To TOM HODLICK and Motions dealership

[Warchild]

To Mr Tom Hodlick:

On behalf of the forum, I apologize to you and your dealership for y'all having been dragged through the mud on this missing soft luggage issue.

Please understand the FJR community is tight, as tight as ANY bike community you will find. We have a passion for this machine (and intimate knowledge thereof) that few other bike communities can begin to match.

Mr. Hodlick, you have been made acutely aware of the power FJRForum.com holds in the form if information knowledge, and the weapon that delivers this information ordnance is called the internet. As the classic saying goes, 'with great power comes great responsibility', and I can only promise you that it is my intention to work harder to ensure that we as a forum use this power in a more positive manner in the future.

Make no mistake, if we still see or hear of a member being "wronged", we will still bring all knowledge weapons to bear. However, we will try to bring greater emphasis on ensuring the correct target is in our cross-hairs, and afford the opportunity to allow the situation to be rectified before launching.

Again, apologies to you and your staff, and kudos for manning up to take care of your customer.

 

[SockMonkey]

Well written. My sincere apologies to Messr. Hodlick et al as well.

 

[FJRay]

+1, Gunny and Fuzzy Balls.

Well said WC and a great way to apologize and let people know the power of this forum and that people with knowledge will not be fooled into taking false information.

 

[jwilly]

WooHooo!! I thought we ran out of drama for the year!! :yahoo: You guys never let me down!

JW

 

[bikerskier]

Dale, again, you demonstrate great, articulate leadership and I nominate you for President!

[SIZE=14pt]Warchild for President![/SIZE]

 

[twowheelnut]

Meh, this is why I made no comment in the original thread. There are very few dealers who are 'up' on things FJR simply because they may only sell one or two a year. I still feel that if a dealer sells something, he or she should know more - way more - about the machine than the customer at time of sale as well as service. The fact is, most dealers also have high employee turn-over so the guy who may have known about the FJR last year is now selling futons in Poughkeepsie. Ditto the service guys. Or maybe there are just too many products for them to keep up on - I don't know.

I think this is simply a condition of the industry and conclude that there are some dealers who excel at selling and servicing their products and others who absolutely suck. This proves only that the median dealer may sometimes err and sometimes hit a home run. In the end, it is a good dealer who resolves the situation in the correct manner.

Kudos to all involved in helping to resolve this deal.

 

[keithaba]

The fact is, most dealers also have high employee turn-over so the guy who may have known about the FJR last year is now selling futons in Poughkeepsie.

Hope I don't have to buy a futon in Pougkeepsie any time soon!

 

[madmike2]

Kudos to all involved in helping to resolve this deal.

And kudos to the dealer who stepped up.

[SIZE=8pt]Those who have dealt with "customer service" in Cypress can attest and confirm that the riding community doesn't always get factual information. What makes anyone think the dealers are treated any better? Ideally this would be so, but many of us work in industries where we aren't given the information we need and sometimes the information we do receive isn't always exact. [/SIZE]

I am going to side with the manager who responded. I think it is entirely possible this was an honest mistake that has been compounded by mis-information from Yamaha Cypress and multiplied by possible ineptitude and a lack of knowledge of within the dealership. That is certainly something for Yamaha to address at Cypress and for Mr. Hodlick to approach within his sphere of influence.

Maybe...now think about it...this is an honest mistake by honest people and an honest dealership trying to balance competition and profit, satisfy his customers and keep all of his employees working. For those of you who rant and rave but have never worked in retail, let alone actually owned a retail establishment, please walk and talk carefully. The reality of what they do and the information available to them is far different than your assumptions.

 

[RadioHowie]

I applaud Warchild for his going the extra mile and contacting the principal party in this issue.

After reading the entire original thread, I tend to agree with Dale's inclination that most likely an honest mistake was made by one party, and misinformation from corporate compounded the issue.

Collectively, this forum is more knowledgeable on our product than any single dealer in the country...and probably a lot more than most of the customer service reps at Cypress. I think the altitude sickness issue proved that.

IF what occured IS a matter of compounded errors, then what bothers me, though, is how do we get the toothpaste BACK in the tube? There was a whole lot of ugly posted in that thread and while I hope Dale's sticky here in the Forum Header does some good, I wonder how much (possibly unnecessary and unwarranted) damage has been done?

Let's hope cooler heads have prevailed in this issue.

 

[rogdeb]

Kudos to all involved in helping to resolve this deal.

And kudos to the dealer who stepped up.

[SIZE=8pt]Those who have dealt with "customer service" in Cypress can attest and confirm that the riding community doesn't always get factual information. What makes anyone think the dealers are treated any better? Ideally this would be so, but many of us work in industries where we aren't given the information we need and sometimes the information we do receive isn't always exact. [/SIZE]

I am going to side with the manager who responded. I think it is entirely possible this was an honest mistake that has been compounded by mis-information from Yamaha Cypress and multiplied by possible ineptitude and a lack of knowledge of within the dealership. That is certainly something for Yamaha to address at Cypress and for Mr. Hodlick to approach within his sphere of influence.

Maybe...now think about it...this is an honest mistake by honest people and an honest dealership trying to balance competition and profit, satisfy his customers and keep all of his employees working. For those of you who rant and rave but have never worked in retail, let alone actually owned a retail establishment, please walk and talk carefully. The reality of what they do and the information available to them is far different than your assumptions.

Having read all this I have to agree with Mike's words, and now, apologize for my early jump on the bandwagon.

 

[FJR Steve]

After my first response from Tom, I felt that a reciprocal reply was in order, so I sent him this:

Stephen Leonard <[email protected]> wrote:Tom,

Thankyou very much for your detailed repsonse.

I have taken the liberty of 'cut 'n pasting' your email and placing it on the forum. From the other side of the world (here in Australia), I sense your pride, and determination to make this right. Thankyou. It seems difficult for many to understand that your dealership is the only one to have not received the bag liners in the bike's luggage case at the time of delivery. Clearly, if that is the case, you have a serious problem with Yamaha USA. I do hope that there is a reaosnable and equitable resolution to this issue for all parties concerned, the forum, your dealership, your staff and Yamaha USA.

For the record, the liners are not and never have been included with the FJR since it's initial delivery to Australia (2001). How do you think we feel, when our brothers on the other side of the world, receive this item FOC from the dealer? Never mind, we had Howard and you have Bush....some things have to even out eh? (just kidding).

Again, many thanks for your efforts.

May you and yours have a Very Merry Christmas,

from me and mine.

Steve.

Bearing in mind that I didn't know that Dale etc were 'talking' with the dealer, I received this response to my email:

Steve,Thank you for the comments.

I just got off the phone with Mike (our bag liner customer) and Dale, the FJR forum director. We had a good conversation about the power that the forum holds and that with this power comes responsibility. It looks like we may be working together to help Yamaha and their customers bridge the gap in communications via the Internet.

I am still in awe as to the strong camaraderie the FJR forum members have. Like a band of brothers, you all stand together and fight for what you believe in. I deal with customers of all ages and backgrounds and have yet to see such a close-knit group of owners like the FJR riders. Dale and myself, along with corporate Yamaha will be working towards trying to turn the power of the Internet into an even more focused platform for learning more about the FJR and also spreading verified information to owners like yourself.

Thanks for taking the time to respond and I'm looking forward to working with the FJR riders in the future.

Regards,

Tom Hodlick

Nice guy....good work from everyone (including the dealer).

 

[water-dog]

Yup, Came with my 07 & never saw any $99 fine print. I'd force the sucka' to give em to ya or better yet post his info and we'll all start callin' him!

Hope I didn't start a riot

 

[MrTwisty]

I spoke to Tom Hodlick today and he was very apologetic about the misunderstanding. He seems like a nice guy and I do believe it was just a misunderstanding. I just wish he, and Yamaha, had responded more positively to my initial complaint. Thanks to you all, I’m sure he does too. He has ordered my bag liners and will call me next week when they get there.

We have all seen the power of this forum first hand. Knowledge, unity and communication can be an extremely valuable asset, but Warchild is right about the responsibility that comes with this power. We must respond to injustice, but we must refrain from hostility. Yes, I’m talking about myself here too.

I truly appreciate everyone standing up for me. A forum is just a bunch of people with a common interest, and it didn't take me long to realize that this forum is special. Now I know it is more than special, it is exceptional, and you all make it that way.

Thanks again,

Twisty

 

[MrTwisty]

Well, I FINALLY got my bag liners today. Thanks again everyone. Without 'The Forum' I would not have gotten them.

 

[wheatonFJR]

Good for you... :clapping:

 

[Cdogman]

Bla Bla Bla

Hey TWN Where is that sign on your avatar located???

 

[Bluestreek]

Bla Bla Bla

Hey TWN Where is that sign on your avatar located???

Sign is located just west of Red Bluff Ca. on HWY 36 (FJR Heaven)

 

[Cdogman]

I gotta go there, Thanks!!!