Wrong Parts Supplied - one time too many

  • Wideglider
    Wideglider
    4 years ago
    My time to vent, my tolerance has come to an end now.
    Certain dealer's sales dept has now supplied me wrong parts on four occasions, I was willing to give a bit of leeway initially but not anymore.
     I am always very specific in mentioning the exact mode/year of my bike before requesting any part, but despite this, over last two years have been handed: wrong battery, wrong spark plugs, wrong wheel bearings & wrong oil filter. It is not always the same sales guy serving and so I see it as a basic 'not listening' issue that is unfortunately widespread, because to listen properly just takes that little bit more effort that the lazy won't do. Sales training needs to shift its focus. I will say they are always apologetic but no point apologising if you are not interested in changing your ways.
    Taking my business elsewhere now.
  • speedzter
    speedzter
    4 years ago
    Maybe just put some time into researching the correct part numbers, that way you can't go wrong.
    Never had a wrong part supplied by doing this.
    They likely pay the parts guys crap money, pay peanuts, get monkeys !
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    4 years ago
    I do the same speedzter, usually ring them and get it put away for collection.
    Wideglider use this link to find your stock parts and numbers.
    http://partsfinder.onlinemicrofiche.com/stcharlesharleydavidson/showmodel.asp?make=hdmc
    The shiny stuff is in the Parts and Accessories Catalogue.
  • Wideglider
    Wideglider
    4 years ago
    Thanks, but I do have comprehensive parts books and I refer to them when getting parts together for a more involved overhaul. 
    The parts I mentioned are quite common purchases & were normally items I just dropped in for whilst passing the dealership, you'd think a salesperson good be trusted with these. 
    I think the point is being missed here, I know nobody can get it right 100% of the time, but a parts guy's job is to provide the correct parts! The onus should not be on the customer, I'm talking about salespeople not listening, a type of laziness - it is enough just to quote bike model/year, their computer will then provide them with the answer. Accepting this poor service is enabling dumbing down of society. 
  • steelo
    steelo
    4 years ago
    I share your frustration. my tolerance has also come to an end now.
    A certain wife has now supplied me wrong items on more than four hundred occasions, I was willing to give a bit of leeway initially but not anymore.
    I am always very specific in mentioning the exact particulars of what I want before requesting anything, but despite this, over last thirty two years have been handed: wrong meal, wrong clothing, wrong drink & wrong tool. It is always the same woman and so I see it as a basic 'not listening' issue that is unfortunately widespread (according to my friends), because to listen properly just takes that little bit more effort that the lazy wives won't do. Pre marriage training needs to shift its focus. I will say they are always apologetic but no point apologising if you are not interested in changing your ways.
    Looking to taking my loving elsewhere now. Still looking.
  • Ranga
    Ranga
    4 years ago
    I spent a fair part of my life working in Spare Parts. Automotive and electronic.
    One Melbourne HD Franchise in particular seems to hire one idiot after another in their Spare Parts Department.
    On another occasion I had to buy an exhaust gasket for my Moto Guzzi.
    The idiot behind the counter did not even know they sold Moto Guzzis in the show room.
    The HD Dealership and the Moto Guzzi dealership are part of the same group.
    I'm over all of them I really am.
  • softfat
    softfat
    4 years ago
    Wrong parts can also be attributed to whoever enters the info into the computer at head office level, not saying this is the problem here. My missus works for a very large automotive parts company, and sometimes the actual part for the given number doesn't line up, meaning the entry was incorrect. Alot of parts retailer now have access to the rego system whereby you come in for a part and instead of "make, model, year, 4, 6, 8 cylinders, etc etc" they now ask for your rego number and bam, all the info about the car is there in their faces. No specific details of owners etc though. She said it has made it so much easier to find correct parts for the customer. 
    Soft...
  • gidgi
    gidgi
    4 years ago
    Quoting steelo on 08 Jun 2019 09:20 AM

    I share your frustration. my tolerance has also come to an end now.
    A certain wife has now supplied me wrong items on more than four hundred occasions, I was willing to give a bit of leeway initially but not anymore.
    I am always very specific in mentioning the exact particulars of what I want before requesting anything, but despite this, over last thirty two years have been handed: wrong meal, wrong clothing, wrong drink & wrong tool. It is always the same woman and so I see it as a basic 'not listening' issue that is unfortunately widespread (according to my friends), because to listen properly just takes that little bit more effort that the lazy wives won't do. Pre marriage training needs to shift its focus. I will say they are always apologetic but no point apologising if you are not interested in changing your ways.
    Looking to taking my loving elsewhere now. Still looking.

    HaHa you Lunatic
  • gidgi
    gidgi
    4 years ago
    Wideglider  I too have noticed a obvious lack of enthusiasm when I have made purchases & very little help in walking out with everything you need to complete a job, although I have not got wrong parts no mention of other things that I may need for my project ,guess it comes down to wages. as Speedzter says.. pay peanuts. Let you legs (or in this case your typing fingers) do the work, anything can be got online
  • Ratbob
    Ratbob
    4 years ago
    Problem isn’t just with the dealer. Gotta blame HD too i.e. when they supply something with the correct part number and it still doesn’t fit. Then you have to work to get a refund. 
  • Ranga
    Ranga
    4 years ago
    Quoting Ratbob on 08 Jun 2019 11:36 PM

    Problem isn’t just with the dealer. Gotta blame HD too i.e. when they supply something with the correct part number and it still doesn’t fit. Then you have to work to get a refund. 

    Yes that can happen, The numpty at the factory puts the wrong part in the wrong bag, and all the numbers line up but it doesn't fit.
    I saw a lot of that over the years. 
    In the late 70s a dealership I was working at had an issue with rebuilt V8 performance engines grenading. It turned out that the bearing shell and the number for the bearing shell had nothing to do with each other.  Shells of 5,10,15 and 20 thou over, each had a separate number. It was a lottery as to weather or not the shell and the number matched.
    The issue was eventually solved by an old school mechanic who measured EVERYTHING, before it went into the rebuild he was doing. He copped some shit for that too.
    A day later he was down in Spare Parts measuring EVERYTHING again. This time he found the problem.
  • Ratbob
    Ratbob
    4 years ago
    Quoting Ratbob on 08 Jun 2019 11:36 PM

    Problem isn’t just with the dealer. Gotta blame HD too i.e. when they supply something with the correct part number and it still doesn’t fit. Then you have to work to get a refund. 

    Quoting Ranga on 09 Jun 2019 10:52 AM

    Yes that can happen, The numpty at the factory puts the wrong part in the wrong bag, and all the numbers line up but it doesn't fit.

    I saw a lot of that over the years. 
    In the late 70s a dealership I was working at had an issue with rebuilt V8 performance engines grenading. It turned out that the bearing shell and the number for the bearing shell had nothing to do with each other.  Shells of 5,10,15 and 20 thou over, each had a separate number. It was a lottery as to weather or not the shell and the number matched.
    The issue was eventually solved by an old school mechanic who measured EVERYTHING, before it went into the rebuild he was doing. He copped some shit for that too.
    A day later he was down in Spare Parts measuring EVERYTHING again. This time he found the problem.

    Jeeze Ranga, a real mechanic, not many around these days. I recall from my old tech school days, even something as low tech as carpentry, it was measure twice, cut once.
  • Ranga
    Ranga
    4 years ago
    Quoting Ratbob on 08 Jun 2019 11:36 PM

    Problem isn’t just with the dealer. Gotta blame HD too i.e. when they supply something with the correct part number and it still doesn’t fit. Then you have to work to get a refund. 

    Quoting Ranga on 09 Jun 2019 10:52 AM

    Yes that can happen, The numpty at the factory puts the wrong part in the wrong bag, and all the numbers line up but it doesn't fit.

    I saw a lot of that over the years. 
    In the late 70s a dealership I was working at had an issue with rebuilt V8 performance engines grenading. It turned out that the bearing shell and the number for the bearing shell had nothing to do with each other.  Shells of 5,10,15 and 20 thou over, each had a separate number. It was a lottery as to weather or not the shell and the number matched.
    The issue was eventually solved by an old school mechanic who measured EVERYTHING, before it went into the rebuild he was doing. He copped some shit for that too.
    A day later he was down in Spare Parts measuring EVERYTHING again. This time he found the problem.

    Quoting Ratbob on 09 Jun 2019 11:09 AM

    Jeeze Ranga, a real mechanic, not many around these days. I recall from my old tech school days, even something as low tech as carpentry, it was measure twice, cut once.

    Well it was the late 70s . Poor bugger has probably gone to his eternal reward by now. He was well into middle age then.
  • MuscleBob
    MuscleBob
    4 years ago
    Here's a heads up for you mate. When I used to own metrics I used to order my parts from Melbourne. It was quicker to order from there, than to order from the slackkers three suburbs away in Brisbane. 
  • Wideglider
    Wideglider
    4 years ago
    Quoting MuscleBob on 10 Jun 2019 06:40 AM

    Here's a heads up for you mate. When I used to own metrics I used to order my parts from Melbourne. It was quicker to order from there, than to order from the slackkers three suburbs away in Brisbane. 

    Oh, certainly quick alright. Parts supplied very quickly, straight off the shelf - issue was they were not the parts I wanted.
    This is from these sales guys wearing the shirts with the HD logo, I get a much more professional attitude from most of the after-market company guys.
  • tussuck
    tussuck
    4 years ago
    Quoting MuscleBob on 10 Jun 2019 06:40 AM

    Here's a heads up for you mate. When I used to own metrics I used to order my parts from Melbourne. It was quicker to order from there, than to order from the slackkers three suburbs away in Brisbane. 

    Quoting Wideglider on 11 Jun 2019 12:31 PM

    Oh, certainly quick alright. Parts supplied very quickly, straight off the shelf - issue was they were not the parts I wanted.

    This is from these sales guys wearing the shirts with the HD logo, I get a much more professional attitude from most of the after-market company guys.

    I would shop around....A parts guy with a  factory HD tee shirt and tats does not mean the chap has a friggin clue about Harleys (that's why I have resorted to quoting part numbers to them).  Some indy shops have bloody awesome parts services as the owners etc are older and even know that a Shovel is a model of a Harley.  Give the guys at "All American Motorcycles" in Ringwood a call and see how you go.