I've encountered this type of attitude from transplanted Asians (Helen is Japanese) - they tend to get very defensive, even if no one is on the offensive.
A racial stereotype and alienating Yamaha? Greeeaaattt...that oughta help. I wonder if Helen or Yamaha staffer is reading the forum? I see three non-member IP addresses in this area right now....they do drop in regularly.
And here's some news for our friends south of the border, No one is doing anything for you..
I think some of you guys just ASSume altogether too much.
Here's some news for you....you're wrong. I do know something is being worked.
Don't ASSume.....except that sugar usually works better than vinegar.
You weren't there. I daresay that you can't know what happened. But to say that transplanted Asians get defensive is NOT racial profiling; It is a statement about the culture and general attitude of business people from that corner of the world - there's nothng wrong with being defensive, by the way - but it rankles.
I spent 25 years in the technologies, almost 10 of them running a customer support group and the rest seling to governments, public safety, transit and rail companies internationally for a very specialised tech firm selling mission critical communication systems, with great success - I believe I know how to deal with strangers from different cultures, many of them customers with serious operational issues. I have never had any problems anywhere in the world, but encountered lots of this kind of attitude with several Asian cultures in the way that they handle business relationships. Racial profiling? No. Cultural profiling based on the attitude they convey and the manner in which they convey it? Absolutely.
If sugar works better than vineager, then Yamaha should consider using some instead of calling me up and telling me how concerned they are about the problem and how much they are doing to resolve the matter, including bringing in Transport Canada when this has been going on for more than a year and I know that their feet are being held to the fire by TC - and this was part of her way of introducing herself to me. Having told me that she had my file, she also has my e-mails to my dealer (they were forwarded to the rep) which included clear references to the fact that copies were going to my contact at TC - so perhaps you can explain to me why she would lie to me.
And if it offends her to read about our exchange here, then perhaps she should take it as a life lesson. I have no reason to report falsely - I would have been VERY positive if she'd been at all supportive. But I got an earful of attitude and negativism about 'policy' and sucn - that the machine is condemned (I was told not to ride it by TC) they SHOULD have offered to collect the bike and return it repaired, by the way. THAT is what customer Service is about.
If she comes here and has an issue with what I've written, nothing stops her from joining and posting her views or of writing to me privately or phoning me to discuss 'the customer experience' with me.
As a community of riders who are at risk because of faulty design that the manufacturer has been aware of and has been for more than two years, we have every right to be unhappy about the lack of recognition - several among us have had to dig deep into our pockets to pay for repairs and many have been spending their own money to protect themselves from the danger; I recall reading about one bike that had been exported to Ireland that wound up being scrapped (an admittedly extreme reaction) because of issues which, in retrospect may very well have been due to a 'Spider Bite' - his spiders were reportedly badly corroded.
These days I run a security company with almost 2000 subscribers. The only clients we ever have issues with seem to be from the Pac Rim - and it isn't me dealing with them. In the past 20 years we've had legal issues with three customers. Two were from Hong Kong, the third was from Japan. Now, maybe 3 out of 2,000 makes the sample too small to use as 'proof', but given my twin careers, I'll take it.
I'm scheduled to have a chat this morning with TC - if, as you suggest there is action with the NHTSA I'll find out, since TC and the Americans trade information.
