ArthurKnowles Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 I placed an order with A&S Cycles (first time) more than 3 weeks ago. I was patient and waitied for them to process my order and ship it. I even got an e-mail that one item was going to be backordered. Today, my order arrived. One item and it's not even complete so I can't use it. I purchase over $600 of merchandise, and don't get anything I can use. I'm a bit miffed to say the least. So, I've canceled the rest of my order and will return the one item they sent. So where do you go to purchase your BMW products online? I've been to Bob's and Max, but neither has a big enough selection. Anyone else like A&S Cycles that actually has product and doesn't require a 2 week delay just to process the order?
T__ Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 I placed an order with A&S Cycles (first time) more than 3 weeks ago. I was patient and waitied for them to process my order and ship it. I even got an e-mail that one item was going to be backordered. Today, my order arrived. One item and it's not even complete so I can't use it. I purchase over $600 of merchandise, and don't get anything I can use. I'm a bit miffed to say the least. So, I've canceled the rest of my order and will return the one item they sent. So where do you go to purchase your BMW products online? I've been to Bob's and Max, but neither has a big enough selection. Anyone else like A&S Cycles that actually has product and doesn't require a 2 week delay just to process the order? Arther, I usually deal with Chicago BMW (20% off list) but keep in mind that most places that deal in a discount don’t stock a lot of the parts they offer so they have to order them in before shipping to you.. If you want quick call first to ascertain if ALL parts in stock.. Twisty
smiller Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 FWIW I've never had a problem with A&S but any vendor can screw up once in a while. I'm sure they will work with you to fix things... did you give them a call?
Deadboy Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 http://www.bmwsantacruz.com/main.html Always had good luck with Santa Cruz BMW....but I am wondering why you would order by mail when you have so many dealers in SoCal to choose from?
ArthurKnowles Posted February 9, 2008 Author Posted February 9, 2008 A&S was closed when I got my package. But I'm really beyond trying to work anything out. I understand they needed time for some items. Not a problem. But I order $600 in supplies (like oil, filters, etc.) and specialy (might not be in stock) items. What I got was practically nothing. I did recevie an e-mail stating my order was in process. Had another one stating the power flare was on back order. Then I got a final one ststing my order was shipped, but there were some issues with my order but what was in stock was shipping now. I ordered 17 items. I got one. And it's not even a good design. I much prefer the Talon product line. So I will return what I got and buy all my supplies and tools form someone else. I suspect I can do better than 4+ weeks than A&S Cycles anywhere else online. I was just hoping there was another good source for BMW supplies that I had missed in my Google searches.
ArthurKnowles Posted February 9, 2008 Author Posted February 9, 2008 The closest BMW dealer is about 35 miles away. They do not carry all the items I am interested in, plus their prices are often quite a bit higher. I've been to the dealer three times in the last 10 days looking for parts. What did I leave with ... 5 fuses and 4 T-Shirts. That's from the Escondido BMW (closest one) store. Almost everything I want they have to order. If I have to wait for it, best to order it online myself and buy it at a better price.
Deadboy Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 ... 5 fuses and 4 T-Shirts. That is funny...I have done the same. May also want to try Sierra BMW in Sparks/Reno...
Firefight911 Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Almost everything I want they have to order. If I have to wait for it, best to order it online myself and buy it at a better price. Do you sense a trend here? As has already been stated, no one is perfect, and a lot of things that people order must also be ordered by the dealer. Not liking a design of a product is not, IMO, really a dealer issue is it? Call A&S up, be reasonable, explain your situation, and give them the opportunity to respond to your concerns. Call Jeff Hanrahan, he is their General Manager. Very reasonable guy!!! Sometimes all that is needed is a little understanding and putting the other persons shoes on for a moment. And then there is always the fact that, as you, we are all human and sometimes mistakes happen. I have a lot of very close ties with this dealership and I have not had 100% satisfaction 100% of the time. I don't expect it. The difference is that when you create a dialog with them they ALWAYS do their best to make it right. And I do mean always!! Good luck and let us know how it goes after talking with them. I can also assure you that it is of little relevance whether or not you spend $1 or $12000, they treat everyone the same.
EffBee Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 As Phil says, A&S is good people. And Jeff, their GM, is a really good guy. I'm certain he'd want to know and will do everything in his power to make sure you're a satisfied customer. However, if they can't give you the satisfaction you want, give me a call at Brown Motor Works and have your list of BMW Parts ready. I'll tell you right then and there what we have in stock and what we don't. As has been pointed out, a dealer can't stock everything. But routine maintenance items for recent models should be easy. Example: Our own Arizona Al called me. He and a friend are doing rear main seals, plus clutches, plus slave cylinders, etc., on their K12RS's. We had most of it in stock, but a couple of items we had to special order. Had those into the dealership in 4 working days. They arrived this morning and everything shipped to Arizona this afternoon. This isn't to brag about how good we are. This is a turnaround that, under most circumstances, any dealer should be able to provide you. And if they don't, such as you say A&S hasn't, then their GM needs to know. Go there first and get Jeff's help. I'm positive he'll make everything right for you. If not, you have many options, only one of which is above.
russell_bynum Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 The closest BMW dealer is about 35 miles away. They do not carry all the items I am interested in, plus their prices are often quite a bit higher. I've been to the dealer three times in the last 10 days looking for parts. What did I leave with ... 5 fuses and 4 T-Shirts. That's from the Escondido BMW (closest one) store. Almost everything I want they have to order. If I have to wait for it, best to order it online myself and buy it at a better price. I haven't dealt with Escondido much, but I've had extensive dealings with Brown and Irv Seavers. Not everything has been perfect, but the majority of my interaction with both of those dealers has been very positive, and the (very) few times I've had an issue, it's been dealt with promptly when I bring it to their attention. I've also done quite a bit of business with Malcolm Smith...most of it non-BMW stuff, but some BMW as well. Nothing but good experiences there. When I order stuff from these dealers, they'll generally tell me what's in stock, what needs to be ordered, what's in the country, etc. Of course, that's just the BMW stuff. If I'm ordering some 3rd-party gizmo, then they often don't really have any visibility into what the manufacturer/distributor has in stock. That's not their fault, though. Obviously, we don't have the whole story here, but I'm thinking you need to dial it back a notch or two and give A&S a chance to make this right. First of all...it isn't their fault that you didn't like what you ordered and it is totally unreasonable to hold that against them. For everything else, how about giving them a call, asking for the GM as Fernando and Phil suggested, calmly and politely explain the situation, and give him a chance to make it right. If that doesn't work, I've had nothing but superb service from Fernando at Brown's, and Dave Diaz at Irv Seaver's. Give one of them a call.
Tony_K Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Obviously, we don't have the whole story here, but I'm thinking you need to dial it back a notch or two and give A&S a chance to make this right. First of all...it isn't their fault that you didn't like what you ordered and it is totally unreasonable to hold that against them. For everything else, how about giving them a call, asking for the GM as Fernando and Phil suggested, calmly and politely explain the situation, and give him a chance to make it right. That's it right there. That or just leave the brand all together.
Twisties Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Obviously, we don't have the whole story here, but I'm thinking you need to dial it back a notch or two and give A&S a chance to make this right. First of all...it isn't their fault that you didn't like what you ordered and it is totally unreasonable to hold that against them. For everything else, how about giving them a call, asking for the GM as Fernando and Phil suggested, calmly and politely explain the situation, and give him a chance to make it right. That's it right there. That or just leave the brand all together. Seems to me we're being a bit harsh here, especially since we don't have the whole the story. Obviously the product wasn't as expected. Did the dealer advertise it in a way that led to this. Some of these descriptions and photos I see on dealer websites are pretty poor. Sometimes you can get a better description from the manufacturer, sometimes not. We trust our dealers to select, recommend and purvey quality products that are suited to their intended purposes. That is why we use BMW dealers. I think the rush to summary judgment here is a bit hurried, and the invitation to leave the brand is uncalled for.
Dietrich Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Dealers aren't always perfect. We all aren't always perfect. I am a dealer, not BMW mind you and my staff and I know that sometime we will screw up. We want our clients then to judge us how good we are in fixing our mistake and not jump ship right away, give us a chance. After all, we are just like you - human! Dietrich
randyfelice Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Hi I am the owner of A&S BMW Motorcycles. I apologize for you inconvenience. We don't take these occurrences lightly and I understand your frustration. Please email me at randy@ascycles.com with your information or call me at 916-705-5356 on my cell phone and I will make sure everything is made right. If you do not wish to, then let me take this time to publicly apologize and make a commitment to the rest of you to look into this process problem so that it does not happen again. Thank you Randy Felice.
Paul Mihalka Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Hi I am the owner of A&S BMW Motorcycles. I apologize for you inconvenience. We don't take these occurrences lightly and I understand your frustration. Please email me at randy@ascycles.com with your information or call me at 916-705-5356 on my cell phone and I will make sure everything is made right. If you do not wish to, then let me take this time to publicly apologize and make a commitment to the rest of you to look into this process problem so that it does not happen again. Thank you Randy Felice. Now that is a quality statement.
BFish Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 looking forward to hearing the outcome from the original poster. i'm sure someone from this site notified A&S of the bashing going on here. let's see how it's resolved and reasons for each issue described. i've ordered a few things from them with no problems.
hopz Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Just to let you know... I don't have a dog in this fight, but FYI... I have made two orders of multiple items from A&S and each one was complete, on time and in my opinion well executed. I recommend them to newbies all the time.
SageRider Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Randy, Thank you for stepping forward! Arthur, Please post the resolution of your issues. (I am also in the camp of contacting the vendor to let them know there is a problem and give them a chance to resolve! Hard for them to read your mind...)
Firefight911 Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Hi I am the owner of A&S BMW Motorcycles. I apologize for you inconvenience. We don't take these occurrences lightly and I understand your frustration. Please email me at randy@ascycles.com with your information or call me at 916-705-5356 on my cell phone and I will make sure everything is made right. If you do not wish to, then let me take this time to publicly apologize and make a commitment to the rest of you to look into this process problem so that it does not happen again. Thank you Randy Felice. And that, right there, is what I was talking about!!! Thanks for stepping in Randy!! As always, top notch, customer minded, and a professional business from start to finish!
Dave McReynolds Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Hi Randy, welcome to the Board! As a member who is on his fourth BMW purchased from A&S, and the usual goodies and service that goes along with that, it has always been a pleasure to deal with your company.
ArthurKnowles Posted February 9, 2008 Author Posted February 9, 2008 Late last night I did reorder most of the items I had previously ordered with A&S Cycles because I was very distressed to only receive the one item in my order. The last e-mail I received informed me that my order had shipped, but that some itmes had to be backordered. When I only received the one item, I assumed all the rest of my order had been backordered. That's where my distress became unwillingness to continue to work with A&S Cycles as I assumed there was going to be even more of a delay in obtaining the parts I wanted. Today, I was called by Shannon of A&S Cycles. She explained to me that she had every item on my order in her shipping department aside from the backordered powerflares. She also stated that someone had made an error in shipping out the single item I received, and leaving the rest behind. We had a nice chat, and I did decide to due two things: 1) I continued my order for some items I did not already repurchase from Sierra BMW. 2) I will give A&S Cycles a second chance. I will agree with everyone posting on the board that customer service is important. Seeing Randy's post this morning and getting a call from Shannon (I called a bit earlier, but the phone message informed me to call back M-F) has definitely made a difference in my opinion of A&S Cycles. I will try again with A&S Cycles and hope for a positive experiance as most posters here have referred to. As posted/stated, A&S Cycles is run by people and people do make mistakes. It's how these mistakes are handled that determines the quality of customer service.
russell_bynum Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Excellent! As posted/stated, A&S Cycles is run by people and people do make mistakes. It's how these mistakes are handled that determines the quality of customer service. I agree totally. I'm glad you got this worked out.
Firefight911 Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Excellent! As posted/stated, A&S Cycles is run by people and people do make mistakes. It's how these mistakes are handled that determines the quality of customer service. I agree totally. I'm glad you got this worked out. +1.
Hawk28 Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 I am late to this thread, but I just had to add my support of A&S. I have been doing business with them for over 11 years. Overall a great experience and if there was a rare glitch, Randy and his staff always addressed and fixed it immediately. And always in a positive and professional manner.
notacop Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 i've not done on line orders but locally Irv Seavers in Orange Ca. seems to have all the parts I need now in stock. Worth a call to find out. Ask For David Diaz. Good people....
Troy Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 Hi I am the owner of A&S BMW Motorcycles. I apologize for you inconvenience. We don't take these occurrences lightly and I understand your frustration. Please email me at randy@ascycles.com with your information or call me at 916-705-5356 on my cell phone and I will make sure everything is made right. If you do not wish to, then let me take this time to publicly apologize and make a commitment to the rest of you to look into this process problem so that it does not happen again. Thank you Randy Felice. Nice to see that Randy deals with his internet customers the same as he deals with people in the shop. I've purchased my latest bike and many parts, supplies and accessories from Randy and his staff. From my experience (and quite a few of my friends as well) this type of response is just the way he and his staff do business. Thanks again Randy for stepping up!
skinny_tom (aka boney) Posted February 9, 2008 Posted February 9, 2008 i'm sure someone from this site notified A&S I wonder who it could be?
Skywagon Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 I use to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I would ride the 175 miles round trip just to visit A&S. I bought everything I could from them, unless I needed a part immediately. In addition to my oil head, I have a couple of old airheads. Amazingly they almost always had my parts, even obscure ones. They put on a parking lot event every so often with food and drink. They hold clinics and other classed to promote BMW. In all the times I have been there, I have always been treated like I was a king. They have a well stocked place, nice bikes, super nice to deal with. I have to tell you my story where they went above and beyond. I rode my R1150RT up one Saturday for the open house. I had been wanting some Throttlemeisters for my bike. I went to parts and a very nice lady said, I have new ones for ~$110 (around there - forgot ), or I have some we took off of CHP bikes that are really brand new, but they can't use them. I will sell you a pair for $50.00.. Well I bought them. I took them home, and they didn't work. I phoned them up the next day and told them they just wouldn't grip. They overnighted me a new pair and an envelope to return the old ones. I told them I paid for used, and they said.....not a problem, we want you to be happy....THEY REFUSED to take more money. Now the irony. There was nothing wrong with the originals. If you have installed them before, you probably learned you have to open up the throttle assembly and move the unit closer to the grip. I felt stupid. I rode up to see them the next weekend and told them, my mistake, I need to pay you for new ones. They refused to take any more money, but encouraged me to remember them next time I needed something. I did and I do. Thanks Randy and crew for being the premier BMW dealer you are.
fossil Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 I placed an order with A&S Cycles (first time) more than 3 weeks ago. I was patient and waitied for them to process my order and ship it. I even got an e-mail that one item was going to be backordered. Yep. Me too. Today, my order arrived. One item and it's not even complete so I can't use it. I purchase over $600 of merchandise, and don't get anything I can use. I'm a bit miffed to say the least. Hey, I think I have your stuff. Actually friday and not $600, but yep. Me too. Although the order was incomplete (not B/O) they did manage to put my free tire repair kit in the box. So, I've canceled the rest of my order and will return the one item they sent. So where do you go to purchase your BMW products online? I've been to Bob's and Max, but neither has a big enough selection. Anyone else like A&S Cycles that actually has product and doesn't require a 2 week delay just to process the order? Your on the right track. I just use them for the cool stuff I don't depend on to keep me going and have a lower set of expectations. Good justification for keeping a spare or two or three .... Sorry for your frustration. R
AdventurePoser Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 I do read this board every day Great! Welcome to the board! I live in So Cal, hundreds of miles from your business, yet when in Nor Cal I ALWAYS come in to your business and pick up something I need for the ride! I remember the first time I rode in. I was visiting a friend, Mark U who lives in Roseville. He remarked that we should ride in so I could check out A&S. Sure, I agreed, even though it was blistering hot! When we pulled in I immediately felt at home due to the efforts of the staff. I told a salesman that I just purchased a new BMW down south, so I was just a looky-loo. He smiled, and said no problem, and offered us both something cold to drink. To make a long story short, I ended up buying a few items and left. Since then, I have purchased items from you over the internet withnever a glitch in service. Thanks, Randy for offering your customers superior customer service and products! Steve in So Cal
Heck Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 I do read this board every day Welcome to the board Randy....Only had one dealing with your shop up there, amazingly enough was during a tech day event at Phil's house... Got a nail in my tire and limped it in from Phils to get a replacement..Was taken care of quickly and professionally. You guys are a class act from the word go...Sure appreciate your hosting the first aid class last year and hopefully additional in the future... Thanks for your professionalism and caring attitude.. Heck
skinny_tom (aka boney) Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 I do read this board every day Ah, another lurker brought into the fold. For the record, I have had nothing but good experiences with your business as well.
Marty Hill Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 I stoppped in last june while visiting Boney and Deadboy. The coffee was good/the computer worked and everyone I talked to was friendly.
Ken H. Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 Not to distract from Randy stepping in and up to the plate here (three cheers, nicely done!) but Chicago BMW has recently revamped their on-line web page and order system. You now get emailed updates, shipping notifications and everything! And of course their discount is still there. My most recent order to them came much faster than prior experiences.
ericfoerster Posted February 10, 2008 Posted February 10, 2008 I can't remember all the stuff I've ordered from them. I even called them for some tech information that was given over the phone...no charge. Easy to deal with
Albert Posted February 11, 2008 Posted February 11, 2008 Hi I am the owner of A&S BMW Motorcycles. I apologize for you inconvenience. We don't take these occurrences lightly and I understand your frustration. Please email me at randy@ascycles.com with your information or call me at 916-705-5356 on my cell phone and I will make sure everything is made right. If you do not wish to, then let me take this time to publicly apologize and make a commitment to the rest of you to look into this process problem so that it does not happen again. Thank you Randy Felice. That is a class response.
ItsABeemur Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 I have found that placiong my order online with A&S is NOT the way to go. You need to call it in and speak with a live operator. Tell them you are having a problem with the shopping cart on their site and you'd like to place the order over the phone. The problem with their online shopping cart is it takes longer to process the order than it does if you just call them. good Luck!
hopz Posted February 12, 2008 Posted February 12, 2008 Wait a minute... Why tell them you are having problems with the shopping cart? That is not only generally untrue, it just sends the vendor into a useless work cycle- time that might be better used to fill your order. Why not just call them? They are happy to serve you on the phone. No need to complicate everyone's life. As on on-line retailer I can tell you it is hard enough to maintain a web site and shopping cart without false trouble reports.
RiceToy Posted February 13, 2008 Posted February 13, 2008 I also thought it was a little strange - A&S taking 3 weeks to ship parts as common as valve cover guards and bar backs for a 2004 RT. Meanwhile, I have since ordered and received (within 3 days) LED brake kits (somewhat rare) from SantaCruz BMW. But different places will have different stocking strategies. When I received the 3-week lead time notice from A&S, I figured they are a non-stocking distributor... I order it from them, they order it from the supplier and get their profit - shame on me for not researching enough to buy direct.
pbbeck Posted February 18, 2008 Posted February 18, 2008 I placed an order with A&S Cycles (first time) more than 3 weeks ago. I was patient and waitied for them to process my order and ship it. I even got an e-mail that one item was going to be backordered. Today, my order arrived. One item and it's not even complete so I can't use it. I purchase over $600 of merchandise, and don't get anything I can use. I'm a bit miffed to say the least. So, I've canceled the rest of my order and will return the one item they sent. So where do you go to purchase your BMW products online? I've been to Bob's and Max, but neither has a big enough selection. Anyone else like A&S Cycles that actually has product and doesn't require a 2 week delay just to process the order? It sounds like Italian bikes are not for you. If you think three weeks is bad, you ain't seen nothing.
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