Ron Ayers SUCKS!!!!

[Amber Lamps]

Okay as some of you know, I had a problem with my forks while at the rally. A few weeks back I had a leaking fork seal and had Ron Ayers repair it under warranty and replace the springs to better match my fat ass. It seems that the "mechanic" doing the job neglected to set the lock nut that connects the rod to the cap and my left fork fell apart while I was riding at the Gap. I went to Wheeler's and Ken fixed me right up. No problem.

So... when I got home after the rally, I went into Ron Ayers and told the service manager what had happened. I showed him a copy of my receipt and believe it or not, I calmly discussed the situation with him. Heck, I didn't even get irate when I asked the "mechanic" what he thought happened and he excused his faulty work by stating that, "Your bike is a piece of shit, you should get rid of it and buy a new one". The service manager called Ken and got some info from him, took my number and said he would get back to me.

A couple days later true to his word Bill (service manager) calls me and tells me that he has a check for me to cover Wheeler's bill. So I get on my "piece of shit" bike and ride over there to pick it up... Here's the really fun part. Bill explains to me that it has been decided that Ron Ayers will no longer do business with me in any capacity. Period. So basically, because they fucked up and potentially risked my life with inept service, they will no longer have me as a customer. Now that is the very definition of adding insult to injury...

[Rider]

That's fucked up. I'll spread the word to everyone one I know.

[shmike]

How many times have you been in there?

How many times have you had problems?

Sounds to me like there is more to the story than posted. :idk:

[Rsv1000R]

I guess they'd rather have customers that don't expect them to be accountable for their work.

[G-Rex]

Wow. Amazing. I had a similar experience with a dealer in Flagstaff, Arizona last year where they didn't tighten down two of the four front axle bolts on my Busa when stopped in for tires mid-trip, and I lost one bolt in each fork.

I wrote them a calm letter explaining the situation after I got back. Not only did the manager of the dealership refund me the labor fee I paid and write me a letter where he explained to his employees that this type of workmanship was unacceptable, he also stated that they had put new measures in place to ensure it doesn't happen again, apologized, and invited me back to the dealership to give them a chance to prove this was a fluke.

All dealers are different. Sucks that you had such a bad experience. :/

[Sixxxxer]

How many times have you been in there?

How many times have you had problems?

Sounds to me like there is more to the story than posted. :idk:

Why do people always have to read into Shit??? Even if there is a backstory and Tigger has had problems in the past...You dont forget to Tighten and secure the Fucking Forks to the bike...If Tigger pulled the front wheel up he basically could have lost his front tire and wrecked.

Its fucked up for them to say they would never service his bikes again...Thats Shitty customer service and A horrible way to do business

[Sixxxxer]

Wow. Amazing. I had a similar experience with a dealer in Flagstaff, Arizona last year where they didn't tighten down two of the four front axle bolts on my Busa when stopped in for tires mid-trip, and I lost one bolt in each fork.

I wrote them a calm letter explaining the situation after I got back. Not only did the manager of the dealership refund me the labor fee I paid and write me a letter where he explained to his employees that this type of workmanship was unacceptable, he also stated that they had put new measures in place to ensure it doesn't happen again, apologized, and invited me back to the dealership to give them a chance to prove this was a fluke.

All dealers are different. Sucks that you had such a bad experience. :/

THAT...is what needs to be done...You dont put someones life at risk and then blame the person who is riding the bike.

Some people are Fucked in the head

[tommymac]

Why do people always have to read into Shit??? Even if there is a backstory and Tigger has had problems in the past...You dont forget to Tighten and secure the Fucking Forks to the bike...If Tigger pulled the front wheel up he basically could have lost his front tire and wrecked.

Its fucked up for them to say they would never service his bikes again...Thats Shitty customer service and A horrible way to do business

Safe to say he wouldnt be going back to them again anyway, none the less, very poor move on their part.

Tom

[shmike]

Why do people always have to read into Shit??? Even if there is a backstory and Tigger has had problems in the past...You dont forget to Tighten and secure the Fucking Forks to the bike...If Tigger pulled the front wheel up he basically could have lost his front tire and wrecked.

Its fucked up for them to say they would never service his bikes again...Thats Shitty customer service and A horrible way to do business

They fucked up, yes.

They should be held responsible, yes.

To tell a customer to pound sand because they called you on a bad service job doesn't add up. Especially after they owned up (financially) to the mistake.

[Fleck750]

Shops like that don't need your business. Obviously they have plenty of work in these great economic times.

Ghosts of employment past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY7_7qVK9X8

http://www.biker-events.com/2008/02/25/procycle-in-springfield-missouri-loses-17m-of-honda-and-yamaha-stock/

http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2006/081006.htm

[Sixxxxer]

They fucked up, yes.

They should be held responsible, yes.

To tell a customer to pound sand because they called you on a bad service job doesn't add up. Especially after they owned up (financially) to the mistake.

Your Right....But Maybe They just honestly dont want to work on the Guys Bike...Until Tig Chimes in...I dont know...

Either way its fucked retarded

[Homeslice]

How many times have you been in there?

How many times have you had problems?

Sounds to me like there is more to the story than posted. :idk:

Double plusone.

And isn't this like an 05 Gixxer 1000 we're talking about? That's only 4 years old, so I don't see how it would be a "piece of shit" unless there's more to the story than what's posted.

[Particle Man]

a report to the BBB may also be in order...

[HRCNICK11]

I would also like to point out Wheelers is one of the best shops I have ever been to. I think the guy at Wheelers could fix more with a screw driver and hammer than most places could with a full set of tools. For the record he has and uses a full set of tools, but you would not think so looking at the shop. The shop looks like Cooters garage.

[Amber Lamps]

How many times have you been in there?

How many times have you had problems?

Sounds to me like there is more to the story than posted. :idk:


Actually, I've purchased quite a lot of stuff from there and have been a steady customer for over a year. I'd say I've spent about $4000 there or so.

I've had 3 problems with their service, all three were their fault (which Bill admits);

1. "mechanic" used a flat head screw driver to remove wheel weights and scratched my rim.

2. "mechanic" used impact to tighten my front axle and stripped the threads during a tire change.

3. "mechanic" didn't tighten lock nut on fork.

Hell, when they did the frame recall on my bike, the mechanic broke some of the tabs on my body work and blamed it on it being "cheap Chinese shit". He actually complained about it to me. I didn't bother saying anything about that to the service manager because I knew I had a new body kit coming. I spent about 1 hour repairing it afterward, no big deal. The biggest pain was that he didn't reinstall all of the screws the Chinese plastic needs, it mounts a little different than stock, so I had to run to Lowes and get some more to fix it. Not to mention the two screws that he forgot to tighten on my front fender that I lost a few weeks later.

*NOTE* They did the frame recall and the forks at the same time.

It doesn't matter if you believe me or not. Nor does your opinion of what must have "really" happened. Apparently, there is some scenario which would justify Ron Ayers mechanic's shoddy workmanship on my bike. Sure, it's probably my fault that this happened....:idk:

[jtemple]

That's why I work on my own bike.

If I need tires mounted, I take the wheels in.

That's the only thing I let someone else do.

So far so good, the only person that's scratched one of my rims is me.

[tommymac]

That's why I work on my own bike.

If I need tires mounted, I take the wheels in.

That's the only thing I let someone else do.

So far so good, the only person that's scratched one of my rims is me.

get a HF or no mar and you can do that yourself too.

Tom

[Amber Lamps]

Double plusone.

And isn't this like an 05 Gixxer 1000 we're talking about? That's only 4 years old, so I don't see how it would be a "piece of shit" unless there's more to the story than what's posted.


Yep, it's totally my fault that he screwed up on my service. There has got to be some fault with my bike that would cause him to not tighten the lock nut on the fork correctly... sure. Maybe it's me, maybe I did something to make him do this work incorrectly, maybe it's my attitude. Yea that's it...

Dude, I work in the service industry and I can't tell you how many times I've heard a mechanic or technician blame the machine for his inability to repair it properly. Shit for 10+ years it was my job to follow service technicians around and correct their fuck ups... If I had a dollar for every time the equipment was a "piece of shit"....

[Amber Lamps]

I would also like to point out Wheelers is one of the best shops I have ever been to. I think the guy at Wheelers could fix more with a screw driver and hammer than most places could with a full set of tools. For the record he has and uses a full set of tools, but you would not think so looking at the shop. The shop looks like Cooters garage.

Yep, Ken definitely knows his shit and is very reasonable in his pricing too.

[shmike]

Yep, it's totally my fault that he screwed up on my service. There has got to be some fault with my bike that would cause him to not tighten the lock nut on the fork correctly... sure. Maybe it's me, maybe I did something to make him do this work incorrectly, maybe it's my attitude. Yea that's it...

Dude, I work in the service industry and I can't tell you how many times I've heard a mechanic or technician blame the machine for his inability to repair it properly. Shit for 10+ years it was my job to follow service technicians around and correct their fuck ups... If I had a dollar for every time the equipment was a "piece of shit"....

Dude, nobody said anything about being your fault.

What was said was there was probably a back story.

Turns out there is.

Why would you keep going to a shop that continually fucks your shit up? :scratch:

[Amber Lamps]

That's why I work on my own bike.

If I need tires mounted, I take the wheels in.

That's the only thing I let someone else do.

So far so good, the only person that's scratched one of my rims is me.

Yep, I just got off my lazy ass and bought the tools at Harbor Freight to do my tires.

Wheel balancer $59

Tire bar $5.99

Bead breaker $19.99

I'm considering getting the wheel stand from HF for $49 and I need to buy the plastic inserts to prevent scratches after I get my rims repainted but otherwise I'm good to go. My bike is under warranty until Nov 2010 so I'll just take it elsewhere if I need major service.

[Amber Lamps]

Dude, nobody said anything about being your fault.

What was said was there was probably a back story.

Turns out there is.

Why would you keep going to a shop that continually fucks your shit up? :scratch:

I live in Greenville,NC check for service shops here and you'll have your answer. Plus, I have the extended warranty on my bike so I have to go to a Suzuki authorized center or I risk voiding it. Simple. Oh and the fact that I'm too lazy to drive 100+ miles round trip to take it elsewhere...

[Particle Man]

Yep, I just got off my lazy ass and bought the tools at Harbor Freight to do my tires.

Wheel balancer: $59

Tire bar: $5.99

Bead breaker: $19.99

Not having Ron Ayers fuck up your shit:PRICELESS

Couldn't help it

[OTB]

We have a local Duc dealer (Speed's, 1o minutes from me) here who is the same way. Took my ST2 to him and his butchers the first time. Standard Duc tune up of $800 bucks.....and for that I got missing bodywork screws, an untorqued torque arm on the rear brake which came loose and snapped the rear brake line, and a valve check that never happened ( brought it in for the 6k service with a too loose closer on the intake; when I picked it up, it was still ticking). When I brought it back 15 mins later with the list of issues and a hanging rear brake line, owner told me he couldn't get to it for 3 weeks (had it there waiting for service intially for three weeks) and they would have to charge me standard shop rate for any further work they did. When I complained that the work ordered and paid for wasn't done or done incorrectly, and that I paid for work that wasn't finished, he told me I could take my business somewhere else.

So I did; I bought a Duc manual from Coleman's and learned to do the Duc myself. Now I'll drive the 45 minutes to Coleman's for parts because I vowed to never give aholes like Speed another dime.

[Amber Lamps]

Couldn't help it

Yea, but have you ever changed your rubber out by hand? Ooooo what a pain in the ass!:lol: The worst part is that I don't have a garage so all this crap is sitting on my patio... I wonder what Rider's HOA would say about that?:lol

[Sixxxxer]

They'd have a shit fit and sell your house underneath you.

[Rider]

We have a local Duc dealer (Speed's, 1o minutes from me) here who is the same way. Took my ST2 to him and his butchers the first time. Standard Duc tune up of $800 bucks.....and for that I got missing bodywork screws, an untorqued torque arm on the rear brake which came loose and snapped the rear brake line, and a valve check that never happened ( brought it in for the 6k service with a too loose closer on the intake; when I picked it up, it was still ticking). When I brought it back 15 mins later with the list of issues and a hanging rear brake line, owner told me he couldn't get to it for 3 weeks (had it there waiting for service intially for three weeks) and they would have to charge me standard shop rate for any further work they did. When I complained that the work ordered and paid for wasn't done or done incorrectly, and that I paid for work that wasn't finished, he told me I could take my business somewhere else.

So I did; I bought a Duc manual from Coleman's and learned to do the Duc myself. Now I'll drive the 45 minutes to Coleman's for parts because I vowed to never give aholes like Speed another dime.

Good for you. Vote with your feet and your wallet. If more people practiced this, there would be far less problems with poor workmanship.

[Amber Lamps]

We have a local Duc dealer (Speed's, 1o minutes from me) here who is the same way. Took my ST2 to him and his butchers the first time. Standard Duc tune up of $800 bucks.....and for that I got missing bodywork screws, an untorqued torque arm on the rear brake which came loose and snapped the rear brake line, and a valve check that never happened ( brought it in for the 6k service with a too loose closer on the intake; when I picked it up, it was still ticking). When I brought it back 15 mins later with the list of issues and a hanging rear brake line, owner told me he couldn't get to it for 3 weeks (had it there waiting for service intially for three weeks) and they would have to charge me standard shop rate for any further work they did. When I complained that the work ordered and paid for wasn't done or done incorrectly, and that I paid for work that wasn't finished, he told me I could take my business somewhere else.

So I did; I bought a Duc manual from Coleman's and learned to do the Duc myself. Now I'll drive the 45 minutes to Coleman's for parts because I vowed to never give aholes like Speed another dime.

Oh yea? Well what ELSE did you do to this poor dealer to cause him to act this way? Come on there HAS to be a "back story"....:lol:

Man, it's amazing that some of these places stay in business at all! I once had a transmission job done on my '97 YZF1000R at Shawmutt Hills Yamaha in Grand Rapids, Mi and the mech didn't seat the shift shaft seal correctly... every time I pulled in the clutch oil would leak out onto my rear tire. Luckily I noticed it on my way home from the shop. :panic:

Shit, I could tell "dealer horror stories" all day. I don't think that I've ever had a dealership NOT fuck something up on a bike that I've owned. To be honest, I don't really get angry anymore because I half expect problems now. :idk:

[Rider]

Yea, but have you ever changed your rubber out by hand? Ooooo what a pain in the ass!:lol: The worst part is that I don't have a garage so all this crap is sitting on my patio... I wonder what Rider's HOA would say about that?:lol

I'd be the first one over (with a 12 pack of beer in hand)to help you fix your bike.

[shmike]

I'd be the first one over (with a 12 pack of beer in hand)to help you fix your bike.

Cans only, I assume.

Carrying glass bottles needs to be pre-approved by the board.

[Amber Lamps]

Good for you. Vote with your feet and your wallet. If more people practiced this, there would be far less problems with poor workmanship.

I totally agree! Heck, I even ventured into the only other dealership in this area to see about having my new tires installed. It's a Harley dealership next to Harbor Freight and let's just say that it was their attitude about "rice rockets" (the SM actually said we don't work on rice rockets :lol:) that helped prompt me into buying my tire changing tools.:lol

[Amber Lamps]

I'd be the first one over (with a 12 pack of beer in hand)to help you fix your bike.


Yea I know it , Ed. I just couldn't resist the joke! What I really need is a vise grip like tool that will hold one side of the tire on the rim while I pry the rest of the bead on.... hmmmm.... I wonder if body work grips and rim protectors would work?

[marko138]

Good for you. Vote with your feet and your wallet. If more people practiced this, there would be far less problems with poor workmanship.
Damn right.

[Amber Lamps]

Damn right.

Yep and if people share their experiences with their fellow consumers... which is why I posted this thread. I think that we owe it to each other to blow the whistle on bad service centers.:pat:

[Sixxxxer]

Agreed...I wont Ever go there If Im in the area by chance...

[Homeslice]

I didn't even know Ron Ayers did service, but their online parts store has always been top-notch in my book :idk:

[Amber Lamps]

I didn't even know Ron Ayers did service, but their online parts store has always been top-notch in my book

Actually they're a bit pricey IMHO, I always got parts cheaper by going into the store.

[marko138]

Yep and if people share their experiences with their fellow consumers... which is why I posted this thread. I think that we owe it to each other to blow the whistle on bad service centers.:pat:
I agree.

[Trip]

Wow, this is fucked up tig. This needs to be spread around the net, so we can fuck those guys.

Actually, what you should do is write very nice letter explaining the situation to the owner of Ron Ayers also if you can, see if you can get Wheeler to write up a letter describing what happened to attach to your letter to the owner. These managers need a wake up call.

[Dave]

Agreed...I wont Ever go there If Im in the area by chance...

heres hoping you dont have a cycle world sucks! Thread next week :lol:

[Sixxxxer]

Dude...They STILL Havent Called...Im Pissed off

[tommymac]

All this talk about ron ayers and I just got an e-mail from them about some sales or something.

tom

[Homeslice]

heres hoping you dont have a cycle world sucks! Thread next week :lol:

Talk about inflated prices....

[Gas Man]

Well you guys know what I always say....
"Why pay somebody else to fuck up your bike?!"

So they did pay you right? Would you go back anyway? I think not.

Why didn't you take it up with the owner?

I had a similar problem with a Kaw dealer once. I had my bike in there for a insurance claim. They had it for 5 weeks n shit. Had to get a new tail fairing and aftermarket rear tire under fairing. Well I got it home, and noticed they had cracked the brand new tail fairing during the install where the under fairing bolts to the tail. I called them and told them I would be there the next day. I did... they took the bike around back and were already givin me shit about it saying I did something. I told them BS. They come back around and told me that I re-installed the screws under there and put loctite on them and I did it. They knew I did because of the loctite residue on the bolts. Then I told them NO and pulled out the bag of brand new hardware that they gave me with my old parts. They had re-used the old hardware on the install and that is where the loctite came from. He said he still wasn't going to refund me or replace the part. So I asked for the owner, so the service manager and mechanic are heading to the owners office. I follow. Walk right in behind them and said, being this involves me I will not allow them to tell only "their side". So I gave the owner the low down. They ask me to leave so they can discuss and I do. I walk out side and call my insurance company (State Farm) and told them about the issue being they are paying for the service. They call the owner right then! The service manager says he'll order a new one and call me when it comes in. DAMN RIGHT! I got my new part and never went back.

Sorry so long.

[Rider]

Cans only, I assume.

Carrying glass bottles needs to be pre-approved by the board.

Bottles only, cans are ghetto. :lol

[6doublefive321]

That really sucks. Obviously, the recession hasn't hit that douche yet.

If they really thought you had a pos, they shouldn't have touched it. A couple of years ago, I had a 1986 pos bike I was commuting on. I went by a local dealer and asked them about changing the clutch. They looked at my bike and said they wouldn't touch it because it was too old. Some people would be pissed, but I respected that. Sounds like your dealer is talking out of both sides of his ass. Anymore, you almost have to beg someone to take your money. Unbelievable.

[azoomm]

Well you guys know what I always say....
"Why pay somebody else to fuck up your bike?!"

So they did pay you right? Would you go back anyway? I think not.

Why didn't you take it up with the owner?
....

:dthumb:

One time, shame on you.
Two times, shame on me.

[Kerry_129]

Piss poor. :td: Glad Ken Wheeler was able to get you squared away quickly & avoid possible uglyness later on in the ride! He's been a buddy of mine since just after he moved up from Fl when he was dating a friend of mine. He's a great mechanic, and one of the few I woul;d trust to work on my bikes. :)

Plus 1 on being glad I can take care of all my repair/modification work myself, and have not one but TWO riding buddies with NoMars.

On the HF changer - it can certainly get the job done (had one a few years ago), but without a bit of modification it's hard to avoid scratching the piss out of your rims. I'd recommend looking into these: http://home.comcast.net/~prestondrake/mojoblocks.htm (http://home.comcast.net/%7Eprestondrake/mojoblocks.htm) and either a MoJo lever from the same guy, or a NoMar bar & possible a set of the NoMar spoons. Brings the cost up a bit, but still a lot less than a NoMar or paying for a few dealer changes. Also, technique is key (with the NoMars too) - a little searching will find some great pic/video tutorials.

[Porkchop]

"Your bike is a piece of shit, you should get rid of it and buy a new one"...

If someone told that to my face (even though it might be true).... id pop that fucker in the face for

a - Doing piss poor work and putting my life at risk

b - Insulting my bike....

Fuck them. You dont want their business anyway....

[CrazyKell]

Glad to hear the issue is finally resolved Tig.

This thread scares me and makes me vow to learn more about my bike. I am useless when it comes to mechanical stuff and haven't really had the benefit of someone helping me out to learn this stuff. I'm thinking about enlisting a friend to even just watch him work on bikes. I wouldn't know if shit was wrong. :(

[Amorok]

I am so lucky that my local shop kicks ass. They have never fucked anything up on my bike, and if they do they fix it, no questions asked. I've been a loyal customer since '05 because they've earned my loyalty. Sorry you have sucka a bad shop Tigger, I don't know how you stayed calm.

[Flexin]

Glad to hear the issue is finally resolved Tig.

This thread scares me and makes me vow to learn more about my bike. I am useless when it comes to mechanical stuff and haven't really had the benefit of someone helping me out to learn this stuff. I'm thinking about enlisting a friend to even just watch him work on bikes. I wouldn't know if shit was wrong. :(

Thats screwed up service Tig.

As far as doing your own work Kell, I took a engine rebuilding course years ago and the first thing he told us was that everything goes on the way it came off. One thing that can help is to take pictures as you take things off so you can see how it goes on. Having a repair manual helps a lot.

If you do have someone that does work on their own bike it would be a great idea to give them a hand. Its a great way to learn (if they know what they are doing)O

[the chi]

Not unheard of unfortunately, sorry they screwed ya over, but it is best this way, at least you wont be tempted to go back!

For those who think theres "gotta be more to the story", here's one for ya...

Paid a contractor to make some repairs on one of my commercial properties. They came out, did a job they swore was up to par. A week later a truck drives over it, and its supposed to be rated to withstand regular traffic. THEN I get a call from the local inspector. Not only did they do a shitty job, they didnt pull permits. When contacted they were certain they were up to par and would take care of everything. Several weeks later, after many calls because they hadnt resolved it, I got a letter in the mail telling me they were refunding my cost and I needed to look elsewhere to remove the shit job they had done and get it done to code.

No fault on my part other than using a shitty contractor that was highly recommended, so its not always a "more to it".

Karma is a bitch however, and the county and local govt will make sure they dont get any business, and after a quick call to the BBB...Im sure they regret not doing the job right in the first place!

Tig I would highly recommend calling them in to corporate and the BBB, if only for the satisfaction of knowing you did it.

[101lifts2]

....Here's the really fun part. Bill explains to me that it has been decided that Ron Ayers will no longer do business with me in any capacity. Period. So basically, because they fucked up and potentially risked my life with inept service, they will no longer have me as a customer. Now that is the very definition of adding insult to injury...

Dude next time just go in there with a hat on and when they say First Name..u say "Tig" and then when they say Last Name...u say "Ger". Then after your bike is fixed you can go back to the owner and say HA Mutherfucker ur still fixin my shit.