<OT-rant> I hate greedy bike companies (long, very long)

Howdy folks,
Been a while since I've posted here as things have been crazy around
my neck of the woods for the last few months. Had something happen
last week that pissed me off so much that I just had to share. <g>

For those that don't know me I work for a dealership that sells
several different lines of assembly line "custom" choppers. They are
either powered by S&S or RevTech copies of the Harley Evo engine. I am
the only street bike guy at this shop as the other two mechanics only
work on ATV's and personal watercrafts. Last week one of the companies
we deal with pissed me of so bad that I am still hot under the collar
about them and just have to vent.

Two weeks ago this lady brought in her husband's chopper that wasn't
running right due to electrical issues. Her husband was due back from
Iraq in a week and would only be home for 2 weeks before he had to go
back. She was hoping to get the bike back by the weekend so it would
be ready for her husband when he got home so he could get some riding
in during his short time at home.

The maker of the bike sent them a new brain box (basically a high tech
power distribution unit with short circuit protection) as they thought
the bike's problem was due to a problem with the current module. Don't
know if the company made them pay for it or if they gave it to them
for free but I do know the bike is an older model and was not under
warranty. Anyhow, when the bike was brought in I wasn't able to get to
it for several days due to family issues (my wife was undergoing
medical treatment for cancer and had to spend a week isolated away
from the rest of the family due to being radioactive). This caused me
to have to take care of all the stuff pertaining to our kids during
her treatment which put me way behind the power curve at work. So it
wasn't till Friday the 12th that I was able to start work on it. I
made the mistake of thinking it would be a quick turnaround as all I
thought I had to do was swap the old unit out for the new one. Turned
out what was sent was their new style module and the module that was
currently on the bike was a much older design from another company.
The old unit had about 12 connections while the new module had about
19. While I had a schematic that came with the new module in regards
to how it needed to be hooked up I had no info on how the bike was
currently wired. My boss called them up on Friday morning asking for a
wiring diagram of the bike which I did not get till Saturday
afternoon. To add insult to injury what I did get was not for the
model bike I was working on and wasn't even close so it didn't do me a
lick of good.

Due to lack of documentation I spent the better part of that Friday
back tracking wires and figuring out how the controls were wired as
they weren't set up like standard Harley controls. All the switches on
the bars were momentary push button switches. Once I got that figured
out I was able to hook up the new module. Just when I thought I was on
the home stretch I turned on the ignition switch and blew a fuse. I
double checked my wiring and popped in a new fuse and it blew too. By
this time I was getting pissed and since it was almost quitting time I
went home and would start over again in the morning. What I wasn't
looking forward to was that the next day was Saturday and it was to be
my day off. While I don't mind having to work on my days off every now
and then this one was different. My wife was just cleared from her
isolation by her Doctor (her level of radioactivity was low enough for
her to be around other people) and she was looking forward to her
first day of freedom with the whole family. She was not going to be
happy when I told her that I had to work that day. The plus side is
she feels as I do when it comes to helping out military people so I
knew she would understand that I was trying to get a bike going for a
veteran that had little time to spend before returning to the battle.
She was angry but it was aimed at the bike maker and not the military
guy.

Before I went back to work Saturday morning I did a search on Google
for info in regards to the new module. The module didn't have any
markings on it but I noticed a name on the corner of the drawings for
the schematics. My Google query paid off as I found their web site and
it had a link to download a copy of their wiring diagram. Turned out
what was on their web site was a newer revision then the one that came
with the module as they had some wires backwards in the version I
first received. No wonder I was blowing fuses. With this new info I
went in to work and corrected the wiring errors. This cured the fuse
blowing problem but some stuff still was not working. Spent the rest
of the afternoon double and triple checking my work and after creating
a test harness I found some faults with the module itself. Now I was
really fed up. So much for getting the bike done today. Now we had to
wait till Monday for the company that made the module to open up so we
could get a new one.

On Monday morning my boss called the number I gave him for the module
manufacturer and made an interesting discovery. Turned out the maker
of the module was also the maker of the bike. It was an in house
operation as they had designed their own module for themselves and
were also marketing it to the general public. The pisser was their
"warranty" person was out for the day so we had to wait another day
for him to come in before they would send us another one. When my boss
reached him Tuesday morning he told us to contact their engineer that
designed the circuit so we could get his confirmation that it was bad.
Since I had done all the tests on the first unit my boss gave me his
number so I could call him and do the talking. When I called I got his
voice mail so I left a message and gave him my personal cell phone
number so I would be sure to get his call as quickly as possible.
Wasn't till later in the afternoon that I finally got in touch with
the guy only to have him agree that it was bad and he would send an
email to the powers that be saying we needed a new one and that we
should call them back in about 20 minutes or so to arrange shipment.
Now the ball was back in my bosses court as he handles the parts
issues. He called them back latter and told them we needed the part as
quickly as possible as the guy's wife was getting hot under the collar
at us and was yelling at us to get the bike done ASAP.

The part didn't show up on Wednesday so we figured the part was sent
via 2 day UPS and with any luck we would get it Thursday. Well,
Thursday afternoon I get a strange call on my cell phone. It was the
bike/module maker wanting to know our address so they could send the
replacement module. WTF?! First off we are a dealer for this company
and they have had our address for a while now. Plus it took them two
days to call us back to request our address. This pissed me off even
more. I explained to this person that the guy was military and had to
leave again in a week and a half so we needed that part quickly and
that this whole fiasco with the bad module and their slow shipping
wasn't helping very much so I requested it be sent via overnight
shipping. What I found out later in the afternoon really pushed me
over the edge and is the main reason I am boring all you guys and gals
with my long sob story. They called us back and told us if we wanted
it send overnight we had to pay for it, otherwise it would be sent via
UPS ground from the west coast to where we are on the east coast. I
lost it when I got that bit of news. They will not pay the extra few
bucks it would take to expedite the shipment of the replacement
module. They screwed this whole thing up and won't do a thing to help
this military guy get his bike back ASAP. Made me feel like my work on
Saturday was all for nothing, not to mention the fact that I wasn't
getting paid for the work I've already spent on this bike to begin
with. I am not paid by the clock hour from the dealership I work for.
I only get paid by the job. The amount of hours the customer is billed
is what I get paid for. So not only is this company killing me pay
check wise due to the amount of hours I have spent figuring out their
mistakes they want us to pay for faster shipment. I just wished I
could give the name of this a-hole company so they could get the
credit they deserve. Right now we are still a dealer for them but that
may be changing this summer with any luck. We have picked up contracts
with a couple of other companies and I think the boss will be dropping
them for other crap like this they have pulled.

My boss went ahead and paid for the overnight shipment and I was able
to get the part in Friday afternoon. The bad news is my other boss had
three bikes on my schedule for that day and everyone wanted their
bikes back by Saturday afternoon. If I was to get the military guy's
chopper done that day it meant I would have to come in on Saturday
again to catch up on the other bikes. Again, this did not please the
wife by having to work on another family day but she knew what I was
trying to do so she didn't say a word.

The last bit of good news was in regards to the guy's bill for the
work. My boss asked me for my feedback on what I thought we should
charge. I told him two hours for installation as the work I did on the
bike the previous Saturday was on my own time. He knew I had spent
more then two hours wiring in the new unit Friday afternoon and when
he pointed that out to me I mentioned to him that part of that was my
lunch time. <g> He then asked about what parts I used so he could bill
the guy for them. Since I bought the connectors I used for the job out
of my own pocket (I didn't trust the heat shrink type connectors that
he had) I told him he didn't need to worry about parts as I didn't use
any shop stuff on the bike. When all was said and done he met me half
way and told me he would keep the labor charge to 2 hours but was
going to charge him for the shipping charge. The guy seemed happy
about it when he picked up his bike that evening but I think his wife
was still bitching to my boss that it took us too long. Oh well, guess
it shows you can't please everyone.

Ruppster
sportster at dodge-semis dot com

 

Yes, I had thought of that issue too but what the wife did was the
best thing. She had scheduled the repair to be done that week instead
of months ago. If I had done the work months ago the bike would have
been sitting all that time and might not have been ride ready by the
time the guy came home. By having us work on it a week before he came
back the bike would have been fresh out of our shop and still ready to
go. So I don't blame her for bringing it in when she did. It wasn't
like she brought it in at the last second with no appointment and
wanted us to do the work right then and there while we put aside other
bikes that made appointments in advance in order to please her. What
also didn't help was the amount of work I had to miss at the same time
due to my wife's cancer treatment. That put me behind the power curve
to begin with so it was a few days after she brought us the bike
before I was able to work on it. On top of all that what should have
been an easy job was made worse due to incorrect or lack of
documentation from the bike/module maker. If the first module they
sent the lady had worked right in the first place I would have had the
bike done before the guy got home. So as you can see there were many
factors at work and the bike/module maker would not even spend a few
extra dollars for shipping to help correct the problems that they were
the cause of. It just pissed me off even more when it was pointed out
to them that this was for a military guy that had less then 2 weeks
for riding before being sent back they just blew it off like it wasn't
their problem after all the work I had done to help this guy out.

Ruppster
sportster at dodge-semis dot com

 

You're right.... That was very long. But, a very interest-
ing story.

Thanks, for your hard work and diligence with getting
the soldier's bike back on the road.

And, since you've taken the time to chronicle the events
involved, I'd suggest a copy of the narrative be included
with the repair invoice to the wife.

Gary

 

Thanks. I try to do what I can when I can.

I had hoped to talk to the guy when he came to get his bike (he picked
it up the same day I finished it) but I had three bikes in the que
that were supposed to be done that day (ended up having to work on
them on Saturday in order to get them finished due to the time I lost
to work on them Friday when I dropped them in favor of the military
guy's bike) so I wasn't able to spend the time with him when he was
there. I did give him a business card on it with my name, phone
number, and email address and asked him to contact me about the extra
features on the new module that I wasn't able to connect in time. The
new unit had many new features the old one did not have but I did not
have the time to rewire the entire bike in order to set it up for all
those new features.The pisser is I have yet to hear from him. If he
ever contacts me I plan on offering my services in order to finish the
job the right way. Due to time constraints all I was able to do was
connect the module only to the same things the old one handled. To me
the work is only half done and though it doesn't impact the
functionality of the bike as it is now I would like to give the guy
the chance to have it finished the way it should be. Plus if he does
contact me it will give me the chance to insure the wife knows all the
details to what happened. My boss explained a lot of it to her but I
think it went in one ear and out the other as I think she was still
blaming us for the delay even though it wasn't all our fault.

Ruppster
sportster at dodge-semis dot com

 

Well, during the whole story I was thinking about the guy
who posted a few weeks ago about attending a motor-
cycle mechanics school.

I can't recall the group, because I read several, but he did
seem surprised when several group members suggested
that what the school had described as the life of a tech
might not be a rosy as portrayed.

Hopefully, he'll read your description for a more real life
account.

Gary

 

Gary Walker suggests:

''Thanks, for your hard work and diligence with getting the soldier's
bike back on the road.
And, since you've taken the time to chronicle the events involved, I'd
suggest a copy of the narrative be included with the repair invoice to
the wife.
Gary-


I would've also let the Boss man read your composition.
Your Boss, should have been the one to ''suck it in'', and really be
_even_ more patriotic as well, by being the main man to donate some time
and money to the soldier', wife.
But, the Company really had a bad attitude, it seems they couldve' cared
less about the ''poor soul'' that is over there fighting, at the risk of
never even getting to ride his good looking chopper.
But, your disposition about the entire ordeal was excellent.My Helmets'
off to you. <g>

'Ya'll take care'' --BJAY--

 

<snip>

Would love to hear his response to it. <g>

Ruppster
sportster at dodge-semis dot com

 

Sorry for the slow response BJay. Went up to Baltimore (MD) Saturday
(I live about 200 miles south of there) for an antique semi-truck show
(pics of the event can be seen at
http://www.dodge-semis.com/PG/2006_ATHS/) and then Sunday I drove 150
miles to another town to work on an old Dodge semi truck I bought a
few months ago. Then on Monday I offered to help a friend of mine
replace a cylinder head on his van. Needless to say I've been pretty
busy the last few days and am just now catching my breath. At least
till tomorrow anyhow. We just got a shipment of 15 choppers from
American Ironhorse and I have about 3 straight days of PDI's to do on
them.

As far as my boss being the one to "suck it in" I think he was more
then fair in how he billed the guy. Especially when you consider that
I had spent about 2 full days working on that bike when I could have
been working on bikes that would have made the shop more money. I was
just happy that he agreed to my term as easily as he did. <g>

I do agree with you about the company having a bad attitude. That is
why I took the time to write the long post in the first place. I just
wished I was free to name the company in question.

Ruppster
sportster at dodge-semis dot com

 

(ruppster)
Bjay,Sunday I drove 150 miles to another town to work on an old Dodge
semi truck I ~~bought~~ a few months ago.
Then on Monday I offered to help a friend of mine replace a cylinder
head on his van. Needless to say I've been pretty busy the last few days
and am just now catching my breath. At least till tomorrow anyhow. We
just got a shipment of 15 choppers from American Ironhorse and I have
about 3 straight days of PDI's to do on them. Ruppster~


I notice the part, where you say you bought an Old Dodge Semi Truck.
I'll be darn, not many guys have a Semi around the place, to add to
their entertaining hobbies.
I like it when someone on here shares with us, that they have other
interest.
Some want us to think, they are Die Hard Bikers, that they hardly put
2,000 miles a year on no dern Cage.
They don't have no other interest, by God, they ''Ride''! <g> oh
well. who cares, huh?
So, Ruppster, are you restoring your Dodge Semi? over? bjay~

'Ya'll take care'' --BJAY--

 

Some times I wish I didn't have so many hobbies. If it wasn't for them
I would be able to get a lot more riding done. <g>

Actually, since I have yet to build a three seater trike to take my
two kids with me on rides I have to have something to do while I am
stuck at home watching them.

That's a big 10-4, good buddy. <g> I have a commercial license from
when I used to repair trucks up in Alaska. I can drive anything from 2
to 18 wheels.

The Dodge semi is actually a mixture of two hobbies in one. I am the
webmaster for a military history club (http://www.vmpa.us/) and they
need a large vehicle to haul some WWII armored vehicles that weigh
about 20,000 pounds each. And since I am a die hard Mopar nut I wanted
something with the Dodge name on it. So when I came across a truck
that used to be used by the Air Force to refuel aircraft I jumped on
it. The truck has a 58,000 pound GVWR. The tank that used to be on the
back has been removed as I don't need it. I am in the process of
replacing the tandem rear axles with a single axle that is much closer
to the cab so I can shorten the frame down. Right now she is way to
long to make a semi tractor out of so I will be cutting off about 13
feet of frame from the back end. Here are some pics of another truck
that is the same tanker chassis that I am dealing with.
http://www.dodge-semis.com/PG/78_XCNT800/

When I am done she should look something like this one:
http://www.dodge-semis.com/Brochures/1971HD/page02.jpg

With any luck when I get this one done I can build me a three seater
trike.

Ruppster
sportster at dodge-semis dot com

 

(Ruppster)

~Bjay~
The Dodge semi is actually a mixture of two hobbies in one. I am the
webmaster for a military history club (http://www.vmpa.us/) and they
need a large vehicle to haul some WWII armored vehicles that weigh about
20,000 pounds each. And since I am a die hard Mopar nut I wanted
something with the Dodge name on it. So when I came across a truck that
used to be used by the Air Force to refuel aircraft I jumped on it. The
truck has a 58,000 pound GVWR. The tank that used to be on the back has
been removed as I don't need it. I am in the process of replacing the
tandem rear axles with a single axle that is much closer to the cab so I
can shorten the frame down. Right now she is way to long to make a semi
tractor out of so I will be cutting off about 13 feet of frame from the
back end. Here are some pics of another truck that is the same tanker
chassis that I am dealing with.
http://www.dodge-semis.com/PG/78_XCNT800/
When I am done she should look something like this one:
http://www.dodge-semis.com/Brochures/1971HD/page02.jpg Ruppster~



That is very interesting.
When I was in the AF Reserve, i drove a coupla big Tankers and a
sizeable Bus, and a sizable Fire Truck.
You do have some interesting hobbies, good for you. cheers, Bjay~

 

that's very cool. i've got a 1969 chevy c-60 box that i've used for a
remote production truck and never really thought about it as an antique
type vehicle, but you just changed my mind or at least made me give it
some thought.

the headlight surrounds are exactly what got me to thinking about the
C-60. like i dont have enough to do already.... <g>

sounds like a great project on the Dodge. that's when they were built
"ram tough".
MoPar to ya!