Forum

[Presto]

‘Super service’ of this type from the ‘top factory executive’ always bothers me. It is so obviously OTT that the merest fraction of customers is ever able to benefit from it. If a firm was truly concerned for customer relations they would be constantly surveying the ‘normal’ service their customers get from dealers, distributors, etc. and making whatever changes were needed to ensure that their service is all it ought to be as a matter of course.

[nigelphoto]

Presto I couldn't agree more - except nowadays the philosophy of all big organisations is to do as little as you can possibly get away with as the vast majority of punters (aka 'customers'!) don't bother to complain and accept second best. In my case having already experienced a blown engine on a brand new Continental GT I was then served up with a brand new Bullet B5 which failed within 15 miles of collecting it with a faulty relay. When I did get it home I had to carry out a full PDI viz Engine to frame mounting bolts loose - under crankcase finger tight, headstay loose, others
10-15lbs ft (Nb much reduced vibration since screwing the engine into the frame properly!)
Fr nearside footpeg fastener finger tight (now loctited and torqued up)
No washers on either front or rear mudguard stays - now all fasteners fitted with nylocs
Exhaust flange studs fingertight, noticeable exhaust leak at manifold - now torqued up to spec
ECU and air filter covers 5mm gap, had to bend back locking tabs to seal the lids so as to
prevent the ingress of rain
Tickover set too high – difficult to engage 1st gear (adjust tickover)
Rr wheel 4 spokes and fr wheel 2 spokes loose, both wheels now set correctly
Forks assembled slightly twisted handlebars to left side, loosened yoke and fr axle and aligned
properly. Consequential damage by the fork shroud leaving deep score marks in the
aluminium of the nearside fork (to be claimed on warranty)
Poor chrome quality (silencer & fr pipe especially - faulty chrome covered over with silver paint
slash, splash sploshed all over joints etc!) The problem is Royal Enfield can't build them properly and don't have any comprehension of what a Western Market requires for £4,000, MotoGB don't want the aggro as its a tiny niche market compared to the six other brands they import and my local dealer doesn't seem to have any spanners!

[Presto]

Sure Nigel - no way was I disagreeing with the steps you took. You may have blazed a trail!

[Scalyback]

Nigelphoto, We still implementing Euro4? Can't they go shove it now we voted out?

[Scalyback]

And of course, poor motogb, snowed under with all those photos of dodgy light switches and scratched bolts.

[nigelphoto]

Simon, as far as i know Euro 4 is to be implemented on 1 Jan 2017 (according to the .gov website). We are still wholly in the EU until such time as we are out, if you see what I mean! Although having said that the French consider we've already left of course, and are punishing holiday makers who have the temerity to want to go over via Dover!

[Rattlebattle]

I agree with what Presto has said. I don't know about the rest of you but unlike Honda, BMW and Triumph ( the marques that I have bought new in the last four years) I never had any kind of customer satisfaction survey from either the dealer or importer. This in itself doesn't guarantee quality (BMW quality in particular is not what it used to be IMHO) but at least they go through the motions. It is my guess that Moto GB did not realise what it was getting into and probably saw RE as similar to one of the better Chinese manufacturers. I would say the same of some dealers, particularly the new ones, who probably thought RE bikes could' be PDI'd just like any other bike. If I were you Nigelphoto I'd try to find a better dealer; the one that suplied your bike is clearly not competent to handle these hand made (and therefore variable) machines.

[jefrs]

Customer satisfaction surveys are for polishing the egos of management - if you tick all the top boxes then they are doing the job too well and they can cut back on staff. They never seem to think lack of quality is a management failing.

[greaser]

When we buy cheap crap bikes like RE what can we all expect, only problems & headaches, I had the RE 250 GT in the 60's & that was a fabulous Bike then when we built them, when I bought the 535 GT in 2013 I must have been on a nostalgia trip trying to recreate my teen days, but it backfired badly & i'm Glad to have got shut of the 535 GT, what a load of crap nowt like the original.