[roncbr900]

This is long but happened over a 13 week period, sorry if it's long winded:

Western Honda in Arizona, I've been a loyal customer of theirs for over 8 years, everything from body work, parts, helmets, and other gear. Have posted on many sites recommending them; have gotten tons of friends and club members to use them. Always the best prices, fastest shipping, prompt service and great to deal with….until now.

July 4th of this year, I had my first crash on the track; mostly bodywork, but also some mechanical things (stator cover, levers, cables, etc.). Insurance covered in and I got a check by the 11th. On the 12th I called and, as normal, asked for Parts then with someone who did “Sport bikes”. (There main business is dirt/ATV, so a lot of the guys there don't know too much sport bike stuff). This dude Troy said, “I can help you” and we started. I gave him the full list of everything. He later faxed me the pricing list. It was a bit over my check so we haggled on some prices that I could get on e-bay and removed things I really didn't need and got down to the check price.

So I wait a week and the stuff starts to arrive. First off, I have a 1996 CBR 900RR. That year they only made two colors; RED and Black with the red and white jagged stripes which is the one I have. So I open the boxes and…..BRIGHT ASS RED BODYWORK! WRONG! Then I open the other stuff; I ordered the mirror stay (from the tank to the mirrors) but the sent the front main stay. I ordered a stator cover and gasket, not found in the boxes. Nuts and fasteners were missing or wrong. They sent a left side when I ordered a right side, etc. and to top it off, UPS broke the upper fairing into 4 parts. Everything had to go back, except the new helmet, the 2005 limited edition Nicky Hayden Wired; retails for $769, got it at cost for $499. Sweet, it's the new RX-7 model replacing the Quantum series, which I wear, which Troy said would fit the same. (Wrong, but that comes later).

So I immediately call and say it's all wrong. Troy is “freaking with guilt” so he acts. He immediately puts me on hold. He comes back saying that his manager said that with me spending so much money ($3400) and being such a loyal customer, that Troy needs to do what ever it takes to keep me happy. So Troy said he was requesting return tags be ordered immediately from UPS and that he would reorder all the stuff that day. He said it should take about 2-3 days from the order for UPS to come and get it all. Fine, I feel good and pack up everything and stack it at my front door. 2 days go by, 4 days go by, 6 days go by, still no UPS. I call back and “everyone that can help me including Troy have gone on vacation or are out”. Hmmm.

So I call on day 10, and talk to the shipper and find out he was never told to order return tags. (Mind you they have a 30% restock fee after 15 days even if it's their fault and if you don't tell them right away. I didn't know that until later, see helmet return story at the end). So I get Troy on the phone and give him **** and by the end of the week, UPS finally comes and gets it all. In the mean time, I'm asking where is the new stuff. I start calling just about every day, yeah, to some I might have become a pain in the ass but we're talking about $3000 worth of stuff plus another $550 out of pocket extras. Troy keeps telling me it's ordered, it's on the way, some stuff is in and we're waiting for the others to save on shipping, blah, blah, blah.

So, now it's been three weeks and still nothing. I'm starting to get pissed. I keep getting, “don't worry, we're going to take care of you bro, I'm going to throw in some extra stuff like spray polish, a free dark smoked screen for the helmet, etc.”

Now week 4. Still no stuff and I'm on this guy now. I've had to cancel one track day ($200) and now it's looking like another one will be canceled and you can't get that money back. He's now telling me that they've got just about everything in and they are waiting on a few small things. I tell him he's got 4 days then I want what they have over nighted to me on that sat. Mind you my bike is on stands and jacks with only a frame, engine and swing arm. I'm waiting on the triple clamps also. The whole time this has been going on, I call, he says he'll check in on it and call back in 30 min. Every time I have to call him back after 3 hours of waiting and no calls. So, the day comes and I find out that he's gone home with no call or tracking numbers. We're about to go on week 5. I talk to Zach. Zach is a good guy that came clean and said that Troy hasn't ordered anything because it's their policy to only reorder when returns have come into the store. I F'ING FREAK!!! I was never told that. He says that he's not surprised and this isn't the first time Troy has F'ed over a customer. I go nuts.

I call on Monday, Week 6 and talk to the Owner and lay into him. He seems like he wants to help, but doesn't seem to care, that kind of tone. He passes me off to the Parts Manager and this guy listens to me go off about his lying employee and says we'll nect time talk to Zach, Troy is a dirt bike rider and doesn't know much about sport bikes. WHAT!! I requested a sport bike guy help me week 1! He has no answer but that he'll help me and reorder. We get the order done but never do I get an apology from either Owner or manager.

So, week 7 I get my stuff…..HALF WRONG, HALF MISSING, HALF DAMAGED! UPS damaged the tank at the tabs where you bolt it to the frame, they are bent 90 degrees and chipped to the bare metal. I'm sent a dirt bike seat?!?!?!?! an upper stay for a 92-94 CBR, and missing half the other stuff. Come to find out there where things on back order they didn't tell me, but according the day before, “everything has gone out”. I call and flip out. Once again, I must wait for UPS to pick it up before they reorder. I call the owner and wig. My friends are now telling me to send it all back and get my money. I give them one more chance.

Week 8. The rest comes except one piece on back order. Fine. I put the bike back together and ride for the first time Monday, week 9.

That brings us to the $500 helmet. I realize it doesn't fit once on the bike. (A brief note: I'm about 285 lbs, 5-11 and have been going the gym for 16 years. They call me shampoo because I'm all head and shoulders i.e. no neck) so when I put a helmet on while standing, no problem it fits, but when I'm on a bike leaned forward and over the tank and then have to look up, the back of the helmet pushes right into my traps and delts. I then realize the RX-7 DOESN'T NOT FIT LIKE THE QUANTUM TROY!! and it is pushing on the top back and top front of my head and it hurts. I wear it once to work and back home and then try to find a way to make it fit. I call Arai and ask if I can switch out pads, etc. They say it's no good because the inner shell is a bit different that the Quantum. So I call Western Honda on week 11 to return it. They, Jack the parts manager, says to just box it up and send it back, so I did.

About a week later (Week 12-13) I see the credit on my card for $350!?!?!?! So I call and talk to Jack the parts manager and get the, “well there's a 30% restock fee.” I say I was never told that. He said it states it at the bottom of my invoice. I say the original invoice was sent back 13 weeks ago (as requested) with the first set of damaged and wrong orders. He says that that's my fault for not making a copy or reading it. I then say, well how about cutting me a break or can we compromise. He tells me he's given me break after break after break with regards to taking care of me and giving me the prices most wouldn't get on things. I say well thanks but that's your decision not mine plus after all that with Troy and lying and wrong parts, why not make me happy. He says that stuff is a separate issue from the helmet. Then he starts getting mad because now he's stuck with it (even though they should be able to sell it by the end of the month and get more for it than I paid, plus my additional $150 they kept. He then says that he had told Troy never to order it for me in first place, that they don't like doing helmets mail order. Well guess what, their adds and “on hold phone” ad says that that's one of the things they specialize in, helmet sales in store and mail order. So more or less, I could have kept it and sold it on eBay for more but saved any one of you like $150-$200 on it.

So now, I'm pissed, he's pissed and more or less it's conveyed to me that they don't want any more of my business. I was just about to basically tell this guy and his store to go F them selves but decided to just hang up.

So, in a nutshell, they don't care. The management never took responsibility for their employee and didn't work hard enough to take care of me and even over charged my buddy at the same time. He was given a price over the phone and the credit card statement had an additional $25 on it.

Stay away from these guys.

[ND4SPD]

Holy crap man, what a fiasco! So is everything straight with your bike now?

[evl_twn]

I don't trust anyone to look up parts - period. It's way too easy to get color codes wrong, or not get the right part at all. There are plenty of places that have online fische, just look it up yourself. I know it won't help with your parts now, after the fact, but next time be prepared. I haven't found a parts guy yet who knows more about the parts I need than myself. Check out the following places, I've had excellent luck with ronayers.com and Service Honda:

www.ronayers.com

www.servicehonda.com

www.powersportspro.com

[phobiaphobe]

Holy **** that's long. I promise I'll read it later.

[roncbr900]

I got everything now but it's just such a pain.

As for looking up the codes, that's just it, the fische only has codes but doesn't say which color is which code.

Plus, there were only two colors that year: RED and BLACK. How hard is that?

[evl_twn]

Check under your seat, there should be a color label somewhere. Your owners manual will also show where it's located. The fische even has a page that tells you what color code = what parts.

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_03...cbr900rr96.cfm

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_0320/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued.cfm?man=ho&groupid=5360&pare nt=5320

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_0320/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued_2/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued_2.cfm?man=ho&groupid=5360&pa rent=5320

Yours should have a color code of either P-158P "Pure Red" or NH-1 "Black". Make sure to CHECK YOUR BIKE for codes, because that only the primary color. If the bike is red/black, it could be either one if the black NH-1 code has red accents. They also list a purple color code for that year.

[roncbr900]

Originally Posted by evl_twn

Check under your seat, there should be a color label somewhere. Your owners manual will also show where it's located. The fische even has a page that tells you what color code = what parts.

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_03...cbr900rr96.cfm

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_0320/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued.cfm?man=ho&groupid=5360&pare nt=5320

http://www.ronayers.com/fiche/200_0320/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued_2/color_table_-_cbr900rr96_continued_2.cfm?man=ho&groupid=5360&pa rent=5320

Yours should have a color code of either P-158P "Pure Red" or NH-1 "Black". Make sure to CHECK YOUR BIKE for codes, because that only the primary color. If the bike is red/black, it could be either one if the black NH-1 code has red accents. They also list a purple color code for that year.

Negative, I have a salvaged sub frame so the code is for the Red bike. Mine in NH-1A and the RED bike is NH-1.

Also, the Purple bike was in 1997 not 1996.

There are three codes for 1997.

Either way, I sent them a photo of my bike via e-mail to make sure they knew what it looked like.

[evl_twn]

They might have their fische pages crossed up then? Who knows. You can also sometimes determine what code you need to order by looking at the "stripe" sections of the fische.

Just trying to help......

[roncbr900]

Originally Posted by evl_twn

They might have their fische pages crossed up then? Who knows. You can also sometimes determine what code you need to order by looking at the "stripe" sections of the fische.

Just trying to help......

Thanks, but they don't didn't have any diagrams for the stiping on the bikes. The images are just outlines of the parts.

thanks though.

I still hate those fing bastards.

[K9inAZ]

Sorry to hear about your problem. I bought my ST1300 from them and got a really good deal. Their parts department is a little lacking.

I personally by all my OEM parts from Ron Ayers or Honda Direct.

[roncbr900]

Originally Posted by K9inAZ

Sorry to hear about your problem. I bought my ST1300 from them and got a really good deal. Their parts department is a little lacking.

I personally by all my OEM parts from Ron Ayers or Honda Direct.

Like I said, 8 years dealing with them an no problems until now.

[desertfox]

I have had problems with Western Honda also. Some orders were fine and others were really screwed up. I finally had it with them and have used Service Honda ever since with no problems. Western Honda seemed to be inconsistent and they had a high employee turn over while I did business with them.

[Scout]

Hey bud, I truly feel your pain. I don't often complain, but I really got screwed over by an independent shop out of Orange County after my crash. 8 weeks and $5000 later, I received $2000 worth of parts and maybe $600 of shitty labor.

I chalk it up to experience.

Thank god for the opening of a "local" independant shop who really takes care of the riders around here (Lusaaks in Bakersfield). I will not bring my CBR to the local Honda dealer after a fiasco with general maintenance on my Suzuki Bandit (stealership carries both brands).

A lot of us go through this until we find someone trustworthy, or just decide to do it ourselves. In my case, and maybe yours, the insurance would not cut me a check. I could have done everything myself, but ins. stated it had to be made out to both myself AND the shop. Insurance sited they have to keep the lien holders interest in MY vehicle in mind. I've since changed insurance carriers.

[seamus]

At 285lbs, don't you think you'd get better service if you were standing in front of the salesman? I don't trust my local Honda stealer to get anything right here either. I had my 12k mi service done and after a couple of days of riding, I noticed they left 2 fairing bolts out and those little plastic fairing couplers on the bottom of the bike that connect the left and right fairings. Over the phone, it was my fault for not checking out my bike better when I picked it up. Looming over the salesman however, they graciously provided me with the pieces they lost.

I do everything in person there now. It's much easier on my adrenal glands.

[Bacchus]

Originally Posted by seamus

I do everything in person there now. It's much easier on my adrenal glands.

I don't have that option, at 5' 6" and 140 lbs. But more power to you big guys!! And phuck all of those shops that would rip us off!! Just amazing how many places haven't heard of "customer service"...

[pesky]

Mannnnn,,,one hell of a story,fully enjoyed it,cant believe that sort of customer service,or should i say lack of service exists.Hope all is sorted for ya dude.

[libretto]

I had the same problem with western honda like 2 months ago i will never again give them my business I bought my 2001 CBR 929 from them about a month ago now. About 2 weeks after I got it home I started having clutch problems with the bike the clutch was slipping under a heavy load, now this is something I could have fixed myself and been riding a day later. Instead I took the bike to Honda seeing how I just bought it from them. I drop the bike off on a Wednesday to them and the service manger says “I will have it looked at either Thursday or Friday at the latest and let you know what’s going on”. Friday rolled around and I have not herd from him so I called the response I get is that it’s getting looked at as we speak and I will know more with in the hour. I wait and I wait some more for him call but he doesn’t call. Monday comes around and I have had enough. I called Honda and was like I need to know what’s going on with my bike and then tech is like “oh we just looked at that today the clutch cable was routed wrong and blued all the clutch plates”. Now we are at least getting something done. I was in a better mood for about 30 seconds until he tells me that the service manger is out till tomorrow and he will call me with a price. Yet again I wait for the manger to call me back nothing on Tuesday. Wednesday I get a call from him at 330 in the afternoon. He then tells me that it’s going to be 500 to fix my bike now I have had this bike for less than 2 weeks and the problem is because a cable was put in the wrong place, now this is where I lost it on him. After fighting with him for a little while and going to the manger of the dealership I got the price down to 100 which still more than it should be. The service manger says that he now needs to order the parts and they should be in on Monday. Now tells me that I many have my bike back Monday or Tuesday.

I wonder how these people are in business. It blows my mind that the service MANGER was so unreliable and unwilling to help. Where do they find these people! What really gets me is the fact that had my bike a week and had yet to spin a wrench on it to fix the problem.

[rowlex]

You know it really does make a big statement when you protest a business. RIGHT infront of their shop. I've done it before and I've seen many other people do it around here.

My X had taken her car to maaco to have it fixed after her father ran the drivers side up against a cement block($1800 in damage, she paid an extra $900 to have the whole car repainted). They did a terrible job (repainted the entire car also). Im talking way worse then you would expect from maaco, 3-4 visible runs, on all body panels their were a lot of those "fish eye" things I counted them all, no less then 20per panel.

She was pissed, so was I. We spent 2 full business days out infront of maaco with her car and some lawn chairs, and two HUGE signs advertizing maaco's quality in this situation. At the end of the second day the owner came up to us and offered to repaint the entire car. They fired the assclown that origionally sprayed it and did a damn near incredible job the second time.

[Scratch]

Damn dude that blows. Seems to be a common theme with dealerships though, unfortunately. It really does get discouraging and just like alot of others I wonder how people stay in business doing such shitty business. It was getting almost laughable around here before we found the right people. You'd go to one shop for parts, another for service, and find a 3rd for bike sales, yes that's how bad it is.

From here on out if I EVER need parts I call Kevin at MRCYCLES.com first and foremost for anything OEM related. I hear that RonAyers is great as well as service honda mentioned earlier. The guys that work at these places know bikes and actually give a ****, a rare combination if you ask me. You get taken care of the first time, usually, not everyone's perfect and even the online places **** up every once in a while but you get a better shake.

Local places I've found out (the hard way like you) that they don't give a rat's ass once they get paid. As soon as you hand over the money that's essentially where customer service ends.

I'd like to believe that I was partially responsible for bringing Arai back to selling on the web I called them and asked why they wouldn't sell on the web and they stated it was because you don't get that same kind of "personalized service". I laughed and asked the nice lady on the phone if she would like to tour the dealerships in my area sometime to see the asshats that work there that don't know the difference between an hjc, shoei or Arai as well as just about anything else. I think she subtly agreed.

Anyway hope **** gets better, in the end the lesson could have been worse/more costly. Take it as a lesson learned and spend your money with someone who deserves it.

Catchy title by the way They're all whores.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say a huge "suck my balls" to:

Power Motorsports in Palatine (you suck MARK, you lying, thieving ass)

Schaumburg Honda/Suzuki (up yours Frank, man you are so full of ****, dick)

Des Plaines Yamaha/Suzuki (Chris, you are in the wrong line of work my man)

And the finger goes to:

Liberty Cycle Center
Dupage Honda/Yamaha
DGY (Downers Grove Yamaha)

I'm sure I'm missing a few but they're in my heart.

[evl_twn]

Are there any good dealers around the city? Downstate sucks pretty much too, do all my own wrenching and order parts online.

[phobiaphobe]

Service departments can be ****ers. Mine are, for sure. They get so used to having a backlog of business that they start to take the attitude that it is some sort of priviledge to have your car worked on in their shop. Sad part is, they are in such demand that they can afford to be cunts to good customers and still keep all their hoists working.

Now would be a good time to open your own service shop.

[PS94]

My 96 has purple, red, white, painted, and some black on the decals....