Rusty did admit there is a problem and the motor company was going to "make it right" for the owners of their flagship bike. [smiley=xyxthumbs.gif]
Can only imagine for all you 06 riders that the problem with taking anyone's word at this point has been that everyone's word so far has been clouded by seeming and obfuscation and delay rendered (seemingly) solely for the purpose of obfuscating and delaying. Granted, at the outset one must admit that HD itself might not have been aware of the problem or the degree of the problem. At that time varying responses wouldn't be unexpected and would be tolerated.
They're not dumb though. Just terribly parsimonious (at our expense) and more than a little arrogant. So after a short period of initial onset they had to realize there were more than very isolated problems going on. At that point the various silly on nonsensical responses like buffing or "it's supposed to be that way" or "we're not doing anything about it" should have ceased. People NEVER seem to learn the lesson of the Nixon Administration; come clean.
Here's a question for you 06 riders (and the Moco in its hubris) to consider:
Assume the paint problems are as bad as they're often described here and as systemic as our discussions here seem to suggest. Under which of the following scenarious would you both a more satisfied customer and a more likely return customer if you had to wait and waste months of your time?
1) Months of delay filled with varied answers that intelligent people recognize as being at best ineffective or at worst simply wrong and made up with the intent to delay or deter.
or
2) Months waiting for resolution that is time predicated not on delay and obfuscation but some simple statement from the mftr like the following "Ladies and Gentlemen. We made a mistake. We are embarrassed by the quality of the appearance of the Harley Davidson Motorcycles you have had to accept. We will not let this stand. We do not know at this moment precisely what the resolution will be. There will be a full and correcting resolution though. Harley Davidson would accept nothing less and it would never ask its rider to accept less either. Rest assured, this will be made right. We ask for your patience and indulgence as we work diligently to re-earn the trust you have placed in us by purchasing a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
With the first answer they've got a whole stable of pissed off customers. With the second they've got an advertising platform turning their mistake in to a positive, they've got customers who feel like they've been engaged positively and the tone of the response would resonate with the kind of folks that actually buy the bikes. Actually, perhaps that's a real issue. Corporate mind-sets and bean counters are now so distinct from the company's consumers they don't see us any different than a guy buying a refrigerator.
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Topic: Paint Problems 2006 (Read 207338 times)