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[erniezap]

Well Andy,

One less lunch destination for us.  Hopefully HD will send the painted parts to a different dealer of your choice.

[Hoist!]

Interesting 1st post and welcome aboard. Interested or disinterested party?

"What was disappointing was Harley’s self-absorbed, garbled response.  Avoid.  Don’t make a decision.  Lack of care and concern for the welfare of the customer and the welfare of good and decent employees.  With a buyer willing to invest and carry our collective vision forward, this never should have happened.  A grave lack of focus and leadership resulted in a wonderful opportunity slipping away.  Shame on you Harley.  As we learned long ago - you take care of your customers and you take care of your employees at all costs.  Perhaps the importance of that has been lost among the cubicle rats.

Enough of that.  I seldom call out the mothership.  In this case, they need to be accountable.  But, alas."

Too little, too late! I've been saying that for years. Now it looks like their shortsightedness and greed is coming back to bite em in the ass!!! He should'a spoke out to them sooner. All the dealers should have, but their greed is also part of the problem. Nice goodbye letter though.

Hoist!

[SBB]

Very interesting!

And welcome to the site Streak!


 

[BLM777]

Well, we know one thing for sure.  "Mr.Mike" will never get another shot at a HD dealership.......

[SBB]

Well, we know one thing for sure.  "Mr.Mike" will never get another shot at a HD dealership.......

How far is Jim from there?
Jim needs a Harley dealership!

 

Edited to add
Excuse me!
Let me get it right.
Harley needs a dealer like Jim!

         

[Twolanerider]

Well, we know one thing for sure.  "Mr.Mike" will never get another shot at a HD dealership.......

We're of course in no position to know the history between the dealership and the MoCo.  Nor the business status the dealerships themselves.  His general indictments of the MoCo, however, aren't dissimilar from the types of complaints we find ourselves voicing here repeatedly and over the course of several years.

[Streak]

Thank you!  I feel the love!

I paid for prepaid maintenance with my purchase a year ago.  Anyone know if I'm SOL or if there is any recourse?  

[erniezap]

How far is Jim from there?
Jim needs a Harley dealership!

 

Edited to add
Excuse me!
Let me get it right.
Harley needs a dealer like Jim!

         

Jim is about 60 miles away, but 10 minutes in either direction from Jim is an HD dealership.  Besides, Jim takes his time an does things right.  The MoCo wouldn't be able to handle that since it's all about numbers to them.

[Twolanerider]

Thank you!  I feel the love!

I paid for prepaid maintenance with my purchase a year ago.  Anyone know if I'm SOL or if there is any recourse?  

Almost certainly not.  Those types of pre-paid service plans not under a national contract and only with an individual business are rarely insured outside the business or have their funds escrowed.  That's just operating cash to them.  Factory warranties and national service contracts are handled by the dealer but with the dealer as only an agent of the larger entity sponsoring them.  What you had was dealer specific.  Feel the love.  Feel the sympathy.  But you're still very likely hosed on that part of your deal man.  Sorry 'bout that.

[SBB]

Jim is about 60 miles away, but 10 minutes in either direction from Jim is an HD dealership. Besides, Jim takes his time an does things right.  The MoCo wouldn't be able to handle that since it's all about numbers to them.

I know that Ernie!
But any dealership with Jim as an owner will do well.
Maybe even some from this site can help with financing.
Just a thought to toss around!

 

[greglyon]

Thank you!  I feel the love!

I paid for prepaid maintenance with my purchase a year ago.  Anyone know if I'm SOL or if there is any recourse?   

See if you State dept of insurance regulates these contracts. If so, they regard them as a form of insurance and there would be recourse through your state guarantee fund.

[BLM777]

We're of course in no position to know the history between the dealership and the MoCo.  Nor the business status the dealerships themselves.  His general indictments of the MoCo, however, aren't dissimilar from the types of complaints we find ourselves voicing here repeatedly and over the course of several years.

That's what I based my comments on, Don.  To publicly rip your drawers with the MoCo, would indicate to me that this problem goes way beyond the "downturn".  Corporate is working with troubled dealers daily on a "work out" basis as well as assisting in the sale of a franchise when necessary.  Hopefully, someone will snatch up this established dealership, base the new enterprise on customer service and make a pot of cash.

[HUBBARD]

Any legitimate business going out is sad, but mostly for the employees and their families, in my view.  That said, I must put my .02 in.  The old Harley Dealers will survive.  I'm talkin' about the ones who have been here since the late 60's and early 70's.  The ones that eat, drink, and sleep Harley-Davidson.  The ones that have a passion beyond words for this product.  Like the ones in my immediate area that I know and respect.  Like Don Tilley, Gene Lumas, Ray Price, and Mike Adkins.  These guys treat people like people, not customers that have to buy something from them at more than a fair price.  While I have compassion for the employees, I have none for Dealers that gouge just because they can.  For the life of me, I cannot understand how anyone with any intelligence at all, absent health reasons, or circumstances beyond ones control, could go broke with a Dealer Agreement from the MoCo.  I'm talking about a reputable business man, with a business plan, with a LOVE for Harley-Davidson Motorcycles and the Lifestyle, and sufficently capitalized.  The ones that don't have those qualifications, and the burning desire to be successful in an agreement with the MoCo, are doomed in my opinion.  Like some of these dumb-a$$ed car dealers that the MoCo gave Dealer Agreements.  They will never get any of my hard-earned dollars.  The common law of business dictates you can't pay a little, and get a lot.  Nor can you pay a lot, and get a little.  It will come back and bite your a$$.  As my Dear Ol' Departed Pappy told me before he left this cruel world, "Pigs get fat, and Hogs go to slaughter."  There endeth the lesson.  Later--HUBBARD      

[Twolanerider]

That's what I based my comments on, Don.  To publicly rip your drawers with the MoCo, would indicate to me that this problem goes way beyond the "downturn".  Corporate is working with troubled dealers daily on a "work out" basis as well as assisting in the sale of a franchise when necessary.  Hopefully, someone will snatch up this established dealership, base the new enterprise on customer service and make a pot of cash.

Couldn't help but have that as a first thought upon seeing this news also.  The employees and customers are hit no matter where any fault might be.  But hopefully before too much degradation of the local market is lost to other shops from this fracture a responsible and reasonable ownership steps in.

The other side to that, of course, is that perhaps the geographic area was too congested for its market.  So something may need to die and everyone and everything else is better in the long run for it.  Those more local would be the ones to speak to this.  As painful as it might be some businesses are going to fail though.

[bbrown]

It is difficult to determine what the complete story is in this case, however, it will be interesting to see if any other stores close.   With the stock at $17.90 it does cause one to wonder what the impact of the economy will have on the dealerships especially those with big debt ratios