Here is the tortuous saga (greatly shortened) of getting my beloved 2005 FJR. Call it catharsis (bottom line is that Cycle Sports of Salem, Oregon are lieing rat bastards from the salemen up to the owners):
In January, 2004, I called all of the Yamaha dealers in Western Oregon and told them that I was buying a 2005 FJR, cash deal, from the lowest offered price. I told them that this wasn't a game, I was calling each dealer one time and was not going to play them off each other. I expected the "winning" dealer to place my order on the very first day of ordering (Feb. 15, 2004). The first couple of dealers told me straight MSRP. Then a dealer said he'd knock off a couple hundred bucks.
Finally, Cycle Sports of Salem, Oregon, quoted me an out the door price that was an unbelievable ($10,389). The next closest was $10,962 out the door from a Portland dealer. He asked where their offer stood and I told him about the lower price. The Portland dealer told me that there was no way that Cycle Sports (CS) could do that; they would be losing money. He told me I better get that price in writing from them. I told Cycle Sports that I wanted a written contract; they agreed.
I paid my $500 deposit a couple days later and got acontract. I called CS on the Feb. 14 and told them I wanted my order placed the next day at noon (the opening bell). I called again at 10AM and reminded them to call at 12:01 that day.
On Feb. 18 I received a call from CS telling me the order had been placed. I was a little put off that they had waited, but figured I'd still have my bike in July, 2004.
I was so excited that I called Yamaha on March 31 to ask where I was on the list.
As you can figure, I was not on the list at all, they HAD NOT PLACED THE ORDER!!
I was so angry I could hardly form words when I called CS. I told them to straighten this out by tomorrow. I called Yamaha the next day and was told that I was now on the list ...as of April 1. They had ordered after I chewed them out and considered it fixed.
I told CS I wanted my deposit back and they put me through the ringer before relenting under threat (and it was real) of a lawsuit for breach of contract. They told me lie after lie for several days and then began to trip on the stories that didn't mesh. I have since heard from other people that Cycle Sports is notorious for screwing customers. I filed complaints about CS to Yamaha.
I called my local dealer, Ramsey-Waite Yamaha in Eugene, Oregon. They had not wanted to particapate originally in giving me a quote by phone. I told the sales manager my saga and asked if they would honor the second best offer to save me from driving 100 miles to Portland and giving them my offer. He agreed, even though all of the other FJRs they had ordered were for more a minimum of $700+ more. He said I probably wouldn't get my bike until October or November, 2004.
They treated me very well. They called me in September and said they were going to give me the bike that they had ordered for their showroom (so that I would get on mine before winter) and use the one they ordered for me on the showroom. They didn't have to do that. Their customer service was outstanding and I wrote Yamaha to tell them how I appreciated this dealer.
So I ended up getting my 2005 for $10,962 out the door (non ABS) and now have 14,500 miles on it. It's nice when a story has a happy ending........
In January, 2004, I called all of the Yamaha dealers in Western Oregon and told them that I was buying a 2005 FJR, cash deal, from the lowest offered price. I told them that this wasn't a game, I was calling each dealer one time and was not going to play them off each other. I expected the "winning" dealer to place my order on the very first day of ordering (Feb. 15, 2004). The first couple of dealers told me straight MSRP. Then a dealer said he'd knock off a couple hundred bucks.
Finally, Cycle Sports of Salem, Oregon, quoted me an out the door price that was an unbelievable ($10,389). The next closest was $10,962 out the door from a Portland dealer. He asked where their offer stood and I told him about the lower price. The Portland dealer told me that there was no way that Cycle Sports (CS) could do that; they would be losing money. He told me I better get that price in writing from them. I told Cycle Sports that I wanted a written contract; they agreed.
I paid my $500 deposit a couple days later and got acontract. I called CS on the Feb. 14 and told them I wanted my order placed the next day at noon (the opening bell). I called again at 10AM and reminded them to call at 12:01 that day.
On Feb. 18 I received a call from CS telling me the order had been placed. I was a little put off that they had waited, but figured I'd still have my bike in July, 2004.
I was so excited that I called Yamaha on March 31 to ask where I was on the list.
As you can figure, I was not on the list at all, they HAD NOT PLACED THE ORDER!!
I was so angry I could hardly form words when I called CS. I told them to straighten this out by tomorrow. I called Yamaha the next day and was told that I was now on the list ...as of April 1. They had ordered after I chewed them out and considered it fixed.
I told CS I wanted my deposit back and they put me through the ringer before relenting under threat (and it was real) of a lawsuit for breach of contract. They told me lie after lie for several days and then began to trip on the stories that didn't mesh. I have since heard from other people that Cycle Sports is notorious for screwing customers. I filed complaints about CS to Yamaha.
I called my local dealer, Ramsey-Waite Yamaha in Eugene, Oregon. They had not wanted to particapate originally in giving me a quote by phone. I told the sales manager my saga and asked if they would honor the second best offer to save me from driving 100 miles to Portland and giving them my offer. He agreed, even though all of the other FJRs they had ordered were for more a minimum of $700+ more. He said I probably wouldn't get my bike until October or November, 2004.
They treated me very well. They called me in September and said they were going to give me the bike that they had ordered for their showroom (so that I would get on mine before winter) and use the one they ordered for me on the showroom. They didn't have to do that. Their customer service was outstanding and I wrote Yamaha to tell them how I appreciated this dealer.
So I ended up getting my 2005 for $10,962 out the door (non ABS) and now have 14,500 miles on it. It's nice when a story has a happy ending........
