides. When I removed it, obviously the adhesive was ruined.
I then went to put on the passing light kit.

One of the first steps they have printed in the instructions is to cut and remove existing lights. Well, I did, but didn't mark right or left. Ah-huh! I'll get to use my $55 Harley-Davidson Service Manual, I thought. So I turn to page B-31, and see right uses wire colors black, blue and brown. Left uses colors black, blue, and violet. So I turn to my bike, and both sides have black, blue and violet! After getting beyond that, I proceed to install the light bar.

They instruct you to reinstall the side trim pieces, so I do. Well, the bar is not going to fit if you do this (I find out afterward).

I get extremely upset over the whole situation, write to HD, and tell them they stink. So Chris Weiand (spelling?) calls me back to tell me how concerned he is. He states that he will have a dealer install the accessories, I cover half the labor, and he'll make sure they do it to my satisfaction. He has even located the part number for the reflective decal.

He has called dealers, and found out they use two pry bars to "open" the bracket up and "snap" it into place. I let him know that if I was aware of the necessity of dealer installation, I wouldn't have bought this stuff. "I understand, but we can't do it for free," was his response.

When I got the bike back is when I noticed they actually leave out the side aluminum trim pieces that the instructions tell you to reinstall, and that's how the dealer gets it to fit. They had done nothing about the decal either (shows the reliability of Mr. Weiand). Within the first 100 miles one of the halogen lamps goes out.

When I called TSI Harley-Davidson, the CT dealer that did the work, the service manager tells me, "Halogens have a short life, and start fires. That's why they don't use them in houses anymore." Can you believe he actually said this to me?

He said since it was within 90 days, he would have a serviceman look at it. Well, it was the bulb, and now they work. I think. I actually don't use them, scared of the "short life" and the "fire hazard". Now the bracket they installed is rusting on the joint where the light bar meets the mounting bracket.

I get upset with myself for spending all this money on an "American" product, just to be disappointed in every aspect of ownership. I will do my best to make sure Harley-Davidson doesn't get so much as one penny of my money ever again. I suggest you do the same.

Doug Southall

Anonymous said...

Hey Maurice :

Why don't you ask the Saint John Police Dept about those Helmets you're asking about ? They should know.

The City bought 2 new Harley Police Bike's this year for the dept.

Anonymous said...

Charles I know you care about the fellow Canadians we are losing in Afghanistan, otherwise you wouldn't be posting the article's about our Loss'es as you do.

If Harley-Davidson Stateside can dedicate a web site page to the American Veteran's, here's the url to verify

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/Veterans/salute_to_veterans.jsp?HDCWPSession=G58sFvXQ280JhYS1r0PlVkB4h7PfLZQnzF2PFrfKvphTwqKytXDR!1635933551!-2039558458&locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US


Maybe somebody can tell me as to why Hraley Davidon Canada isn't doing the same for out fellow Canadians ?

Again here are 2 url sites to verify. One is the Official Canadian Harley Web Site below

http://www.harley-davidson.com/wcm/Content/Pages/home.jsp?locale=en_CA

The second is Harley Canada Dealer web site, the people who own Harley Canada, nothing there about our Veterans, and November 11 th isn't too far away.

They must really care huh ?

http://www.trevdeeley.com/